The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) returns to televised programming on Tuesday night for the first time in decades, as NWA Power debuts on YouTube at 6:05pm EST. Since Billy Corgan purchased the brand and rebooted the NWA, its stars have worked alongside multiple indies, including Championship Wrestling From Hollywood, as well as being featured as part of Ring of Honor and last year’s All In. With NWA Power kicking off a new era for the NWA, here’s a look at the roster for the next set of tapings. While there are spoilers for those who are appearing for NWA, it does NOT include any match spoilers.
Men’s Division
ARON STEVENS
The artist formerly known as Damien Sandow in WWE and Aron Rex in IMPACT Wrestling makes his return to the ring after a two-year sabbatical as a new member of the NWA men’s roster.
CALEB KONLEY
A Georgia native himself, Caleb Konley is another IMPACT Wrestling star making the move to NWA. An indie veteran of the Mid Atlantic and Southern indies, the former X-Division star was a member of the Cult of Lee with Trevor Lee (now Cameron Grimes in NXT).
COLT CABANA
An indie legend best known for his work with Ring of Honor, Colt Cabana is also a former 2x NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion and was recently the NWA National Heavyweight Champion before losing it to “Cowboy” James Storm in a dark match for ROH tapings this past June.
“COWBOY” JAMES STORM, NWA National Heavyweight Champion
The former IMPACT World Champion and tag team specialist has been a part of the NWA for the bulk of 2019 and is the reigning NWA National Heavyweight Champion.
ELI DRAKE
Eli Drake left IMPACT Wrestling earlier this year and soon after debuted for the NWA at ROH Best in the World when he teamed with NWA World Champion Nick Aldis against the Briscoes. Eli Drake is expected to become a huge face of NWA Power.
JOCEPHUS
A 10-year veteran of the US indies, the Nashville native was a huge rival of Tim Storm‘s NWA title reign under Billy Corgan since 2017. Following his work against Storm (and his successor Nick Aldis), Jocephus has been brought into the NWA fold.
MR. ANDERSON
Also known as Mr. Kennedy during his WWE run, Mr. Anderson is another former 2x IMPACT World Heavyweight Champion. Mr. Kennedy has been off TV for some time, last appearing for IMPACT in 2016, but he’s still been active on the US and international indies and teaching at his wrestling school in Minnesota.
NICK ALDIS, NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion
Following his defeat of Tim Storm in late 2017, Nick Aldis went on a 266-day reign as the NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion. After losing to Cody Rhodes at All In, he soon regained the belt and is now on his second reign, now at 352-days strong. He’s held world championship gold before, as TNA World Champion in 2013, but for the past three years, he’s been the undeniable face of the new NWA.
THE QUESTION MARK
A strange new character debuting at the NWA tapings, there’s not much known about this mysterious man’s identity, other than he’s working his way up the ladder quickly.
RICKY STARKS
Ricky Starks is a rising indie star from the Texas indies, who gained international indie celebrity as one half of Extra Talented with Aaron Solow. He’s been focusing more on singles work the past year and is now poised as one of the young studs the NWA will be working around.
TIM STORM
For 414-days, both prior to and after Billy Corgan’s purchase, Tim Storm had a monstrous reign as the NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion. He remained champion after Corgan’s reboot and the NWA team really got behind the 50-something indie wrestler who’s been competing for nearly 20 years. He makes his return to the NWA at NWA Power and will be looking to regain his gold from Aldis.
TREVOR MURDOCH
Another former WWE hand, Trevor Murdoch has a successful run from 2005 through 2008, where he teamed with Lance Cade and became 3x WWE Tag Team Champions. Following his departure from WWE, he briefly appeared with IMPACT as Jethro Holliday. He took a bit of a sabbatical from pro wrestling, but returns to the ring as a part of the new NWA.
Women’s Division
ALLYSIN KAY, NWA World Women’s Champion
As Sienna, she was a former 2x IMPACT Knockouts Champion, but Allysin Kay has been an indie veteran for over a decade, working for SHIMMER, Shine Wrestling (where she’s also the current 2x Shine Champion), and in 2018, competed in the second Mae Young Classic with the WWE. She captured the NWA World Women’s Championship early this year and has been champion over 160 days.
ASHLEY VOX
Ashley Vox is best known as being one half of the Sea Stars, alongside her sister Delmi Exo. Debuting in 2015, with Sea Stars they became indie darlings in CHIKARA starting in 2016. Since then, the duo has become a top tag team on the US indies with Beyond Wrestling, SHIMMER, RISE, and Ring of Honor. But Ashley has also established herself as a singles competitor as well and will be entering the NWA to prove her worth in singles action.
MARTI BELLE
Marti Belle has been a veteran of the New York City indies since 2009, and burst onto the mainstream consciousness with IMPACT Wrestling from 2014 to 2016, as a member of the Dollhouse. She left IMPACT in early 2017 and appeared on the inaugural WWE Mae Young Classic. She continues to work regularly with SHIMMER, Shine, and many other US indies.
THUNDER ROSA
Thunder Rosa is arguably one of the most known name of the women’s division, after a breakout appearance on Lucha Underground as Kobra Moon, and as part of the US indie tag team dynamos Twisted Sisterz. She also portrays Serpentine with Women of Wrestling (WOW).
Tag Team Division
THE DAWSONS (Dave & Zane Dawson)
Brothers Dave and Zane Dawson have been tag team regulars in the Mid Atlantic area since 2007. Starting out with United Pro Wrestling Association (UPWA) in North Carolina, before becoming stars with Carolina Wrestling Federation (CWF) Mid Atlantic in Gibsonville, NC. In 2018 they joined another promotion in North Carolina, America’s Most Liked (AML) Wrestling, where they’re already 2x AML Tag Team Champions (with another in CWF Mid Atlantic and UPWA). They made their NWA debut earlier this year as one of the teams in the rebooted Crockett Cup Wildcard Battle Royal to kick off the event (which was ultimately won by the new NWA World Tag Team Champions, The Wildcards, featuring Royce Isaacs & Thomas Latimer).
OUTLAW INC. (Eddie Kingston & Homicide)
Eddie Kingston had previously announced he was heading to the NWA tapings, but he never said who his partner would be. But in a segment at the Atlanta studios, Eddie Kingston revealed his partner to be NYC indie legend Homicide, who Kingston has a long history beside in Outlaw Inc. From 2011 in CZW to a two-year stint in Ring of Honor from 2013 through 2014, to IWA Mid South and Beyond Wrestling, and even reuniting in IMPACT Wrestling as part of the LAX factions. The won gold in the trenches of New York/New Jersey with Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) and in the battlefields of IWA Mid South.
THE ROCK N’ ROLL EXPRESS (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton)
Arguably the greatest NWA tag team of all time, the Rock N’ Roll Express are having a resurgence in 2019, appearing for the likes of ROH, NJPW, and Beyond Wrestling. They’re returning to their roots to become a part of the new NWA and bring some old time tradition to NWA Power.
THE WILDCARDS (Royce Isaacs & Thomas Latimer), NWA World Tag Team Champions
The ad hoc tandem of Royce Isaacs & Thomas Latimer gained entry into the 2019 edition of the Crockett Cup by winning the Wildcard Battle Royal at the event’s start, and then defeated the team of Flip Gordon & Bandido to advance to the finals, where they were beaten by Villain Enterprises for the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championships. Earlier this past September, the team of Isaacs & Latimer (now dubbed The Wildcards) won the titles at the ROH/CMLL Global Wars Espectacular. Royce Isaacs is an emerging star from the West Coast, best known as being part of the One Percent alongside Jorel Nelson, who captured the DEFY and Future Stars of Wrestling (FSW) Tag Team titles last year. Isaacs is also a regular with Championship Wrestling From Hollywood, where he’s a former UWN Television Champion. Thomas Latimer is best known by the ring name Bram, from his four year run with IMPACT Wrestling where he was a former TNA King of the Mountain Champion and member of Death Crew Council with “Cowboy” James Storm and Eddie Kingston. The UK native has remained a fixture on the UK indie scene for the past few years before becoming a part of the NWA earlier this year.
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. NWA Power is available to watch live on the NWA YouTube channel and NWA Facebook page on Tuesdays at 6:05pm EST.
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