NWA 312 to shine light on Highland Park
(thumbnail photo courtesy NWA)
BILLY CORGAN BRINGS PPV, TV TAPINGS TO CHICAGO AREA
By Mike Pankow
April 4, 2023
NWA President Billy Corgan is bringing the promotion back to his hometown area – and for a good cause – when the company brings three days’ worth of events to Highland Park this week.
The lead singer for The Smashing Pumpkins and lifelong pro wrestling fan is hosting events in the North suburban town that was hit with tragedy last summer when a mass shooting rocked the community during an Independence Day parade.
The main event of the weekend is NWA 312, a live pay-per-view show on Friday night (April 7) at Studio One Events in Highland Park. The main card begins at 9 p.m. in the intimate venue (and on pay-per-view on FITE) and a pre-show with four additional matches starts at 8 p.m. and can be streamed on the NWA’s YouTube channel.
The NWA and Madame Zuzu’s Emporium are partnering to raise money for the families and victims of the mass shooting for The Highland Park Community Foundation.
“This is a very important cause for me. This neighborhood is my home and I want to do whatever I can to help out,” said Corgan in a news release.
“NWA 312 will showcase some of the best professional wrestling talent in the world, and we hope that fans will come out to support the Highland Park Community Foundation,” said Corgan, who is also co-owner of Madame Zuzu’s. “This event is about helping this community heal after a devastating tragedy. That’s why we chose Studio One as the location for NWA 312. It’s right along the July 4th parade route and that was important to us. I’m from Chicago and we could have had this event anywhere in the city, but I want to make sure the people from the neighborhood get to enjoy the shows.”
The wrestlers are all aboard to help and support the Highland Park community.
“That’s awesome to me – the fact that I’m part of a company that wants to help out and give back to the community,” said Chicago native Missa Kate, one half of the NWA Women’s Tag Team Champions. “It’s not just another pay-per-view. It’s pretty dope. Anything we can do to help, I’m down.”
The NWA will be continuing the fun on Saturday (April 8) with two separate television tapings for the weekly broadcasts of NWA Powerrr and NWA USA. The tapings will also be held at Studio One and will be featured as regular broadcasts on the NWA YouTube Channel. The taping sessions begin at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Photo courtesy NWA
Festivities will kick off with a meet and greet event on Thursday night (April 6) at Madame Zuzu’s where NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion and FOX News personality Tyrus and former Women’s World Champion Madusa will sign copies of their respective books for fans. Tyrus has a New York Times best seller ‘Just Tyrus’ while Madusa will have her book, ‘The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story.’ Other NWA talent also will be in attendance. The event will run from 7-9 p.m.
NWA 312 is loaded show with nine matches on the main card, including Tyrus defending the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship against veteran Chris Adonis (fka Chris Masters from WWE). Tyrus has held the title since defeating previous champion Trevor Murdoch and Matt Cardona in a three-way match at Hard Times 3 on Nov. 12, 2022, in New Orleans. Adonis is known for his Masterlock full-nelson submission hold.
“Tyrus being the champion has given the title more visibility than it has in (long time),” said veteran Chicago-area wrestler Jay Bradley. “Chris Adonis, dare I say, is having some of the best matches of his career. He’s firing on all cylinders.”
Photo courtesy NWA
NWA National Champion Cyon, the mysterious man who bears a resemblance to a Chicago-area independent wrestler and multi-time champion, will face challenger EC3, a former two-time IMPACT Wrestling World Champion and former WWE and NXT superstar. Cyon will be accompanied by the legendary Austin Idol and EC3’s second will be BLK Jeez.
“That’s an interesting ensemble of characters you have there,” EC3 said. “I am a creative mastermind. I am a doer. I am an athlete. I am a warrior. I just know how to kick ass and talk really well about it. I know how to create amazing content and portray myself to the world as the star that I am and the star that I should be.”
As for his outlook on the title match against Cyon on Friday night, EC3 addressed his hopes with bravado.
“Set ‘em up, knock ‘em down,” EC3 said. “That’s what we’ll do. Future NWA National Champion.”
EC3’s relationship with Corgan goes back to their time together in IMPACT Wrestling from 2015-16.
“Ever since the time I was at IMPACT Wrestling, we had a very good relationship,” EC3 said. “There was a nice, interesting Game of Thrones scenario where everyone was trying to become owner of TNA (IMPACT Wrestling). I just showed up and won championships. If I had dog in the fight that wasn’t my (storyline) aunt (Dixie Carter), it would’ve been Billy Corgan.”
A few other Chicago-area talents will be featured as well, including Oak Lawn’s Joe Alonzo, who is set to challenge Kerry Morton, the son of the legendary Ricky Morton, for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Alonzo recently signed with the NWA after a long social-media crusade of tweeting daily that “I, Joe Alonzo, will sign a professional wrestling contract.” His hard work on the independent scene and appearances on WWE SmackDown and AEW Dark helped will those intentions into reality.
Missa Kate holds up the NWA Women’s World Tag Team Championship belt after her victory over Shelly “The Bombshell” Benson at All Heel Wrestling on March 19, 2023 in Winthrop Harbor, Ill. (Photo: Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Kate, known as “Chicago’s Sweetheart,” along with her tag team partner, Madi Wrenkowski, will defend the NWA Women’s Tag Team Championship against Pretty Empowered (Ella Envy and Roxy). Kate, a graduate of Guerin High School in River Grove, has also held championships in Chicago Style Wrestling, GALLI Lucha Libre, ZOWA Live, Heroes and Legends and Zelo Pro.
“It’s crazy coming home [with the NWA],” Kate said. “I’m very interested to see how the crowd’s going to be, because all know Billy Corgan is from here. It’s a really cool feeling and nerve-wracking, in a good way. I don’t think I’ve had this many family members come out to a show yet, let alone a pay-per-view.”
Kate said all the relatives being at the show will provide some extra motivation for her.
Bradley, formerly one half of the NWA United States Tag Team Champions with Wrecking Ball Legursky as The Fixers, will be part of the Bob Luce Memorial Battle Royal with the winner becoming No. 1 contender to the NWA National Heavyweight Championship.
“It’s a homecoming in a lot of ways,” said Bradley, a Providence Catholic and Northern Illinois alum. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a small, intimate setting from what I’ve seen of the venue itself. Bringing the NWA back to Chicago, which is a great wrestling city historically. Everyone wants to have a footprint in Chicago. It’ll be fun to see a lot of family and friends.”
In addition, Chicago’s Matt Vine also will be part of the battle royal. Vine also has recently been seen with Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling in Texas.
“The Brickhouse” Kamille will defend her NWA World Women’s Championship against La Rosa Negra. Kamille is approaching two years as the champ after she defeated Serena Deeb in June 2021 in Atlanta. Kamille has made a few other previous appearances in the Chicago area recently, including stops at Rockford Damage Inc. and Chicago Style Wrestling, where she defeated Shelly “The Bombshell” Benson.
Kamille will be one of the headlining acts at the upcoming WAW North America event, “A Knight to Remember,” where she will face Sweet Saraya Knight (mother of AEW’s Saraya, fka Paige) in Tinley Park on July 28.
In a titanic clash of heavyweights, the imposing Thom Latimer will take on WWE and IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Famer Bully Ray. Latimer, the current NWA World Television Champion, will also be a part of “A Knight to Remember” as he will face Zak Zodiac of the famous Knight wrestling family.
Bully Ray, a three-decade veteran best known for his run as part of the Dudley Boyz tag team, is a former IMPACT World Champion and a co-host on SiriusXM’s “Busted Open Radio.”
Jay Bradley, right, one half of The Fixers in the NWA, tussles with Jordan Kross in a Oct. 2021 match in Kenosha, Wis. (Photo: Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
In other action, Kenzie Page will face Max the Impaler in a tournament final to crown the inaugural NWA Women’s Television Championship. La Rebelión (Bestia 666 and Mecha Wolf) will defend the NWA World Tag Team Championship against Magnum Muscle (Matthew Mims and Dak Draper).
In addition to Bradley and Vine, the announced battle royal participants include Legursky, Vik Dalishus, Homicide, Rhett Titus, Jeremiah Plunkett, Hale Collins, Mercurio, Brady Pierce, Odinson, “Thrillbilly” Silas Mason, Jordan Clearwater, Alex Taylor, Rolando Freeman, PJ Hawx, Psycho Boy Fodder, “Magic” Jake Dumas, Eric Jackson, and Rush Freeman.
The pre-show matches are The Country Gentlemen (AJ Cazana and Anthony Andrews) defending the U.S. Tag Team Championship against The SVGS (Jax Dane & Blake “Bulletproof” Troop), a Hair vs. Mask strap match with Sal the Pal going against Gaagz the Gymp, tag team action with Murdoch and Mike Knox against Daisy Kill, who has Chicago ties under numerous gimmicks, and Talos, and Natalia Markova facing Labrava Escobar (with Christi Jaynes).
Tickets for the NWA 312 pay-per-view event are sold out, but there are still tickets available for the two Saturday tapings at NWATix.com.
A few other Chicago-area and Midwest wrestlers are scheduled to be at the tapings, including Yabo the Clown, Cody James, Southland Championship Wrestling Genesis Champion “Hawaiian Hitman” Koa Laxamana, Mario Pardua and Milwaukee’s Sierra, who is the current CSW Women’s Champion.
Corgan brings a passion to the business that extends all the way back to the 1990s when he was fan at WWE events and making appearances for ECW on TNN. He also was part of Resistance Pro in the Chicago area before working for IMPACT Wrestling.
Bradley admits Corgan is a creative genius, but he’s also very approachable as a boss with the NWA. Bradley recalls a conversation at a 24-hour diner near Chicago’s loop after a Resistance Pro show some years ago.
“We were eating pancakes and just shooting the sh*t,” Bradley said. “We were talking about everything from pro wrestling to aliens. The people at the table were me, Raven, Billy Corgan and a couple of other people that escape my memory right now. So, you can imagine what was talked about at this table.”
EC3 grapples with Jordan Kross at SSW’s HORSEPOWER on March 10, 2023 in Kenosha, Wis. EC3 will challenge Cyon for the NWA National Heavyweight Championship at NWA 312. (Photo: Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Bradley said has a direct line to Corgan to talk about all things wrestling.
“We have a great relationship. He’s an awesome boss,” Bradley said. “He’s very hands on. He wants that feedback. It’s just as much his product as it is ours.”
Corgan’s passion for retro studio wrestling is a hit amongst the talent as well, and fans will get a taste of it this weekend in Highland Park.
EC3 said the blend of that old-school television atmosphere along with pay-per-views at larger venues makes the NWA stand out from a lot of other big companies with its good mix of production and presentation.
“[With] the throwback to TV studio-style wrestling, I like that we can separate ourselves, because not every show has to be ‘the show,’ EC3 said. “I think that’s a problem with wrestling where every show is trying to outdo the last show as opposed to being consistently well put together and good and building over time to moments that people genuinely want to see. You can’t force a moment every week. It’s about taking what’s worked in the past and bringing it forward to the future.”
NWA 312 WEEKEND PRIMER
Thursday, April 6: Tyrus and Madusa book signing & public address, Madame Zuzu’s Emporium (1876 1st St, Highland Park, IL 60035), 7-9 p.m.
Friday, April 7: NWA 312, Studio One Events (1799 Green Bay Rd., Highland Park, IL 60035), main card pay-per-view, 9 p.m. (FITE); pre-show, 8 p.m. (YouTube)
Saturday, April 8: NWA Powerrr & NWAUSA TV tapings, Studio One Events (1799 Green Bay Rd., Highland Park, IL 60035), two shows starting at 2 & 6 p.m. (tickets available at NWATix.com)
CHECK OUT FULL INTERVIEWS WITH THESE NWA STARS
Jay Bradley on Windy City Slam Podcast, Ep. 164: https://bit.ly/3JUze8k.
EC3 on Windy City Slam Podcast, Ep. 165: https://bit.ly/3K9SPBj.
Missa Kate Windy City Slam exclusive YouTube interview:
Just ahead of NWA 312, "Chicago's Sweetheart" Missa Kate joined Windy City Slam's Mike Pankow to talk about working with the NWA in the Chicago area the weekend of April 7-8, her run as NWA Women's Tag Team Champions with Madi Wrenkowski, her recently rivalry with Shelly "The Bombshell" Benson with matches at All Heel Wrestling and Fusion Wrestling Chicago and more in an interviewed conducted on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. Missa Kate and Madi Wrenkowski will defend the NWA Women's Tag Team Titles against Pretty Empowered at NWA 312.
Check out past and present NWA talents Jay Bradley, EC3, Marshe Rockett, Missa Kate and Kayla Kassidy on past episodes of Windy City Slam Podcast wherever you find podcasts or at https://windycityslam.podbean.com/. New episodes drop every Tuesday morning.
We are looking for guests to appear on future episodes of the Windy City Slam Podcast! Please contact Mike at mikepankow@windycityslam.com, message him on Facebook or DM him on Twitter.
