Some of the top performers in the NWA right now are familiar faces to longtime wrestling fans. NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Tyrus had a WWE run as Brodus Clay. So did his challenger at this past weekend’s NWA 312 event, Chris Adonis, when he was known as Chris Masters.
There’s plenty of talent with stories like theirs on the current NWA roster, wrestlers who have found themselves higher up the card than in previous stops. During his talk with Under the Ring host Phil Strum ahead of NWA 312, NWA president (and Smashing Pumpkins frontman) Billy Corgan explained that the reason for that is that veteran performers come into his company with a blank slate.
“I say this to a lot of veteran talent who are coming in to NWA, with me you have a fresh opportunity,” Corgan said. “I don’t care what’s happened before. Like people are still on Tyrus for being the dancing guy, right? I think Tyrus has shown that he was always a top guy. And the reason he got the dancing is over is because he was a top guy, right?
“So just because you come in with a particular gimmick, or even a rep, doesn’t mean anything to me. Everybody comes in from a veteran side with me has a fresh start.”
Corgan added that some wrestlers have come into the company with great reputations and backed them up or exceeded them with NWA, naming Adonis as a prime example.
Listen to Strum’s complete interview with Corgan above to get his thoughts on:
- NWA’s events that benefit the victims of the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois
- How NWA provides a platform for great talent that simply hasn’t had the opportunity to be seen
- The job Tyrus has done as champion
- The logistics involved in combining wrestling with a music festival, as NWA did in its The World is a Vampire event with Mexican promotion AAA
- What advice he gives to young talent in the pro wrestling industry
Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, usually on Mondays, with Strum calling upon his longtime love for and coverage of pro wrestling to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included ECW legend and Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer Raven, recently crowned NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes, and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.
To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.