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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?
O'Brien then shifts his direction to Damien Wayne who has a match tonight (not on this episode sadly) with Scotty Blaze who lives seconds away from the building. I think I can safely say that Scotty Blaze really does live seconds away from this place. Anyway, Wayne takes the mike and goes onto insult the crowd pretty well before saying that he will be the one to put the Blaze out and take the belt back and every time he's gotten a re-match, it's been in front of an in-bred crowd by himself. He says tonight will be different because he's got Parker on his back as well as Escobar. Wayne starts to get cheeky with the crowd some more and all three embrace as the show goes to a quick break to plug the NWA-VA tour. Middling segment but mostly because I could barely understand some of what Wayne said.
NWA North American Tag Team Championship
Chris Escobar & Frank Parker (c) Vs. United Nations Of Devastation
This was another bland match with some just slow-moving work here and there. It had a good opening countering spot between Escobar and Drake Tungsten, but it didn't go well from there. Part of the problem in the match was the camera angles though as you really couldn't see all that was going on which was a problem with some of the outside work that was happening like Johnson taking out Parker at one point. I liked how there was a heel-in-peril spot as well as a face-in-peril spot with Escobar playing the former and Tungsten playing the latter. Always good to keep people on their toes and guessing especially when WWE force-feds us the perilous face spot each and every week. The commentary, which I was on, was also exceptionally bad in the match considering there was barely any talk on the moves or what was going on rather strategy and the same repeated notions over and over again. Somebody put duct tape on my mouth please. The match is actually better than I remember it live, as opposed to the earlier match, but still not as good as it should have been, but with the clash of styles between the huge UNOD and Escobar, it's kind of expected. Towards the end, they looked to be setting up for a big high flying spot where Escobar would hit a crossbody to UNOD and Parker on the outside (Parker of course unintentionally), but it didn't pan out as UNOD looked like they walked away and Escobar kind of missed. Actually, in hindsight, it seems UNOD were trying to do the quick pull away and do some miscommunication between the heels, but it still didn't come off well in any fashion. Shortly after that, Tungsten got the quick roll-up onto Escobar and they won the titles, which even though it was a bad match, they deserve more than anyone in NWA-VA. I really would have preferred to see UNOD use their very cool double team move to finish off Escobar as that would have gotten them over. The quick roll-up for the title win just doesn't sit well with me as I'd rather have a big spot to finish it off.
Winners: United Nations Of Devastation
Star Wrestler: Drake Tungsten
He was a little sluggish here and there like the rest of them, but the guy was basically making the match work and probably the only reason the crowd cared. He was selling well, had a nice presence about him, and as shown by the opening exchanges, had some good offense to mount. I'd like to see another match between these four as I think this one may have just been first match jitters or something to that nature, but it only sugarcoats the fact that the match was bad (especially after being the fourth or fifth tag match that night).
Considering some of the past episodes we've gotten and that this is the first show in awhile, I'd have to say that this was a pretty insipid episode of Action Zone. The opening bout was completely random and seems like a match you don't really put out there, but rather use to rile up the crowd (which it did). The segment in the middle was here and there with a good line but overall felt a little drawn out and indistinct. Then the final match was just a bad mix of styles, but at least had a purpose on the show. I think it would have been better for this show to have included the Wayne-Blaze match (since it was referenced so many times) and have it run just a little longer. You have the show start up with the segment, show the UNOD match, take a break, and then have the Blaze-Wayne match. The show would have been miles better had they done that and I think having the tag match on the opening of the show would have been better as well. Overall, not the best show from NWA-VA and definitely not a good show for first-time viewers. Here's hoping we get some matches like Blaze-Wayne, Devitt-Day, or Vaughn-Grail next week.
Well, that's going to wrap up this review. Next up, I've got JAPW World Wide and then Turning Point for today. Friday, I'll review Raw and Heat probably and then I'll be completely caught up. A pox on all you who said I couldn't catch up. A pox I say! Anyway, that's going to do it, guys. Thanks for reading once more and if you want to, drop me an e-mail. 'Till next time, this is "Squared Circle Reviews" signing off and hoping you enjoy what you watch.
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