The next chapter of the National Wrestling Alliance is about to be written. NWA partnered with Ring of Honor and the Crockett Foundation to present this event, the Crockett Cup. This will be the fourth ever Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament. Past winners include The Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes, and Sting and Lex Luger. The Crockett Cup event will take place on April 27th deep in Crockett country in Concord, North Carolina.
The Briscoe Brothers vs. The Rock’n’Roll Express
In a nod to the Crockett Cups of past, we have the iconic Rock and Roll Express taking on ROH’s most decorated team, the Briscoe Brothers. The Briscoes were quite miffed that they even had to qualify to enter the Crockett Cup. But qualify they did, and they will take on one of the most popular tag teams ever. Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton are bonafide Hall of Famers and despite not being the new guys in wrestling, have continued to have a presence.
Villain Enterprises (PCO & Brody King) vs. Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata
Marty Scurll’s teammates, PCO and Brody King will also take part in the tournament. Both Brody and PCO are hard-hitting guys that aren’t afraid to put their bodies on the line. They will clash with two Japanese legends who also don’t mind putting their bodies on the line. Nagata and Kojima represent New Japan Pro Wrestling in the tournament, with over 20 years in wrestling each. If you had to pick one hoss fight out of this field, this would be it.
The War Kings (Crimson & Jax Dane) vs. Wild Card Team
The team known as The War Kings are Crimson and Jax Dane. Both are huge, hulking wrestlers with chiseled bodies of granite. Dane is a former NWA World Tag Team Champion, and Crimson has tag team experience as well. Together they have racked up quite the tough reputation, often accompanied by Road Warrior Animal. Their opponents will be determined by a Wild Card Tag Team Battle Royal. Whichever team survives this, will have to then survive The War Kings.
Flip Gordon & Bandido vs. Guerrero Maya, Jr. & Stuka, Jr.
The last of the first round match-ups will feature the Ring of Honor representatives against the CMLL representatives. Flip Gordon, the last time he was on Concord, was severely injured. Now he and his partner, Bandido will look to make better memories in that town. Guerrero Maya, Jr. and Stuka, Jr. are tag team specialists in CMLL. While they may not necessarily have teamed with each other on a regular basis, they are used to rotating partners. Of all the first round match-ups, this one will be the most fast-paced and lucha libre style.
NWA World Women’s Championship Match
Allysin Kay vs. Santana Garrett
At the Crockett Cup, we will crown a new NWA World Women’s Champion. The previous champion, Jazz, vacated the title due to health and other personal reasons. Her previously scheduled opponent, Allysin Kay, was kept in the match. Santana Garrett, a former NWA World Women’s Champion, was chosen to enter the match as well. Both women have faced each other before and on social media, said it was their favorite match ever. Ironically, both women have also appeared in WWE’s Mae Young Classic. They are also both former Shine Wrestling Champions. Allysin is also a former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion. In addition to the NWA title, Santana is a former Women of Wrestling Champion and Wonder of Stardom Champion.
NWA National Championship Match
Willie Mack (c) vs. Colt Cabana
Willie Mack’s journey to the NWA National Championship was a modern-day Cinderella story. Mack started out as a wrestling fan, helping set up and take down the chairs. This eventually progressed into him getting trained and getting onto the Southern California Wrestling scene. His career and support built steadily over the years; with the NWA 70th Anniversary Show he was catapulted on a more national stage. Mack first won a four-way match to advance into the Championship match. He defeated Sam Shaw to capture the rejuvenated title. His opponent is Chicago’s favorite son, Colt Cabana. Many write off Cabana due to his mostly comedic style. However, Cabana is no pushover. He’s a two-time former NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion. Now, twenty years into his career, Cabana is more alive and in demand than ever. And he’s ready to write his chapter as the National Champion.
NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship Match
Nick Aldis (c) vs. Marty Scurll
This is not how Nick Aldis first imagined how the Crockett Cup would be going down. He had originally intended to enter the tournament himself. Nick asked his very good friend, the Villain Marty Scurll to be his partner. Marty had a different idea though. He instead challenged Aldis for the infamous Ten Pounds of Gold. The various intricacies of what these two former friends have done to each other in the lead up to this match were documented in the NWA’s YouTube series Ten Pounds of Gold.
Aldis is over 180 days into his second reign as NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion. This match will be his 14th title defense as well. His insurance policy, the lovely and imposing Kamille will also be at ringside. Scurll, as has been his style since the beginning of the year, will go it on his own. Over the last year or so, Scurll has raised his game and made many people take notice. He was even a hair’s breadth away from becoming ROH World Champion in Madison Square Garden. At the Crockett Cup, he will hope to be able to go just that much farther to walk away as the champion.
Aside from the previously mentioned matches, there will also be the Crockett Cup semi-final matches and final. The field of eight teams is divided into two blocks, block A and block B. The winner of the Briscoes and Rock and Roll Express match will face the winner of the Villain Enterprises and Nagata/Kojima match. In the same vein, the winner of the Flip Gordon/Bandido and Maya, Jr. and Stuka Jr., match will face the winner the War Kings and the Wild Card Team match. Then the remaining team from each block will face off to see who will walk away with the legendary Crockett Cup. If you can’t make it out to North Carolina, it is available on pay-per-view and on Fite.TV.
