Major upset

No, it was not Nick Hammond.  Jason Kincaid is still safely the Smoky Mtn. Champ.  The big upset is Amber O'Neal as the new NWA Women's champion.  She won at the NWA Texoma show in a stinging upset of Santana Garrett.  Santana had lost the Shine title already, and her amazing 2015 came to a shocking end.  She was an amazing champ, and elevated the NWA women's title.  Santana took the title to Japan, and many other non-NWA places such as Shine.  Now it is up to Amber to take it further.  A good place to start might be a feud with Barbi Hayden, former champ, or a back and forth with Santana.

Roman Reigns and the WWE today

I don't talk much about the WWE because I don't like it.  For the exception of the brief Monday Night Wars, I never have.  But what they are doing with Roman Reigns makes you understand that the WWE is not really working as a wrestling company and that for all of McMahanon's success, he earned for his business savvy, not his wrestling savvy. 

First the obvious.  Roman Reigns is a horrible champ and always will be.  The Shield was a fun gimmick.  Reigns was the big man, the enforcer.  They don't become the champ, they enforce.  When the enforcer becomes the champ, it is almost always a disaster (think Diesel).  Why?  Because they usually cannot talk.  This is true for Reigns.  The champ has to be able to talk on the mic, and I would actually argue it is the single most important skill.  Think of great champs.  Ric Flair, great talker.  CM Punk, a very fine talker.  Austin and the Rock, both beautiful talkers.  Now think of champs that are universally known as great wrestlers and ask yourself why they are not known as great champs?  Everyone loves Ricky Steamboat, and he can go in a ring.  Yet, he is seldom mentioned in greatest champion discussions?  Why?  He was only okay on the mic.  Dusty Rhodes is almost always mentioned before Steamboat, and it is based solely on the fact that Rhodes was pretty good on a mic. Bret Hart is seldom mentioned as an all-time great champ because he was only so-so on the mic despite being one of the best wrestlers in the ring.  The fundamental rule of wrestling is you talk them into the arena or to buy a PPV.  Bob Backlund was not successful as a champ (although he was a good in ring worker), and Superstar Billy Graham sold out arenas.  It is just a fact of wrestling life.  Reigns is embarrassing on the mic most of the time.  Expect bad things for the near future for WWE.

Second, the less obvious point.  This is a proof that the NXT era is not going to happen in the WWE.  NXT is hot right now.  It is hot because the WWE has gone away from its roots and signed big time independent wrestling stars.  You could have made the argument they did this because it worked so well with Punk and Bryan.  Maybe they had learned.  So Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens are introduced to lead a real good group of stars out of NXT into the WWE to be the NXT Generation, which also includes Neville and Dean Ambrose.  Yet, Roman Reigns gets the nod.  Reigns who had no independent experience, and is solely a WWE creation.  Despite the red hot success of NXT, Kevin Owens is not your champ.  Dean Ambrose is not your champ.  Neville is not your champ.  Sami Zayn is not your champ.  Samoa Joe is not your champ.  These guys have crazed fan bases that would have gone nuts for a WWE title.  Samoa Joe has the experience even (with TNA).  Can you imagine the huge fan reaction if Sami Zayn had come out and won the title?  Or Samoa Joe walked out and suplexed his way to victory?  What if Dean Ambrose had managed a pin or even Kevin Owens?  These guys would show confidence in the direction of NXT as the direction of the WWE, but instead they went the opposite direction.  Everything the fans are tired of is embodied in Reigns. 

In the end, this is only good news if you are Ring of Honor.  More disgruntled fans may find you now.

NWA and Japan again . . .

The full show of Wrestling Kingdom is now up and advertised, and no Tiger Mask IV.  He has now been the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champ for several months with no title defenses.  None.  He is not on the 9 match card for the biggest show of the year.  What is the point of having what could be the most exciting belt in the NWA languishing in Japan on someone's mantle.  It is time to cut bait from NJPW.  By the way, Ring of Honor has a title match on the show that has little to nothing to do with the NJPW.  Both men are from Ring of Honor.  So, why be a third wheel?  NWA is growing at home and has a nice place in Britain that could host a World Junior champ to be sure.  No point in staying around for no real reason.

Raymond Rowe deserves a quick mention.  He does wrestle in Ring of Honor, but is gaining steam in the NWA.  Could he be a future World Champ?  He is currently the Branded Outlaw Heavyweight champ, and was for one week the Grand Warrior champion of Wrestling Revolution.  He defended the title once when former champ Danny Ramos cashed in a title shot and Rowe was unable to win two matches in one night.  He also had a great match with Smoky Mtn Heavyweight Champ, Jason Kincaid.  Kincaid capitalized on some distractions to hit Rowe with a second Grave of the Fireflies to win the match. 

Lots of big events to end the year, so keep your eyes open!

New Tag Team Champs again!

Usually title changes last for quite some time.  Tag titles included.  Yet, not this time.  The Heat Seekers lost the belts to a first time tag team, the Iron Empire consisting of Matt Rivera and Rob Conway.  This took place at a big NWA Mid South event at a Casino in Mississippi.  It was not a regular show, but a big event that also saw Jason Kincaid take on Matt Sydal.  Big venue, big event, with a big title change is always a good idea.

Overall I like the change.  The Heat Seekers always seemed like too small a team to carry World Title gold.  Sigmon and Eliott Russell are good together, but did not ever do anything with the US Belts to warrant a World title run.  Conway and Rivera are both big enough wrestlers to make it feel like a real World Tag Team Champion.  Rivera recently dropped the Western States title and Rob Conway has done it all for the NWA.  Conway is a previous World Tag Team Title holder with Jax Dane.  It included trips to Japan, which would be nice to see for the Iron Empire.  Matt Rivera is an up and coming guy and the NWA used Conway to help out Jax Dane.  Can you imagine what he could do for someone with the talent of Rivera? 

They don't have to go to Japan because after all these guys are pretty big in America.  Rivera wrestlers regularly in Vendetta Pro, where Conway seldom appears.  Conway is big in Branded Outlaw and the Indiana promotions where Rivera never appears.  Rivera has made some sporatic appearances in Louisana (Conway has not) and Conway some in East TN (where Rivera has not).  They have the nation covered.  It would be great to take the Tag Titles to Vendetta Pro and let the Classic Connection take a run at the titles. 

Either way, this is good for the NWA.  I hope quick title reigns do not become a wave of the future, but every now and then it is a great way to shake it up. 

Santana Garrett wins again and World Title Speculation

Well fears were unfounded this time as Santana Garrett successfully defended the NWA Women's Title and won a title vs. title match to gain the Wonder of Stardom Title in Japan.  She is going back in January, and it would not be unusual for her to drop the Wonder of Stardom title back, but she ought to be able to leave with the NWA Women's Title intact. 

And it is of note that Kahagas is going to appear at NWA SAW on November 14th.  Could it be that Kahagas is going to start a feud with NWA World Champ Jax Dane?  Dane will be taking on Jernigan, who is half the tag team champs for SAW.  Kahagas and Dane are the only two triple crown winners and a feud between them would be great.

Worrying about the NWA Women's title

Santana Garrett has been a great Women's Champ.  It is easy to say that she is the best thing going in Women's wrestling and a HUGE asset to the NWA.  She has just successfully defended the NWA Women's Title in Japan, which was the first time that has happened in 39 years.  She deserves kodos for that.  However, she is still in Japan and just signed a title vs. title match with Wonder of Stardom champ lo Sharai.  And the NWA has a real bad streak of just dropping World titles in Japan.

Garrett, in addition to the NWA world title, holds single titles in the Coastal Championship Wrestling, Championship Wrestling Entertainment, American Pro Wrestling Alliance, Belleview Pro Wrestling, Nova Pro Wrestling, Orlando Pro Wrestling, Ring Warriors, Shine Wrestling, Southern Championship Wrestling, USA Pro Wrestling, USA Wrestling Alliance, and Jersey Championship Wrestling.  She also is half the Tag Team champs in Women of Wrestling. 

If the NWA continues this drop all titles on trips to Japan, they may as well fold.  Santana Garrett needs to come home with the NWA Title.  Anything else is bad business. 

Thanksgiving Wrestling - NWA Smoky mtn.

Thanksgiving is always a hot bed of local wrestling, especially in the South.  But perhaps the hottest of them all this Thanksgiving is NWA Smoky Mtn.

Now, Smoky Mtn is putting on a Black Friday show that is going to feature a no DQ tag match between the US Tag Champs as Chris Richards and Jason Kincaid.  It will also have Vince Brett and more, but the real show is Nov. 21st in Kingsport.  Just listen to this card.

NWA World Champ Jax Dane will defend against NWA National Champ Arrick Andrews.  
- that match alone is worth seeing as two top title holders go head to head, but there is more.

NWA World Tag Team Champs the HeatSeekers take on Shawn Shultz and Toby Farley.  - It is a little disappointing that this is not billed as part of the Triple Main Event.  This is the WORLD TAG TITLES we are talking about.  And why the competition here is not a real tag team, Shawn Shultz is always fun to watch.

NWA SouthEastern Champ Jason Kincaid defends against Raymond Rowe.  - Now it is hard to see how Kincaid loses the belt, but Raymond Rowe is a legit star wrestling often on Ring of Honor and does hold the NWA Branded Outlaw Championship (or one of those Texas titles anyway).  It is going to be a good match and might set up more Raymond Rowe visits to Smoky Mtn.

Kid Kash vs. Chase Owens - This has potential and has been set up well.  It completes the Owens turn to being a face and Owens is one of the best wrestlers in the world.  With his new spot in New Japan Wrestling, Owens will be around a lot less.  So this may be the last chance to see Owens for a while.

NWA US Tag Team Champs Skylar Kruse and Axton Ray defend against the Cabal (Chris Richards and Travis Lee)  - This is one where I would say the champs are the underdogs.  Chris Richards and Travis Lee are literal giants and Kruse and Ray are small even for Smoky Mtn.  Yet, the contrast in styles has the potential to make this a good match.

Smoky Mtn TV Champ Ali Shabbaz defends against Jordan Kage, Vince Brett, and Bryan Motgomery.  - Four way matches always provide plenty of drama and potential.  Brett is the next big thing in Smoky Mtn, but the TV Title may simply hold him back.  He is without a story line right now.  Bryan Motgomery is a new guy and a bit of a wild card here.  Kage is the former champ and this is another way to continue his feud with Shabbaz, who himself is excellent in the ring. 

There are some other matches that feel like feud culminations so they should be good. If I lived in the area, I would be at this event.