National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)

"I feel bad for the legacy of the NWA. Because I feel like their legacy is continuing to be destroyed by their current owner in Billy Corgan. I just wish he would sell the company at this point because I feel like someone like Triple H or Tony Khan could honestly do something better with it. Am I saying it's all bad? No but it could also be a whole lot better."

[4.0] "A once great promotion that fell from grace ages ago , its sad to see it in the state that its in now and making a shitty ass wrestler like Tyrus your World Champion has done serious damage to their reputation."

[8.0] "To me, the NWA still has an intrinsic value in the annals of professional wrestling. It brought us legends like Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Magnum T.A. Dusty Rhodes, The Rock & Roll Express, Midnight Express, etc. For the longest time, the NWA was on life support, until William Corgan bought it and became the hero and savior for the dying breed."

[6.0] "Once upon a time it was the most important conglomeration of territories. Then it basically died as a brand until Billy Pumpkins bought it and it was looking really good for a while. The rebuild began in 2017 and by the beginning of 2020 it was a legitimately good product with a stacked roster. We'll never know for sure how things would've turned out without the pandemic but it's hard no to think they might still be a really good alternative. The last several years have been really bad and it's a shame."

[7.0] "At one particular point and time, the NWA was the authority in all of wrestling. Today, it's officially recognized by PWI and Wikipedia that the NWA is a league-level promotion that competes in the same space as MLW or ROH - And that's because it was promoted to that level in 2021 after being devalued for almost 30 years prior (save a brief renaissance with TNA.) Yet they tour, host PPVs, and have a roster that features some names, so they deserve a spot at the table (if nothing else.) Given that their title is once again recognized by the PWI, and given their domestic touring presence, NWA should now be regarded as a semi-national/minor league wrestling promotion."

[8.0] "Billy Corgan's National Wrestling Alliance has been watered down and made to look like a high budget, independent wrestling organization. But, overall, the NWA has produced quality talents that went on to become superstars in the WWF/WWE, WCW, ECW, TNA, ROH, AEW, etc. Nowadays, like I said, it seems like an Indy promotion with a high budget. But I'm basing my opinion overall on the NWA."

[8.0] "I'm rating this company based on It's overall history. And Nwa was very important for today's wrestling structure. Especially those territory days, they gave many incredible wrestling memories and stars. It's concept was also superb. But if THIS great one survived, maybe today we wouldn't even hear the name of pro wrestling, and It would struck like some random street sports. (****)"

"This company has been around since 1948. In my knowledge it is the longest running wrestling show in this planet. They created many legends in the past. Ric Flair and Harley Race to mention few. Or maybe the legends created the company. In modern days they have been a great platform for wrestlers who got released from their old jobs. I am very happy that they are still around."

[3.0] "I am purely rating Corgans NWA. Billys NWA is great, it is basically what would happen if you explained wrestling to a particularly stupid 3 year old who had never heard of wrestling before and then getting them to drop some speed and asking them to book a fed. In fairness, not even a 3 year old speed freak would strap up Thom Latimer in 2025 so I have probably done our drug addicted toddler a disservice. Pretty much the only place you can see matches truly shit the bed that aren't meant to be memes or involve Jey Uso."

[2.0] "This history of the National Wrestling Alliance? Unspeakably iconic and we would not have wrestling today without them. This version of the NWA? An insult to the name, which is all this is - they bought the IP and titles but it doesn't even work the same way as it once did (of which the latter, they are ruining incredible lineages with). The allure of the original NWA was that it was a union of promotions. The current version has so much potential but is wasted on old past it talent like Mike Knox and Trevor Murdoch. It has some saving graces with younger talent but otherwise is pointless. They have a focus on storytelling but the talent and personalities are very abrasive. Their shows are free to watch online and yet somehow that's still too hefty a cost of your time."

[3.0] "Let me start this by saying that I have nothing against NWA at all, it's a legendary company that has to be respected for it's history. However, I'm rating this only considering what's been presented now, and this company sucks nowadays. The talents are ok, but every other thing is complete garbage. Billy Corgan's booking is awful, the CW deal was a bad choice and everything related to this company is just so stupid. Corgan should sell it to someone who actually CARES about pro-wrestling, you know?"

[2.0] "Great talent in this fed, but the cards are awful. I thought it was great initially, and seemed like a throwback to great old school. Now I am surprised if there is actually a match that holds interest. It isn't the workers fault either. Its the bookers and their lack of originality and completely predictable and disappointing outcomes. Tonights on CW was just another example. Ruined a possibly good main event with the new popular gimmicky intergender match format. Ideas and gimmicks aren't original. Just bad ideas and disappointing gimmicks. Just bring back old school wrestling and let it be just that."

[10.0] "Vastly underrated promotion that gets more flack in a culture war by the IWC then the actual product. EC3 had a great year as champ. The NWA has added 4 territories and another rumored as of this writing. The NWA have excellent in ring workers such as Thom Latimer and Colby Corino. Aron Stevens is one of the best managers in the business as is Pollo Del Mar. Thrilbilly Silas Mason, Kerry Morton and Alex Taylor are future stars. Joe Galli is a fine play by play man especially when Billy Corgan is with Danny Dealz in commentary. The Paige Sisters are two the top young female talents. The Fixers, The Country Gentlemen, Murdoch and Knox round out a solid tag division too. Theres more to list, but it's bounced back considerably since its 2022 growing pains."

[4.0] "There was once a time when NWA was a legendary promotion. However, the current version of NWA is far past its prime. While the current era is better than the one where Tyrus was the main champ, there's no denying that NWA is just boring these days. The brief revival it had years ago was honestly very entertaining. It makes sense that NWA isn't doing very good these days when WWE, AEW, and even TNA can take NWA's talents, yet even smaller indies have been putting on more entertaining content by comparison. If old NWA from several decades ago was being rated, then 8/10 would be fair. Current NWA has no business being rated that highly. As it stands, a 4/10 is perfectly fine since that score is supposed to represent "adequate" on this website, and that's exactly what NWA is. Adequate at the moment."

"Incredible work throughout the '80s and '90s, but I seriously think it's overrated, outside of a few acts. (Horsemen, Flair, Cornette, Dusty)......... I also have to knock off a few points for the horrendous stuff they've been putting out these days!"

[7.0] "How the hell do you rate the NWA? The NWA was great in the 70s and 80s, with Jim Crockett promotions, AJPW, NJPW, WCCW and many other iconic, great territories under its banner, but do I allow my love of AJPW, NJPW and JCP to make me give the NWA a great rating when I've already given those individual companies their own rating? The NWA promoted a sporting product which I enjoy and the NWA world title scene in the 80s was fantastic, but obviously the NWA has been struggling to survive since WCW left them. The NWA has been a national irrelevance except for their few years with TNA. Under current ownership, NWA has really struggled and been nothing more than a regular indie, and at times its been horrific. The history is a 9, now has been much more of a 3/10. I'll settle on a respectful 7/10 because of the history of Flair, Sting, Baba, Inoki, Race and Steamboat. Also, I used to work with an NWA territory in the UK."

[6.0] "PLEASE WATCH NWA , i know Billy Corgan has done a lot of stupid stuff , but since the horrible Reigns of Tyrus , things are getting slowely more intressting , they have a ton of underdog wrestler , and despite the low budget looks , i think there is a lot of people in and outside of the ring doing the best they can to revive this wrestling institution."

[5.0] "What NWA has is the over 7 decades long history, from its highs to its many, many lows. Right now, it's at a severe low point. It's honestly kind of depressing, considering you got the talent in the company. You have good workers and good characters, like EC3, Max, Corino, etc. And you have good connections with other indie promotions. You have all the tools to make something truly good that truly captures that old pro wrasslin' aesthetic, and you can see they are absolutely trying. Unfortunately, I don't think Billy Corgan is doing a good job, and after the shit with Tyrus and the cocaine segment, it's gonna be hard for NWA to climb out of the hole they have dug."

[2.0] "I often wish Billy Corgan would have just started a new promotion instead of buying the NWA rights. As others have been saying, this company is so far removed from what it once was that it's completely unrecognizable. If we were talking about the classic NWA, I'd probably give it a 7 or 8 overall, but that's not what this company is. Even a few years ago, this "new" NWA had potential, but it's long since been squandered by now. The current version gets a 2 from me: bad booking, a weak roster, and nonsensical decisions have driven it into the ground. Such a shame."

[3.0] "NWA used to be a glorious promotion. What happened? Billy Corgan needs to get the hell out of the company, he is making it into one of the worst promotions in pro wrestling, not even close to the standards it had back in the 1900s. Both TV titles, the US tag titles, and the junior title all need to be removed, there's no point in having so many championships with such a small roster. The world title needs to be taken off of Tyrus, he's doing no favors to the company. We also need Cyon to lose the national title. When all that happens, I'll give a better rating. (Edit #1): I gave this a two formerly, but things sorta started looking up with Tyrus gone and EC3 as the champ. Still nowhere near respectable though... I'll give it a three."

"i have been disappointed with the NWA in the last year. I like the fact people have a place to work but some things need to stay off TV. the booking is not great and needs a refresher. I hate intergender matches! I am hoping the best but it needs a recharge."

[1.0] "Definitely the worst of the American second tier. With Aldis now gone, I don't know that Billy has anyone who can grab people's attention, and his writing and the people he's pushing certainly isn't helping. Maybe the third tier of American wrestling if you think about it."

[4.0] "A formerly well known, fantastic promotion, now a shell of its former self. In the early days of NWA power I really thought they could have done something here, but that went nowhere. Its now kind of a laughing stock, full of WWE guys from like 10-15 years ago, really reminds me of the dark days of TNA. I dont see anything happening in this promotion soon that people would actually care about, just let it die."

[4.0] "I can't say I'm a regular viewer of the NWA's programming, but the PPVs I've watched reveal a promotion that suffers from two core issues: (1) they employ old-school storytelling and angles, but the worst parts; and (2) the in-ring work is marginalized to the point that even good workers don't get a chance to shine. The NWA can still deliver one-off moments that are compelling, but they lack the sort of predictable quality that rewards loyal viewers for sticking around."

[4.0] "Based on the current roster, booking, and events, it's average at best, usually subpar. The audience barely cares and it seems the wrestlers are just there to collect a paycheck. Corgan was doing something right before the pandemic but since then everything's been downhill."

[2.0] "To see the state the NWA is in now under Billy Corgan just makes me really sad, even as a fan that hasn't really watched the product since around 2021. What really sucks is that the NWA once had something fucking golden going from October 2019 to March 2020. And then the in-ring product from there just started dwindling and stagnating to the point where it made me really hard to give a damn about what they're doing anymore. Due to their surprisingly deep roster from that era, which included the likes of Nick Aldis, Eli Drake (the future LA Knight), Ricky Starks, etc. getting poached by WWE & AEW and Corgan taking a massive, Smashing Pumpkin-sized shit all over the prestige and legacy of this near 80 year old brand by pushing a 50 year old wingnut talking head on Fox News with as much wrestling ability as the average anchor on that network to have a Reign of Terror over their world title, I just stopped caring really. It's insanely sad seeing it in the state it's in, but to say Corgan didn't deserve this downfall due to his lack of ability to understand that his product is in a major decline and his complete denial of the fact whenever it's brought up is just plain wrong."

[6.0] "Rating for the Corgan-lead NWA promotion, not the looser organisation of years past. The NWA is an interesting promotion that presents a variety of styles and characters. The agents guiding NWA talent are extremely experienced and matches are put together logically. Ring psychology that has fallen out of fashion elsewhere (such as the "hot tag") will often show up here. There are a number of promising youngsters working for this company and it appears to be a good place for them to develop. After the departure of Dave Lagana, NWA creative is missing a "details guy" to translate story ideas into storylines and this can lead to feuds being disjointed or rushed. The departure of Nick Aldis and decision to make Tyrus the Worlds Champion have offended some fans, though the decisions at the top of the card have not significantly changed the rest of the product."

[3.0] "I remember back in 2016 when Tim Storm was champion that this company could go back to the top of wrestling bussiness, I remember with a smile on my face watching the weekly shows, they used to rule. Nowadays we have Tyrus as champion, why? Because Corgan is a cnt"

"then went downhill more and more from the '80s onwards. They always got into fights with their promotions and made them more and more obscure."

[3.0] "The NWA Had a huge list of stars before the pandemic, Ricky Starks, Eli Drake, Nick Aldis. Now they are trying to run with Tyrus as their huge Star even though they have plenty of decent talent like Adonis and Aaron Stevens and even younger stars like Kerry Morton, and Jordan Clearwater. They put on poor matches that are similar to the old NWA Matches but with lesser star power. Corgan seems to be in denial that his product is poor and that's the main Problem, I like the feeling and the production side With the classic setup but That doesn't help the In Ring work."

[6.0] "Tried to stick with it but couldn't. I find nothing interesting to watch. even the PLEs, it has nothing to make me invest my time to watch. giving it 6 because of the good old vibes that the shows gives and because production which is really good comparing to other small companies + and yeah. the history. it has great history"

[4.0] "The NWA is doing well again under the leadership of Billy Corgan. The titles are defended in major indy promotions around the world, including ROH, CZW, and CWFH. It needs it's own presence though, either a TV show or a web series featuring a regular roster besides the champions. It'd be nice to see it standing on it's own two feet again. EDIT: After Crockett Cup 2022 this is feeling like a legit up and coming promotion. 2023 Edit: the quality of the product has really gone down. They've been unable to secure most of the good talent that has come through, and now Tyrus is their champion. The ship needs to be righted."

"I feel like its completely impossible to accurately rate the NWA as of 2023. At one time the NWA World Heavyweight Championship was the most prestigious in the world of wrestling, the NWA ruled the American pro wrestling landscape and some of the all time greats regularly found themselves running territory circuits for the NWA. This was prior to the 1990s obviously, when the final nail in the coffin of WCWs secession pretty much ensured the NWA would never again hold a national audience or place of true prominence in America. Now? The NWA is a joke. Their current world champion is the Funkasaurus and the NWA doesnt even have a claim to being the #1 Indy promotion in America. The modern NWA is a joke of a promotion thats been steered clear off the road by Billy Corgans mismanagement. We could not be further removed from the glory days of Ric Flair, of Dusty Rhodes, Jack Brisco or Lou Thesz."

[4.0] "It's sadly a shadow of its former self. In its current state in 2023, there's no reason to watch it instead of most other promotions. What little talent they do have is squandered."

[5.0] "Promotion with a great legacy but has not had a real impact on the pro wrestling landscape for a while. Was used to help promotions at their start (WCW, ECW and TNA) and those were pretty good but otherwise nothing notable. Corgan's purchase felt like the spark it needed but as the Aldis situation plays out and the focus seemed to be on former wrestlers from other promotions over the age of 35 just will not move the needle."

[2.0] "Can't really say anything about them. It started good, then went downhill more and more from the '80s onwards. They always got into fights with their promotions and made them more and more obscure. Then Corgan came, made them average again and now they're regressing once again, thanks to their talent and pushing 50 yrs olds big man that can't wrestle. Wrestling is so easy and yet they've been failing for 40 years"

[2.0] "Before 1993 it was a prominant governing body, but after was an indie one, with an inflitated ego, although it regained significance it in TNA they foolishly lost it agaim and drove away all that sought to help it. After Billy Corgan bought the NWA it became an okay indie, that got so much worse after the pandemic, terrible talent, and the few bright spots are not at the top, in favour of past mid 2000s to warly 2010s WWE wrestlers like Trevor Murdoch or Tyrus, they have held themselves back until it became a few letters for a nothing company on the same level as SWE Fury."

[8.0] "I'm going to rate this off of the entirety of the NWA's existence, and not just Modern Day (Modern would get a 4). For the first 30 years of it's existence, it was the be all and end all of Professional Wrestling, and becoming NWA champion meant that you were regarded as the best by your peers. Plus the territory system worked very well in its heyday, as no wrestling company had the resources to go national. But when someone did get those resources, the system immediately became outdated, and the NWA has been floundering ever since (apart from when they partnered with TNA for the early days). If I was to give equal weight to everything, the NWA would get a 6 or 7, but the good outweighs the bad, so it gets a high 8"

[2.0] "The former Brodus Clay, despite being credibly accused of sexual misconduct and being barely able to move, has been a champion for almost an entire year, that's all you need to know about ol Billy's booking, really."

[3.0] "I really would rate it less than adequate at this time. It's a belt and three letters at this point, and anyone under 40 is going to think of the rap group instead when they hear NWA. The indies have really passed them by, and although I don't fault anyone for liking an old school style and presentation, the success of it recently would make me think others agree. Hopefully Matt Cardona can do what he did with the GCW title and get people talking."

[6.0] "6/10 sounds like a fair and resonable score. I enjoy watching the NWA. I like some of the guys and girls there like Nick Aldis, Thom Lamiter, Trevor Murdoch, La Rebellion, Mickie James, Kamille plus a few others. I understand wanting to honour tradition and history but I feel like they rely on that a bit too much. They really need to evolve as a company by bringing in bigger names and training the future up-and-coming stars (Hawx Aerie, Colby Corino and Mims are good starts [big fan of Mims here]). They've proven that they can deliver but it is few and far between. They have a good product and I love the studio wrestling aspect and they could definitely do more to grow as a singular company."

[6.0] "Its rich legacy and historic significance to pro-wrestling are unquestionable. Fast forward to the current product and I credit Billy Corgan for doing his best to revitalize it after a long time in the wilderness. Was on a roll for a few years with increased visibility, big cross-promotional title matches and Powerrr picking up a following. The pandemic hurt NWA's momentum and led to several fantastic talents leaving for pastures new. Since returning, it feels like they've scaled down operations and they are pushing the wrong people. Trevor Murdoch can still sort of go, but it's a joke that he is contending for any prominent titles in 2021. Aron Stevens (fka Damien Sandow) looks in abysmal shape. Kamille has potential but is still green as goose shit and not ready to be a champ. Tyrus shouldn't be wrestling period. Elsewhere, the current regular roster still has some good talent like Colby Corino, The End, PJ and Luke Hawx, Jennacide and Kylie Rae. But with Thunder Rosa signing with AEW this week and Serena Deeb probably focusing her sights on AEW too, they're two more top tier wrestlers they're probably losing. In general the weekly episodes are easy to watch with decent story-driven plots. Just hope they get rid of the has-beens and attract wrestlers who are relevant right now, while also maintaining their unique storylines. There is so much potential for the modern NWA. It offers an alternative to the pure wrestling-heavy products we see elsewhere but of course can deliver in that department when the time calls for it."

[7.0] "Solid company. Entertaining promos and very good representation of old school wrestling. One of the most important companies in wrestling history too."

[6.0] "My rating is based on this company's legacy. If you take the list of top wrestlers of all time, you will notice, the most of them worked in NWA. This company was the biggest and best wrestling promotion before WWF started their reign. Their absolute best show was the famous annual Starrcade."

[8.0] "When one thinks of the NWA, they think of its history and the legacy it left when it faded into obscurity in the late 80s/early 90s. If we're looking at the NWA during its prime, its a definite 10/10. Nothing was more important in wrestling than the NWA. My current thoughts are purely based on today's NWA; the Billy Corgan era. I began investing in this incarnation of the NWA when the Youtube series started, and have been a loyal follower since. The company became a story-driven alternative to most wrestling promotions and was successful in getting its viewers invested into the stories being told and the characters produced. Fast forward a little over a year later, the NWA is going strong and has produced a great PPV, and countless title defenses across multiple wrestling promotions, many of which I have followed and discovered new wrestling companies in the process."

[8.0] "A bit hard to rate as the NWA is a governing body moreso than a promotion unto itself. But for nearly 70 years "NWA" have been some of the most recognizable letters in wrestling and virtually every major national-level wrestling organization (WWE, WCW, ECW, AWA, TNA, etc. ) and many more minor ones have been affiliated with it at some point in their histories (ROH being an exception, though even there the NWA World Title has been defended in ROH). It may not be what it used to be these days and may no longer have a stranglehold on the US wrestling scene, but its World Title is still one of the most prestigious, and for historical value and staying power alone I think a high rating is warranted."