The Crockett Cup is an on-and-off tag team tournament held currently by the NWA promotion. Formerly, it was a tournament held by Jim Crockett Promotions in honor of Jim Crockett Sr. The tournament brought in various teams from across various territories to compete at the chance for “1,000,000 dollars”. With this booking, I look to bring back the old-school rulings of the Crockett Cup, as well as spotlighting new teams outside of the NWA Promotion.

First off with this prologue, let's look at how all of the teams come together.

How the NWA Aligned Teams Enter the Fray:

To start, the tournament is announced like it was outside of this fantasy booking: on January 31st 2022 for the dates of March 19th and March 20th 2022. The winners will receive a $100,000 check ($50,000 per person), a title shot against the NWA tag team champions La Rebelion (Rebelion will choose their opponents if they win the tournament), and, if not already signed to the National Wrestling Alliance, a contract to stay with the NWA (still able to work elsewhere if they choose) However, this booking will see many more qualifying matches across NWA television in the weeks leading up to the Crockett Cup. That is to say that a few teams still qualified based on their merit alone: The NWA Tag Team Champions La Rebelion (Mecha Wolf and Bestia 666), Ring of Honor Tag Team Champions The Briscoe Brothers, and the newly formed Dirty Sexy Boys (JTG and Dirty Dango) – who got in as a reward from GM Billy Corgan – are all automatically in the tournament.

A notable exception to the rule of qualifiers are the Strictly Business team of Chris Adonis and Royce Isaacs. On Powerr Trip Night #1, the two men would force their way into the tournament with an ultimatum for General Manager Billy Corgan: They get put in the tournament at a high seeding, or they completely walk out on the company. Corgan's hand was forced, and they were put into the tournament. However, Adonis was punished immediately for this: his title match with Anthony Merriweather would be moved to Powerr Trip Night 2! Strictly Business were all pissed, but Corgan wouldn't listen to anymore complaints as he exited to the back.

With all of that out of the way, let's get into the qualifying matches.

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NWA USA Season 1 Episode 7 ~ 2.19.2022

Da Pope and Matthew Mims vs. Hawx Aerie (Luke and PJ Hawx) ~ 2022 Crockett Cup Qualifier

Pope wanted to get in on the Crockett Cup, but needed a partner. Seeing promise in younger superstar Matthew Mims, Pope has taken him under his wing for this tournament. Needless to say, Mims got beat up on a good bit in this match by the bigger pairing of Hawx Aerie. Blows upon blows to Mims, being run shoulder first into the ring post multiple times, the whole 9-yards. Things looked incredibly grim for the new pairing of Pope and Mims after Pope was knocked off the apron by Luke and PJ looked to put away Mims with a big 450 Splash. But Mims was able to scurry free of it, making PJ hit the mat hard! Almost caught out of the hot-tag by Luke Pope just narrowly made it back to the apron to tag himself in! A sock to the nose of Luke sent him reeling out of the ring, more punches followed to PJ from both men, a double-team flapjack followed! Mims was then sent on to make sure Luke didn't break the fall up, and Pope hit Luke with the Pope Experience for the 3-Count!

WINNERS, and now the 11th Seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup: Da Pope and Matthew Mims! Time: 9:21

If you thought Hawx Aerie were done though, you've got another thing coming. Luke was absolutely livid after the match, throwing Mims around like a sack of sweet potatoes, targeting his arms even further with vicious slams against the ring-post! Pope would try and stop it but be of no use, before Hawx Aerie finally decided to leave the duo be. Pope would tend to Mims as we go off the air of NWA USA.

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NWA Powerrr Trip Part 1 ~ 02.22.2022

The End (Parrow and Odinson) vs. Idol Mania Sports Management (Jordan Clearwater and Marhse Rockett) ~ Crockett Cup 2022 Qualifier for the 8th Seed

Simply put, not a good day for Idol Mania. The End would take full liberties on destroying this team and showing their dominance ahead of the Crockett Cup. Tag move after another while keeping Jordan out of the ring would seal the fate of Idol Mania on this night, as The End would put away their opponents with a HUGE double-powerbomb and pin on Marshe Rockett to end their night and tournament hopes.

WINNERS, and #8 seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup: The End! ~ Time: 3:12

After the match, The End would be met at the interview area by correspondent Kyle Durden who asked Parrow and Odinson both how they were feeling about the tournament. Parrow would be the one to grab the microphone. “HOW ARE WE FEELING? YOU KNOW **** WELL HOW WE'RE FEELING KYLE! DID YOU NOT WATCH THE MATCH?” Kyle stammers for a minute before getting pushed out of the way by Odinson! Parrow would then continue. “WHAT WE AREN'T FEELING GOOD ABOUT IS OUR SEEDING IN THIS TOURNAMENT! NUMBER 8? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WE SHOULD BE FACING THOSE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS IN THE FIRST ROUND! BUT WHETHER MANAGEMENT SEES THAT OR NOT, IT DOESN'T MATTER: WE'RE GONNA BEAT THEM, AND EVERY OTHER TEAM WE COME ACROSS IN THIS TOURNAMENT WITH EASE.”

Parrow throws the microphone down and walks off with Odinson as the announcers apologize for the coarse language and brute force used by the big man. If this energy keeps up into the tournament, could The End truly be unstoppable?

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NWA Powerr Trip Part 2 ~ 03.01.2022

Aron Stevens and JR Kratos vs. Tyrus and BLK Jeez ~ 2022 Crockett Cup Qualifier for the 9th seed.

A straightforward match was had between these two teams, nothing truly notworthy to mention about it. JR Kratos would get the hot tag from Aron Stevens and go to town on both men, before pinning BLK Jeez after a massive running powerslam!

WINNERS, and #9 seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup: Aron Stevens and JR Kratos ~ Time: 5:43

The real fun would begin after the match, when #8 seed – and opponents of Stevens and Kratos in the tournament – The End would hit the ring. The two teams would brawl about, but it would be The End who would get the upper hand before standing tall over Stevens and Kratos! Will we see the same outcome at night number 1 of the Crockett Cup?

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NWA Powerr Trip Part 3 ~ 03.08.2022

We start off Powerr Trip Part 3 with El Rudo and Sal Rinauro in the ring as the announcers welcome us to the show. Douglas Williams music hits, but he comes out alone at first. Many in the crowd are quite confused by this. Will Doug be fighting alone? Could Aldis still be in the Crockett Cup? Williams picks up a microphone to answer these questions.

“Many think that I won't be able to win this without Nick Aldis. That's okay if you think that, it truly is. My goal tonight, and at the Crockett Cup, is to prove all of my doubters that say I'm nearing the end of my career wrong. Who will I have with me to help do that? Well, I would like to introduce the fine fans of the National Wrestling Alliance to a young man I've teamed with some, and fought against many times. Ladies and gentlemen, you may not know him yet, but you soon well. Please give a round of applause for my partner, by way of Liverpool, England, Chris Ridgeway!”

The younger and slightly smaller man makes his way out onto the stage, slaps hands with Douglas, and hits the ring quick! This match is on!

Douglas Williams and Chris Ridgeway vs. El Rudo and Sal Rinauro ~ 2022 Crockett Cup Qualifier for the 4th seed.

Ridgeway would take very little time once the bell rang to absolutely destroy the chest of Sal Rinauro with vicious chops and kicks alike, even scoring a big Penalty Kick to his chest. After tagging partner Doug Williams in and going on the outside to brawl with El Rudo, the match was basically over. Douglas would run through some of his signature moves before nailing Sal with the Chaos Theory and locking in the Guillotine choke to make him tap out!

WINNERS, and the 4th seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup: Douglas Williams and Chris Ridgeway! Time: 3:47

After the match, the two men would be interviewed by Kyle Durden, where Doug would continue to hype up his partner, and Ridgeway would introduce himself to the fans at home in a few words. One word stuck out, however: “Smashmouth”.

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NWA Powerrr Trip Part 3 ~ 03.08.2022

The OGK (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett) vs. The Fixers (Wreckingball Legursky and Jay Bradley) ~ 2022 Crockett Cup Qualifier for the 3rd seed.

In the semi-main event of Powerr Trip Part 3, we see The OGK pairing of Matt Taven and Mike Bennett continue their long-lasting feud with The Fixers, Legursky and Bradley, now with a massive spot in the Crockett Cup on the line! The two teams would be evenly matched with one another due to their previous encounters. Both teams had obviously done extra scouting going into this as neither team could truly seem to get the upper hand on the other. This would change after a big missed move from Bradley would lead to a Climax (an arm-trap headlock driver) on Bradley! However, only a two count would come of it as Wreckingball would be there to break the move up. But soon after Mike Bennett would be in the ring to dispatch of Legursky and signal to Taven to go to the top! That's exactly what taven would do, hitting the still limp Jay Bradley with a huge Frog Splash to get the 1-2-3 win and knock The Fixers out of tournament contention!

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WINNERS, and the 3rd seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup: The OGK! ~ Time: 7:46

The OGK would dip quickly so as to not be attacked by the rough duo of The Fixers, now standing frustrated in the ring with one another.

And with that, the NWA spots are filled! Before we move on to the Crockett Cup Qualifiers that took place in other companies, I'd like to note the outside competition that have already been placed into the tournament. As mentioned above, Ring of Honor Tag Champions The Briscoe Brothers have been slotted in the #2 seed of the tournament already. New Japan of America have sent over representatives Ren Narita and Clark Connors, who are both currently on excursion for the primary New Japan promotion. Championship Wrestling from Hollywood aren't currently running shows, but sent the team of Levi Shapiro and Buddy Royal, The Classic Connection, over for the tournament in the #14 seed. As well, there's major talk that AEW could be sending a tag team over, but nothing has been confirmed as of now. With that, let's get onto the independent matches and close out this prologue!

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BEYOND: Wrestling Open Season 1, Episode #6 ~ 02.10.2022

Waves n' Curls (Traveon Jordan and Jaylen Brandyn) vs. The Shook Crew (Bobby Orlando and Bryce Donovan) vs. The Mane Event (Jay Lyon and Midas Black) vs. The Kings of The District (Jordan Blade and Eel O'Neal) ~ 4-Way Tag Team Match to decide the 15th seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup

This match is a major showcase of some of Beyond Wrestling's young tag teams. All of these teams are fan favorites, and all of the fans want to see any of these teams hit a bigger stage with the Crockett Cup. The Mane Event are the longest-tenured out of the teams, having started in February of 2018, and are the biggest favorites out of all of the teams to win. And win, they did. The duo would hit double team moves on the over-cocky Bobby Orlando of The Shook Crew and finally manage to keep away the other teams to end the match and get the huge win! Both men were overcome with emotion following the match, hugging one another for this huge moment.

WINNERS, and the 15th seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup: The Mane Event! ~ Time: 18:21

As an added surprise, Billy Corgan, NWA General Manager, would come out and congratulate the team and offer them a plaque as one of the special entrants in the 2022 Crockett Cup!

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Black Label Pro: Professional Wrestling (Mikey's Version) ~ 02.19.2022

Violence is Forever (Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku) (c) vs. The Bang Bros. (August Matthews and Davey Bang) ~ Black Label Pro Tag Team Title and 12th seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup Match.

For those that don't know Violence is Forever, I can offer a very quick analysis: hard-hitting, inspired by the old-school of both Southern Wrestling, and wrestling from abroad (namely Japan, inspired by teams such as the Miracle Violence Connection of Terry Gordy and Steve Williams, may they both rest in peace), and not to be fucked with. Simply put, The Bang Brothers fucked around on a bad stage to fuck around at, and they found out. After about 7 minutes of pure wrestling between the two teams, Davey Bang would taunt Garrini for his not mainstream appealing looks. Then he would get tagged in. Garrini showed no mercy on Bang, and Ku showed no mercy on Matthews. The duo would end the match with a huge tandem head-kick to Bang, and pick up the 1-2-3 victory.

WINNERS, and STILL Black Label Pro Tag Team Champions, and now entering the Crockett Cup in the 12th seed: Violence is Forever!

The same deal would happen with Corgan here, photo-ops and all. Kevin Ku would take the microphone and make a huge promise to the Black Label Pro faithful: If they were to lose in this tournament, they would willingly relinquish their BLP tag team titles, If they can't be the best, there's no point in having the belts. It's a strong statement from the duo, but do they truly know what they're in for, especially as they face Strictly Business in the first round of the tournament? We'll find out.

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All Japan Pro Wrestling Excite Series Night 6 ~ 02.27.2022

NEXTREAM (Yuma and Atsuki Aoyagi) vs. Total Eclipse (TAJIRI and Yusuke Kodama) ~ Match for the 16th seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup

Many already know TAJIRI, that's a given. He is apart of the villainous Total Eclipse stable alongside Yusuke Kodama, who acts almost as a younger version of current-day TAJIRI, and many others. The NEXTREAM duo of Yuma and Atsuki Aoyagi, obviously brothers, are the pure essence of babyface fire alongside Rising HAYATO and current Triple Crown (their top championship) champion Kento Miyahara. The babyface fire would end up putting out the heel heat in this match though, as Yuma and Atsuki punch their ticket to the United States for the Crockett Cup! Corgan would not be around this time, but a plaque is mailed to the duo.

WINNERS, and the 16th seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup: NEXTREAM (Atsuki and Yuma Aoyagi)

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IMPACT Wrestling TV ~ 03.06.2022

Violent By Design (Joe Doering and Deaner) vs. Decay (Black Taurus and Crazzy Steve) ~ Match for the 6th seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup

And now, in our final independent qualifying match for the tournament, we see Violent by Design take on Decay. Decay would put up a mighty valiant effort ,especially on the back of Black Taurus who did his absolute best to get his team into the tournament, but would come up short in the end after interference from Eric Young in the form of a big crutch shot to the back of Steve! Doering would hit a massive lariat and win the match for his team, sending them on to the Crockett Cup.

WINNERS, and the 6th seed in the 2022 Crockett Cup: Violent By Design!

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And with that, the tournament brackets are set for all but one entry: the 7th seed. Who could that seed be? Could it be a legendary team making their triumphant return in the Crockett Cup? Could it be an independent promotions' tag team champions making a surprise entry? Could it truly be All Elite Wrestling sending on of their tag teams down to compete for a huge trophy? We won't know until the day of, so until then, here are the brackets that we have:

1. La Rebelion (Bestia 666 and Mecha Wolf) vs. 16. NEXTREAM (Atsuki Aoyagi and Yuma Aoyagi)

2. The End (Parrow and Odinson) vs. 9. Aron Stevens and JR Kratos

3. Strictly Business (Chris Adonis and Royce Isaacs) vs. 12. Violence is Forever (Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku)

   1. Doug Williams and Chris Ridgeway vs. 13. Ren Narita and Clark Connors

4. Violent By Design (Joe Doering and Deaner) vs. 11. Pope and Matthew Mims

5. The OGK (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett) vs. 14. The Classic Connection (Buddy Royal and Levi Shapiro)

6. ??? vs. 10. The Dirty Sexy Boys (JTG and Dirty Dango)

7. The Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark Briscoe) vs. 15. The Mane Event (Jay Lyon and Midas Black)

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Now, with the prologue out of the way, please join me in the first and final part as we go through the tournament as a whole, and see who takes home the Crockett Cup in the year of our lord 2022!