Aron Stevens doesn’t see Blunt Force Trauma’s luck running out at midnight.
WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard spoke with Aron Stevens ahead of the 2024 NWA Crockett Cup. There, he will be in the corner of Blunt Force Trauma, the top-seeded team in this year’s tournament and the current NWA World Tag Team Champions.
Stevens was asked about BFT’s chances in the tournament, noting how fans of all walks (and different sports) tend to root for a “Cinderella story.” Could he make a case for why fans should want the best team to win, instead of the underdog?
As he sees it, Aron Stevens sees Blunt Force Trauma as the best team and the Cinderella in this year’s tournament.
“We were robbed last year of the Crockett Cup, due to horrible officiating. I mean, the man passed out right in the middle of the match. The referee was unconscious. He may have been struck by someone. Some people even like to think I hit him. And through AI-generated images,” Stevens claimed, “there’ve been some videos circulating that, yeah I went, I punched the ref in the face, which was not the case. But that’s AI being used for something bad.”
The pumpkin will not return
Stevens pointed out that Blunt Force Trauma (Carnage and Damage) are still the NWA Tag Team Champions, and the Crockett Cup is the one accolade that has eluded them. BFT might be a devastating combination, but they aren’t worried about their luck running out.
“But the difference is, when the clock strikes midnight, we are going to be holding the cup and the pumpkin will not return. The carriage doesn’t turn into a pumpkin. No. We are gonna take the Crockett Cup and we are going to put on the mantel till next year, when we defend it again,” Stevens stated. “So, if you are looking for someone to cheer for, if you’re looking for the Cinderella team, what makes this pay-per-view or special event so unique, is that, yes, the best tag team in the tournament, yes the World Tag Team Champions, we are also, on this particular night, Cinderella incarnated.”
A win is a win
Aron Stevens noted how the 2023 tournament ended with BFT losing to Mike Knox and Trevor Murdoch, this year’s second seed. Does BFT need to beat them this year to avenge the loss from a year ago?
“A win is a win. When you get that check mark next to that ‘W’ column, there’s no name next to it. Right? Some people have accused me of avoiding Knox and Murdoch. Some people have accused me of trying to keep them away from the champs. When the reality is, if they were the best team in pro wrestling, they would have the tag team titles,” Stevens pointed out. “They have said some terrible things about me. Knox and Murdoch both. Horrible things about me. But I have, at the very least, held myself to a standard that is acceptable for me and carried myself with the professionalism, and dare I say grace, to keep the eyes on the prize and do what’s best for the fans and the NWA.”
Aron Stevens on NWA deal with The CW
In recent months, the National Wrestling Alliance has announced a streaming deal with The CW. They have also shifted from a PPV-based model to a streaming/TV format. Stevens spoke about how beneficial the new direction has been, noting that NWA owner Billy Corgan has been ahead of the curve in that regard.
Fans can’t tune in to a standalone NWA pay-per-view event as they did in the recent past, but it will, hopefully, create more demand to see what they’re doing on The CW.
“Bingo! You just said it. So, if we’re looking at 20-30 years ago, the model for professional wrestling was pay-per-view, right? Because of streaming services and there is so much content [now], the model has to change,” Aron Stevens explained. “One thing Billy has always done is he has been able to kind of chart his course based on whatever information he gathers and where he would like to go. And then say, ‘Let’s do it.’ And allocating the resources necessary for whatever that objective’s success, be it music and in wrestling. In a society where we can get anything we want, like at the tips of our fingers. You just go, ‘Hey, I can’t be there, I can’t get it on pay-per-view. I’m going to have to check it out on The CW.’ Right? That creates, ‘Hey, let me just see what’s going on.’ Right? So that creates the interest. And then it is up to us.”
NWA Powerrr airs weekly on The CW website and app (download for free here). The 2024 NWA Crockett Cup takes place on May 18 at the OC Theatre in Forney, Texas.
Watch our full interview with Aron Stevens below:
