NWA Back for the Attack HOT TAKE

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far away, there existed an era where athleticism and swagger inside the ring transcended the best professional wrestling had to offer.

It was a time period where the Ten Pounds of Gold being carried towards the squared circle meant electricity and excitement because the most important professional wrestler in the world had arrived.

In an era before branding and influencers, the words National Wrestling Alliance carried all the clout in the world, epitomizing stellar in-ring action, larger than life personalities and emotional clashes that brought fans to spiritual highs as its competitors left it all in the ring, a time capsule of blood, sweat and tears unlike anything before or since.

There were hard times. There were glittering champions. There were Boogie Woogie Men and tag team Expresses. From all walks of life and planes of existence they came, stepping inside the squared circle and locking horns in the greatest form of mental and physical chess ever known.

Now, The National Wrestling Alliance is back - exclusively on FITE!

After an extended pause brought on by the pandemic, the NWA roars back to action as everything old is new again, a bright future for a generation of discerning die-hard fans breathlessly waiting for the return of professional wrestling's pure essence.

Indeed the NWA is Back For The Attack on Sunday March 21st at 4 PM EST followed by the return of NWA Powerr worldwide exclusively for FITE subscribers on Tuesday March 23rd, featuring classic athletes and colossal personalities all striving to be the best in the world, to claim championship gold and to settle personal grudges once and for all.

As the NWA arrives on FITE with an explosive return to action, all eyes have to be on the reigning and defending NWA World's Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis, who has maintained an iron grip on the Ten Pounds of Gold with successful defenses against Mike Bennett, Flip Gordon, Jordan Clearwater, James Storm, Ricky Morton and more. As the NWA returns to action, the pride of Norfolk, England will be responsible for setting the tone for not just the championship, but the NWA, its roster and all of professional wrestling itself. Aldis has long held himself up as the champion that the entire universe of professional wrestling revolves around, a modern day successor to the fighting champions of days gone by, like Lou Thesz and Harley Race. If the NWA is Back For The Attack, Aldis needs to be the primary aggressor or risk being overrun by a horde of challengers hungry for their own taste of gold.

Meanwhile, NWA National Champion Trevor Murdoch is coming off an emotional championship victory over Aron Stevens in Los Angeles. The blue collar everyman has been fighting his entire life, but has never found himself as the champion standing atop the mountain trying to ward off competitors in every direction. A true scrapper, Murdoch has the chance to inscribe himself in National Wrestling Alliance history if he can maintain his status as one of the most important fighters in the country.

The Pope, Elijah Burke, also finds himself standing proud and tall as the NWA Television Champion after running off the former champion. With NWA Powerrr finally returning weekly, Burke has the ability to stride out to the ring every week and control the flow, building the type of international legacy that seems to have eluded him consistently. One of the most attention-grabbing talkers today, Burke will certainly draw all sorts of attention from the NWA faithful. If he's able to convert that energy into a winning streak, his legacy will be evergreen.

Waiting in the wings to spoil all of this, if he has his druthers will undoubtedly be Aron Stevens. The world-traveled veteran may be one-half of the NWA World's Tag Team Champion with the monstrous JR Kratos, but for someone with such a voracious appetite and attitude, nothing is ever enough. With his time hanging with the Hollywood elite having obviously skewed his view of the world, Stevens expects continued success and will do whatever he can to tip the scales to his favor and ruin the good fortune of everyone else in his path. If there is one antagonist to maintain an eye on, it's Stevens.

At the same time, Tim Storm continues to shine as one of the true, humble forces of good in The National Wrestling Alliance. The former NWA Worlds Champion remains on the straight and narrow path despite all the darkness that has seeped into the world over the last year. This school teacher turned championship fighter epitomizes hope for NWA fans, forever fighting the good fight and seeking to rise above the ever-rising flood of chaos and carnage.

These fighters and more, classic veterans and newly minted debuting stars will enter the familiar yet stage of the National Wrestling Alliance, bringing a 21st century twist as it harkens back to a time where the sport of professional wrestling meant the most important competitors converged to see who were the best professional wrestlers on God's Green Earth.

Once again, everything old is new again - and groundbreaking - The National Wrestling Alliance, broadcasting worldwide every week, exclusively on FITE.

Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.