Former 2x WWE Women’s Champion and former ECW Original Jazz was a guest on the latest episode of the Women’s Pro Wrestling (WPW) Weekly podcast, where she dropped some news. That this October she will start once again defending her NWA World Women’s Championship again for the first time since Billy Corgan assumed control of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) franchise. Jazz defeated Amber O’Neal for the title back in September of 2016, but she barely got the chance to defend it before it was announced the following May in 2017 that Billy Corgan had purchased the NWA brand. Since then, apart from the “Ten Pounds of Gold” – the NWA World Heavyweight Championship – none of the NWA’s other titles, including the NWA World Tag Team titles (currently held by Southern tag team The Heatseekers, Elliot Russell & Sigmon)), NWA World Junior Heavyweight title (held by Texas indie star Barrett Brown) and of course, Jazz’ NWA World Women’s title. Many were starting to wonder if Corgan and co. would honor the other reigning champions the same way they did “acquired” NWA World Champion Tim Storm, or if they would be vacated and crowned at a later date. But on last week’s episode of WPW Weekly, Jazz said she’d be defending it again starting in October.
“I start defending my title in October,” she said. “But, let me tell you one thing… this is going to be my legacy. I’m not going out like a *****, NO! I’m not just going to lay down and give this belt away. Mother******* step in the ring with me for this title; they going to earn it. I’m the only person of colour to hold this title, you know that’s history right there. So, I’m not laying down, I’m busting my ass every day to show the world why I am the NWA Women’s World Champion and why I should continue to be the NWA Women’s World Champion. That’s why I’m not understanding why I wasn’t apart of All In.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Although Jazz is incorrect on one thing – she isn’t the only champion of color to win the belt. Awesome Kong had a 358 day reign in 2007.)
This NWA World Women’s Championship is historic though. The first champion was the late great June Byers in 1954. The Fabulous Moolah won it in 1956 and proceeded to hold it for nearly 9400 days. She had a few losses, usually for a day or two before winning it back, to Betty Boucher, Japan’s Yukiko Tomoe and Evelyn Stevens, but from 1956 until 1983, the women’s wrestling scene in North America belonged to Moolah. She vacated the title in 1983 when she left for the WWF, and 1986, Debbie Combs assumed the crown.
The new era of a more wide open women’s scene allowed more new champions to wear the title, such as Bambi, Peggy Lee Leather and Malia Hosaka ((who all now wrestle with WOW), as well as names like Lelaini Kai, Strawberry Fields, and Lexi Fyfe. In the mid 2000s, a new breed of wrestler carried the NWA’s women’s division, with champions like Amazing Kong, MsChif, 3x champion Tasha Simone, plus three other women who also now compete with WOW – Amber O’Neal, Barbi Hayden and current WOW Champion Santana Garrett. Jazz is the 36th woman to hold the belt in it’s 64-year history.
Interestingly enough, the NWA is holding it’s first PPV since 1990’s Starrcade, the NWA 70th Anniversary Show on October 21, 2018 on the Fite.tv App. It could be that the NWA plans on reintroducing their old belts on this show, or at least its Women’s Championship.
When asked if Jazz – who has been actively wrestling in indies around the world since her WWE release in 2006, including Shine, Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU), CHIKARA, House of Hardcore, and more – had any interest in returning to wrestling television, she expressed interest in becoming a Knockout over a Superstar.
“If there is a company I would like to be a part of, it would be IMPACT. Because it’s a smaller company, there are not 100 girls in the back fighting for a spot and it seems like they are more family oriented. It reminds me of ECW. It’s not a billion dollar company but everyone there is happy and seems to love their job and love working with one another. Teamwork makes the dream work.”
Check out her whole interview at WPW Weekly
