The Prairie Wrestling Alliance returns to NAIT on June 23 for Night of Champions, billed as the largest wrestling event of it’s kind in Canada. Headlined by a PWA Championship match pitting Michael Richard Blais against former Ring of Honor champion Jay Lethal, the card is stacked with the best of the best in both local and international independent talent. Joining Lethal as the featured guests for tonight’s show are “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels and wrestling legend Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. If you’re in the Edmonton area, this is as can’t-miss of an event as possible.

As with every other piece of Prairie Wrestling Alliance content on Win Column, I’m Spencer Love with your preview of tonight’s action!

How To Watch:

P.W.A Night of Champions will be live at NAIT in Edmonton, Alberta; tickets can be purchased at Paws, the Cat Cafe or Variant Comics. A meet-and-greet with Ricky Steamboat, Christopher Daniels and Jay Lethal will be held for any advance ticket holders in the NAIT main gym from 5:00-6:30pm, with the show officially kicking off at 7:00.

Match Card:
  • Davey O’Doyle vs. “The Omen” Gabriel
  • “King Kong” Ryan Ealges vs. Tiger Ali Saif
  • PWA Mayhem Championship Match - Brice “The Slammer” Sova vs. The Titan
  • Kat Von Heez vs. Miss Daynah
  • PWA Commonwealth Title Match - Shaun Moore vs. “Kid Chocolate” Mo Jabari
  • Brandon Van Danielson vs. “Skyflyer” Jeff Tyler - Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat as special guest referee
  • Sheik Shabaz vs. “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels
  • PWA Tag Team Championship Match - Team HOF vs. Team Flex Appeal vs. The Above Average Joes
  • PWA Championship Match - “God’s Gift to Wrestling” Michael Richard Blais vs. Jay Lethal
The Main Event:

Two of the independent scene’s best square off for the PWA Championship on Saturday, as Michael Richard Blais takes on Jay Lethal in the main event of Night of Champions.

Lethal is somewhat of a P.W.A veteran by this point; it marks the third straight year that he’s made an appearance for the promotion, and he’s undefeated thus far. Not only that, but he’s defeated both Lance Storm and Sheik Shabaz; not exactly small tasks themselves. He’s a former Ring of Honor champion, a six-time TNA X-Division Champion, and the owner of one of the coolest finishers in wrestling, the Lethal Injection. After his two straight wins in the Prairie Wrestling Alliance, he’s definitely earned a shot at the championship, and I wouldn’t put it past him to leave Alberta with the top prize in the promotion.

However, for the first time ever he’ll be matching up against PWA Co-Champion Michael Richard Blais. I’ve said time and time again that Blais is one of the most talented wrestlers on the indies; not only is he a phenomenal athlete, he consistently brings out the best in his opponents. He’s always been a great wrestler, but it’s always amazed me how he’s constantly gotten better throughout his time in the promotion. There’s a reason he’s in the main event of every show I attend; the guy is talented, and it doesn’t surprise me that he and Brandon Van Danielson have co-held the top title in PWA for over 300 days. In fact, should Blais successfully retain on Saturday, he’ll wake up on Sunday as the co- champion for exactly one full year. That should be motivation enough to retain, but Lethal is likely his toughest challenge yet. Will God’s Gift to Wrestling be able to hold onto his championship? Or will the Ring of Honor veteran prove to be too tough a challenge? Either way, it’s going to tear the house down.

The Championship Scene:

Shaun Moore will defend his PWA Commonwealth Championship against “Kid Chocolate” Mo Jabari on Saturday, 48 days after defeating Jabari in Calgary for the title. Moore is growing on me; while I haven’t watched him wrestle as much as the rest of the PWA roster, he’s incredibly smooth in the ring. However, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching Jabari over the last few months, as he’s taken major steps forward in-ring and looks primed to be a major player for the promotion in the foreseeable future. Much like the main event, it’s a toss-up on who will emerge victorious, but it’s going to be incredible.

It’s been 91 days since Team Hall of Fame claimed the PWA Tag Team Championships from the Millennial Rebels, and Chris Steele and Duke Durrango will be defending their titles for the first time on Saturday night as they battle both Team Flex Appeal and the Above Average Joes. The triple threat comes as the result of a tag team battle royal at Adrenalize, in which both Michael Allen Richard Clark and Aiden Adams were eliminated at the same time. These are quite likely six of the most sheerly entertaining wrestlers on the roster, and I’m excited to see what they can do in the ring together; all three crossed paths briefly at their last event in Calgary, and their short time together was enough to get me absolutely pumped for this match.

After previously matching up at May’s Adrenalize, Brice “The Slammer” Sova defends his PWA Mayhem Championship against the Titan. The name really says it all; the Titan is an absolute monster, and while Sova is as strong as they come, even he had a tough time lifting the monstrous Titan in their previous Bodyslam Challenge match. However, tonight the two will face off in a Tables match on Saturday, and while Titan may have the physical advantage, Sova’s veteran instincts should serve him well.

The Best of the Rest:

For the second time this year, Christopher Daniels returns to the Prairie Wrestling Alliance. This time, however, it’s with unfinished business, as he returns to take on Sheik Shabaz. The last time these two were in the ring together was at the 17th Anniversary Show, and Shabaz looked to have Daniels beat; however, a distracted referee wasn’t able to complete the three-count. Now, Daniels has something to prove against one of the biggest stars in the P.W.A, and will get his first shot at the Sheik in singles action on Saturday.

It’s hard not to get too excited about Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat being in Edmonton, but he’ll be relied on as the special guest referee in the Brandon Van Danielson/”Skyflyer” Jeff Tyler match. Steamboat’s here to prevent any interference in Tyler’s match; after last month’s Adrenalize was fraught with interference from BVD’s Western Lions stablemate Michael Richard Blais, Steamboat was added to the match to act as a deterrent. Their match at Adrenalize was outstanding, and I can’t wait to see what they do tonight.

Kat Von Heez will face off with “The Fittest Woman in Wrestling” Miss Danyah in the only woman’s match on the card. To be quite honest, I don’t know a ton about Von Heez’s opponent, but Von Heez has the advantage in my opinion. She’s a monster, and while I have no doubt about Danyah’s abilities it’s just hard not to bet on Von Heez.

After a gruelling Three Stages of Hell match at Nemesis, “The Omen” Gabriel faces off with The League’s Davey O’Doyle at Night of Champions. After Nemesis, I have a whole new respect for The Omen; while he’s always been someone I’ve enjoyed as a wrestler, he took an absolute beating on the 2nd in Calgary and put on what I’m comfortable saying was the performance of his life thus far. It was awesome, and I’m thoroughly excited to see him perform. It’s my first chance to watch O’Doyle in a singles match, and while he’s been great in tag team action I’m interested to see what he can do in singles action.

After an unexpected low-blow after their match last month, King Kong Ryan Eagles is out for revenge against Tiger Ali Saif on Saturday. Both men worked well together in their initial matchup, and with Saif freshly turned heel I’m interested to see where his character goes from here.

My Thoughts:
  • Michael Richard Blais vs Jay Lethal could frankly be headlining a PPV somewhere, and I’d 100% buy it. These are two of the most talented wrestlers in the world, and you’re doing yourself a disservice if you miss it.
  • I’m really excited to see the next steps for “The Omen” Gabriel after his victory in Calgary against the Western Lions. I would have thought he’d move immediately into title contention, but it doesn’t look as though that’s the case. Hopefully he’s in the title picture sooner rather than later.
  • Dark horse for Match of the Night? The tag team triple threat? All three teams are far too talented not to put on a fantastic match, and I think with the championships on the line all three will be motivated to perform at their best.
  • Early prediction is that two championships change hands tonight. Which ones? Guess you’ll have to be there to find out!

That’s it, that’s all! You attending tonight? Come say hi if you are - and don’t forget to catch your recap on Monday on Win Column Sports!

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P.W.A Preview: Night of Champions
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Spencer Love

Once stood in front of Cedric Alexander in line at a hotel. Slightly big deal.

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