POWER In Being Different

Power's first episode shows promise in being different
Graphics via NationalWrestlingAlliance.com

The National Wrestling Alliance has been promising some return to prominence ever since Billy Corgan bought the rights to the name. While I wouldn't say it's in the upper echelon of promotions right now like another company that just debuted television, All Elite Wrestling, having a fully formed wrestling program on a platform even as public as YouTube is a start. NWA Power dropped for streaming this past Thursday, October 10. It was, much like the televised wrestling of the '80s, shot in front of a live studio audience. The only match that ran over ten minutes was the main event pitting NWA World's Champion Nick Aldis against Tim Storm. It was in every sense of the word a throwback to the olden days, and it was refreshing, not in a sense that all wrestling should be like what the NWA produced, but that it was so different from what everyone else was producing.

Wrestling is an artform that plays best when promotions differ from each other in presentation and style. One can try to emulate what WWE does, but really, one, why would you, and two, even if what WWE did was original and worthwhile, no one would do it better than they would. Yeah, there are cosmetic similarities among the leaders in WWE, AEW, and New Japan Pro Wrestling, but each promotion is different enough from each other that you can make distinctions and have people who are solely fans of each company. When you're starting out with no existing fanbase, no real distribution, you have to go all the way in one direction to stand out and get people to notice. Dramatic Dream Team, for example, has done this for years and has carved out a sizable niche in Japan with a growing following in North America. Of course, the NWA has gone far in the other direction, but there's nothing wrong with an hour each week of homage to the days of smoky auditoriums and traveling Champions. In fact, I'd venture to say that the Power arena in Atlanta wasn't smoky enough. However, the way the whole show was shot and presented is enough to hearken back to an older time. One could say Power's biggest asset was its authenticity.

The wrestling itself was good for the most part. Caleb Konley vs. Eli Drake and the main event are matches worth seeking out. The Dawson Bros. squash match was notable for watching two big guys romp around the ring and treat poor Sal Rinauro and Billy Buck like great danes would treat a Kong full of peanut butter. Perhaps the best part of the whole thing wasn't any of the wrestling but a commercial for Austin Idol's wrestling school. Shot with all the kitsch and low-budget flair you'd find from a local television commercial from the 1980s, Idol hams it up for the camera selling his potential students on making big money in a break from the daily routine. I understand that it was probably an earnest commercial, but the ironic trappings make it worth the watch as one waits between matches.

There was a match featuring Thomas Latimer, Bram to those familiar with him in TNA, and while it lead to something even better, namely the debut of Eddie Kingston and Homicide into the fray, it showed that the show and the NWA in general, are not perfect and that they still have lapses in judgment with the talent they bring in. Honestly, Latimer shouldn't work anywhere, but because Aldis recommends him, and because an entire country's scene sticks up for him despite the fact that he trapped his then-girlfriend in a bedroom and held her down by her throat, he gets bookings. It's par for the course given that Michael Elgin, Rich Swann, Sami Callihan, Randy Orton, Steve Austin, Mr. 450, Chasyn Rance, Aaron Epic, and countless other people in wrestling continue to have jobs or get bookings despite instances of abuse, assault, or sexual impropriety. I'd also say that Jim Cornette mentioning that the NWA doesn't have "cosplayers" is a black mark too given that I'm not sure he can keep it in his pants for an entire broadcast. He was otherwise great in his role as color commentator, but if the crabby purist bullshit bubbles to the surface in the first episode, I'm wondering how much of a free reign he'll have to yell about shit in the future.

Overall though, it was a positive experience in that it was a show that showed that there's a place and a niche, no matter how large or small, for big boys slapping against each other in front of a studio audience. When Jim Cornette says that all wrestling should be like old Mid-South and Jim Crockett, he's a loudmouth afraid of change. However, he'd not be wrong if he said there's a place for it. NWA Power shows that, and it will continue to grow and find its true footing on YouTube. Becoming something bigger would be great, no doubt, but it should also be considered a happy accident if it does. Habitating where it is now would be a perfect slot for it, a place for nostalgia to reign for discerning fans who want to experience it and be able to find it.