National Wrestling Alliance: A Return to Glory

[Wildfire1324]

Date: April 24th, 2006
Location: The conference room of the law firm of Duey, Cheatum, and Howe, primary legal representation of the new NWA President, Mr. J. Nelson.

"So it is agreed then gentlemen, that as of May 1st, 2006, the National Wrestling Alliance will cease recognition of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and reclaim our World Heavyweight and World Tag Team Championships from that organization. Our lawyers have thoroughly examined the agreement with them and have concluded that this is completely within our rights. Their asinine and archaic booking style is destroying the tiny shred of credibility that our titles have left. Even worse, they are ruining what may be the last chance for our industry to avoid a total WWE/Sports Entertainment monopoly. They have had every opportunity to succeed and are ruining it with selfish booking, spotlighting has-beens and their stupid six-sided ring."

Judging by the shocked looks on their faces, their attention was clearly all mine. I was running my very first board meeting since I had been voted the new NWA president and my stomach was in knots. I had achieved a small level of success as the promoter of NWA: Empire State and was able to parlay that into a spot on the board very quickly. It was easy to please an organization that has had such little success over the last several years. My favorite pastime during meetings was to continually badmouth the failing TNA experiment. Through a combination of astute observations about the direction of the industry, combined with the ability to compromise and work with all the different factions within the NWA, and some good old fashioned sucking up thrown in for good measure, I managed to ascend to the presidency of the NWA with little opposition in a few short years. The board, which consisted mostly of tired old men with nothing in the way of fresh ideas, never knew what hit them when I took over. If they had a clue as to the scope of my vision, there is no way they would have elected me to this post. I pressed on despite the knot in my stomach.

"This business has reached the point of no return gentlemen. The time is ripe for us to try one last time to reclaim our spot in the national spotlight. TNA is dying on the branch and the return of ECW could be their death knell. Ring of Honor has no ambition to be anything more than what it is, a small niche product. The WWE may be stale and tired but they are still financially dominant. Vince has ten times more resources than all of our little fiefdoms combined. He has taken professional wrestling to the masses, from coast to coast and around the world. He succeeded where the oldest sanctioning body in the sport has failed. I have taken the reigns of this organization as it lays nearly dormant on its deathbed! The failings of this board and its predecessors have led us to this point, the brink of extinction while a crazy old man reaps the rewards of what should have been ours. The mistakes that have been made in the past are numerous and catastrophic. Over the years this Alliance has lost control of the WWF, WCW, twice mind you, World Class, the AWA and the ultimate indignation, Eastern Championship Wrestling. Shane *bleeping* Douglas wins our title and tosses it out like yesterday garbage, igniting the flame of Extreme Championship Wrestling at the expense of our heritage! How do we respond? Do we come out fighting and crush Paul Heyman's band of misfits and rejects? No! We go out and crown a string of nameless independent wrestlers as our "World" Champion in craptastic venues that make that bingo hall in Philadelphia seem like Roman Colosseum! Someone should have pulled the goddamn plug on the NWA right then and there. Finally in a desperate attempt to cling to life, we hand over our titles to TNA where it might as well have been renamed the Jeff Jarrett Heavyweight Championship! Lou Thesz must be turning over in his grave seeing what a joke his title has become! Under my watch, this will stop and it stops now. As of May 1st, 2006, the National Wrestling Alliance shall rise again or die trying! Its better to burn out than fade away but I don't intend to fail! Under my leadership, we shall grow and prosper. Our territories will become the greatest training system this sport as ever seen and they shall feed the main roster with talent for years to come. We shall re-emerge as a national power and save this industry from the WWE and TNA once and for all or we go out in a final blaze of glory. Gentlemen, I'm proud to say that thanks to my negotiations, the NWA will soon have national television clearance as the FUSE network debuts our new flagship show, NWA FUSION!"

The jaws of the board collectively hit the floor. Few of them knew what the Fuse network even was but this they couldn't ignore, the NWA was going to once again have national cable exposure in less than a month. The questions came pouring out. How will we do this? We don't have a roster! We don't have a staff! Where will we tape from? What the hell is Fuse? How could you attempt this without consulting us first? Are there any more onion bagels?

"I will answer all of your questions in due time but first let me introduce you to the voices of NWA FUSION. First, I'm pleased to introduce one of the most underrated play-by-play men in the business, Mr. Scott Hudson. Second, I'm thrilled to introduce a man who needs no introduction, a man who is NWA through and through, the always outspoken, Mr. James E. Cornette!"

As soon as Hudson and Cornette walked into the conference room, I knew a good chunk of their doubts went out the window. Hudson is a solid, professional announcer while Cornette is an absolute legend of the business. His presence alone alleviated the bulk of their concerns. They were even more pleased when I told them that Jim would be overseeing the creative aspects of the company with myself. In addition, the Board was pleased to find out that the top NWA official, Rudy Charles has spurned a more lucrative offer to become TNA's senior referee and was instead staying loyal to the NWA. I had them all, hook, line and sinker. Now I just had to make this all work. Easier said than done but there was no turning back now. We had work to do and a sport to save.

[Wildfire1324]

"Trust me. This is the right move for you at this time. There isn't anything else for you to accomplish in the UFC and Dana White hasn't appreciated you in years. That last three fight deal he sent you was insulting. Take a look at all of the zeroes at the end of our contract. That is the NWA's commitment to you. You have been our number one priority from day one!"

I have been traveling across the country meeting with all the available talent that Cornette and myself can find. I've been determined to leave no stone unturned. The few people on the Board who even knew who he was thought that this trip out to California was a waste of my time but I still wanted the chance to talk with him face to face. He had been my favorite UFC fighter for years now and unlike Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn, he definitely has the charisma to make it in the world of pro wrestling. There were concerns from his people about the stigma of wrestling and the effects it would have on his MMA career. Our contract offer quickly alleviated those concerns. The ink was barely dry on the contract and we shook hands.

"You won't regret this! I need to call Jim and let him know the fantastic news! This is going to generate shock waves across the wrestling AND MMA worlds!"

We popped open a bottle of champagne and toasted to our successful negotiations and to our future success. After lunch, I raced off to catch my flight to New Jersey where I was set to hold final negotiations with another key talent, a former NWA World Champion in fact, but I had to call Jim Cornette with the good news first.

"I got the deal done Jim. I had to give him a little more than we planned but we've got him in the fold. You heard it heard first buddy, 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' Tito Ortiz will be making his pro wrestling debut on the premiere episode of FUSION!"

The Huntington Beach Bad Boy is in the fold!

[The Stallion]

I like the sound of this. Once TCP1's new current era mod comes out I was thinking of doing a kind of NWA type thing with TNA in the center. The story in interesting so far. Lets see where you can go with it from here.

[Wildfire1324]

"So if I offer deals to CW and Jack you're in? I'm not making any promises about their pushes but I will promise that they will have a role within the new NWA. As for you, we want you on board to help restore some lost luster to the NWA title. You were one of the few recent credible champions we have had. I'm sure a global competitor such as yourself can't turn down this opportunity. Do we have an agreement?"

I left New Jersey with not one, but three wrestlers under contract. Two more than I wanted and I may have to cut one or two guys off the bottom of my list but signing Jack Victory and CW Anderson was worth it to sign the King of Old School, Steve Corino!

Jack Victory, CW Anderson, Steve Corino: New NWA Stars

[Wildfire1324]

Jimmy and I worked up and down the east coast recruiting as much talent as possible mostly from Ring of Honor and Jersey All Pro Wrestling. We were able to add Colt Cabana, The Briscoes, Trent Acid, Christian York, Julio Dinero, and Doug Williams. We tried unsuccessfully to lure Bryan Danielson as well but he remained loyal to Ring of Honor. We are definitely going to have to revisit that one in the future. We were handcuffed a bit by certain clauses in our original agreement with TNA that would prevent us from being able to negotiate with any their talent for a period of one year. Did anyone on the board even read that contract before they signed it?

Jim headed back to Kentucky to tend to some personal business and then he was off to Mexico while I was on a twenty two hour flight to Japan in an attempt try to score some important talent for us both in and out of the ring. One thing was certain. If this failed, I was still going to have earned some serious airline miles!

"Classic" Colt Cabana looks to bring good times and great memories to the fans of the NWA.

[Wildfire1324]

I returned from Japan tired, jet-lagged and slightly hungover but very happy nonetheless. Jim Cornette met up with me in Charlotte as he returned from Mexico around the same time. We both had good news. I had signed up Masato Tanaka, Mike Awesome and Nosawa in our effort to add more talent to our roster but perhaps even more important, had convinced the legendary Stan Hansen to become our main man backstage. I had no doubt that having the Lariat backstage was going to be a huge boon to our company's future. Meanwhile Jimmy had managed to ink La Parka, Lizmark Jr. and Vampiro. We were close to finalizing our roster before the debut of FUSION. Only a few more pieces to add and we were going to be ready to roll!

Vampiro, Masato Tanaka, and La Parka are prime examples of the international flavor of the NWA.

[Wildfire1324]

With less than a week to go until the debut of Fusion, we had finalized our first roster.

Main Event Faces:
D'Lo Brown: Old School Face
La Parka: Masked Luchardore

Main Event Heels:
Steve Corino: Old School Heel
Matt Weise: Hoss (The Former Luther Reigns)
Vampiro: Crazy

Upper Midcard Faces:
Colt Cabana: Fun Babyface
Doug Williams: No Gimmick Required
Masato Tanaka: Extremist
Mike Awesome: Machine

Upper Midcard Heels:
Tito Ortiz: Legitmate Athlete (UFC Superstar)
Lizmark Jr: Classic Rudo
Daniel Puder: Martial Artist (Tough Enough IV Winner)

Midcard Faces:
Jay and Mark Briscoe: Generation Next
Nigel McGuiness: Ice Man
The Patriot: Masked Grappler

Midcard Heels:
Chris Hero: Loose Cannon
CW Anderson: Enforcer
Julio Dinero: No Gimmick Required
Nosawa: Punk
Trent Acid: Ego Maniac

Lower Midcard Faces:
Jody Fleish: Show Stealer

Lower Midcard Heels:
Bison Smith: Monster
Evan Karagias: Teen Idol
Christian York: Teen Idol

Managers:
Lauren Jones (Face): Girl Next Door (Former Diva Search contestant)
Don Callis (Heel): Executive Consultant (Formally Cyrus and The Jackyl)
Jack Victory (Heel): Old School Heel

Stables:
The Xtreme Horsemen: Corino, Anderson, Acid, Dinero, Victory

Tag Teams:
The Briscoe Brothers: Jay and Mark Briscoe
The Idols of America: York and Karagias
The British Invasion: Fleish and McGuinness
Trent Acid and Julio Dinero

[Wildfire1324]

Wednesday May 3rd, 2006, 9pm EST:

"You are looking live at the jam-packed Cricket Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina and they are all here for the debut edition of FUSION! I am pleased to welcome you to the brand-new, flagship show of the oldest and most prestigious sanctioning body in the history of this great sport, the National Wrestling Alliance. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. We plan on being live in your home every Wednesday night only here on FUSE! I'm your host Scott Hudson and I am honored to be joined by one of the true legends of the sport, Mr. James E. Cornette."

"That's right Scott. Tonight, Charlotte is once again the center of the wrestling world. The NWA, which has been home to such legends as Lou Thesz, Harley Race, Jack Brisco, Terry Funk, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and so many more giants of the sport, has returned to reinvent pro wrestling again and save us all from the insulting simple-mindedness of "sports entertainment". Tonight, I make this promise to you the fans. We will not insult your intelligence. We will not resort to lame gimmicks and cartoonish characters. We will show you the best wrestlers in the world, athletes, not "sport entertainers", competing for the greatest championship this sport has ever known, the legendary ten pounds of gold, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. We will show you the cutting edge of the industry today which means the toughest strong style workers, the most innovative high fliers, the greatest technicians, and the most charismatic performers from around the globe. The tradition of the business, the best workers of today and the evolution of the sport have all collided right here tonight in Charlotte in a FUSION of all the best that professional wrestling have to offer. You are at the genesis of something special so put down that remote, gather the family, call your friends, and enjoy the best damn sport in the world!"

Cut to opening montage which features shots of NWA legends Lou Thesz, Ric Flair, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Ernie Ladd, Jack Brisco, Antonino Rocca, Barry Windham, The Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff, Arn Anderson, The Midnight Express, Tully Blanchard, Magnum TA, The Rock-N-Roll Express, and Ricky Steamboat spliced in with shots of today's stars of the NWA, Steve Corino, Tito Ortiz, D'Lo Brown, Masato Tanaka, Matt Wiese, Vampiro, Mike Awesome, Colt Cabana, Chris Hero, The Briscoe Brothers, La Parka, Doug Williams, Lizmark Jr, and Trent Acid. The theme song of FUSION is Burn by the Cure.

[The Stallion]

Cant wait for the full show brother. This sounds like it is going to be cool.

[Wildfire1324]

Fifteen minutes earlier in the locker room of the Cricket Arena:

"The time is now! Each and every one of us signed on for our own reasons but there is one common thread among all of us, something we all believe in; the legacy of this company and the future of this industry. Make no mistake. We ARE the future! We may be small now, but looking around this locker room I see things. I can see men with faith, men with pride, men with heart. That makes us mighty. There is nothing that together, we can't achieve. This business was built on the backs of men such as yourselves and one day soon it will soar to great new heights on our backs...with our blood...our sweat...our tears. If there is anyone here who doubts that, I want you to leave right now. Leave and never come back because we don't *bleep*ing need you."

Not a soul moved and I breathed a small sigh of relief. I had rehearsed this speech a million times in my head but its one thing to rehearse it and quite another to deliver it in front of a locker room of legit bad-asses. I am in the middle of giving my pre-show pep talk to our entire roster and crew. Flanked by Jim Cornette and my top Road Agents Stan Hansen and Rip Rogers, I pressed on hoping to "fire up the troops". I walked over and got right in Steve Corino's face, looking at the man eye to eye.

"You Steve Corino! You are one of the greatest wrestlers in the world, a blood and guts throwback in the best sense of the word. You have been from one side of the globe to the other busting your ass to support your family. Yet you have barely gotten a sniff from Vince over the years and why? Because you're not a sell-out, you're not a clown and you're not a corporate kiss ass. Their loss is our gain. I want you all to learn from this man because the King of Old School epitomizes everything that I want us to stand for. Steve when you get out there, you're going to talk and wrestle and brawl and bleed and when its all said and done you will have that crowd eating out of the palm of your hand! You are going to lead us into the future!" Jack Victory and CW Anderson slap their buddy on the back and manages a wry smile as he rubs his hands in anticipation. I walk over to D'Lo Brown and place my hand on his shoulder. The man is humble and slightly embarrassed by the attention.

"You D'Lo Brown! They stuck you with every stiff and every bad *bleep*ing gimmick they could. You were yet another victim of that glass ceiling and instead of being rewarded for being over with the crowd and for being a great performer, they stuck you in skits with Mark Henry. They locked you out of the building with Chaz and Tiger Ali Singh! That won't happen to you here. You're going to go out there and have great matches with the whole roster because you can work any style. You're going to brawl and fly and wrestle and dazzle the crowd! You are going to lead us into the future!" D'Lo gives me fist and softly adds, "You know it boss." I walk over to my most controversial signing and stare at him for several seconds, not saying anything. The locker still doesn't know what to make of him yet. He is clearly still a loner but in his confident glare, I can tell it doesn't bother him in the least.

"You Tito Ortiz. 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy'. The fighter. The problem child. The @sshole. The man whom Dana White has disrespected even though you carried his company almost single handedly through some dark days. You are not the first mixed martial arts star to walk this path. Tank Abbott, Dan Severn, even your old buddy Ken Shamrock have tried to crossover. None of them found the same level of success that they did in MMA. So what the hell makes you think you can make it here? What the hell is so goddamn special about you Tito?" I poke him in the chest and the locker room softly gasps knowing that this man could do to me if he decides to. "You know what? I'll tell you what is so goddamn special about you.....you have 'IT'. You have more charisma in your pinkie than those three do combined. You walk into that ring and EVERYONE has an opinion. Some will love you. Some will hate your guts. But let me tell you this. Every one of them will respect you. You're going to give maximum effort and you're going to kick some ass, take some names and take this crowd on a roller coaster ride of emotion. You are going to lead us into the future!" Tito simply nods at me and I walk over to one of the toughest men on the roster.

"You Masato Tanaka! Well, I guess it doesn't matter what I say to you since you don't speak much English but I want to shake your hand my friend. You are a bad, bad man. I'm honored that you are here. You are going to lead us to into the future!" I walk over to huge man whose icy glare could intimidate the bravest of men.

"You Matt Weise! You cut some of the most chillingly real promos Smackdown has ever seen but weeks later you're unemployed. You have an amazing yet terrifying story of how you have gotten to this point in life and they tell you that "They don't have anything for you creatively". What a crock! Your size, your story, your look and they have nothing? If they have nothing then why the hell are you the one being canned? That won't be the case here! You are going to lead us into the future!" Weise continued to stare at me for moment and my spine nearly turned to jelly until he finally said, "Thank you sir. I appreciate the opportunity. You don't let me down and I promise I won't let you down."

I continue on to every single person in that locker room and told them my expectations for them. When I finished, the locker room exploded into thunderous applause. As the cheering died down, Stan Hansen silenced the room as only a legend of his stature can. He told all the boys to bow their heads and he led them in prayer, asking for them to be taken care of in the ring and for them to take care of each other. Things went better than I had hoped as everyone was sky high as they left the locker room.

Jim Cornette smiled at me, shook my hand and said," Couldn't have said it better myself kiddo. Are you ready to go change the wrestling world?"

[Wildfire1324]

THE TOURNAMENT

"Okay Jim, let's take a look at the first half of the bracket as we look to crown the first NWA Champion of the FUSION era! There are a lot of nervous athletes waiting in that locker room hoping to get a bid into this tournament."

"That is very true Scott. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for some of these men. So are you ready to see the bracket and the four matches we will see tonight?"

"Oh believe me, I am ready Jim! This is a huge moment for me as well. I consider a privilege to be able to call this tournament! Let's take a look at what is being called the Lou Thesz bracket!"

The screen goes dark momentarily and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana begins to play. The graphics begin to appear on the screen one by one.

Match One: Masato Tanaka vs. Lizmark Jr.
Match Two: Tito Ortiz vs. Nigel McGuiness
Match Three: Daniel Puder vs. Doug Williams
Match Four: The Patriot vs. Steve Corino

"Wow what a lineup Jim! Lots of big names in this bracket but also a lot of big names that are going to have to wait another week to see if they're going to be in."

"Absolutely Scott and there is no time like the present to get started. Here comes Masato Tanaka towards the ring right now! Let's throw it to ring announcer Lauren Jones for the official introductions."

[Wildfire1324]

In the first match of the evening, Masato Tanaka dispatches Lizmark Jr. with stunning brutality in 4:48, ending it with the Roaring Elbow. Following the dismantling of Lizmark Jr, Tanaka climbs onto the second rope and gestures around his waist, symbolizing his desire the NWA Championship much to the crowd's approval. (B-)

A limo pulls up to the arena and out comes Steve Corino and his Xtreme Horsemen consisting of CW Anderson, Trent Acid, Julio Dinero and "Senior Adviser" Jack Victory. Corino looks very focused. They gather their things and head to their personal locker room, closing the door behind them. (A)

Just before FUSION heads to commercial, the camera finds Tito Ortiz shadow boxing in his locker room, psyching himself up for his match with Nigel McGuiness which is up next! (B)

In the second match of the night, Tito Ortiz defeats Nigel McGuiness by referee Brian Hebner's stoppage. About six minutes into the fight, Tito manages to ground and pound Nigel He batters him until the referee has no choice but to step in. Tito celebrates his victory in the ring to a very loud but very mixed reaction. (B-)

Backstage former mixed martial artist Daniel Puder and his manager Don Callis have the mic. Callis handles most of the heavy lifting during the interview. "Doug Williams, everyone knows that you are one of the best technical grapplers in wrestling, but Daniel Puder just might be the baddest man on the planet. He is the man who was seconds away from breaking Kurt Angle in half on national television. He's the man who was too violent for MMA, too dangerous for the WWE and unfortunately for you, too good to be stopped in his quest for the NWA Championship!" Puder adds "I hope you have all of your affairs in order pal, because your time is up!" (B)

Daniel Puder and Doug Williams battle to a 15 minute time limit draw. The two men display excellent chemistry together. Puder slaps on the Keylock with just under 20 seconds to go but Williams just barely manages to hang on until the bell. (B+)

After the match Puder offers a handshake which Williams, still nursing his sore arm, goes to accept. Unfortunately it was a disingenuous gesture as Puder beats down Williams and reapplies the Keylock on him. Doug is screaming in agony as referees and officials pour out of the dressing room to break up the melee. Puder releases the Keylock and raises him arms in triumph while Williams gets helped to the back, his arm hanging limply by his side, quite possibly broken. (B-)

In an attempt to lighten up the mood, the beautiful Lauren Jones fires T-shirts into the crowd including the brand new NWA FUSION t-shirt available now on NWAwrestling.com! (A*)

The camera cuts to Steve Corino backstage who is flanked by the Xtreme Horsemen. "You know something boys, the King of Old School has wrestled all over the world for just about every title imaginable. Tonight is different. This isn't some Japanese title that no one back home has ever heard of. This isn't some indy title with delusions of being a World title. This isn't the championship of some crappy bingo hall. Hell this isn't even the same NWA title that I won a few years back. This is going to be THE title to hold in this business, the legendary ten pounds of gold, a title that demands greatness of its champion and of its contenders. The best athletes in the world are after this title, warriors like Masato Tanaka, Tito Ortiz, legitimate athletes. These are not wannabe rappers. These are not has-beens hitting people with guitars. In this history of this great sport, the legacy of this title is unmatched and once it is around my waist, its prestige will skyrocket again. As for you Patriot, well you should consider yourself lucky you already wear a mask because once I'm done with you, your face is going to make small children cry!" (A*)

The King of Old School, Steve Corino

Steve Corino defeated the Patriot with the Old School Explusion in 8:06. Following the match, the Horsemen join him in the ring as Corino takes the mic. "That's one!" (A)

"Thank you for joining us tonight folks. Be sure to be back here next week for the unveiling of the second half of the NWA World Championship Tournament bracket. For my co-host Jim Cornette, I'm Scott Hudson. See you here same time next week right here on Fuse! This has been FUSION!"

End of Show

Grade: (B+)

[Wildfire1324]

Excerpt from the Bruce Mitchell Audio update on PWTorch.com for Friday May 5th.


Bruce Mitchell: I thought it was a pretty good effort for their first show although with only one hour and four matches, a lot of it seemed rushed Wade.

Wade Keller: I agree. There wasn't much time to develop a story in any match except for the Daniel Puder-Doug Williams match which I think was a high point of the show. That was a good match with a hot angle afterward. Puder got some serious heat from the crowd when he injured him.

BM: When I saw the brackets for the first time, I wasn't that impressed with the matches but the graphical and musical presentation of it made it seem like a bigger deal than a show headlined by Steve Corino versus the Patriot has any right to be. It seems like they have a pretty good production crew in place which is something most upstart companies don't have usually.

WK: What did you think of Tito Ortiz Bruce? He has been a much hyped signing for the NWA.

BM: He's still a little green in the ring but he definitely has charisma. I thought he was a little stiff with Nigel at times and I'm pretty sure he potatoed him at one point. I thought they booked him match pretty well though. He came out of it looking pretty tough. I think his second round match with Masato Tanaka should be very interesting to see, especially to see what he does if Tito works stiff with him.

WK: Do you think they'll put the title on him?

BM: Its possible Wade. I'm not sure if he's ready but he's clearly the most mainstream name they have and he might draw in the MMA crowd....

[dudeamis]

So far so good, I've been running a 98 NWA game offline, I'm thinking of restarting it and posting it and I've been inspired by some of your goings on. Think Angle instead of Tito.

[Wildfire1324]

Wednesday May 10th, 2006, 9pm EST:

"Welcome once again to FUSION, the flagship show of the National Wrestling Alliance! I am your host Scott Hudson, joined once again by the legendary Jim Cornette! Jim, we are in the middle of a tournament for all the marbles!"

"I'm happy to be here Scott. Tonight, eight more men will experience the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat as they try to become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Three men have already advanced. Its time to unveil the second half of the bracket the NWA World Heavyweight title tournament. So without further adieu, let's take a look at the action we'll see tonight in what has been dubbed the Harley Race bracket!"

The screen goes dark momentarily and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana begins to play. The graphics begin to appear on the screen one by one.

MATCH FIVE: CW Anderson vs. D'Lo Brown
MATCH SIX: La Parka vs. Chris Hero
MATCH SEVEN: Matt Weise vs. Colt Cabana
MATCH EIGHT: Mike Awesome vs. Vampiro

Cut to opening montage which features shots of NWA legends Lou Thesz, Ric Flair, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Ernie Ladd, Jack Brisco, Antonino Rocca, Barry Windham, The Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff, Arn Anderson, The Midnight Express, Tully Blanchard, Magnum TA, The Rock-N-Roll Express, and Ricky Steamboat spliced in with shots of today's stars of the NWA, Steve Corino, Tito Ortiz, D'Lo Brown, Masato Tanaka, Matt Wiese, Vampiro, Mike Awesome, Colt Cabana, Chris Hero, The Briscoe Brothers, La Parka, Doug Williams, Lizmark Jr, and Trent Acid. The screen goes black for a moment and the motto of the NWA appears, OUR TRADITION BUILDS LEGENDS. The theme song of FUSION is Burn by the Cure