It was a big news day in pro wrestling and one of the biggest was the report that the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) had ended its working agreement with Ring of Honor (ROH) effective immediately. The result is the NWA’s withdrawal from the Summer Supercard in Toronto this August during SummerSlam week, that was effectively a showcase of the IWGP Conception (ROH, New Japan Pro Wrestling, CMLL, and NWA). But according to new reports, the departure from ROH – and the IWGP Conception – was to prepare to stand alone and enter the world of weekly television under its own singular brand.
NWA owner Billy Corgan – whose other gig is fronting 90s alt-rock giants Smashing Pumpkins – is wrapping up his latest tour and is planning on devoting all his time and efforts into securing an NWA television deal to begin weekly programming. Details are scarce as the move is still in early stages, but the NWA is looking to re-establish a TV presence for the first time since it severed ties completely with TNA (now IMPACT Wrestling) in 2007. It would be the NWA’s first proper full program since it was abandoned by WCW in 1993.
The promise of TV could have been a deciding factor in former IMPACT World Champion Eli Drake signing with NWA this summer, joining a very small roster that only features NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis, World Women’s Champion Allysin Kay, and National Heavyweight Champion “Cowboy” James Storm. As the deal for TV gets closer, expect a rash of signings as the company looks to expand its roster. Like the original NWA, it could also stock its roster from allied companies it continues to work with, such as Championship Wrestling From Hollywood. It’s odd that the news of NWA looking to head to weekly TV arrived on the same day that All Elite Wrestling announced their own weekly TV start date.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
