NWA Powerrr is gearing up to air their fourth episode this coming Tuesday, and some wrestling fans are wondering where this is going. Is this just a money sink for Billy Corgan, or is there a deeper plan at play here?
The Powerrr Of YouTube
YouTube at first might seem like an odd place to showcase your brands TV show, but it makes perfect sense for what boils down to a start-up. YouTube is incredibly easy to access, the live chat with the broadcast lets them interact with the fanbase, and offering your show on demand makes it easy to catch up if you miss a live airing. It’s the best place to build a fanbase and generate hype for the show & brand.
Another very key aspect for NWA Powerrr is it’s timeslot. It airs directly before AEW Dark, which is also on YouTube. The shows couldn’t be more different in presentation, but wrestling fans have been loving Tuesday evenings and watching both shows, offering free promotion by word of mouth to other wrestling fans in discussions about the shows. The amount of crossover isn’t surprising, NWA is tapping into a similar market of fans, the ones who crave an alternative.
The timing of their show matching up with AEW Dark so well could signal towards even a small partnership between the companies. While it wasn’t an AEW show, NWA Champion Nick Aldis was at All In, defending against Cody, so that’s another small link. A partnership would only benefit both companies, especially as they’re already growing audiences with similar mindsets.
Perks Of A Stripped Down Production Style
The Studio Wrestling setting has more benefits than nostalgia, wrestling without all the frills and glamour both befits the spirit of NWA while keeping costs down. “ECW didn’t have a lot of money and they had a lot of momentum, so things can happen. Money doesn’t necessarily equate to success. ” Corgan explained in an interview with Busted Open.
Their focus is more on simply providing an enjoyable show based around the performers themselves, rather than big LED boards and pyro. Viewers of Powerrr might even notice the lack of entrance music, and while jarring at first: you don’t miss it after a while. The set is so small you’d only need a 10 second song to hit the ring regardless, making it redundant. An enjoyable show is going to be enjoyable without the bombastic production that WWE has gotten viewers used to, and that’s part of the magic of NWA.
TV Dealings
Billy Corgan has made one thing abundantly clear, he doesn’t want to compromise his vision for the NWA. In the same interview with Busted Open he explained “I was able to build a business in my music life that had no compromise in it, and the NWA, under my tutelage, will never be compromised. And if we fail, it is going to be because we refused to compromise”. It’s a stubborn mindset for certain, but he has experience in this field, The Smashing Pumpkins are a weird band, yet they were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands of the 1990s.
If he could find a network willing to just give Corgan a time slot to showcase his vision, he would likely take it and give it the platform it deserves. Until then, YouTube & The NWA’s Official Facebook page will be where to watch, but it’s not all their going to be doing.
Into The Fire
Their current set of TV tapings is leading to a PPV titled Into The Fire coming to us on December 14th, which we will all need to watch from our couches as it’s already sold out. The rest of us will be able to catch it through Fite TV which will air it Worldwide.
Selling out their first PPV of this new era shows just how strong this new NWA already is. If they can keep this momentum going, make some smart partnerships, and keep growing, their potential is limitless.
The hope is for a bit more flash on a PPV, but we will have to wait and see. While there is no announced matches yet, we can safely assume Nick Aldis will defend the Ten Pounds of Gold in the main event, but against who? You’ll have to tune into NWA Powerrr every Tuesday at 6:05 PM EST or check back here for updates.
