NWA 70th Anniversary Results & Match Ratings, Podcast Notes From Sean Ross Sapp

Welcome to our live coverage of NWA 70th Anniversary! We’ll be providing comprehensive analysis on all of tonight’s matches, as well as match ratings and notes that will guide our post-show podcast.

10- Perfect, 9- MOTY Territory, 8- Excellent, 7- Great, 6- Good, 5- Average to above average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor
Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a “star rating,” which is a completely different system. A standard, non-offensive “TV match” lands at a 5.The gap between 5.75-6 is generally the largest, with anything reaching 6 being recommended viewing.
 

You can order the event BELOW on the FITE TV app.

Technical difficulties

• The show started out with a wealth of technical difficulties, including the audio not playing over the intro video, but Jim Cornette’s mic being hot. Tony Schiavone’s audio was low, and the videos and interviews for the first National Title match had no audio. There is also a major imbalance between theme music and commentary. 

National Title Tournament Semifinals
Samuel Shaw defeated Scorpio Sky, Sammy Guevara and Colt Cabana
5.5/10

• Cabana shows off his flying ability, but is quickly shown up by Sammy Guevara. 
• Shaw throws out a bunch of Fallaway Slams. Cabana bites Shaw’s glove off and slaps everyone with it, until referee Brian Hebner slaps him with it. Everyone teams up on Shaw, but can’t put him away. 
• The crowd audio isn’t picking up great. You can hear them cheering heavily for a Guevara shooting star press to the outside, though.
• Scorpio Sky hits a big flip to the outside, and Cabana tries to follow up, but gets Tornado Bombed off the second rope. Shaw pins Cabana by holding the tights, and he’s eliminated. 
• Guevara looked hurt after his shooting star press, but he isn’t. He goes crazy with flips onto both Shaw and Scorpio. He’s stopped by a Sam Shaw superkick, which leads Shaw falling down.
• Sky pins Guevara with a Shining Wizard, but gets superkicked and Shaw wins. 
• Shaw would have been my fourth pick to win this match, and that’s no slight on him. We’ll see how the title match goes
• More technical issues. The announce team kicked it back to Jen Decker with Blue Demon Jr. However, we get a crowd shot instead. The announcers have to kill time and talk about their day.
• Good move to just send Decker and Blue Demon Jr our to ringside on the house mic that works.
• NWA also needs a tighter shot on the announcers, or needs them standing up for their camera shots.

Barrett Brown defeated Laredo Kid
6/10

• Laredo Kid and Barrett Brown work really well together. We see Laredo with a big Asai moonsault.
• This announcer went to the Michael Cole school of “every kick is a step up enziguri.”
• Brown does an awesome knee springboard somersault senton to the outside of the ring. 
• Laredo Kid goes for a Spanish Fly but gets flip DDT’d instead. This was a little too cute for it’s own good. 
• Laredo scores a nice flying headscissors, then a 450 to ringside. 
• Cornette goes OFF on a reverse spiked rana and calls it the dumbest move in wrestling
• A lazy cover from Laredo after a springboard cutter gets kicked out of. 
• A knee to the face from Brown got the win. 
• These two worked hard and had a good, fast-paced match. Jim Cornette was NOT the person to have on commentary on this one. He tried to not hate it but couldn’t.

NWA National Title Tournament Semifinals
Willie Mack defeated Ricky Starks, Jay Bradley, Parrow
5.5/10

• Magnum TA is interviewed before this match.
• Jim Cornette can be heard saying “it’s a crap shoot” on a hot mic while the audio doesn’t work over the video. Still MAJOR audio issues on this NWA 70 show.
• Man, I’m glad Mike Parrow is on this card. 
• As revealed in the Fightful Wrestling Weekly, I was told the original plan for NWA 70 was for Ellsworth to face Janela. Ellsworth interrupts an interview with Jay Bradley.
• Ricky Starks comes out and cuts a promo on Jim Cornette.
• It seems that NWA has their audio figured out. That’s good, because I need more NWA produced videos. 
• Jay Bradley is the former Ryan Braddock from WWE developmental and Aiden O’Shea from TNA.
• Parrow just EFFORTLESSLY powerbombed Jay Bradley. Bradley is 6-4, 240.
• Cornette buries the ref for being out of position for the count on Parrow when Starks rolls through and holds the tights. 
• Bradley tries to work a lot like Stan Hansen, which Cornette mentions. 
• Bradley is beating down Starks and Mack, including a running powerslam on the former. 
• Even though Bradley gets pinned, the second fall is really a showcase for him. Starks powerbombs him, and then Mack wins with a frog splash.
• A Ricky Starks spear almost gets the win. A huge Stunner from Willie Mack DOES get the win, though. Starks took it like he was on PPV. 
• Sam Shaw comes out and stares down Mack, but Jay Bradley attacks. Ellsworth hilariously makes the save.

Kiss My Foot Match
Tim Storm defeated Peter Avalon (w/ Niko Marquez)
5.25/10

• Peter Avalon is the former Norv Fernum, who you may remember from the early days of EC3 in TNA. He has great facial expressions.  Peter Avalon was also in a match against Harper and Rowan on Smackdown in December, and worked PWG about 20 times.
• Marquez 100 percent raided Bruce Tharpe’s closet.
• Tim Storm awkwardly comes out before his piped in theme comes on. 
• Oh my god, they’re doing a Kiss My Foot match. Fantastic.
• Avalon has really transformed himself in his late 20s.
• Tim Storm hits a big boot and a double underhook suplex. He also does a nice choking backbreaker. Avalon is bumping his ass off for Storm. A powerbomb follows. 
• Avalon scores a jawbreaker, but scampers from the ring after eating a Samoan drop. He manages to post Storm outside. 
• Man, Storm takes a flying body press really badly. 
• Miscommunication from Avalon and Marquez leads to a Perfect Storm for the win. 
• Avalon makes his manager kiss the foot of Storm, but Storm isn’t satisfied. He makes Avalon kiss his foot.

NWA Women’s Championship
Jazz (c) defeated Penelope Ford
5.75/10

• More production errors as the video stops playing. Then a bad Penelope Ford interview ran long.
• Jazz doesn’t wrestle a lot these days, and told me she was pretty well content with being a housewife, mother and going to work before Lagana and Billy Corgan took over NWA. This match will answer a lot of questions about her.
• Jazz intimidates Ford by getting in her face and landing some strikes. 
• Production woes continue, as wrestlers work back to the hard cam.
• Springboard into the cutter gets 2 for Ford. Cornette then buries Ford for using a handspring back elbow in the corner. 
• I can see very little of the offense in this match. Jazz lands the “Bitch Clamp” and a leg drop for two.
• Commentary has said “so and so had their bell rung!” 4 or 5 times during this match.
• Jazz applied a filthy Camel Clutch, and an even filthier set of rabbit punches from it.
• There are a good series of pin attempts after Penelope does the Matrix bend.
• Jazz does a seated powerslam that hits DEEP. Earl Hebner screws up a three count. This was embarrassing and lame. Jazz applies a great STF and gets the tap.
• Jazz was fantastic tonight. In-ring, promo, presence, everything. She says tired of men getting all the chances. She wants a world title shot.
• This would have been higher but Cornette burying it and Hebner screwing up the finish is bad. I appreciate what the NWA did by having familiar names and faces refereeing and calling the action, but they’re actively screwing up spots and burying others.

NWA National Championship Tournament Finals
Willie Mack defeated Sam Shaw to win the NWA National Championship
5.75/10

• Jeff Jarrett cuts a promo about the title and its importance,
• Sam Shaw attacks Willie Mack and jumps him. A nerve hold is applied. 
• Willie Mack and Sam Shaw got the “raise the hand three times off a submission” spot over twice in one match in 2018.
• Mack explodes with some great offense. He fires up great and gets a spinning elbow, a swinging body slam, a series of running elbows, and a half cannonball. A standing moonsault gets two. 
• Shaw misses a Swanton and eats a Stunner. Little things: Shaw sold the Stunner and went into the ropes, and then sold back away from the ropes so he couldn’t have plausibly get a rope break. 
• A Shaw superkick gets two. Mack comes back with another Stunner that Shaw sold great. WIN for Willie Mack.

Open Challenge
War Kings (w/ Road Warrior Animal) defeated The Kingdom of Jocephus (w/ Jocephus)
4.5/10

• Jocephus comes out and teases that his women are challenging Crimson and Dane. This is not a good promo.
• It’s a swerve. Crazzy Steve and Shannon Moore are challenging Jax Dane and Crimson. 
• Moore hits an Asai Moonsault on Dane outside and they go into the guardrail. Inside the ring, we see the uber-protected End of Days as a move to start a match.
• Crimson counters a dropkick with a Sky High. Jax Dane tags in. His timing isn’t great, but lands a double Samoan drop.
• Jocepus interference stops a Doomsday Device. Moore dropkicks Dane anyway, causing his partner to get slammed. Mindless spot. 
• Jocephus leaves for some reason. Ground Zero for the War Kings wins it. 
• Jim Cornette hits the ring and talks to Road Warrior Animal. Animal announces that they’re bringing back the Crockett Cup in 2019.
• We also hear from Dory Funk Jr. Jim Cornette is caught on a hot mic yet again. Ol’ RORY Funk needs no introduction! Funk calls Billy Corgan “Billy Corbin.”

NWA Worlds Title
2 Out 3 Falls
Nick Aldis (w/ Kamilla) defeated Cody Rhodes (c) (w/ Brandi Rhodes) to win the title.
6.75/10

• The video package’s abrupt cut from the end to the announcers talking about it is rough. 
• They have a “parade of champions,” including Jarrett, Cabana, Jax Dane, Dory Funk, Tim Storm, Demon.
• Kamilla Kaine is impressive looking — nearly six feet tall — but commentary acting like we should know who it is without a real intro is weird. A little background on Kamilla. She’s wrestled a few dozen times on record since last year. A former Platinum Pro Wrestling Diamonds Division Starlight Champion who used a softball player gimmick.
• Brian Hebner’s mic didn’t work. The champions all remain in aisle. 
• This crowd has been great all night. Schaivone joins commentary, but probably should have been on there all night. 
• There is some chain wrestling before Cody pays homage to his brother with a Goldust uppercut. 
• Aldis lands a couple of German suplexes and a side slam on the apron. He baseball slides Cody off the apron.
• Cody leapfrogs Aldis in the corner and gets two counts on a powerslam and a Disaster Kick.
• Aldis gets a two count on a Superplex, and Cody goes into a Figure Four without the step over toe hold, which is neat. The move gets a big pop, and Aldis turns it over. Aldis is able to get to the ropes. 
• Cody gets caught in mid-air on a Distaster Kick. An Aldis Cloverleaf is applied and Cody is too far from the ropes and taps quick, but Aldis is worse for wear. 
• Really good storytelling with the quick tap and commentary does a great job explaining why he did it.
• After the break, Rhodes immediately goes after Aldis with a suicide dive. They’re brawling outside the ring and over to the production area. Cody hits Aldis with a trash can. 
• CODY FILLED A BEVERAGE WHILE SELLING AND HIT ALDIS WITH IT!!
• Earl Hebner is letting them play.
• Cody Rhodes sets up a table in the corner and Tim Storm isn’t happy about it. Cody decks him.
• Aldis kicks Cody RIGHT IN THE PENIS and hits a DDT, but it’s just a two count. 
• Bandi hits the ring and Kamilla comes in. This is just smoke and mirrors to lead to Aldis hitting a pumhandle powerslam. 
• Aldis crash and burns at ringside through a table, and Cody gains a pinfall after a Cross Rhodes. 
• “This is awesome” chants. Cody hits the Bionic Elbow, and they are rockin’.
• Brandi and Kamilla are into it at ringside. The focus has been too much on the seconds for them to not do a match at sometime. Brian Hebner kicks everyone out.
• Aldis did a terrible Cross Rhodes but doesn’t win. Rhodes steals Aldis’ Cloverleaf, but can’t win, either. 
• Production misses the impact on an Aldis Tombstone. An Aldis flying elbow drop doesn’t get three. Cody fires back with a low-impact Rainmaker for a nearfall. Cody gets turned inside out with a violent clothesline. 
• Aldis pulls Cody’s boot off, and gets small packaged. He turns the tides and gets the win. 
• Easily match of the night.