by Larry Goodman, Torch Team Contributor

NWA Wildside TV review
Aired in national syndication on August 21, 2004
Taped on July 17, 2004 at the NWA Arena in Cornelia, Ga
By Larry Goodman, Torch Team Contributor

Steven Prazak opened the show with the announcement that NWA Wildsidecan now be seen in Great Britain on The Wrestling Channel. Guest host Scott Hudson had it on good authority that Dan “The Dragon” Wilson was following the Pablo Cruise, Player and Toby Beau summer tour in a rented microbus. “Dragon, stay away from the brown mushrooms.”

Prazak recapped last week’s highlights. The new NWA Wildside Tag Team Champions, Murder One and Slim J made a successful first title defense against Salvatore Rinauro and Seth Delay. Brandon P came up short in his attempt to wrest the Junior belt from Fast Eddie. Getz Enterprises was growing by leaps and bounds with the introduction of new members Jeff Lewis, Jason Blackman and Ray Gordy.

(1) Azrael (with Jeff G. Bailey) beat Kid USA in 2:35. Azrael’s cool weapon of choice was a medieval battle axe. You’ve got to respect a man that accessorizes. Hudson didn’t care for his entrance music. “Yoko Ono falling down steps carrying a box of china.” USA had the appropriate superhero entrance music to go with his mask and cape. Hudson said the mask looked like a Dick Beyer retread. Posey offered a handshake. Azrael tossed him. Azrael no sold USA's rapid fire punches. USA’s missile dropkick bounced off Azrael. Azrael landed a ferocious kick to the face and the slaughter was on. Azrael delivered two vicious Flashing Zodiacs (running knees). Azrael hit the Ted Bundy (vertical suplex/uranage). Bailey wanted more. Azrael hit a cutthroat Michinoku Driver but would not allow the pin. Azrael pinned USA with a sick version of a piledriver called the Green Manalishi with the Two Pronged Crown. Bailey scolded USA and put the boots to him.

COMMENTS: Quite the devastating squash. Kid USA looks more than vaguely familiar. I enjoyed the character, and he’s got the athletic ability. All he needs is ring time. Well, that and another 6 inches and 75 pounds.

(2) J. T. Wolfen beat Randall Johnson to retain the NWA North American Title in 3:53. Joined in progress with a minute gone. Hudson was going to town on Wolfen’s resemblance to an XXL sized Michael P. S. Hayes. Wolfen dumped Johnson with a gutwrench powerbomb “much like Hayes dumped Buddy Jack Roberts after the Crockett/Watts buyout in ’87.” Wolfen dropped his considerable poundage on Johnson’s nutsack. Hudson was oohing at Wolfen’s chops to get them over. Johnson surprised Wolfen with a dropkick. He covered but Wolfen pressed him off at one. Wolfen used what Prazak called the luchador-Moe-Howard poke to the eyes. Wolfen sold for Johnson’s weak flurry. Johnson ate a mouthful of Wolfen’s boot. Wolfen stopped to hike his droopy tights up over his belly before climbing to the top for a death defying moonsault. Too bad the only thing that made contact with Johnson was Wolfen’s head.

COMMENTS: A perversely entertaining throwback to Hudson and Prazak’s early days calling North Georgia Wrestling at the Alpharetta Auction Barn, where their zany commentary often served as a welcome diversion from the lame action in the ring. The NWA screams minor league when a guy at Wolfen’s level can be a belt holder.

(3)Tank & Iceberg decimated Terry Diamond & Anthony Henry in 5:17. The jibronis tried a frontal assault. Poor tactics. Tank gave Henry the single most wicked kick to the kidneys seen at the NWA Arena this year. The kid was ailing for the rest of the match. The two behemoths destroyed Diamond. They leveled him with a double shoulder block. Hudson called it gem abuse. Iceberg did the Thigh Drop of Doom and pulled Diamond up. Three times. Tank used a double stomp on Diamond’s stomach. Prazak said that was a weight loss method he hadn’t tried yet. Tank hit a cobra clutch Russian legsweep. Iceberg attempted to drill Diamond through the mat with a Thunder Fire Powerbomb. Iceberg did the Avalanche splash into the corner. Tank hit a running knee and Iceberg followed with a face wash. The Arena fans were marking out for the sheer brutality. Tank pulled Diamond’s limp body up again. Fisherman style backbreaker. Chokebreaker. Diamond was history. Hell, he was history after the first 30 seconds. But they weren’t going to let Henry off that easy. Tank dragged Henry into the ring for Iceberg’s slice n’ dice guillotine legdrop and the mercy pin.

COMMENTS: A frickin cold blooded squash. And here I thought Texas Death Club was brutal. Iceberg and Tank are headed to IWA Mid-South on the TPI weekend (9/17-18) for a three way Eddie Kingston & Black Jack Marciano and the IWA MS Tag Team Champions, Ryan Boz & Brad Bradley that promises to be stiff in the extreme.

(4) Todd Sexton defeated Skeeter Frost via submission in 7:15. “Technician” Todd started it with a lesson in mat wrestling. Frost responded with a series of shoulder tackles. Sexton was frosted. He beat up on a chair at ringside. Sexton slapped the taste out of Frost’s mouth. Frost walked into an armdrag. Frost reversed Sexton with a headscissors. Sexton congratulated himself on a sweet escape and got taken down with a pair of armdrags. Frost did a nice lucha style armdrag counter. Sexton applied a standing guillotine. Frost reversed it and rolled Sexton up for a two count. Frost doubled Sexton over with a knee to the breadbasket, and a scissors kick to the back of the head was good for two. At 2:40, Sexton stunned Frost with one of his killer dropkicks. Sexton laid a beating on Frost in the corner. Sexton hooked Frost with a short arm clothesline for a near fall. Frost landed a right cross and (rookie mistake) ran up the ropes. Sexton caught him in midair with a dropkick. Sexton busted out a wicked spinning toe hold. Frost sold it like his knee was done. Sexton used a dragon screw on his one legged opponent. Sexton dropkicked the injured knee. Frost grabbed the ropes when he saw the figure four coming. Frost was in desperation mode, flailing away with forearms, but Sexton just covered up. Sexton went for a reverse suplex that Frost countered with a reverse DDT. Both down. Frost sold the leg. Sexton wanted to make a tag. Frost started tagging Sexton. Frost hit a samoan drop for a near fall. Sexton escaped from Frost’s flatliner finisher. Frost scored a near fall with a reverse rolling cradle. Sexton rolled through for two and complained to Mike Posey about his count. Frost fed Sexton his leg. Sexton tried to turn him around, but Frost used the momentum for a spinning heel kick. Back press and Sexton rolled a shoulder. Frost was looking for the flatliner once again. Sexton countered with a vicious dragon screw. Sexton locked in the sharpshooter. Frost got close to the ropes, but Sexton pulled him towards the center and sat down all the way. Frost tapped.

COMMENTS: The sharpshooter claims another victim, but not without a fight from the talented rookie. Really interesting match here. Frost appears to be coming into his own. He looked so much better working with a wrestler as technically sound as Sexton, who is poised to break out as a singles competitor.

(5) Jason Cross & Mikal Adryan (with Jeff G. Bailey) beat Onyx & Adam Jacobs in 12:50. Cross and Onyx opened with a long lock up. Cross grabbed a side headlock and got a cocky grin on his face. Anyone that’s seen an Onyx match in the last few months knew what was in store for Cross. Onyx punished him with his vice-like headlock for a full minute. Onyx landed a series of right hands. Back and forth action built to an Angry Man Slam by Onyx. Tag to Jacobs. Cross avoided a double team but not the Jacobs swinging neckbreaker. Jacobs pounded Cross and planted him with a sitout reverse DDT. Cross wanted out. Jacobs ducked Adryan’s lariat and kicked him in the ass. Jacobs was all over Adryan, who powdered out. Onyx gorilla pressed Jacobs over the top, scoring a direct hit on the heels. The faces hung Adryan in the tree of woe for the corner-to-corner basement dropkick. Jacobs covered and Adryan grabbed the ropes. At 5:35, Adryan nudged Jacobs off the top rope. Jacobs took a great face bump on the rail that really got over with the crowd. Bailey stuck a Bruno Magli loafer in Jacobs’ gut. Adryan went to work. Hudson said he looked to be in the best shape of his career. Adryan dropped Jacobs’ back on his knee. Jacobs tried to fire back, but Adryan cut him down with a Mafia kick. Cross reentered with a slingshot guillotine legdrop. Cross hit a Saito suplex and Onyx had to make a save. Adryan whipped Jacobs from pillar to post and following him in, first with a clothesline and then with a splash. Adryan capped off this impressive power sequence with a modified butterfly suplex. Jacobs started punching from his knees, but the blows had nothing on them until he stood up to pepper Adryan’s face. Adryan cut Jacobs off with a knee to the gut. The Elite did a dropkick/sidewalk slam combo. Onyx kicked Cross in the head to break up the pin. They started to scrap like it was for real. Cross slowed things down with a loose rear chinlock. That move has got to go. Onyx broke the hold but Cross came right back with a spinning heel kick. Foot tag. Adryan hit a giant legdrop. Onyx kept referee Andrew Thomas distracted to where he never saw Adryan’s cover. Jacobs went for a high crossbody. Adryan caught him with ease and tried to rockbottom his ass, but Jacobs turned it into a DDT. Both men down. Both crawling for tag. Great house cleaning segment by Onyx. He clotheslined Cross into next week. Onyx hit the Blackout on Adryan. 1..2..Cross grabbed Thomas by the hand. Onyx rolled Cross up. Adryan elbow dropped Cross by mistake. Onyx clotheslined Adryan over the top. Bailey grabbed Onyx by the leg. Onyx pulled Bailey up and was ready to punch his lights out when Jacobs slammed into him from behind. Cross brainbustered Onyx. Jacobs saved at the last split second. Adryan tossed Jacobs out of the ring. Onyx staggered to his feet. Bailey waffled Onyx with a chair. Cross hit THE BEST DAMN BRAINBUSTER IN NORTH AMERICA for a second time to pin the champion. Prazak said it was the first time Onyx had been pinned at the Arena in almost two years.

COMMENTS: Good match.The finish was a beautiful way to position Cross as a serious threat to Onyx’s title reign, while furthering the tension in the uneasy alliance between Onyx and Jacobs. I had forgotten just how good a worker Jacobs is. I could find only one instance of a pinfall loss by Onyx in Wildside over the last two years (12/7/02 by Tony Stradlin of all people, due to outside interference by Murder One).

Cut to Onyx and Jacobs backstage in the aftermath. Jacobs said that Bailey cost him the Wildside Heavyweight Title at Freedom Fight. “That’s my title,” said Onyx. Jacobs said whatever, they had both been screwed by the Elite time and time again, and the bitches were going to pay. Onyx was steaming. He said it had been two years since he was pinned in Wildside. He was coming off of TNA appearances in Nashville and Orlando, and he didn’t come to Wildside to lose. Onyx reminded Jacobs that he had to go through him to get the title, but together, they were going to take care of those three bitches. Onyx was so hyped that he forgot the name of Cross’ finisher. “Jason Cross, the Blackout is coming for yo ass. YO ASS.”

Dissolve to Bailey, Adryan and Cross. Bailey explained that they ruined the Onyx/Jacobs title match at Freedom Fight because it was in an insult to the next Wildside Heavyweight Champion, Jason Cross. Bailey claimed that Cross had Onyx beaten in their first meeting until his foot somehow got over the rope and tonight, he pinned the champion in the middle of the ring. Bailey said the World Television Title was one of the most prestigious belts in the world, but it was just a stepping stone to Cross. Bailey said to take it from the manager of two men that had gone on to become NWA World Heavyweight Champions. The TV title was a stepping stone, and Onyx was a stepping stone, because Cross was a future NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

Bailey did what the vanishing breed of great managers all know how to do, cut a great carny style promo. This was all about building anticipation. Making fans believe there’s a chance to see something special, an attraction, but they’re going to have to spend money to see it.

Talent like this comes around once in a decade. In the 50s, it was Lou Thesz. In the 60s, it was Dory Funk Jr. The 70s, Harley Race. The 80s, Ric Flair. And the 90s, Shawn Michaels. This decade belongs to Jason Cross because as great as all those men were, Jason Cross can do everything they could do, but they couldn’t do 450 splashes and shooting star legdrops. This man is not only the greatest wrestler in the world today, he’s the most spectacular athlete you people will ever pay your money for…There’s no way Onyx is going to deny this man what’s rightfully his…We will see to it that not only is he the Wildside Heavyweight Champion but the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. It’s a fact.

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