Originally published at NWA 73 Report: Nick Aldis vs. Trevor Murdoch, Ric Flair speaks - POST Wrestling | WWE NXT AEW NJPW UFC Podcasts, News, Reviews
NWA 73
August 29th, 2021
Khorassan Ballroom at The Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri
Commentary: Joe Galli, Conrad Thompson, Velvet Sky & Tim Storm
Pre-Show
The Hex (Allysin Kay & Marti Belle) & Lady Frost def. Taryn Terrell, Jennacide & Paola Blaze by pinfall at 5:07
PJ Hawx def. Colby Corino by submission at 6:57
This is Wrestling at The Chase
Show starts with another similar segment as last night’s, with May Valentine interviewing Aron Stevens & JR Kratos but this one taking place in 1968 and them talking about ‘the new curly kid’, Harley Race and how no other company could be ‘National’ like NWA. This transitions into a video narrated by John Goodman showing moments and the history of the National Wrestling Alliance.
Brawl in the Lou: Tim Storm vs. Thom Latimer vs. Crimson
This match is basically an anything goes street fight. As Crimson was making his way to the ring, his tag team partner Jax Dane attacked Crimson from behind and hit him with a Death Valley Driver on a ladder set up against the ring. Just earlier on the pre-show, Dane was wishing his partner Crimson good luck tonight after being asked why he isn’t in a match tonight. While Crimson is being attended to on the outside, Latimer attacks Storm with a chair and quickly tells the referee to ring the bell but he only gets a two count. Crimson gets escorted to the back as Storm throws a trash can into Latimer’s face. They continue to brawl on the outside with Storm pulling out a giant ladder that he sets up by the entrance way. Latimer places Storm on top of a guardrail that’s held up between the entrance rails, as he hits a senton from the top of the ladder through Storm and breaks the guard rail. Crimson slowly makes his way back to the ring but checks on Storm on the outside first. Crimson gets into the ring and starts attacking Latimer with a chair. Crimson hits a Death Valley Driver to Latimer on top of two chairs that were set up, but Storm pulls out the referee to stop the count. Crimson takes his belt off and Storm takes the referee’s belt to even the odds as they start whipping each other with them. Latimer comes in and they start whipping him with the belts instead. With Latimer on the outside, Storm hits the Perfect Storm on Crimson for the pin.
Winner: Tim Storm by pinfall at 9:10
Kylie Rae vs. Mickie James
James gets a big reaction due to yesterday’s EmPowerrr show she executive produced. They start working on each other’s arms, but James quickly hits an arm drag to take down Rae, but Rae comes back and teases a super kick before extending her hand, but James comes back with a kick of her own before exchanging kick attempts and pin attempts. James goes to the top rope, but Rae quickly kicks her down and attempts a superplex, but James knocks her off and dives onto her for a 2 count. James calls for a DDT, but Rae reverses, hits a super kick for multiple two count attempts before getting frustrated and putting on a crossface on James. Rae goes for a cannonball but misses, and Mickie hits her Implant DDT for the pin.
Winner: Mickie James by pinfall at 5:34
James gets attacked by a masked woman after the match wearing all black, who is revealed to be Deonna Purrazzo, who takes out James with the Queen’s Gambit piledriver before getting chased out by Kylie Rae.
Tim Storm makes his way to the ring looking pretty beat up and replaces Conrad Thompson on commentary.
Jordan Clearwater, Scion the Masked Man & Tyrus (w/ Austin Idol) vs. The End (Odinson & Parrow) & Pope
The Masked Man who didn’t have a name prior is named Scion (which means descendant of a notable family). Idol is carrying a title (not Tyrus’ Television Championship) that they said is melded down from multiple historical titles that Idol has purchased, and the winner of this match will hold it and have it representing a Six-Man Championship. The two big guys Parrow and Tyrus start the match, but Tyrus quickly tags out to Clearwater, but The End quickly double team and take control on Clearwater including splashing Pope on them. Pope hits a double blockbuster on Clearwater and Tyrus, but as The End is being held off by the referee, Tyrus takes control of Pope. Clearwater distracts the referee while Scion and Tyrus choke out Pope in the corner. Odinson tags in and goes to work on Scion including a kick to the head and a back body drop/chokeslam combo for a two count. Odinson hits a pair of flying uppercuts in the corner, but Scion dodges the third one, hits a boot and tags in Tyrus. The heels hold Odinson in their corner and use underhanded tactics behind the referee’s back. Tyrus holds down Odinson for a significant amount of time, but Odinson finally fights out with a jawbreaker before being taken right back down by Tyrus. Tyrus goes to the second rope but misses a splash, as Odinson makes the hot tag to Parrow who attacks all three men. Pope comes in and dives out onto Tyrus, as The End hit a double powerbomb on Clearwater and Scion. As The End has Clearwater up, BLK Jeez runs out and breaks it up. Parrow runs out to chase Jeez as Tyrus goes after Odinson and hits the heart punch. Scion tags himself in and pins Odinson for the pin.
Winners: Tyrus, Scion the Masked Man & Jordan Clearwater by pinfall at 12:52
After the match Scion and Tyrus stare each other down as Tyrus isn’t too happy that Scion tagged himself in.
NWA National Championship: Chris Adonis (c) vs. James Storm
Storm starts the match teasing his Last Call superkick, but Adonis easily pushes him off. Adonis goes to work whipping Storm into the corner, trying to throw him over the top by Storm comes back in and hits a Thesz Press on Adonis. Storm does eventually get dumped on the outside, but he trips Adonis off the apron and takes him to the outside. They brawl out there for a while, but Adonis tosses Storm against the ring post before going back inside. Adonis goes right back outside and starts throwing Storm against the guardrail before throwing him back inside and hitting an axe handle to the shoulder of Storm followed by a Russian leg sweep for a two count. Adonis hits a double underhook suplex and gets a two count and continues to have complete control on Storm, tossing him face first against the turnbuckles. Storm starts to not sell the turnbuckle shots and gets the crowd riled up, hitting an atomic drop and a clothesline knocking Adonis into the corner, but Adonis stops the momentum with a back elbow. Adonis gets on the ropes, but Storm kicks him and hits a hurricanrana off the top rope on Adonis. Storm hits the Eye of the Storm but only gets a two count. Storm fights back with a Codebreaker and calls for the Last Call. Adonis catches the leg and hits a spinebuster for a two count. Adonis calls for the Master Lock and applies it. Storm gets the crowd behind him and breaks it up by running Adonis into the corner, but Adonis holds on and hits a Full Nelson Slam for a two count. Adonis starts raking the back of Storm but goes to grab Storm’s beer bottle. As Adonis is drinking the beer, Storm hits a Last Call and thinks he got the win, but Adonis had his leg on the rope at the last second. As Storm is arguing with the referee about it, Adonis rolls up Storm for the pin with his feet on the ropes for the win.
Winner: Chris Adonis by pinfall at 14:03, to retain
Ric Flair Returns to NWA
Kyle Davis is in the ring and introduces Ric Flair, who doesn’t come out to Also Sprach Zarathustra. Flair starts getting emotional but says he isn’t going to cry yet. Flair says that yesterday he was signing autographs with Pete Rose and hung out with Charles Barkley and Dennis Rodman, amongst others, because he was the NWA Champion. And no matter what others say, the NWA will never be gone and as long as he’s alive, he won’t let them forget it. Flair says he lived and died in St. Louis as the crowd chants ‘Welcome back’. Flair says Billy Corgan told him he can say whatever he wants because he’s Ric Flair and starts telling a story before saying thank you to some people including his wife Wendy, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Steve Austin and tells Vince McMahon he loves him. And McMahon won’t watch this, but he’ll hear about it and say Flair is back where he belongs. Flair starts talking about Triple H and how he was an NWA guy growing up and that’s the title he has in his office. Flair starts talking about Michaels and Taker and thanks them for carrying him, and Austin always asking about Harley Race. Flair starts telling a story about Harley Race and Bruiser Brody and then starts naming all the wrestlers he wrestled in here, then mentions how all the names he mentioned grew up on NWA and starts telling more NWA stories and how he isn’t the only NWA Champion to be divorced. He keeps going on about stories and giving a shoeshine boy a $200 tip because he was the NWA Champion, and everybody knew how hard he worked.
He mentions Vince McMahon and Tony Khan and how we need more brands in wrestling and not everybody can go to WWE and AEW and says how he’s going to see Steve McMichael, Tony Khan and then go see Jericho wrestle. Flair mentions himself looking like crap on the last episode of Nitro against Sting, and the next day Jim Ross called and asked if he wanted to wrestle but didn’t hear back from him in a year and felt like his life was over. Then eventually Vince called and had him wrestle after 6 months, after saying he wouldn’t wrestle and then got scared to death about wrestling Undertaker. He then thanks Randy Orton and says he wanted him to break his record originally but now wants his daughter Charlotte to break it. Flair ends it by thanking Corgan and thought he wanted him to fight Nick Aldis. Flair then takes off his jacket and starts strutting, and teases wrestling before saying he’s just here to talk and thanks everybody again as the crowd chants ‘Thank you, Ric!’ and says everybody needs to show respect like NWA and WWE did to him.
13-Man Battle Royal for NWA National Championship #1 Contender
The twelve participants include JTG, El Rudo, Mims, Luke Hawx, Sal Rinauro, Captain Yuma, Slice Boogie, Marshe Rockett, Jeremiah Plunkett, Nick Stanley, Rush Freeman and ‘The Heart Throb’ Jaden Roller. We get a mystery 13th man named Judais who comes out with Father James Mitchell. Judais is the former Murphy from TNA and incorrectly gets billed as having competed in AAA and Lucha Underground (someone must have looked up Judas Mesias instead). All twelve men surround Judais to start the match, but he starts taking them all out until they mosh him. JTG gets the first elimination throwing out Freeman followed by Danny Deals ringside pulling Roller out by the hair to eliminate him. Yuma is the third eliminated as Plunkett punches him off the apron. There’s a 7-person suplex spot in the middle of the ring at one point. Rockett dropkicks Plunkett to eliminate him, but Rinauro then pushes Rockett out as well. Judais picks up Rinauro and Razor Edge’s him out of the match onto Plunkett and Rockett on the outside. Hawx kicks Stanley out of the match next as Judais hits a crazy looking Tower of Doom spot in the corner. Mims knocks Rudo off the apron for the elimination, followed by Hawk clotheslining Boogie out of the ring for the elimination as the final four as JTG, Judais, Hawx & Mims. Mims and Judais fight on the apron, but Judais eliminates him with a kick. Hawx and JTG team-up and start attacking Judais, but Judais takes out Hawx after a flying clothesline. JTG and Judais end up fighting on the apron, but Judais hits punches, headbutts and ends it with a jumping punch off the middle rope for the final elimination and the win.
Winner: Judais at 21:28, to become #1 Contender for the NWA National Championship
NWA World Women’s Championship: Kamille (c) vs. Chelsea Green
Chelsea comes out with her Invitational Cup she won last night at EmPowerrr. Kamille starts the match in control in a Full Nelson, that Chelsea tries to fight out of and eventually does but Kamille traps Chelsea’s arms with a leg scissors, but Chelsea rolls her up for a couple pin attempts including a back slide that they both fight back and forth into more pin attempts. Kamille leapfrogs out the corner and smashes Chelsea into the turnbuckle before stomping her out and hitting a gut wrench suplex. Kamille keeps Chelsea in the corner and lands a couple strikes and hits a Samoan Drop for a two count. Kamille traps Chelsea in the ropes and lands blows to the chest Sheamus-style. Chelsea regains control until she misses an elbow drop, Kamille instantly takes advantage and starts smashing Chelsea’s broken wrist against the apron and guardrail. They go back inside as Kamille continues to stomp and attack the wrist. Kamille puts Chelsea up for a torture rack, but Chelsea fights out and hits a cutter. Chelsea gains momentum hitting clotheslines and a leg sweep for a two count. Chelsea goes to the top rope, but Kamille knocks her down and joins her up there. Chelsea pushes her off and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Kamille picks Chelsea up again, but Chelsea gets off and gets hit with a modified Rough Ryder from Kamille for a two count. Kamille comes back with a swinging neckbreaker but misses her spear, as Chelsea hits a German suplex. As Chelsea gets up, she does get the spear from Kamille but is able to put her leg on the rope to break up the pin. Chelsea goes for the Unprettier, but Kamille knees her way out, calls for the spear but decides to put a lock on Chelsea’s injured wrist instead, pulls back on it until Chelsea taps out.
Winner: Kamille by submission at 12:33, to retain
NWA World Tag Team Championship: Aron Stevens & Kratos (c) vs. La Rebelion (Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf 450) (w/ Konnan)
La Rebelion comes out to the LAX theme music and Konnan in their corner as a surprise. Stevens and Bestia start the match with Stevens in control as La Rebelion regroups with Konnan outside as Kratos goes and stops them. Kratos tags in as they double team Bestia. Konnan helps out Bestia and Mecha triple team Stevens in their corner. Konnan gets on the apron, but gets punched down by Stevens, this gives Bestia and Mecha the advantage to attack Stevens, but Bestia only gets a two count. The referee attends to Kratos, as Mecha and Konnan keep attacking Stevens on the outside. Stevens starts fighting his way out, but La Rebelion holds them in his corner including Mecha Wolf hitting an elbow drop after howling like Davie Portman outside The BDE window. Stevens starts fighting his way out but goes to the wrong corner to tag Kratos, when he finally does come to his senses, Mecha Wolf pulls Kratos off the apron. Mecha Wolf picks Stevens up but they bump heads, and both fall down. Stevens crawls over and finally makes the hot tag to Kratos who comes in and tramples over La Rebelion including big splashes in the corner and gets a two count on Bestia. Mecha Wolf dives outside and takes down Stevens. Kratos hits a big kick and knocks Bestia down with a Falcon Arrow, but the count gets broken up by Mecha Wolf. Kratos picks Bestia up for a Doomsday Device but gets taken out by Bestia. Konnan distracts the referee while Bestia hits a low blow on Stevens. La Rebelion takes Kratos out with a double knee as Bestia hits a springboard moonsault to take him out on the outside. La Rebelion hits the Mark of the Beast on Stevens and Mecha Wolf gets the pin for the win.
Winners: La Rebelion (Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf 450) by pinfall at 14:04, to become NEW NWA World Tag Team Champions
Konnan gets on the mic and says it’s awesome to see promotions work together, especially a Puerto Rican and a Mexican winning the tag team titles together tonight. And yesterday, EmPowerrr was great, and when he started wrestling there weren’t many wrestlers of Latino descent, African Americans and LGBTQ and how proud he is of everything NWA has been doing.
NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship – Title vs. Career: Nick Aldis (c) vs. Trevor Murdoch
Murdoch comes out with a very Harley Race like jacket as commentary says Harley’s face is sitting ringside. Aldis granted Murdoch this title shot, with the catch being if he doesn’t win his wrestling career is done. Big introductions for this with Murdoch being the hometown St. Louis wrestler and Aldis reigning as champion for 1,044 days and the referee Robert King running down the rules and importance of them wrestling in the same building as their mentor, Harley Race. Very well done. As Murdoch goes to give his jacket to his family, Aldis goes and attacks him from behind. They start brawling all through the crowd and to the back of the room before finally making their way back to the guardrails as Murdoch scrapes Aldis face against it. They keep fighting and end up going to the front of the stage in front of the giant NWA sign. Murdoch jumps on Aldis in a bear hug-like position, but Aldis slams him down. Billy Corgan comes out and tells Aldis to go into the ring or lose the title, but Aldis pushes him off and gets in his face. Murdoch gets up but Aldis body slams him right on the wooden floor as Corgan gets right back in Aldis’ face. They finally make their way into the ring as the match officially starts and Murdoch hears the bell and starts striking away at Aldis. Aldis calls for it and hits an Olympic Slam for a two count, followed by a Thesz Press for another two. They end up fighting on the apron, but Murdoch tosses Aldis off the top rope on the mat and follows with a dropkick attempt, that Aldis reverses into a figure four, but Murdoch reverses it and puts on a figure four himself, but Aldis breaks it up on the ropes. Aldis puts on an abdominal stretch while pulling on the beard and smacking the face of Murdoch. Aldis uses the rope for leverage, which Robert King kicks off and Murdoch hits the hip toss. Aldis and King get into a shoving contest, but Aldis ducks and Murdoch inadvertently takes out the referee, but quickly takes Aldis down with a Sky High. Murdoch tries to get the referee up, but Aldis hits Murdoch with a low blow. They start fighting on the outside as Aldis attacks Murdoch right in front of Murdoch’s family. Aldis tosses Murdoch into the ring post four times, then grabs the ring bell table and takes out Kyle Davis. Aldis places Murdoch on the table and hits a flying elbow from the top rope onto Murdoch through the table. Aldis rolls Murdoch back inside as another referee runs in and Murdoch kicks out at two. Murdoch comes back and hits a Code Red for a two count. Murdoch gets on the top rope, but Aldis stops him and hits a Tombstone. Aldis goes to the top and hits an elbow drop, but Murdoch still kicks out at two. Aldis goes to the top again, but Murdoch stops him and hits a superplex, slowly goes for the cover and gets a two. Murdoch goes to the top but misses the bulldog and Aldis quickly puts on the Kingsley Cloverleaf, but Murdoch grabs the ropes to break it up. On their knees now, they start trading strikes and slowly get on their feet where Murdoch hits a Harley Race like piledriver. Murdoch goes to the top and hits the top rope bulldog for the pin and wins and ends Nick Aldis’ historic title run and keeps his wrestling career alive.
Winner: Trevor Murdoch by pinfall at 16:26, to become NEW NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion
Ric Flair and Trevor Murdoch’s family join Trevor in the ring to present the title to him, as commentary and the fans are ecstatic. Flair gets on the mic and says for Trevor to have the last name of Murdoch, he has to be good, and he came out wearing Harley’s colors and represented him and now he’s the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. Flair says champions lead by example and tonight they both did and announced him as the champion.
They clear the ring and Trevor Murdoch gets on the mic and says he never dreamed this moment would happen, but this is exactly how he dreamed it would. Fans chant ‘you deserve it’, as Murdoch says these fans are the ones that kept him going and believed in him. Murdoch says he doesn’t know what’s in his future but now every day he will represent this title to the best of his ability and hopes that one day he can be just as good as Harley Race and thanks everybody for supporting him.