Random Thoughts III.

[mim731]

6 hours ago, SpursRiot2012 said:

Finally got around to watching the NWA's 10 Pounds of Gold series and Nick Aldis vs Tim Storm.

I loved it. The videos are just a perfect length for someone like me who is just fully burnt out with the likes of WWE and their 76 hours of first run TV per week or whatever. I've always had a soft spot for the NWA world title anyway, but they were able - in the space of, what, half an hour total, across all the videos? - to make me care about Storm, Aldis, the title match and the future of the NWA. 

I enjoyed the match, too. I had seen others say it wasn't up to much but other than the botched finish, I liked it. It was a couple of guys having a more old-school style of wrestling match. 

I just really enjoyed the whole thing, top to bottom. And I'm actually excited about watching more NWA content. Who would have thought we'd be saying that in 2017? To be honest, it seems to me that one way - far down the line - that another promotion could challenge WWE's US dominance would be for a bunch of the indy promotions - especially the bigger ones like ROH, TNA (doubtful, though, with Corgan and with being shit) and a few others all coming together, ditching their own 'world' titles, recognising the NWA title holder and running some sort of schedule. I don't think it could ever work exactly as the NWA of old did because indies aren't really the same as the old territories and, as I understand it, Corgan owns the NWA outright - no committee, as such? But things like that could come with time. With all the guys running the constituent promotions deciding between themselves which guy could make money for all of them by building to an NWA title shot with each promotions top guy. At the end of the day, no promotion has the financial muscle, market penetration, star power...anything really to compete with WWE alone. So, maybe the logical thing *is* to pool resources and build something?

Of course, this is pro-wrestling. No doubt either some shady shit will happen and it'll all fall apart or someone will hire Vince Russo.

100% this. Would love to see a proper NWA revival incorporating some of the bigger Indies, but for now I'm really enjoying these videos and the build with the limited resources they have and the fact they are making engaging bite-sized content that makes Tim Storm, and the NWA title seem like a big deal. 

 

[Guest]

There is little to gain for the big indies to unite in that way. Just makes there champion look less than the nwa champion.

[Pinc]

8 minutes ago, Louch said:

There is little to gain for the big indies to unite in that way. Just makes there champion look less than the nwa champion.

A high tide raises all ships. If they could effectively pool their promotional power and make the NWA Champ a big deal you could end up with more eyes on every promotion and a new special attraction that they can each make use of as and when. It'd be complicated but it could work, it has before albeit in a completely different media environment.

[Sheffbag]

1 hour ago, Louch said:

There is little to gain for the big indies to unite in that way. Just makes there champion look less than the nwa champion.

Sorry but disagree. The model in the 80's of the NWA or AWA champion touring the promotions helped the local promotions by giving an increase in attendance when the champion was in town plus it helped elevate the regional champion as they inevitably went close to beating the world champion. This increases the local viewpoint that their champion was good enough to be the world champion and potentially drawing in casual viewers who may have seen the world champion on other promotions.

 

[BomberPat]

I'd be curious to see if that would still work today - the idea that your champion is legitimised by a match with a "bigger" champion doesn't really seem to make much sense in a post-kayfabe world, but it's what every promotion under the Sun still does to this day, just without championships involved; you book the big name guest against your best regular, and hope the audience buy into your guy a little bit more by association. So a touring champion NWA-style would just be formalising that process.

Problem is, without an old-fashioned championship committee, or carving the country (if not the world) up into territories again, or forcing smaller promotions to tie wrestlers down to contracts, it doesn't work in the modern day. In the height of the NWA, you would have only appeared on regional TV as a wrestler in the territory you worked in, and would only work for that promoter. Now, very few people work exclusively for one promotion, and any wrestler with the tiniest bit of name value can be watched by people anywhere in the world - meaning there's a chance they could get booked anywhere in the world.

Everyone is a touring wrestler now, so it waters down the novelty of the NWA Champion coming to town - because, sure, he might not be here this month, but three other big names are. Short of a level of cooperation and forward thinking that's completely alien to most independent wrestling promotions, a touring champion just wouldn't work all that well in a modern setting.

[Wrasslin]

I agree that's how it was then. But that doesn't translate to the modern world. No one is going to hold that belt who is a bigger star than people who are already in the big indies already? A top ROH guy is not going to get the rub from Tim Storm or whoever is NWA Champion.

Only way it could work is if Daniel Bryan took the belt after leaving WWE.

 

[Guest]

25 years pretty much dead alliance  ain’t gonna raise anyone . It holds no wide mainstream value anymore 

[hallicks]

If Dutch Mantel had been born to this generation of wrestlers, we could have had a tag team called Holland & Barrett 

[Supremo]

Remember when Tye Dillenger had a fun, cult thing going for him leading into last year’s Rumble? Seems a lifetime ago now.

[mim731]

Just watching something called "Wrestling Show Plus" on the BEN TV channel on Sky. It's bloody weird, some sort of piss poor BritWres indie promotion in front of what appears to be about 20 people in a working mans club in Kidderminister (HCW apparently?). There has been a big guy with long hair dressed in black, called The Grave Digger doing an Undertaker tribute, as well as a guy dressed like a power ranger, and someone called "The Maple Leaf" wearing what appear to be Lance Storm's old tights from WCW. Weirdest of all, there is a guy commentating on a microphone over the PA, dressed as Macho Man Randy Savage, calling himself Mocho Man Chris Cage. 

I assume the company is paying BEN for the slot, but it's utterly bizarre. Anyone else seen this?

[Tommy!]

7 hours ago, mim731 said:

 

I assume the company is paying BEN for the slot, but it's utterly bizarre. Anyone else seen this?

The name Hcw was familiar for some reason, but only found this amazing Facebook profile which didn't help me know why I've heard of them before but did give me a good laugh. 

https://m.facebook.com/HcwProWrestlingAllNewPage/

[Heatseeker]

I often like to look at old house show cards and spent a wee while looking at MSG results. Wonder If anyone can find the most star studded card or the most jobber filled event?

 

pro fight database

[Your Fight Site]

Isn’t it perennial shit-arse Jonny Rose’s promotion?

[Wrasslin]

Oh Jesus THAT guy is still a thing. I'm just glad he got out of the fucking comedy industry.

[BomberPat]

I'd say it annoys me that promotions like that get TV time, as it means they're poorly representing the British wrestling scene to viewers, but it's not like any fucker's watching it anyway.