Current NWA star Tom Latimer recently had an interview with This Is Wrestling podcast where he opened up about his battles with alcoholism in detail.
The 34-year-old star was signed by WWE in 2010 and was assigned to FCW before its rebranding to NXT. The company seemed to have some plans for him but they released him in 2012 following a confrontation with a police officer.
Reflecting on his WWE firing, Latimer recalled how the company officials had told him to seek help. However, he was in a state where the former TNA star didn’t even realize that he had a problem:
“When I got fired from WWE for a drinking related thing, for touching a cop, for one I was arrogant and I was in a good position, I thought ‘oh, I’ll be fine.” Because I’d already been arrested before that, when I’d first signed with WWE, for a DUI. So they already knew I had a drinking problem.
So when they released me, they said ‘go seek some help. Ya know, you’ve probably got a problem.’ I was still like ‘nah, I don’t have a problem.’”, said Tom Latimer, “And that’s how I still carried on for 10 years.”
The former champion later discussed how his perception of being an alcoholic was of a homeless person who is begging for money to buy more alcohol. He admitted that it took him a long time to realize that he was an alcoholic.
Though the good news for Tom Latimer is that he has realized his mistakes. The NWA star has since gone sober. You can check out his full interview below:
Serena Deeb defeated Riho in a well-reviewed match from the Double or Nothing Kickoff show this weekend. She’ll look to defend her NWA Women’s Championship against Kamille on an NWA PPV this weekend. She spoke to Jim Varsallone from the Miami Herald recently about her time in the AEW, NWA, and what working as a trainer for WWE taught her about wrestling.
Deeb also mentioned that the Double or Nothing crowd she performed in front of this weekend was the most special of her career.
“This was the most special crowd I’ve ever been in front of in my entire career,” Deeb said. “I truly feel that way. The people were just clearly so happy to be there and so happy that we made it through, things are starting to resume normalcy a little bit, and it was amazing.”
Serena Deeb on How Working as a Trainer Improved Her Ability as a Wrestler
Deeb was with WWE as a trainer from 2017-2020. She spoke during the interview about how she feels this experience made her a better wrestler.
“The time that I was coaching, it really opened my mind up in different ways to wrestling,” she said.
“Because when you’re coaching you have to not only tell people what to do and how to do it and all these things but you have to tell them why, why they’re doing it. There’s a lot of whys in wrestling and if you don’t understand why you’re doing something at the time you’re doing it, there’s a little bit of a disconnect. So now I think I’m putting the pieces of the puzzle together a little bit better, a little bit more sharply.”
She was asked about why she decided to take the coaching position with WWE in 2017. Deeb noted that she had been out of wrestling for about 2 years at that point. She got very immersed in yoga and began teaching. WWE approached her about being in the Mae Young Classic and offered her a coaching position after. She said that at the time, it just seemed like the right next step for her.
Deeb was released from the position in April of 2020. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for her, however. She now says she’s having the most fun of her career.
“When I took the coaching job I did feel a little bit torn,” Deeb continued. “I felt a little bit conflicted. I didn’t feel like I was completely done wrestling. There was a little piece of me that still felt I had something to contribute in the ring. So, the way that the cards were dealt with everything in the past year it’s been such a blessing in disguise because I was able to get back in the ring.”
“Right now, I feel that I’m doing the best work of my career and having the most fun in my career and I’m really thankful the way everything’s turned out,” Deeb continued.
Serena Deeb On Her Influences, What Wrestling She Watches and Studies
Now with AEW and NWA, Deeb says she’s watching and studying more wrestling than ever before.
“Right now, I’m watching more wrestling than I’ve ever watched in my life, I’m studying more wrestling than I’ve ever studied.”
She continued to say that she’s watching a lot of Bret Hart and Eddie Guerrero matches. Dean Malenko and Lance Storm were also mentioned. She likes the technicians.
Deeb will defend her NWA Women’s Championship this weekend on PPV. She’ll face Kamille on the NWA: When Our Shadow Falls PPV on Sunday.
Billy Corgan recently appeared on Busted Open Radio where he talked about a number of things such as WWE’s content production strategy and more. The latest wave of WWE releases has shocked the internet. They have been a topic of discussion among fans and they were also discussed during the interview.
As an owner of a historical wrestling promotion NWA himself, Corgan admitted that he doesn’t understand the decision. He said that dumping key talents in the market at the current time seems a really odd choice:
“I don’t understand it, but again I’m not making those decisions, and whatever those reasons, there’s obviously a lot of speculation. But when you look at that list you went ‘oh man, this is pretty wild.’ Especially when things are heating up between AEW and WWE, at least in the public’s mind.
Maybe WWE doesn’t feel that way, but in terms of the public’s mind you have a bit of a rivalry going on. AEW obviously has some momentum. I think to dump key talents like that on the market at this time seems like a really odd decision.”
Billy Corgan also discussed which of the released talents he would be interested in bringing to his promotion. He unsurprisingly took the name of the former universal champion Braun Strowman :
“Braun Strowman, if he was green in NXT, I’d be jumping all over it. There aren’t a lot of big guys that have that little of ability. So you think ‘how do you let a guy like that out the door?’ I don’t mean to be critical; I’m not making the business decisions. But I don’t know how you let a guy like that out the door.”
Apart from this, Billy Corgan talked about how WWE produces a lot of content without an end game. He explained that it’s like watching a very long movie whose ending doesn’t matter.
The National Wrestling Alliance will allow fans back into the studio this weekend for the first time since the onset of the global pandemic. The promotion has announced that a small number of fans will be permitted to attend this weekend’s PPV and Powerrr tapings.
The NWA will be taping inside the Georgia Public Broadcasting Studio in Atlanta, GA June 5 – 7.
“After an extensive process we are happy to announce we are now able to sell tickets to a small group of fans to be in attendance for the upcoming taping. We understand that this is coming at short notice but we assure you the National Wrestling Alliance has been working very hard for weeks to get plans in place that included having fans in the building,” reads the event description on Eventbrite.
Fans who purchased tickets to a canceled event and did not receive a refund can contact nwa2020tickets@gmail.com to have their tickets transferred to the upcoming tapings.
Masks will be required and temperature checks will be done at the door. Having previously received a vaccine or negative COVID-19 test is recommended but not required.
Wrestling legend Don Kernodle has passed away. He was 71 years old. He had reportedly been dealing with health issues prior to his passing.
Kernodle won the NWA World Tag Titles on 3 occasions with 3 different partners. Sgt Slaughter and Kernodle won the belts in September of 1982. He then won the titles along with “Cowboy” Bob Orton in January of 1984.
Kernodle would later win the belts with Ivan Koloff in May of 1984. He also twice held the NWA 6-man titles along with Ivan and Nikita Koloff. Kernodle twice held the Mid-Atlantic tag titles with Jim Nelson. He was recently inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
SEScoops extends our condolences to the family and friends of Don Kernodle.
Wrestling World Reacts
Numerous people from within the wrestling industry have been posting online in tribute to Kernodle.
“Sorry to hear of the passing of Don Kernodle He was 1 hell of a wrestler loved all his Mid Atlantic stuff former 3 time NWA tag champ Always enjoyed talking w/him every time I saw him,” Tweeted Tommy Dreamer.
“Another day filled with sad news as we learn of the passing of Don Kernodle at the age of 71. We send out our condolences to his friends, fans and family, thank you for the memories Sir. R.I.P. Don,” Tweeted the Cauliflower Alley Club.
The National Wrestling Alliance is saddened to hear about the passing of multi-time NWA Tag Champion Don Kernodle. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. RIP Don pic.twitter.com/t7Dgd80PER
After A Tremendous Day With Mongo Yesterday, I Arrived Back At The Hotel To Hear That My Friend Don Kernodle Had Passed. One Of My Best Friends And A Great Wrestler In The 70’s & 80’s. I Cannot Thank You Enough For The Friendship And Great Times We Shared. RIP! ?????? pic.twitter.com/2m4jGaLYqH
RIP Don Kernodle. Any fan of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling remembers The Final Conflict in March of 83 in Greensboro. It’s wrestling at its best https://t.co/5f4Ru8qHXj
As a rabid 7 year old wrestling fan, Don Kernodle was the very first man to allow me into a professional wrestling ring. For me, it all truly started there. The trainer of my trainer, and a long time family friend.
RIP, Don.
— Andrew “The Giant” Everett 223cm (@_AndrewEverett) May 18, 2021
NWA star Kamille recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The ‘insurance policy’ of NWA Worlds Champion Nick Aldis discussed a number of topics on the show, including how she would like to face Jade Cargill in an AEW ring.
“I would definitely bring a different twist to their product and the type of matches they have” Kamille began, discussing AEW television and what she could bring to the roster. “The only way I would go there is if the business is there to do so.”
“I understand a working relationship, but I’m team NWA” Kamille added. “If the business got more eyes on our product, I’m all for it. Other than that, it is what it is.”
Kamille on Jade Cargill
“Down the line, no time soon, this girl is brand new but she’s an absolute superstar is Jade Cargill” Kamille continued, revealing that she’d like to work with the megastar in waiting. “If you’re flipping channels and you see her, you’re like, ‘What’s going on here?’”
“I like matches with people who are out of this world and you don’t see every day” Kamille concluded. “The business is there for me and Jade.”
Do you think we’ll ever see Jade Cargill and Kamille cross paths?
The National Wrestling Alliance’s next pay-per-view has been announced.
The NWA presents “When Our Shadows Fall” live on pay-per-view on Sunday, June 6th. The event will feature a ‘dark and ominous’ circus theme and streams exclusively at FITE.TV.
All of the NWA’s top champions will be part of this show, including World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis, National Champion Chris Adonis, Women’s Champion Serena Deeb, Tag Team Champions Aron Stevens and Kratos and Television Champion, The Pope.
NWA President Billy Corgan was quoted in a press release sent in to SEScoops.com:
“We ask our fans from all over the globe to join us as we continue to build on the 73 years-and-counting tradition of the National Wrestling Alliance. It’s an awesome legacy to have to navigate, but as you’ve seen recently with Triller’s headline-making acquisition of FITE, the future of television and live broadcast events is in the digital sphere.”
You can pre-order NWA: When Our Shadows Fall now at FITE.TV.
The NWA Back For The Attack pay-per-view event is in the books and what a show it was.
The event took place on Sunday afternoon at the GPB Studios in Atlanta, Georgia and aired on FITE.tv.
In the main event, Nick Aldis successfully retained the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title over Aron Stevens.
Other notable match finishes to this card saw World TV Champion Elijah Burke vs. Thom Latimer with it ending in a draw. Thus, Burke came out on top with the gold while Kamille becomes the new #1 contender for the NWA Women’s Title.
The complete results from the show are below:
NWA Back For The Attack PPV Results
Slice Boogie defeated Jordan Clearwater, Jax Dane, and Crimson in a four-way.
Tyrus defeated JR Kratos
Pope fought Thom Latimer to a time limit draw to retain the NWA TV Title.
Kamille defeated Thunder Rosa to become No. 1 contender to the NWA Women’s Championship.
Trevor Murdoch defeated Chris Adonis to retain the NWA National Championship.
Nick Aldis defeated Aron Stevens to retain the NWA Championship.
NWA owner Billy Corgan has confirmed that NWA Powerrr is also returning on March 23rd on FITE TV as the weekly show will air on Thursday at 6:05 pm EST. Fans will also be able to watch Powerrr on FITE through a low-cost subscription bundle.
The card for today’s (March 21, 2021) NWA Back For The Attack pay-per-view event has been finalized.
National Wrestling Alliance is slated to hold its first pay-per-view event of the year at the GPB Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.
The show will be headlined by NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis defending the strap against Aron Stevens.
Other top matches featured on this card include World TV Champion Elijah Burke vs. Thom Latimer, Thunder Rosa vs. Kamille in a #1 contender’s match with the winner challenging for the NWA Women’s Title at a later date, and Crimson vs. Jax Dane vs. Jordan Clearwater vs. Slice Boogie in a fatal 4-way bout.
The pay-per-view event can be purchased with the price tag of $19.99 via the FITE app. The show will begin at 4:00 pm ET. Here is the final card.
Final NWA Back For The Attack Card
NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis vs. Aron Stevens
Crimson vs. Jax Dane vs. Jordan Clearwater vs. Slice Boogie – Four-Way Match
Thunder Rosa vs. Kamille – #1 Contender’s Match To Determine Challenger To NWA World Women’s Title
NWA World Television Champion ‘Da Pope’ Elijah Burke vs. Thom Latimer
Tyrus vs. JR Kratos
NWA National Heavyweight Champion Trevor Murdoch vs. Chris Adonis
What are your thoughts on this match card? Do you plan on buying the pay-per-view and watching? Sound off in the comment section.
The National Wrestling Alliance returns on Sunday with the “Back for the Attack” PPV available on FITE. The promotion added a few matches to the show recently.
Yesterday, the NWA announced that Thunder Rosa will face Kamille on the PPV. The winner of that match will earn an NWA Women’s Championship match against Serena Deeb, who is currently out with a knee injury.
The NWA previously announced that Aron Stevens will challenge Nick Aldis for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on the card. Stevens is the former tag partner to “The Question Mark” Joseph Hudson, who passed away last month. Stevens put out a statement that he will be wrestling as his true self on the show and not portraying a character.
Following the PPV this weekend, the NWA will be filming content for future episodes of Powerrr. The last set of official NWA tapings took place in January of 2020. At the onset of the pandemic, the NWA was forced to cancel the planned 2020 Crockett Cup.
The National Wrestling Alliance has announced that Aron Stevens will challenge NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis for the belt this weekend at Back for the Attack. It will be an emotional contest as Stevens is the most recent tag-team partner of “The Question Mark” Joseph Hudson who passed away last month.
Stevens released a statement on Twitter that he would not be portraying a character in the match. Rather, he would be wrestling as his true self.
Thunder Rosa, Trevor Murdoch, Elijah Burke, Tim Storm, and Kamille were announced for the show previously. Tyrus, Crimson, Chris Adonis, Jordan Clearwater, and Slice Boogie were announced recently. The event will stream on FITE on Saturday, March 21st, 2021.
Nick Aldis On New PPV Deal Between FITE and NWA
Nick Aldis was interviewed by Metro recently about FITE carrying NWA PPVs in the UK.
“We just hope that it means we can encourage a few more UK fans to give her a go and check out what we have to offer,” Aldis said during the interview. “The main thing that I really wanna convey to anyone who’s gonna read this – if you are one of the millions of fans around the world who have fallen out of love with wrestling because the industry just doesn’t quite hit the notes that you remember it hitting, you might find that the NWA hits those notes.”
The National Wrestling Alliance returns to PPV on March 21st, 2021 with “Back For The Attack.” The show will air on the same day as WWE’s Fastlane PPV. Nick Aldis, Thunder Rosa, Aron Stevens, Trevor Murdoch, Elijah Burke, Tim Storm, and Kamille have all been previously advertised to take part in the show
The NWA announced several more names for the PPV recently, with some making their debut for the promotion.
The NWA announced that Tyrus (aka Brodus Clay) will make his debut for the promotion at Back For The Attack.
Chris Adonis, formerly known as Chris Masters, will also be on the PPV.
Formerly of TNA Wrestling, Crimson will be on the PPV.
Billy Corgan recently spoke to the associated press about the NWA’s return.
“I feel like we’re finally taking the steps we were hoping to take a year ago. We were never in any financial peril,” Corgan added. “We were totally on a growth pattern. The plan for last year before things kind of hit the skids was to start pivoting. We were in discussions with Live Nation about running live events to help bring in revenue and expand who was watching the product. It was more about growing pains stuff, but we didn’t have any problems internally with the product.”
Jim Crockett Jr., legendary wrestling promoter and part owner of Jim Crockett Promotions passed away on Wednesday because of organ failure, at the age of 76. The news of his passing was confirmed by WWE Hall of Famer and one-half of The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express Robert Gibson via his Facebook page. “Rest In Peace Jim Crockett, Jr. You will be missed by so many,” says the caption of the post.
Jim Crockett Jr. was reported to be in grave condition this week and was housed in hospice care. The 76-year-old’s failing liver and kidneys were cited to be the cause. According to the report, he had taken himself off dialysis.
Jim Crockett Jr. took over his father’s company in 1973 and would grow the southern-based wrestling promotion to the national level. In 1980, he went on to be elected as the NWA President. He would serve two subsequent terms in 1985 and 1987 too.
As Crockett Promotions was not doing well financially and was near bankruptcy, he sold his company to Ted Turner through promoter Jim Barnett by November 1988. It was renamed as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) by Turner and would continue until 2001. Crockett would go on to stay as NWA President until 1991.
Reactions to Jim Crockett Jr. Passing
The wrestling world mourned his death and everyone came forward to offer their condolences. Here are some reactions:
I Moved To Charlotte In 1974 With $150 In My Pocket. Jimmy Crockett Was My Friend And My Boss. I Can’t Put Into Words How Much He Did For Me And My Career. His Influence And Persistence Helped Me Become The World Champion. My Thoughts And Prayers Are With The Crockett Family! ?? pic.twitter.com/qbcyubrtkI
AEW and the wrestling world mourn the passing of the legendary Mid-Atlantic Wrestling and NWA promoter Jim Crockett, Jr. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans. pic.twitter.com/rZN7k9e350
Everyone here at the CAC is saddened to hear that legendary promoter Jim Crockett Jr has passed away at 76. We thank him for all the years of wonderful memories and send out our sincerest condolences to his family, friends & wrestling fans the world over. R.I.P. Mr Crockett. pic.twitter.com/IgzQdeKDsA
— Cauliflower Alley Club (@CACReunion) March 4, 2021
NWA owner Billy Corgan has confirmed that NWA Power is making a return. As reported earlier, the NWA will be returning to PPV with the show “Back for the Attack” in less than 3 weeks. The show was spotted in a listing on FITE TV. Now, Corgan has said in a recent interview that NWA is in a deal with FITE TV but NWA Power is also making a return as the show starts taping episodes soon.
The first episode of NWA Power will take place on March 23, two days after Back for the Attack. The episodes are set to air at 6:05 PM on Thursday nights. Back for the Attack is listen on FITE TV for a cost of $19.99 USD.
In a bizzare turn of events concerning fans of the promotion, NWA took down all their content from YouTube, leaving the entire channel blank. Power was previously hosted on NWA’s YouTube channel so fans were left wondering about the future of the company at the time.
“What I didn’t anticipate was how much people would love the format and want more of it and not less of it,” Billy Corgan told Associated Press in an interview. “In our downtime, we did a fan survey and the No. 1 thing was, don’t get rid of ‘Power.’”
Corgan said that NWA is now taking the steps that they intended to take a year ago. “I feel like we’re finally taking the steps we were hoping to take a year ago. We were never in any financial peril,” Corgan added. “We were totally on a growth pattern. The plan for last year before things kind of hit the skids was to start pivoting. We were in discussions with Live Nation about running live events to help bring in revenue and expand who was watching the product. It was more about growing pains stuff, but we didn’t have any problems internally with the product.”
It was reported this week that NWA would resume TV tapings this month. The last set of tapings for Power took place in January 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the promotion had to cancel its planned Crockett Cup 2020 PPV.
Fans of the National Wrestling Alliance will be pleased to know that the company plans on resuming television tapings later this month. This comes on the heels of the promotion mysteriously removing all of its content from YouTube. What’s next for the NWA was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“So, this is the situation with the NWA. I don’t know why they pulled all their videos from YouTube but they are going to be taping March 21st to 24th and I was told it will come out in the next couple of days why they did it and it will be a positive,” said Dave Meltzer.
The NWA is expecting to make a public announcement in the next few days.
The last set of TV tapings the company held was in January of 2020. Upon the onset of the pandemic, the promotion was forced to cancel its planned Crockett Cup 2020 PPV event that spring. The NWA was loosely affiliated with the UWN shows at Thunder Studios last fall, however. Those shows were shut down in December.
NWA Mourns Loss of “The Question Mark” Joseph Hudson (aka Jocephus)
Unfortunately, it is a sad time for the NWA. Last week, Joseph Hudson (The Question Mark, Jocephus) passed away suddenly. The NWA’s wrestlers, staff, and fans have been paying tribute to the Mongrovian Karate expert online.
“The Question Mark” Joseph Hudson (aka Jocephus) passed away suddenly recently. He had been a big part of the NWA’s revival under Billy Corgan. Hudson debuted the Question Mark character as the promotion began filming studio shows for NWA Powerrr. Former NWA Women’s Champion, Thunder Rosa, paid tribute to the man this weekend at an independent show.
Rosa took to Twitter to share photos of her making her ring entrance in Mongrovian style.
Shortly after the onset of the pandemic, the NWA was forced to cancel its scheduled “Crockett Cup 2020” show. They have not run any events since. The promotion recently removed all its content from its YouTube page, leading some to fear the worse.
“Friends, I don’t know what’s going on with the NWA YouTube page, please stop asking. Thank you,’ Tweeted Dave Marquez.
Dave Meltzer noted on the Wrestling Observer message board that he has heard a positive announcement is coming soon, however.
“I was told it will be something announced in the next few days which is a good thing. Would not have to do with AEW,” Meltzer wrote.
Thunder Rosa will face Riho on AEW Dynamite this week in the 2nd round of the Women’s title-eliminator tournament.
National Wrestling Alliance or NWA is making headlines after some bizarre turn of events and reports of some future news about the company.
The whole thing started when the Billy Corgan owned promotion took down all their content from YouTube, leaving their channel on the site completely blank.
The NWA ring announcer and the creator of Championship Wrestling from Hollywood David Marquez then took on his Twitter to respond to the fans and he admitted that he doesn’t know the reason behind it.
Friends,
I don’t know what’s going on with the NWA YouTube page, please stop asking.
Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline later provided some updates on the situation. He noted that the company would be announcing something good in the next few days, though it’s not something related to AEW:
“I was told it will be something announced in the next few days which is a good thing. Would not have to do with AEW.”
NWA, like many other promotions, also faced hardships last year due to the coronavirus pandemic and they had to halt production of their weekly series Powerrr due to the same.
Though the owner Billy Corgan had shot down rumors about the promotion shutting down and he also revealed late last year that their weekly show will be returning soon.
There is sad news to report this morning as Joseph Hudson, aka The Question Mark, aka Jocephus, has passed away. News of his passing was posted on Instagram by the NWA’s Billy Corgan.
Such horrible news to share. Jocephus Hudson has passed. Moments ago @NWA President William Patrick Corgan issued a statement on his IG. Joe was so creative and a hell of a guy. Most of you know him as @QuestiontheTHE. My condolences to his family, friends and fans. #RIPpic.twitter.com/1hnVUq4vZy
“It’s with a heavy heart that I share that my friend and brother in wrestling, Joseph Hudson, has passed away suddenly from an as-yet undiagnosed medical issue. NWA fans would know him as Jocephus as well as The Question Mark; where thanks to the great fans at GPB Studios in Atlanta, Joseph was able to receive the kind of support in the ring he’d always dreamt of. He is survived by a young son whom he loved dearly, and if anything would pain him about leaving this Earth it would be not being able to be there for his boy. RIP Joseph, love to you and Godspeed.”
Dutch Mantell noted on Twitter that he believes Hudson’s death was the result of a stroke or a brain aneurism. An exact cause of death is not currently known.
Sad news tonight folks. My friend, Joseph Hudson, who went by the wrestling name Jocephus and portrayed a young Bruiser Brody in the DSOTR episode 1 passed away tonight. It is believed that he either suffered a stroke or an aneurysm. @PWTorch@PWInsidercom@RealJeffJarrettpic.twitter.com/Vgux3bADk1
Hudson was a major part of the NWA’s revival in recent years. As Jocephus, he feuded with Tim Storm and took part in some entertaining segments. On episodes of NWA Powerrr, he portrayed the Question Mark character and teamed with Aron Stevens.
NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis takes a lot of pride in being a ‘traveling champion.’ He’s not satisfied with his lack of recent title defenses and is looking ahead to 2021.
The National Treasure recently spoke with Wrestling Headlines about the significance of the NWA title. Aldis recalls taking bookings around the world when he first became champion. His willingness to defend the title in other promotions all around the world strengthened the legacy of the prize.
“You could tell that the momentum was there because right away all of those promoters were contacting me and going, ‘Can we make it an NWA title match?’ … We have a unique opportunity here because just as luck would have it I happened to have bookings in Europe, Australia, and across the states. We have a unique opportunity here to re-establish the folklore of the traveling world champion. The real world champion.”
Nick Aldis is proud that former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Tim Storm was elevated by his title reign. He remembers fans telling him that they fell in love with Tim Storm and saw him as being on the same level of himself and Cody Rhodes.
“I took great pride in that,” said Aldis. “I’m business. I want people to work with who generate interest and sell tickets for a pay per view. I don’t like the fact that I haven’t defended the title much lately. I don’t need to be champion forever…I just wanna be in the most important thing.”
The NWA in 2021
The National Wrestling Alliance is looking to regain its footing and build some momentum in 2021.
Billy Corgan recently exercised an option to keep Nick Aldis under contract with the NWA for one more year. Nick Aldis told Konnan and the Keepin’ It 100 podcast, “I truly believe in what we’re doing with the product and I wouldn’t walk away from it because we haven’t even scratched the surface of what we could accomplish.”
The NWA went on hiatus last year partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve partnered with UWN to produce new content, including the NWA Shockwave series on YouTube.
We’ve seen NWA performers on AEW programming in recent months, including NWA Women’s Champion Serena Deeb and Thunder Rosa. Deeb appeared on The Hashtag Show last month and said she believes the NWA will be holding TV tapings soon.
“For the foreseeable future, I’m really excited,” said deeb. “The NWA is probably starting back up again with some tapings in January or early next year. My intention as champion is to defend it all over the world. I would love to be a platform to showcase other women. The possibilities are endless.”
Nick Aldis has no plans to leave the National Wrestling Alliance any time soon. In fact, the reigning NWA World Champion recently extended his deal and will be under contract for at least another year.
Aldis recently appeared on Konnan’s Keepin’ It 100 podcast where he discussed the state of the NWA, the return of NWA Powerrr and more.
Regarding his status with the NWA, Aldis revealed that owner Billy Corgan has picked up the option in his contract to extend their deal for one more year.
“Billy picked up my option with the NWA so… Like I said, I had an option on my contract and Billy picked it up and like I said, I would not have opened up any discussions with anyone without talking to — This is ‘Keepin it 100,’ I just care about that paper.
That’s it and Billy’s been very loyal to me and I to him” said Nick Aldis, “And I truly believe in what we’re doing with the product and I wouldn’t walk away from it because we haven’t even scratched the surface of what we could accomplish.”
The NWA talents have been featured on the Primetime Live shows of the United Wrestling Network (UWN) in the absence of NWA Power but the current champion made it clear that it’s not an NWA product.
Nick Aldis also reiterated comments from the promotion’s Women’s Champion Serena Deeb and confirmed that their flagship show will be making a return sometime in 2021.
Serena Deeb has become a top star in the NWA as she is the current Women’s Champion. She’s also been making AEW appearances.
Deeb made an appearance on The Hashtag Show to discuss a wide range of topics. During it, she noted that the promotion will likely start holding TV tapings again in the coming months, perhaps as soon as next month.
“For the foreseeable future, I’m really excited. NWA is probably starting back up again with some tapings in January or early next year. My intention as champion is to defend it all over the world. I would love to be a platform to showcase other women. The possibilities are endless.”
The NWA had to briefly shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic as it suspended Powerrr tapings in March. They’ve worked with AEW as well as partnered with UWN to run events.
Also, NWA has been airing matches every week that took place at past events for its Shockwave series.While this is an indication as to when there’s been no confirmation by the NWA on them resuming TV tapings.
In a video released Tuesday afternoon, Joe Galli announced the launch of NWA Shockwave, a new digital series that will air Tuesdays on the company’s YouTube channel.
NWA Shockwave will feature exclusive content and brand new matches every Tuesday night at 6pm (Eastern). It will be presented in collaboration with United Wrestling Network, Prime Time Live and Thunder Studios.
Fans interested in viewing the show one day early each week can get access by supporting the NWA on Patreon.
Talent advertised includes Nick Aldis, Thunder Rosa, Eli Drake, Aron Stevens, Kamille, and more.
For more on NWA Shockwave, check out the official announcement below:
Former NWA Women’s Champion, Allysin Kay, has revealed she is officially a free agent. She had last been a member of the National Wrestling Alliance’s roster and was featured on episodes of Powerrr before the pandemic hit.
Kay took to Twitter recently to announce her free agency.
“As of today, I am officially a free agent. Thank you to the NWA for the opportunities, which included one of my favorite matches of my career. I am open for indy bookings & appearances. Let’s get weird,” she wrote.
As of today, I am officially a free agent.
Thank you to the NWA for the opportunities, which included one of my favorite matches of my career.
I am open for indy bookings & appearances. Let’s get weird.
The 32-year-old returned to the ring after 8 months for the 3rd edition of the UWN Prime Time Live back in September. She wrestled and defeated Nicole Savoy on the show. Kay also participated in some independent wrestling events last month. She made it to the finals of the GCW Women’s tournament before losing to Lindsay Snow. Kay also teamed with Marti Belle on the latest SHIMMER PPV and lost to the promotion’s tag champions, Ashley Vox & Delmi Exo.
In addition to being a former NWA Women’s Champion, Kay has also won the GFW Women’s title (1x) and is a 2x Knockouts Champion with Impact Wrestling as well as a 2x SHINE Champion.
Thunder Rosa is not joining WWE any time soon, despite reports to the contrary.
Earlier this week, Serena Deeb defeated Thunder Rosa to capture the NWA Women’s Championship. The unexpected title change set off speculation that Rosa dropped the title in anticipation of joining WWE. Dave Meltzer Wrestling Observer stated that the title change reaffirmed his belief that Thunder Rosa is in fact WWE bound.
Meltzer wrote on his website’s message board, “I think Rosa is going to WWE. I was told 2-3 weeks ago that Deeb was winning and Rosa was going to WWE and the first part just happened. If Rosa was going to AEW, she could keep her NWA title.”
NWA President Billy Corgan has commented on Thunder Rosa’s status on Thursday morning. He wrote on Instagram, that Thunder Rosa is not leaving the NWA because “She’s under contract thru 2021 and there’s a reason for that (it’s called excellence and faith).”
Corgan also took a dig at reports stating that Thunder Rosa was headed to WWE soon. “You have to love press and media reports that don’t contact the company she is under contract to but instead listen to someone who has my email address but doesn’t write and ask.”
Thunder Rosa addressed the rumors of her next move with two videos posted on social media. As seen below, she pulled down her shorts to reveal, “AEW? WWE? NWA?” written on her hip.
Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb met last night on UWN Primetime Live with the NWA Women’s Championship on the line. It was a rematch from an earlier show that saw Thunder Rosa successfully retain her belt. This week, however, it was Serena Deeb who would score the pinfall and win the title for the first time in her career.
Deeb is signed to AEW and shortly after she won the title, Tony Khan announced she will defend it on tonight’s episode of Dynamite. Leyla Hirsch will be Deeb’s first challenger.
Congratulations to the new @nwa Women’s World Champion @SerenaDeeb! She’ll make her 1st title defense v. @LegitLeyla on #AEWDynamite tomorrow night, Wednesday on TNT at 8pm ET/7pm CT on a huge show with several big matches on the card! Thank you great fans who make AEW possible! pic.twitter.com/4a4DT6uQsO
The title dates back to Mildred Burke’s reign beginning in the 1930s. The Fabulous Moolah would win the title in the 1950s and become synonymous with it up until the WWWF withdrew from the NWA. Debbie Combs would be crowned the first champion in the new era for the title in 1986.
Jazz won the title in 2016 but vacated it in 2019. Allysin Kay then defeated Santana Garrett at the Crockett Cup in 2019 to become the new champion. She then dropped it to Thunder Rosa at the Hard Times PPV in January. In total, 30 wrestlers have held the title.
