Cook’s Top 5: Things NWA Power Needs To Do More Of

NWA Power got the attention of the internet last week, and Steve Cook is ready for more! More of what? Well, he has a Top 5 for that!

The Internet is seeing all kinds of new, fun wrestling come to the forefront here in the final months of 2019. Two YouTube-based shows turned heads last week with some impressive view numbers & some darn good content too. AEW’s offering was expected to do well, but few were counting on the NWA’s new studio show drawing the attention it did in its first week online.

Will that trend continue? We’ve all seen recently how TV ratings do really well in the first week of a new show/new network, then take a hit in the second week. Will the NWA be able to keep our attention in the weeks & months ahead? Here are five things I saw in Week 1 of Powerrr that we need to see more of in order for the NWA to find the success it’s looking for.

5. That studio feel

I am 10 years old again.
Beautiful. #NWAPowerrr pic.twitter.com/vSLjIWl31l

— Jude Kilgour (@judekilgour) October 8, 2019

The NWA isn’t the only wrestling federation producing wrestling in a studio these days. NXT is filmed every week at Full Sail University and has been taping shows there for several years now. To be honest though, Full Sail has never really re-created the feel of good ol’ fashioned studio wrestling. It re-creates that WWE sanitized feel with a venue that doesn’t do a whole lot to stand out from any other building out there.

The NWA has done their best to re-create the World Championship Wrestling studio from back in the day. We got flags hanging all over the place, people doing interviews at podiums & a set that looks like it’s straight from the 1980s. We got Dokken music too, so it’s a good vibe.

4. Motivated Vets

“When you come here to the NWA you’ve got men… Grown Men!”
– @TheEliDrake #NWAPowerrr

pic.twitter.com/pzF5RDABgp

— NWA (@nwa) October 10, 2019

One of the criticisms I’ve seen online about NWA Powerrr is the prevalance of names one can recognize from other wrestling promotions. Guys like Eli Drake, James Storm, Homicide, Ken Anderson and others yet to appear aren’t the freshest names out there. The last time we saw some of these guys, they weren’t all that great. Why would the NWA waste their time on them now?

See, these guys aren’t dumb. They can read & hear just like everybody else. They know public perception of their work, and some of them know that their last runs on TV could have been better. They’re in the NWA to make things right & accomplish what they weren’t able to do before. James Storm looked in much better shape than he did during his NXT run. Eli Drake looked as good as he ever has against Caleb Konley. Heck, the NWA Champion is doing his best to prove people wrong about his talent based off his TNA run.

I, for one, am willing to have my mind changed.

3. Nick Aldis & Kamille

“Save your clickbait…”@RealNickAldis #NWAPowerrr

pic.twitter.com/3xkJQr6r4F

— NWA (@nwa) October 10, 2019

Nick Aldis is a guy I’ve had to re-think since he took on the role of NWA Worlds Champion. I was never terribly impressed with him in TNA, he just seemed like another guy with a body, a mediocre skillset & not much of a personality. During his time in NWA, he’s grown into a more complete performer and seems like as good a choice as any to carry the title during this time period.

He had Austin Idol by his side early on in his title reign, but I think most of us will agree that Kamille is a big upgrade in the ringside second department. She has the look of a star and from all accounts isn’t afraid to throw down either. She took a heck of a bump off an inadvertant clothesline from Aldis on the floor, and neither Aldis or Kamille had much of anything to say about it afterward. It’ll be interesting to see if that gets played up on in the future…in any event, my eye will definitely be on Kamille.

2. The Story of Tim Storm

When Billy Corgan purchased the National Wrestling Alliance back in 2017, Tim Storm was the random guy from Texas that had managed to win the Worlds Championship & become the oldest champion of all time at 51 years old. After a series of YouTube videos that introduced us to Storm & his background, fans were invested in the man and wanted to see him succeed.

Due to Storm’s loss on NWA Powerrr, he will no longer be allowed to challenge for the Worlds Championship. Hopefully this won’t be the last we see of Tim Storm in the NWA, as there’s still the matter of the rest of his career to settle. At 53 he probably doesn’t have much time left in the ring…but then again he looks to be in pretty good shape so maybe he does? In any event, Storm is the first guy that the new NWA can claim to have made a star.

1. Eddie Kingston Promos

If you give Eddie Kingston a microphone, you have my attention. He’s been one of the most underrated talkers in pro wrestling for years & years now. Eddie has been his own worst enemy over the years, and he’s been the main obstacle in the way of his gaining a top spot in one of the major promotions. None of that matters here towards the end of 2019, as he & Homicide are back together in the NWA and raising the type of hell that you would expect.

Kingston teased retirement at the end of this year “unless something crazy happens”. Fortunately, crazy things have happened & the War King is here to stay until further notice. Great news for NWA Powerrr.