This week, we take a shift from Powerrr to a new kind of wrestling venture: NWA The Circle Squared! Touted as NWA’s reality competition show, pro wrestlers will vie for the prize of an NWA contract. Sean Mooney will serve as the analyst and viewers will be part of the process as well. Powerrr will make its return next week on the 25th. Without any further ado, let’s take a deep dive into The Circle Squared!
NWA The Circle Squared opens with company owner Billy Corgan, who provides details about the show. He also encourages viewers to visit NationalWrestlingAlliance.com to learn more about how they can get involved.
From the show’s intro, NWA The Circle Squared cuts to Mooney, who instructs viewers to upload their own video reactions for the chance to be featured. Viewers can also vote on who proceeds on the official website. From there, we cut to the studio, where Kyle Davis brings out this show’s competitors, starting with PJ and Luke Hawx, a son and father duo. PJ Hawx says he saw his old man travel across the company and now does it with him. Luke Hawx says they came to the NWA to prove they are the best. He says they are the ABCs and XYZs; not only do they start something but they finish it. They go to the ring to await their competitors.
Meet @pj_hawx @ @LukeHawx504 now on #TheCircleSquared
Watch now – https://t.co/2EccP8fwy1 pic.twitter.com/ro8o8wUpc1
— NWA (@nwa) February 18, 2020
The show the video reactions of various personalities, including The Blue Meanie. This will become a common theme on this show. Back at the studio, Nikita Koloff makes his entrance. Koloff recites some of his accomplishments before saying that he will share his knowledge with the new generation. He goes on to introduce “the best-kept secret in tag team wrestling.” Cue Jeff Lewis Neal and Tyson Dean. Neal says that, with Koloff by their side, he and Dean will get to the next level. Alongside Koloff, “the best-kept secret in tag team wrestling” advance toward the ring.
PJ and Luke Hawx vs. Jeff Lewis Neal and Tyson Dean
Early on, Neal and Dean blindside the father and son tag team. As the legal man, PJ starts to take control until Neal cuts him off. Neal tags Dean before the opposing duo double teams PJ. Neal hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a two-count. PJ starts to crawl toward his father before Dean intercepts. Neal is tagged in as the taunting to PJ continues. With a bloody mouth, PJ hits a suplex before crawling to his corner once again. He makes the tag to Luke, who attacks everyone in sight. PJ and Luke hit a double team powerslam for the three-count!
Winners: PJ and Luke Hawx
Meet Tyson Dean and Jeff Lewis Neal now on #TheCircleSquaredhttps://t.co/2EccP8fwy1 pic.twitter.com/svldQMVL23
— NWA (@nwa) February 18, 2020
Post-match, both teams make their way back to the podium with Davis. We cut to Mooney, who instructs viewers to vote on a favorite. He also hypes The Crockett Cup, which will take place on April 19. This event will also feature Marty Scurll challenge Nick Aldis for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
This was the first episode of NWA The Circle Squared in the books and to say that it was unique would be an understatement. For a company that’s so steeped in history as the National Wrestling Alliance, the fact that they experimented with such a unique concept draws intrigue. While this first episode may not be what most people expected, I feel like it did a number of things right.
Perhaps the most noteworthy was the introduction of new wrestlers.
PJ Hawx may be the most well-known, primarily due to his insane balcony dive that was recently reported on, but this was many viewers’ first exposure to him and his father, Luke. Fathers and sons in wrestling aren’t new – they can be seen throughout wrestling history – but seldom do we see them work together as a dedicated tag team. For this reason alone, they stand out and they were easily the favorite team on this debut episode.
Of course, this isn’t to take away from Jeff Lewis Neal and Tyson Dean, who came into this episode brimming with confidence. This was definitely helped by the presence of Nikita Koloff, who hyped them up strongly. Despite their defeat, Neal and Dean worked well together, keeping young PJ from his corner, even bloodying his mouth for good measure. “The best-kept secret in tag team wrestling” is a hell of a moniker, but they performed well.
This was an easy watch at less than a half-hour, and while it won’t replace Powerrr as NWA’s main program, it’s an interesting diversion that should bring more eyes to lesser-known talent.
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. And subscribe to the NWA YouTube channel to watch the show in full.
