This is the promotion that gave me my first opportunity to ring announce and my first opportunity to start learning the wrestling business.
Ultimate NWA ran with some "skeleton" crews by modern day standards but we typically had about 8-12 guys for 5 matches. The staples were owner/promoter "Wildthing" Will Owens, Adam Roberts, Adam Jacobs, Patrick Bentley, Chrisjen Hayme, Corey Hollis, Amos Moses, Jeremy Flynt, Mike Posey and Cecil Plezing.
The Chattanooga Crew(Matt Fortune, Ben Thrasher, Tank, Tempers, The Rev Dan Wilson, and Se7en), Kent Reznor, Freakshow, Phil Macchio, Jesse Emerson, Rick Young, Chris Ganz, Chris Lightning, and a variety of others filled in or had stints with us for a few months at a time.
I felt very fortunate to be around a lot of guys who blended old school ring work with storytelling, as well as some pizzazz at times. Owens & Plezing truly knew how to get heat as Southern heels. They wore pink singlets and made fans absolutely despise them, while usually ending up being the butt of jokes to the fans' delight. Plezing was a master of "the invisible gimmick" and Owens would talk on the mic until every person in the building was listening and hating him. Jacobs, Hayme, Posey and Bentley were all insanely talented technicians and high flyers. Adam Roberts was a top heavyweight babyface everywhere we went with Jeremy Flynt and Amos Moses (along with the pesky Russian Assassin) filling in as talented and lovable...or hatable heavyweights as well. Corey Hollis shined as the ultimate super athletic, young white meat babyface in a time where he was mentored in and out of the ring several times a month by these guys.
We did the Scottsboro fair one year and had maybe 500+ people watching...and we did a "bought" show at a baseball field in Northwest Alabama and had 2 paying fans - so it was interesting to see the different dynamics. I look back at the wrestlers(now 10 years ago) and I'm really thankful to have been with such a crew of experienced and hard-working guys that almost all had great mentors themselves and brought experience to the table of working at a higher level than our "local" shows. They took me under their wing for sure and treated me as an equal when they were all much more experienced or traveled than I was.
My favorite feud was The Devil's Rejects vs Ultimate NWA. Video packages were used. Sheer terror broke out. Women and children cried! They incited emotion and it was beautiful. The Scottsboro Armory and Fairgrounds packed it out several times to see combinations of Se7en, Tempers, Bentley, and Rufus Black vs Tank, and the Ultimate NWA favorites with the feud finally culminating in an emotional War Games match that saw Will Owens temporarily become a fan favorite.
Most of these guys have hung it up now but the legacy of Ultimate NWA continues on through myself(hopefully), Corey Hollis, and for maybe another year or two middle Tennessee veteran Jeremy Flynt. Mike Posey continues to earn great opportunities as a referee. Roberts & Bentley continue to make gear for some of the biggest names in professional wrestling. Hayme has a family now and has become a Triathlon/Marathon athlete. Many others have settled down with families away from the business and removed from a time that we all enjoyed together.
I recently had a pep rally fundraiser with callouts/no shows where we had to get 3 matches out of 5 guys, and a veteran remarked that it was "The Will Owens in me" that allowed me to take charge and get the most out of what we had. I feel so lucky to have had those 3 years with veteran guys and with a wrestling group that raised money for great causes with a loyal crew of guys working together. I've lost touch with many of those guys but I know they're all a text message away and I still value their input and their knowledge.
Here's a list of some Ultimate NWA Results:
https://www.cagematch.net/?id=8&nr=540&page=8
Hope you enjoyed reading and maybe even taking a trip back in time to when you personally got to enjoy Ultimate NWA!
Scott Hensley
/ScottCHensley or /ScenicCityInvitational on Facebook
@ScottCHensley or @ SCITournament on Twitter
Our next event is our Scenic City Rumble on Saturday February 8th at East Hamilton Middle High School in Ooltewah, TN!
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