Trevor Murdoch On What Makes NWA Powerrr Different, What Pro Wrestling Needs More Of Today
Trevor Murdoch announced his retirement two years ago but came out of it to join NWA. Their weekly show is NWA Power which is a throwback to when there was more of a focus on pro wrestling than sports entertainment.
Murdoch discussed why he loves NWA Power so much when he joined The Wrestling Inc. Daily.
"It's really a dressed-down situation where you go out there and just wrestle. You've got a live studio audience and you have to work your backside off to get a reaction from these people," said Murdoch. "You have to earn it wholeheartedly as there's no media pushing behind you. It really works into my wheelhouse in just the wrestling aspect with me being trained by Harley Race and that background. It's really a perfect fit for me."
Recently Murdoch revealed that he and partner Lance Cade were held back in WWE because of purely aesthetic reasons. Vince McMahon thought Murdoch needed a tan and that Cade needed to change his hair, but that was never communicated to Murdoch and Cade themselves.
Murdoch was asked about that and why it's so important for wrestlers to know what is needed from them to better get over.
"We've all got the same goal and that's to get over and put on the best show you possibly can. So, if there's something going on that doesn't translate on TV or work for the programming, it would make sense to let that individual know as soon as possible so there's no discontinuation of the flow of that character," Murdoch said before noting that NWA does communicate and that they are very direct with their talent.
"Those individuals are focused on everybody making a great product. There's enough wrestling out there where everybody can draw good shows. As a wrestling fan, it's a great time to be a wrestling fan because if there's something you don't like here, there's something you might like over there. There's plenty of options for everybody out there."
Murdoch is an old-school wrestler who appreciates an old-school approach and he discussed that when asked what pro wrestling needs more of today.
"Competition ? and what I mean is that wrestling, ultimately, is supposed to be two competitors stepping in the ring and going at it. We tend to lose a lot of that competition through the pomp and circumstances of storylines and angles. In my opinion it's one of the reasons why UFC is so popular because you get background information on each fighter, but when they step into the ring it's two competitors going at it," stated Murdoch.
"That's what NWA provides to everybody because you have two competitors who step into the ring and you have no idea who's gonna win. That's what it's supposed to be like. As a fan, you can hang onto the whole ride from start to finish. At the end, you can just enjoy it for what it is and that's what I think wrestling is missing."
Murdoch's full interview with Wrestling Inc aired as part of a recent episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon: by clicking here. The full interview can be heard via the embedded audio player below: