When the opening bell kicks off the NWA 312 main event Friday night in Illinois’ Highland Park, fans will see Chris Adonis, the ex-WWE superstar who came up as Chris Masters, trying to capitalize on having reinvented himself as a wrestling journeyman. Adonis will not only be trying to defeat NWA World Heavyweight Champion Tyrus, but the veteran of the squared circle will also be vying to cap off what he has called his “personal story of redemption.”
Leading up to one of the biggest matches of his career, Adonis sat down with CinemaBlend to discuss the enormity of his quest to earn and capture one of the most prestigious titles in all of professional wrestling, one held by the likes of Ric Flair, Lou Thesz, the late Dusty Rhodes, and so many other legends. In addition to being on the potential cusp of securing the gold and having his named etched into the history books, Adonis also sees this is as the “exclamation point” on his redemption. Here’s how he put it:
I have my own personal story of redemption here, and my goal obviously coming into Friday is to obtain the NWA Championship. But let’s just say for argument’s sake, even if I didn’t, I will not stop in my journey until I make that dream my reality. That is something that I am obsessed with, I must make it happen, and I’m going to do everything in my power to obtain that goal. That’s the exclamation point on my redemption.
Adonis opened up about the path that led him to this point in his career, as our conversation revolved around the NWA 312 event and its stacked card, which features more than a half-dozen championship bouts, as well as the promotion’s biggest stars.
The road to NWA 312 hasn’t been without its ups and downs, but Adonis isn’t one to let his past get in the way of capturing figurative glory and the literal World Heavyweight Championship. In fact, the trials and tribulations he’s faced have only further inspired him to reach greatness:
It was all I ever wanted to do, and I got there and got everything kind of handed to me initially and maybe I wasn’t responsible and a little too young and I let it slip through my fingers and I floundered for a bit, but now is where I rise again. And I do everything I can to right all the wrongs of the past, I try to go as far as I possibly can in the professional wrestling business with the years I have left, and there’s a lot of adversity that I still have to face going forward.
If Adonis is able to take down the 375-pound monster that is Tyrus on Friday night, and can wrap the prestigious belt around his waist, he says he will be “the best NWA Champion” he can be, and will bring that superlative verve to every city, state, country, and continent on the planet as a classy and prestigious champ.
But if he comes up short and is unable to bring down the wrestler formerly known as Brodus Clay, he will be obsessing over it every day until he gets his next shot because all roads lead to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Though the much anticipated main event championship match between Chris Adonis and Tyus is surely the big draw for NWA 312, Friday’s pay-per-view event is just one of nine contests on the stacked card.
Other notable matches include NWA World Women’s Champion Kamille taking on La Rosa Negra, NWA National Heavyweight Champion Cyon defending against EC3, other title opportunities, a host of tag matches, a battle royale, and an exhibition match between WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray and Thom Latimer.
Check out the official NWA 312 poster below:
NWA 312 will be held at Studio One in Highland Park, Illinois, and can be watched live on FITE TV starting 10 p.m. EDT, Friday, April 6th. A free pre-show will be available on the NWA YouTube channel starting at 9 p.m. EDT.
Check out the NWA website for more information on Friday’s event, as well as all future shows.
