The NWA 78th Anniversary Show (also simply called NWA 78) is an upcoming professional wrestling event produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). It will be the 16th event in the NWA Anniversary Show chronology. The event will take place on July 25, 2026, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, marking the second time in three years that the event has been held in the venue. It will later air on tape delay across several episodes of NWA Powerrr on Comet.
| NWA 78 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Promotion | National Wrestling Alliance | ||
| Date | July 25, 2026 | ||
| City | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||
| Venue | 2300 Arena | ||
| Supercard chronology | |||
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| NWA Anniversary Show chronology | |||
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Production
editBackground
editThe NWA Anniversary Show is a professional wrestling event held by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The first event was held in 1998 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NWA's founding in 1948. The event then continued to be held annually until 2005. It has later been held periodically, with shows in 2008 and 2018, before becoming a regular yearly event starting in 2021.[1]
On May 8, 2026, the NWA announced that the NWA 78th Anniversary Show would take place on July 25, 2026, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This would be the second time in three years that the NWA Anniversary Show took place in the venue.[2][3]
Storylines
editThe event featured professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. Storylines are produced during the NWA's weekly series, Powerrr.[4]
At the Crockett Cup, Natalia Markova retained the NWA World Women's Championship against Sirena Veil. However, she was immediately attacked by TV-MA's Gretta, allowing Markova's longtime rival Tiffany Nieves to invoke her Burke Invitational Gauntlet title opportunity – something she had won earlier that night – and capture the championship.[5] Now looking for revenge, the NWA announced on June 22 that Markova would face Gretta at the NWA 78th Anniversary Show.[6]
For over three months, Daisy Kill had been feuding with Eric Smalls, which began after Smalls defeated Kill in a humiliating fashion at the December 13, 2025 taping of NWA Powerrr.[7] Kill has repeatedly tried to get back at Smalls ever since, only to be humiliated every time. Two months later at the February 21 taping, Kill defeated Smalls in a Lethal Ladder match where a Shanghai pain stick was suspended above the ring. Smalls was the one to retrieve the weapon first, but Kill would hit a low blow on Smalls to win the match.[8] At the Crockett Cup, Smalls would defeat Kill in a Kiss My Boots match, but rather than adhere to the stipulation, Kill would hit Smalls with another low blow.[9] After not much interaction between the two, aside from a post-match incident on the June 6 episode of NWA Powerrr where Smalls stole Kill's jacket,[10] the former would hold an open challenge two weeks later, where he was soundly beaten by Big Cuzzo. Kill would later come out and take his jacket back, revealing he hired Big Cuzzo to finish Smalls off once and for all.[11] On June 29, the NWA announced that Kill and Smalls would face off one more time at the 78th Anniversary Show in a dog collar match.[12]
Matches
edit| No. | Matches* | Stipulations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kerry Morton vs. Colby Corino | Singles match[13] | ||
| 2 | Gretta (with Tiffany Nieves) vs. Natalia Markova | Singles match[6] | ||
| 3 | Nattie Neidhart vs. TBA | Singles match[14] | ||
| 4 | Heath vs. Pretty Boy Smooth vs. Effy vs. Kratos vs. Talos | Five-way match to determine the #1 contender for the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship[15] | ||
| 5 | Daisy Kill vs. Eric Smalls | Dog collar match[12] | ||
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See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ Shaun Assael. Sex, Lies, & Headlocks (p.8)
- ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (May 8, 2026). "NWA 78 To Take Place At 2300 Arena". Fightful. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ Johnson, Mike (May 8, 2026). "NWA TO HOLD 78th ANNIVERSARY EVENT AT 2300 ARENA IN PHILADELPHIA, TICKETS ON SALE". PW Insider. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (May 16, 2026). "Tiffany Nieves Wins NWA Women's World Championship". Fightful. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
- 1 2 Thompson, Andrew (June 23, 2026). "Natalia Markova vs. Gretta Added To NWA 78". Fightful. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
- ↑ Martinez, Tommy (March 10, 2026). "NWA Powerrr: The Southern Six fight for title stipulation rights". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ Martinez, Tommy (April 28, 2026). "The last "Thrill"-ing episode of NWA Powerrr on Roku". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ Martinez, Tommy (May 23, 2026). "NWA Powerrr: The Crockett Cup finals feature Gentlemen versus Titans". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ Martinez, Tommy (June 6, 2026). "NWA Powerrr: The Crush wants revenge on Gretta". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ Martinez, Tommy (June 27, 2026). "NWA Powerrr: Mystery Opponents for Country Gentlemen Tag title defense". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- 1 2 Thompson, Andrew (July 1, 2026). "Dog Collar Match Added To NWA 78". Fightful. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
- ↑ Thompson, Andrew (June 19, 2026). "Kerry Morton vs. Colby Corino Announced For NWA 78". Fightful. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- ↑ Thompson, Andrew (June 25, 2026). "Nattie To Compete At NWA 78". Fightful. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- ↑ Thompson, Andrew (July 1, 2026). "#1 Contender Match For NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title Shot Added To NWA 78". Fightful. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
