NWA Wildside TV
Date: 6/10/2000
From: Cornelia, GA
Steven Prazak mentions that Rick Michaels is the new owner of NCW. Rick Michaels is in the ring with a clipboard and says he’s not familiar with wearing a suit and putting matches together. Michaels hates Bill Behrens and has decided to take the ball and run with it. Michaels is going to put a few surprises together, too. Michaels announces Jason Cross and John Phoenix will be here. We’re going to get Sean Royal vs. Rusty Riddle again. Michaels says Onyx wants to dance a lot, and thus tonight he’ll defend the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship against Lazz.
Bill Behrens and Jeff G. Bailey make their way out to join the segment. Behrens acknowledges that he said he wouldn’t be here, but he’s here to announce the new CFO. Behrens wants Michaels to announce his surprises. Michaels reminds Behrens that the lease on the building was in Steve Martin’s name and it was signed over to Michaels. Michaels considers the building to be his and the fans. Michaels is going to decide what happens in the building now. Michaels tells Behrens he can leave if he doesn’t like it. Michaels talks about Freedom Fight and how there’s going to be an eight man cage match between NCW and NWA. Michaels doesn’t want to wait for July 1st and wants to do it tonight. Michaels reveals that on one side it will be Michaels, David Young, JC Dazz and Wildside Heavyweight Champion Stone Mountain. The other team will have AJ Styles, Eddie Golden, and Scottie Wrenn. Behrens notices it is a four on three handicap match. Behrens doesn’t like that and demands it needs to be a fair match. Michaels announces that the fourth man in the match will be.. Bill Behrens.
Opening Contest: Jason Cross vs. John Phoenix: Cross sends Phoenix into the ropes and is met with a shoulder block. Cross shoulder blocks Phoenix and runs the ropes. Phoenix boots Cross, but Cross counters with a neckbreaker and a somersault leg drop. Cross misses a springboard moonsault. Phoenix misses a standing shooting star press. Cross hits a standing shooting star press. Phoenix bails to the floor where Cross decks Phoenix with a clothesline. Cross heads to the top rope hitting a dive onto Phoenix on the floor. Cross rolls Phoenix into the ring and continues with strikes. Phoenix spin kicks Cross coming off the ropes to gain the advantage. Phoenix drives Cross to the mat with a swinging neckbreaker. Phoenix plants Cross with a reverse DDT slam for a near fall and keeps control with a sleeper. Cross comes off the ropes and sunset flips Phoenix for a two count. Phoenix regains control with a clothesline and a springboard moonsault. Phoenix manages a two count following a standing moonsault. Cross drives Phoenix to the mat with a modified Fame-Asser. Cross misses a frog splash off the top rope. Phoenix leaps off the top to hit a leg drop for a two count. Phoenix is shoved by the referee and stomps Cross on the mat. Phoenix strikes Cross into the ropes. Phoenix dropkicks Cross coming off the ropes. Phoenix climbs to the top rope missing a 450 splash. Cross strikes Phoenix several times, but is met with a backdrop. Cross misses a clothesline and a forearm strike. Cross strikes Phoenix in the corner and manages to hit a standing hurricanrana. Cross misses a corkscrew splash attempt off the middle rope. Phoenix drives Cross to the mat with a facebuster. Cross surprises Phoenix with a victory roll to win the match. (**1/2. On some level this felt like two guys doing flashy moves to just do flashy moves, but the action was entertaining regardless. Cross has brief success in TNA in the early years and I’d be interested in seeing how he develops in Wildside if he’s a regular moving forward.)
Sean Royal makes his way out with a microphone and wants to have some time with Rusty Riddle. Royal tells the referee to leave the ring. Royal talks about knowing Riddle for a long time. Royal mentions that they both don’t have any gold and the name of the business is to get gold. Royal has no problem whooping Riddle’s ass again. Royal offers Riddle a cold beer and suggests they be a tag team instead of enemies. Riddle accepts the beer and thinks about it by looking at the audience. Royal considers them the Redneck and the Riddler. Riddle invites Royal into the ring and Riddle chugs the beer. They share the beer and shake hands to officially form a tag team.
Second Contest: Scottie Wrenn vs. Ricky Noble: Wrenn starts off with strikes on Noble, but Noble fights back with a boot to the midsection. Wrenn misses a clothesline and Noble hits a springboard back elbow. Wrenn bails to the floor to regroup. Wrenn strikes Noble before putting a headlock on Noble and delivers a shoulder block. Noble holds onto the ropes, but is met with a clothesline. Wrenn leg drops Noble on the lower midsection. Noble comes off the ropes to deliver a bulldog. Noble covers, but Wrenn kicks out at two. Wrenn dropkicks Noble in the corner to maintain the advantage. Wrenn continues with strikes in the corner. Wrenn splashes Noble in the corner. Noble fights back with right hands, but Wrenn decks Noble with a clothesline. Wrenn drops Noble with a right hand. Wrenn eye rakes Noble on the mat. Wrenn chokes Noble over the middle rope to maintain the advantage. Wrenn strikes Noble in the corner a few times. Noble head scissors Wrenn to the mat for a near fall. Wrenn catches Noble in the corner to deliver a powerslam. Wrenn plants Noble with a chokebomb, but pulls Noble up on the cover. Wrenn connects with a springboard leg drop for the win. (*1/2. Wrenn taunted Stone Mountain by doing the Landslide finish, which is fine to add some promotion to their match. This lacked any sort of energy for it and I’m assuming that’s because nobody believed in Noble to be a viable opponent for Wrenn.)
Christopher Samson grabs a microphone and cuts a promo putting over Wildside as the best wrestling promotion. Samson calls out Terry Knight for cutting him off last week. Samson is there to share his positive message and win championships. Samson calls out Knight and Candy to join him in the ring. Wildside United States Champion Terry Knight and Candy join the segment. Samson talks about Knight challenging him last week and he has a lot of integrity and apologizes for insulting Knight and Candy. Knight grabs the microphone and says everyone thinks Candy is just another pretty face. However, Candy takes care of all his business so that he can focus on wrestling. Knight doesn’t rip phonebooks, break bats or dance like a male stripper. Knight claims to be the best no matter who stands in the ring with him. Knight reminds Samson he’s the longest reigning champion and claims the belt ranks among the Heavyweight title and is higher than the TV and Tag Championships. Knight slaps Samson across the face to reject the apology. Samson doesn’t doubt Knight is a great champion and wrestler. Samson says he’s going to let this go and turn the other cheek offering another apology. Knight slaps Samson on the other cheek. Samson decks Knight to the floor with a clothesline. Samson says he’s all out of cheeks and says it is time to teach a lesson to Knight. Samson challenges Knight to a match at Freedom Fight on July 1st. Knight says he’s never backed down from a challenge and accepts the match for Freedom Fight.
WOW Magazine segment hosted by Bill Apter is up next. Apter recalls being at the Mark Curtis and Brian Pillman memorial shows. Apter caught up with a wrestler at the show, Ricky Steamboat. Steamboat says he’s retired and owns a health club in Charlotte. Steamboat mentions his son is involved in racing now. Steamboat recalls working with Brian Pillman in WCW and how they had great tag matches. Steamboat puts over Pillman’s work ethic no matter how many fans were in attendance. Steamboat could count on Pillman if he needed him in any match.
Outside, Shank steals a championship.
Main Event: Wildside Television Champion Onyx vs. Lazz: Lazz gets one of the loudest reactions in Wildside history portraying Britney Spears and dancing to her music. Lazz chops Onyx in the corner and boots a charging Onyx. Lazz spears Onyx, but AJ Styles breaks the cover causing a disqualification. JC Dazz slides into the ring to make the save. Dazz backdrops Styles. Scottie Wrenn comes out and nails Dazz with a clothesline. Stone Mountain gets in the ring as the show goes off the air. (NR. Obviously they didn’t show much of the match. I’m not kidding when I say that Lazz got one of the biggest reactions in Wildside history to this point. The fans seemed to love his persona and dancing to Britney Spears music. I don’t think that kind of reaction could be ignored.)
Final Thoughts:
A decent episode of Wildside with Cross/Phoenix being a decent match. Rick Michaels being an authority figure is a bit weird and I feel as if he’d be better off being an in-ring wrestler only. Lazz getting a such a strong reaction is something to keep an eye on, too.
Thanks for reading.