On November 12, the National Wrestling Alliance held NWA Hard Times in New Orleans, live from the Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center. Pre-show bouts included, this event featured a total of 16 matches, 10 of which saw championships defended. Heading into what has become a regular event for the NWA, fans wondered which titles, if any, would switch hands. By the end of the night, 3 titles found new owners. Here’s what to know about the title changes that took place at NWA Hard Times 3.
NWA Hard Times in New Orleans Title Changes
Jordan Clearwater Becomes the New NWA World Television Champion
In the final match of the NWA Hard Times in New Orleans Pre-Show, Jordan Clearwater faced AJ Cazana for the vacant NWA World Television Championship. This past September, Tyrus vacated the TV title, invoking the “Lucky 7” rule associated with the belt in question. What this meant was that Tyrus could challenge for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship; we will touch on this shortly. In any event, Clearwater and Cazana faced off for the opportunity to become the new champion. Following a match that went shy of 11 minutes, Clearwater bested his opponent, “The Golden Boy” capturing his first title in the National Wrestling Alliance and bringing more gold to Idolmania Sports Management.
Who says nice guys finish last?#AndNew@RealKerryMorton defeats Homicide and is the NEW NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion at #HardTimes3 ‼️@RealRickyMorton @FiteTV pic.twitter.com/IAdQgKLFfV
— NWA (@nwa) November 13, 2022
Kerry Morton Wins the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
The next title that changed hands at NWA Hard Times in New Orleans was the World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Homicide, the reigning champion, put the gold on the line against Kerry Morton, the son of famed tag team wrestler and multi-time tag team champion Ricky Morton. On the September 24 episode of NWA USA, Kerry won a six-way Scramble Match to become the new number one contender to the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. This match would take place at NWA Hard Times 3, where the second-generation wrestler bested the Brooklyn-born wrestling veteran. With this, Kerry Morton captured his first singles title, not to mention first title in the NWA, ending Homicide’s championship reign at 237 days.
Tyrus Captures the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
In the main event of NWA Hard Times in New Orleans, Trevor Murdoch defended the Worlds Heavyweight Championship in a three-way match against former world champion Matt Cardona and former TV champion Tyrus. Originally, this match was slated to be a singles bout with Murdoch putting up “The 10 Pounds of Gold” against Cardona. However, when Tyrus invoked the aforementioned “Lucky 7” rule, the match became a three-way contest. Just as it seemed Murdoch was on the cusp of victory, having planted Cardona on the outside with a DDT, the champion received a Tongan Deathgrip Chokeslam from Tyrus, who covered the champion for the victory. At NWA Hard Times 3, Tyrus captured his first world title in the promotion.
Idolmania Sports Management in conjunction w/ Church’s Money Enterprises is riding high after #HardTimes3 🔥
World Champ – @PlanetTyrus
National Champ – @NWA_Cyon
TV Champ – @ClearLikeWater1What’s next for @Jeez215, @AUSTINIDOLLIVE & @MarsheRockett ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/gi9urxZfKs
— NWA (@nwa) November 13, 2022
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. Catch a replay of NWA Hard Times in New Orleans on FITE.
