NWA 75 recap and reactions: Eight new champions

NWA 75 was a two-night extravaganza from St. Louis, MO on August 26 & 27. There were fourteen title bouts with eight new champions being crowned.

The main event for NWA 75 was EC3 challenging Tyrus for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship in a bullrope match on Night 2. There was an extra stipulation that Tyrus would retire upon defeat. EC3 used a low blow with the rope to take control down the stretch. Two headlock drivers and three cowbell shots to the head paved the way for The Purpose submission. Tyrus tapped out, and EC3 walked out with the Ten Pounds of Gold. (Full details here.)

Aron Stevens’ managerial savviness paid off helping Blunt Force Trauma claim the NWA World Tag Team Championship from La Rebelion on Night 1. Mecha Wolf and Bestia 666 had Damage done on a teamwork flying backcracker, but Stevens pulled the referee out of the ring on the pin count. Vampiro, who was managing La Rebelion, unloaded a superkick to Stevens. In the chaos, Carnage recovered to attack Mecha Wolf with a big kick as the illegal man. Damage was there to make the pin to steal the gold. (Full details here.)

Thrillbilly Silas Mason now holds the NWA National Heavyweight Championship. The title was relinquished by EC3, so a new champion was guaranteed between Silas, Odinson, and Kratos in a hoss fight three-way on Night 1. Kratos had Silas down, so Pollo del Mar entered the ring to buy time for the Thrillbilly to recover. Kratos shoved her toward Silas, and Silas hit the Thrillride on his former lover on purpose. That relationship was pretty much in the toilet already. Consider it flushed now. Silas brought the title belt into the ring as a foreign object, and it ended up in the hands of Kratos. During a tug of war with the referee, Odinson blasted Kratos with a European uppercut smashing the belt in Kratos’ face. With Kratos down and out, Silas caught a shoulder tackle from Odinson to counter for the Thrillride to win.

Colby Corino defeated fellow wrestling legacy son Kerry Morton to win the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship on Night 1. Morton had the bragging rights in their history with six straight wins in various matches (singles, tag, trios) over Corino. Not anymore. Corino survived Morton’s running knee finisher to rally for an avalanche steamroller. Corino kept on the pressure for a short-arm clothesline and a DDT variation for victory.

The NWA United States Tag Team Championship went from the Country Gentleman into the hands of Daisy Kill & Talos on the Night 2 pre-show. Anthony Andrews and AJ Cazana didn’t have an answer for the behemoth Talos. Down the stretch, the giant booted Cazana out of the ring and chokeslammed Andrews. Kill crawled over to pin Andrews for the win.

Over to the women’s side.

Max The Impaler won the NWA Women’s World Television Championship from Kenzie Paige on Night 1. Much like their last meeting, Max mauled Kenzie around the ring. Kenzie showed heart to survive and even hit a flying cutter. Max was back up and bludgeoned Kenzie with haymakers. The Warrior of the Wasteland annihilated Kenzie with a lariat to win.

Ella Envy won the NWA Women’s World Tag Team Championship for the third time in her career. First was with Kenzie Paige, second was with Roxy, and now the third is with Kylie Paige. Pretty Empowered took the titles from M95 on Night 2. Madi Wrenkowski had momentum down the stretch for a facebuster to Kylie. Envy made the save, so Missa Kate tossed her from the ring and followed for a flying attack. Madi tried to seize the moment to win, but Kylie ducked an axe kick and countered for Code Red to earn victory.

Kamille no longer holds the NWA Women’s World Championship. Kenzie Paige pulled a shocking upset to dethrone the one-time champ on Night 2. Kenzie earned her shot by winning the Mildred Burke Invitational Gauntlet on Night 1. Kamille dominated for much of the match, but Kenzie refused to lose. The challenger was crafty creating a cheating scenario. She removed the turnbuckle pad, and Kamille crashed head-first into the steel on a spear attempt. Kenzie hit a cutter, and a new champion was crowned. Kamille’s reign ended at 813 days. (Full details here.)

Let’s blitz through the rest of the results from NWA 75. The list is in order from start to finish, since earlier contests affected later matchups.

NWA 75 Night 1

The Night 1 free pre-show had four matches. Joe Galli, Velvet Sky, and Danny Dealz handled commentary. Sam Leterna was backstage interviewer. She’s also with MLW.

Robert Anthony defeated Magic Jake Dumas. The feed broke during the match. It looks like Anthony won on a fireman’s carry maneuver.

Daisy Kill & Talos defeated The Fixers. Talos chokeslammed Wrecking Ball Legursky. The winners earned a shot at the NWA US tag titles.

Zyon defeated Jordan Clearwater. Austin Idol managed the masked man. Idol hit Clearwater with a cane, and Zyon applied a chokehold for victory.

Jubilee Jamboree: Jack Cartwheel defeated Eric Jackson, Alex Taylor, Matt Vine, and Koa Laxamana. First fall wins the scramble match. Cartwheel was the star with cartwheel offense. Jackson hit a bridging German suplex on Koa, then Cartwheel crashed down on Jackson for a shooting star press victory. Cool finish. The winner earned a shot at the NWA junior heavyweight title.

Time for the PPV.

Joe Alonzo defeated Homicide. Alonzo talked a lot of trash leading into the match. Homicide went gritty to use his surroundings to inflict pain. He had the match won on a Koji cutter and piledriver 1-2 punch, but he wouldn’t let the referee end the match. Homicide picked up Alonzo to continue the punishment. Homicide paid the price for that tactic when Alonzo stole the win on a roll-up.

Brothers of Funstruction defeated Magnum Muscle. Insane Clown Posse’s Violent J was the manager for Yabo The Clown & Ruffo The Clown. The clowns used clown games to take out Dax Draper. They finished Big Strong Mims on a teamwork flying stomp to side slam combo.

A Matter of Respect: Jax Dane defeated Tim Storm. Dane delivered a pair of belly-to-belly suplexes in the opening minute. Storm couldn’t get up, so the referee waved off the match. I’m pretty sure that was a legit injury situation and not part of the story. Velvet Sky had tears in her eyes on commentary. Later in the broadcast, Joe Galli shared an update that Storm suffered a stinger. He was medically cleared and will be okay.

Mildred Burke Invitational Gauntlet: Kenzie Paige survived. The winner earned a shot at the NWA women’s world title. Kenzie demanded entry, and Billy Corgan gave the okay as long as she entered first. Royal Rumble rules with pinfalls and submissions. The order was Kenzie, Taylor Rising, Ruthie Jay, Heather Monroe, Samantha Starr, Allysin Kay, MJ Jenkins, CJ, Labrava Escobar, The WOAD, Sierra, and Max The Impaler as a surprise. Max ran roughshod with eliminations. The nitty gritty came down to Kenzie, Jay, Kay, and Max. The three teamed up to take down Max and stack on top for a pin. Kay dumped Jay. Kenzie low-bridged the ropes to eliminate Kay for victory.

Matt Cardona open challenge. Cardona called out for a young rookie, and Ricky Morton answered the call. Morton was tougher to put away than Cardona expected, but he got the job done with a kick to the groin and a leg lariat. Afterward, Cardona grabbed a chair with bad intentions. Kerry Morton and Alex Taylor made the save. (Full details here.)

NWA Women’s World Championship: Kamille retained against Natalia Markova. No Limits match with no rules. It was a physical hardcore slugfest. The finish came down to Kamille spearing Markova off the apron crashing through a table. Kamille landed on top and made the pin to win. (Full details here.)

NWA 75 Night 2

The Night 2 free pre-show had three matches. Joe Galli, Velvet Sky, and Tim Storm were on commentary for the evening.

Battle Royale: Jordan Clearwater survived. The prize was a shot at the NWA national heavyweight title. The field was made up of mid-carders and Zicky Dice. Eliminations of note include Brady Pierce turning on his teammates to dump the Spectaculars, Rush Freeman and Rolando Freeman, as well as Blake Troop tossing his partner Jax Dane. The final four came down to Clearwater, Zyon, Troop, and Dice. Troop and Dice were battling on the apron, then Clearwater and Zyon charged to knock them both down. Zyon choked out Clearwater, but submissions didn’t count. Zyon wasted time, and Clearwater pulled a do-si-do step for a reversal sending Zyon over the ropes.

Natalia Markova defeated Taylor Rising. The Russian rallied with a spinning kick in the corner to win.

Time for the PPV.

NWA World Television Championship: Thom Latimer retained against Chris Adonis. The Masterpiece hooked in the Masterlock. Latimer was able to work his way to the corner and walk up the turnbuckles to flip the position over the top for a pin. Adonis had to release the submission. Adonis was still in control and took to the skies. Latimer countered the flying move into a crossface for victory. That win marked the seventh TV title defense for Latimer, so he now qualifies for the Lucky Seven rule to cash in for a world title shot if he chooses to do so.

NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship: Colby Corino retained against Jack Cartwheel. Cartwheel shined with flashy offense, but Corino got his knees up to block a shooting star press. Corino pounced for a short-arm lariat and a DDT variation to win.

NWA Women’s World Television Championship: Max The Impaler retained against Ruthie Jay. Max dominated with strength. On a one-handed military press, Jay wiggled down for a sleeper. The window was open for the challenger to rally with speedy offense and a frog splash. Max kicked out at 1. The Warrior of the Wasteland decapitated Jay with a lariat to win.

La Rebelion defeated Brothers of Funstruction. Vampiro and Violent J were ringside as managers. Vamp heeled with interference on the outside. When the clowns hit a teamwork flying elbow drop side slam, Vampiro entered the ring causing the referee not to count for the pin. Violent J protested on the apron. That distraction allowed Vamp to superkick Yabo. Bestia 666 landed a flying splash for victory. Afterward, Violent J confronted Vampiro. La Rebelion attacked from behind. Vamp shoved a cream pie in Violent J’s face and took selfies of the carnage.

Kerry Morton defeated Matt Cardona. Morton worked more heel than Cardona. Alex Taylor entered the scene, so Cardona punched him off the apron. In the end, Morton mule kicked Cardona in the groin and finished with a running knee and inverted facelock elbow drop. (Full details here.)

NWA National Heavyweight Championship: Thrillbilly Silas Mason retained against Jordan Clearwater. Hard-fought battle with the champ hitting the Thrillride to win.

NWA World Tag Team Championship: Blunt Force Trauma retained against Mike Knox & Trevor Murdoch. Aron Stevens was the driving force for victory. He saved his steeds from precarious situations and helped frustrate the challengers. In the end, Stevens played his ace. Murdoch hit his flying bulldog finisher on Carnage, but the masked man surprisingly kicked out. Knox and Murdoch nailed for the high-low clothesline combo. As the referee tried to usher Knox out of the ring, Stevens struck with a loaded punch on Murdoch. The thespian pulled Carnage on top for the winning pin.

The replay for NWA 75 is available for streaming through Fite TV as a bundle or single shows (Night 1, Night 2).

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NWA 75 ushered in a new chapter with so many championships changing hands. The main event between Tyrus and EC3 was okay. It never reached that next level of drama with near falls and craziness that recent NWA main events have possessed. EC3 now has the ball to carry, and we’ll see if the promotion evolves around the ideals of his character.

Kamille was the top star of the weekend. Her Night 1 fight with Natalia Markova was physical as heck with the use of foreign objects. The closing spear spot was super cool. That was the best finish on the card. Kamille passed the torch on Night 2 by dropping the women’s world title to Kenzie Paige. I was wondering how the NWA would make it look good, since Paige had gotten her ass kicked by Max The Impaler. Paige was crafty with the turnbuckle cheat to make the win believable.

Shout-out to the junior heavyweight division. Colby Corino, Kerry Morton, and Jack Cartwheel brought good wrestling to the card. Cartwheel was the show-stealer. He has cool moves in general with his cartwheel style, however, his work really shined in contrast to the NWA’s style. They don’t have a lot of high-flyers, so Cartwheel brought a completely different element of excitement. Cartwheel got over to the point that the crowd wanted one more cartwheel before he exited.

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