Gaming Site

History of NWA Wildside

The Georgia based promotion was created in 1999 through a merger of NCW (National Championship Wrestling) owned by Steve Martin & Ray Rawls and NWA Georgia owned by Bill Behrens. Behrens served 3 years as vice-president of the National Wrestling Alliance and as President for one year. Behrens worked under contract for WWE (3 times) and WCW (twice), as well as with Jerry Jarrett & Jerry Lawler's USWA and Jim Cornette's SMW. He joined WWE for the third time in 2005 to produce TV programs for Deep South Wrestling, the WWE Georgia Talent Development promotion. Mr. Behrens currently works with TNA ENTERTAINMENT, as it's Bookings Director.

The WILDSIDE television product was the primary calling card for NWA Wildside as it aired nationally, and on The Wrestling Channel in the UK. The program was hosted by the announcing team of DAN "THE DRAGON" WILSON & STEVEN PRAZAK. NWA WILDSIDE and was scheduled weekly on the AMERICAN INDEPENDENT NETWORK, URBAN AMERICA NETWORK and LICK-TV NETWORK, and also airs on stations like WATL-TV36 and WTLK-TV14 in Atlanta, GA, and other stations. NWA WILDSIDE promoted at the NWA ARENA in CORNELIA, GA every FRIDAY and on the 1st and 3rd SATURDAY of each month which were TV tapings. NWA Wildside was affiliated with Georgia Championship Wrestling (Great Championship Wrestling) (Columbus, GA), NAWA (Rome, GA), Pro Wrestling Evolution (Athens, GA), and Spinebuster Championship Wrestling (Valdosta, GA).

NWA WILDSIDE operated a wrestling school at the NWA Arena on Tuesday and Thursday evenings where stars like AJ STYLES had their initial wrestling training. NWA WILDSIDE featured talent like AJ STYLES, DAVID YOUNG, ROMEO BLISS (SURVIVOR'S BUBBA), JIMMY RAVE, GABRIEL (CHAD PARHAM), ICEBERG, TANK, TODD SEXTON, ALTAR BOY LUKE (LUKE HAWX), JAY FURY, PATRICK BENTLEY, MATT SYDAL, DELIRIOUS, DAIZEE HAZE, FAST EDDIE, "KOOL" SETH DELAY, SALVATORE RINAURO, JASON CROSS, ONYX, RAINMAN (KORY CHAVIS), MIKAL ADRYAN (MIKAL JUDAS), AZRAEL, JUSTICE (ABYSS), RON KILLINGS, TONY MAMALUKE and many more. World Championship Wrestling (WCW) contracted NWA WILDSIDE to serve as its development territory, and sent POWER PLANT wrestlers like DAN FACTOR, OMEN, THE BEAST (BOB SAPP), and many of their television stars like DAVID FLAIR, SHANNON MOORE, "HURRICANE" SHANE HELMS, MARK JINDRAK, SEAN O'HAIRE, ELIX SKIPPER, JIMMY YANG, and more to get additional training, ring time and experience. In 2000 WCW hired several WILDSIDE stars including AJ STYLES, AIR PARIS & EZ MONEY (JASON JETT). WWE signed former NWA Wildside stars such as K KWIK (RON KILLINGS) & JAMIE NOBLE. TNA ENTERTAINMENT featured or features former Wildside Champions, including AJ STYLES, DAVID YOUNG, ABYSS, RON KILLINGS, ONYX, JIMMY RAVE, EDWARD CHASTAIN (ICEBERG), & HOTSTUFF HERNANDEZ. The WILDSIDE website can be found at WWW.NWA-WILDSIDE.COM.