The National Wrestling Alliance is once again captained by Trevor Murdoch. One year after dethroning Nick Aldis for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title at NWA 73, Murdoch enters the 74th Anniversary Show the same way he did last year: as champion. Murdoch is currently in his second reign with the NWA’s top prize, capturing the vacant strap at NWA Alwayz Ready this past June. While Murdoch has beaten the likes of Aldis, Thom Latimer, and Sam Shaw (WWE’s Dexter Lumis) in the past, his size gets matched this weekend when he is challenged by Tyrus.
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That said, Tyrus wasn’t always Murdoch’s NWA 74 opponent. Originally, Murdoch was going to defend his title against Aldis in a rematch from NWA 73, but “politics” changed things. Speaking to ComicBook.com’s Liam Crowley, Murdoch called the sudden shift a “curve ball.”
“I was a little bit taken back by it because I do know Nick better than, I think, anybody else in the company. So I feel like I had a little bit more information and a little bit more of a heads up,” Murdoch explained. “My hand was a little heavier with Nick, because I know Nick, and I know what works, what Nick does. And so to throw Tyrus in there was definitely a curve ball, but Billy Corgan wants the best for the NWA. Don’t get me wrong, him and I, we get along great, but his main focus is the company and that world title, and that’s giving the fans the best match as possible and the best matchups possible. So for Billy and the fans, this is going to be great because neither one of us have ever wrestled each other and Tyrus is coming into this undefeated. So it’s going to be one hell of a war.”
With the unexpectedness surrounding Murdoch’s opponent at NWA 74, the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion has himself prepared for any other sudden changes that might come, including former champion Matt Cardona selecting him as his hand-picked opponent.
“I know Matt a little bit, and I think that he’s a little bit sneakier than that to try to just throw that in there. Matt also has an ego and I guess you have to have a certain amount of that in this business,” Murdoch said. “Matt is one hell of a wrestler and I will take nothing away from him. He has went out and left the WWE and made his own mark in the business. And I’m really glad you asked me that. Other people have asked me that so I really want to respond this way, Matt Cardona, I’m raising my hand. Whenever you’re ready, sunshine. I am right here. I want that match back. I deserve to have a rematch with Matt, whether it’s him coming back for the title or not.”
Murdoch’s first reign was ended by Cardona earlier this year at NWA PowerrrTrip, but the self-proclaimed Death Match King was forced to vacate the title due to injury in June. Even though Murdoch won the title fair and square, he noted that a victory over Cardona would really solidify his current reign.
“I am a two time NWA World Heavyweight Champion. I don’t want to take away from what I’d done previously,” Murdoch said. “But yeah, getting that W back from Matt Cardona in my mind personally, would cement me. I’m still world champion. You still got to come at me. I’m still carrying the belt. I’m still the man. I’m still the mountain, but I definitely want that W back.”
While Tyrus is in Murdoch’s immediate future, the Worlds Champion took the time to reflect on his career year that began this time last summer.
“It was a super crazy time, because not only did I win the world title there, but we were the first wrestling company that’s come in in 37 years that wrestled in the Khorassan Ballroom at the Chase,” Murdoch said. “Harley Race, my mentor, that was his home. He helped build that house. So to be able to walk in and walk through their footsteps of legends, like Ric Flair, Bob Geigel, Harley, everybody. Just a lot of the old school names, to be a part of that was just exciting. Then to also in front of St. Louis in front of my family, that sold out house, it was amazing man. To go in there and stand tall and be able to raise my hand up as the winner as the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. I get a little giddy just thinking about it. You dream about it as a young guy. You dream about that moment. You dream about just the right time, the right place, the right opponent. And that’s exactly what that was last year. Everything was picture perfect.”
Murdoch is far from the only current professional wrestler to consider himself a Harley Race guy. WWE superstar Ciampa recently paid tribute to the late legend, donning one of Race’s robes on Monday Night Raw.
“Ciampa’s got a no nonsense idea about pro wrestling. He’s very confident and he’s right in his thinking that this is how pro wrestling is supposed to be,” Murdoch said of his longtime friend. “Every time he goes out there, it doesn’t matter if he’s out there for 3 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, he works his a– off for every ounce of that. It’s a Harley Race quality that he instilled in us. And he’s tough as nails. I remember a long time ago before he got his NXT opportunity, he was having some knee issues and he was like, ‘Do I go get the knee surgery now? Or do I wait?’ And I said, ‘Get it now. Get it out of the way so you can get moving forward.’ And thankfully, he did. And now we’re talking about him today and sky’s the limit for him on Raw.”
While Ciampa’s exclusivity to WWE makes a match between the two all but impossible at the moment, Murdoch has his sights on one man who’s contracted to a company that the NWA has worked with on numerous occasions.
“There’s a couple people that I would like to test my mental against. One of those is Eddie Kingston. He’s got that ‘no-nonsense, I’m not afraid to do what I got to do to win’ mentality when it comes to wrestling, and that excites me,” Murdoch said.
As for where that bout could go down, Murdoch said he’d like to see both men get a crack at home field advantage.
“I would actually like to have it both. If I’ve got to go to a AEW to get Eddie back to NWA, then that’s what I’ll do,” Murdoch said. “I’m an NWA guy. When Trevor’s time is done in front of the camera for NWA, I’m done. Cinderella has found its shoe. So I’ve been doing this long enough to know that when you find a place and that makes you happy, that looks out for you, that values you to not just throw that away for a couple extra dollars. So I would definitely like to bring that back to the NWA and let that be a shining moment for the NWA.”
Murdoch puts his NWA Worlds Title on the line against Tyrus this Sunday at NWA 74.
