The NWA logo shines down as what looks like a new video fires up and we go into the first episode in a while of NWA-VA Action Zone! God, I’ve actually really missed this show because for a while, it’s just been TNA and WWE and God knows how well that product is. Anyway, a throw-back gimmick makes his way out to start off the show as the Russian Assassin comes out with the Soviet Union flag. Why? I don’t know, but I’ll make sure to ask for you. He proceeds to demand the national anthem of the Soviet Union be played, which doesn’t, and the ref “accidentally” drops the flag. Pretty active crowd for such a weird throwback gimmick, but maybe that’s just a preview of a good crowd to come.
Russian Assassin Vs. Alexx Sage
I remember watching this match live a couple months ago and being entertained by the comedy and what-not, but I can safely say the comedy did not carry over to television very well. It seemed out of place, a tad listless, and overall just kind of bogged the match down. The crowd ate it up though, but any old school crowd like that really would. Sage was really good in this match I thought as he was the only one trying to mount some kind of strategic offense by going after the arm of the Assassin. The Assassin just seemed to throw kicks, punches, and slams here and there with no meaning and no building towards. Match came off so much better live, but then again, doesn’t everything? It just seemed like a pretty bland and sluggish match to me and not just because of the comedy in the opening parts of the match. Even the end which was just a quick roll-up by Sage seemed anti-climatic, out of place, and weird, but I know why it seemed like the last thing so I’ll just leave it at that in this pretty bland match. No offense though, but when you’re watching a product geared towards a severely old school crowd built on heel comedy, it’s not going to translate to the television as well as you want it too most likely.
Winner: Alexx Sage
Star Wrestler: Alexx Sage
I liked how Sage kept it mat based for a bit in the beginning and tried to have some kind of offensive strategy before going on the defensive to the Assassin. Also, I was sure we were going to see a ton of high flying moves in the match, but barely saw any which was a definite good thing as with this crowd, I’m highly doubtful it would have gotten over at all. In the end though, the match was just second-rate and the problem really falls on both worker’s shoulders, but I’ll give this to Sage for the mat work as well as the fact that the supposed “Shannon Moore of NWA-VA” finally got a win.
Next, we see Chris Escobar (one half of the NWA North American Tag Team champs) coming out with both belts down to the ring. He gets in the ring where Rick O’Brien is already waiting for an interview. I find it a little funny that Escobar is wearing a CREW University shirt on a NWA-VA show. Not that big of a deal, but I don’t normally see people wearing shirts of different promotions on a show. Anyway, O’Brien asks him where his partner Shane Falco is tonight and tells him that he will still be defending the titles tonight. Escobar talks in the third person and tries to get a pop out of the crowd which results in a horrible peep from the crowd which he uses as fodder to get over I guess. Weird way to do so, but hey, whatever works. He says he’s been here since noon looking for a replacement and he found one. He then introduces the members of the Old School Empire. Man, the NWA-VA tag team division really is cursed. This is like the sixth tag team that has had to have a “fill in” partner since I’ve done work with them. Anyway, Damien Wayne and Frank Parker (one half of the NWA-VA Tag Team champs) then come out and O’Brien basically asks Escobar how he came to get them as his partners. Esco delivers one of the best lines I’ve heard in a while with basically, “Duh! I want to win.” I wish I could hear more use of the word “duh” in wrestling today, but God knows the minute it gets over, it’s going to be the new “What?” Escobar says he doesn’t know if Parker has the time, but he wants to leave here with the belts. O’Brien then asks Parker for his answer and Parker looks to the crowd who jeers. He looks to Damien Wayne for some advice before saying they’ve never seen eye-to-eye, but he was trained by fellow Old School Empire member Preston Quinn and that’s good enough for him. So we’ve got a new member of the OSE or what?
