Coming out of the pandemic restrictions and reopening of the world came a reboot for Chris Adonis. The wrestler former known as “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters still had a passion for performing and a nice career under his belt starting at a young age. However, the veteran felt there was more he could show.
“I had to look at my past and realize I was never my best self,” the NWA star said, checking in from Mexico City where he would join others on the roster for the AAA vs. NWA The World is a Vampire show.
Without any of what he called past B.S. or baggage boggling him down, the 40-year-old believes he can now be the best pro wrestler he can be. There are fellow former colleagues of WWE who have taken advantage of the platform NWA has given them and found tremendous success. Names include Matt Cardona, JTG, Trevor Murdoch, and the man currently at the top of the mountain in Tyrus.
After WWE in particular signed a lot of us, we never really got the full chance to develop,” Adonis explained. “Back in the day, you had guys working territories and all these places. Then they go to WWF and halfway have it figured out.
“What you’re seeing from guys like myself and others coming into our own. We might have come into our own sooner if we had a longer run in WWE. But we have done it ourselves on the independent scene. That comes by virtue of first wanting to get better and still caring. Through the natural course of developing and evolving as a character. Trying to find your final form so to speak.”
The master of The Master Look took WWE by storm 20 years ago and it didn’t take long before he was working with the likes of Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and John Cena. A second stint with the company never really reached the heights he would have liked.
“I came into WWE I was the body guy, the muscle guy,” Adonis said. “It’s not like I’m not completely that anymore. That was my ticket in, but I wasn’t the performer I wanted to be. I didn’t want to be the one-dimensional big guy.”
He aims for a more athletic presentation today in his matches. After landing in the NWA, he joined up with Strictly Business, the top faction made up of the likes of Thom Latimer and champ and recent opponent Nick Aldis. Sacrificing the National Championship for a crack at Murdoch and the heavyweight gold didn’t lead to a positive result. He hopes things end differently as Adonis gears up to challenge Tyrus for the “Ten Pounds of Gold” at the NWA 312 pay-per-view on April 7.
“He is a polarizing figure for a number of reasons,” Adonis said of his opponent. “First off, when you work at Fox News, that is going to be part of the deal anyway. One thing I will say about the IWC is one thing they don’t know is the true love Tyrus actually has for pro wrestling….The love he has for professional wrestling is not fake. He sits around and watches old Dusty Rhodes matches on his TV at home. He is legit about that. That doesn’t change the fact when it comes to Tyrus and myself, I’ve made it pretty clear he may be the NWA champion, but I am the better wrestler. That is what it all comes down to on 312 pay-per-view.”
Adonis will come into Chicago for the big show with a chip on his shoulder. For the driven competitor, it’s the biggest match of his career and the ultimate proving ground.
“I was slated for the Intercontinental title, the tag titles, potentially the youngest WWE champion of all time,” he said. “But to me, this shot at the world title is my shot at redemption. To me, what matters is what I leave behind in these last few years. If I can look back and say I put forward my best body of work and became the NWA champion world champion, the most prestigious championship in all of wrestling. At the very least, that is going to be a feel-good story for me. It matters to me. It’s important I close my career out right.”
Beyond Tyrus, he believes 2023 is going to be a big year for him. And if this latest run might be his last, he still has goals to attain and opponents to cross off his list. They range from Moose, Harry Smith, and Aldis to Jon Moxley, Hangman Page, and Drew McIntyre. Yes, there are some that are forbidden door opponents and outside the NWA, but he is still putting it out there.
“There is no part of me that thinks he is going back to WWE full-time or am I campaigning for that,” Adonis added. “But what I have campaigned for the last two years is coming back for the Royal Rumble spot. It means a lot to me to get in front of that audience one more time to show them what I can do now and the worker I became…I know if I was put in the Royal Rumble, and even if I was in there for two minutes I would shine. It would be pretty cool.”
When looking at the WWE roster today, he is impressed with emerging talent like Austin Theory. There are some similarities between the young gun and “The Masterpiece,” who came onto the scene right out of his teens. Adonis likens “A-Town Down” to a little brother.
“Austin Theory, Killer Kross, and LA Knight are my guys on the roster. I root for those guys’ success and believe in them,” Adonis said. “I think when I watch Austin Theory, I don’t have to give him advice…As long as he keeps his head on straight, he’ll be able to do all the things I wasn’t able to do because, at his age, I made a lot of mistakes. I was impressionable.
“A lot of what I know about Austin Theory from hanging out with him and talking to him, this guy has no interest in getting involved in extracurricular activities. The business isn’t really like that anymore thank God…He is going to do great as long as he keeps his nose clean. He’ll be able to do what I wasn’t able to do on my first run.”
Watch NWA 312 on April 7 at 8 p.m. ET on FITE TV. Catch NWA Powerrr on Tuesdays at 6:05 p.m. and NWA USA on Saturdays at Noon on YouTube.
