Forney, TX – It’s been a while since we at Slamwrestling.net spoke to “Thrillbilly” Silas Mason, but the “Thrillbilly” is definitely revving up in the National Wrestling Alliance.
From our first interview to the last encounter at NWA 75, Mason has made his mark in not only capturing the National title in a three-way match with Odinson and Kratos, but he also managed to capture the Ten Pounds of Gold against Thom Latimer at the NWA 77 signature live event last year.
Or, as Mason put it: “It’s a very becoming color for a very becoming man.”
As always, “Big Daddy Thrill” is never short for words, and on this night at The Crockett Cup, we spoke with the champ as he was preparing for his title match against his rival, Bryan Idol, about his transformation.
“I had a hell of a match, hell of an experience,” he noted, recalling his showdown with Latimer last year and claiming the top prize in the NWA.
“Whenever you trained your entire life to be the world champion, [and] you actually accomplish it,” Mason added. So, I’ll be damned if anybody’s gonna be taking this thing. And obviously, there has been no shortage of challengers of late here.”
Currently, Mason has been on a “Thrill’ Em All” tour with the NWA territories as world champion, and he recently made this observation.
“One of the things I’ve been noticing as of late is there are a lot of big dudes they got in the territories, and the competition is stiff,” he said. “I came from the territories, [like] JCP (Joe Cazana’s promotion) before it was a territory. And this country’s got all kinds of athletes and all kinds of players around it everywhere, and the NWA is an attractive zone for that kind of talent.
And seeing a guy like me with the World’s Heavyweight Championship, it’s inspired a lot of people, I guess, to step up, because they think they can do it too. But there’s only ever been one ‘Thrillbilly,’ so they got to keep at it.”
Outside of the squared circle, Mason has also done some acting on the side, such as the acclaimed movie The Iron Claw, and was even featured in a Moon Pie commercial alongside AJ Cazana, which you can see here:
As for other acting aspirations, his latest response will surprise you.
“I like theater acting a lot more than I like on-screen acting,” he said, “because it’s the closest thing to wrestling, of getting the audience feedback.”
We couldn’t help but notice midway through the interview that the tone and demeanor were (for Mason) a little more subdued than in times past. When we pointed that out, the ‘Thrillbilly’ told us why, which even caught us at Slamwrestling.net off guard, but in a good way.
“It’s probably because I quit drinking. That’d be a big one,” He said with pride. “Two years sober. That’s also why I’m in such great shape nowadays.
“Honestly, though, being the world champion, I represent not just me with this title, but this entire company, and everyone who’s been in the company before that,” Mason continued. “So, popping off, saying stupid crap, just joking around with some people, you have to take yourself a little bit more seriously and carry yourself with more gravitas. Because it’s an important position you hold as that figurehead, as the flag bearer, as it were. So, I have to be the role model for them. I may not be as fun as I used to be, but I’m still wise beyond my years.”
He even had a chance to return to the promotion where it all started for him in Oregon, DOA Pro Wrestling. “I got to come back there as the world’s heavyweight champion,” he recalled. So literally, going from the very beginning of where my career started to where it is now, and being literally the top guy, the number one person in the industry, and getting to show my old trainers, old friends; that’s been really cool.”
For now, Mason has a full dance card ahead of him after Crockett Cup, such as the Hard Times signature event coming up on June 6th in Georgia, plus he will be coming to All Japan Pro Wrestling on June 18th, as it was announced on the promotion’s social media platform, “X.”
【タイトルマッチ開催決定】
「スーパーパワーシリーズ2026」
～積田冷熱工事株式会社presents～
6月18日（木）後楽園大会にて、NWA世界ヘビー級選手権試合の開催が決定‼️
同タイトルマッチの開催は約2年ぶり！
対戦カードは決定次第お知らせ致します。https://t.co/BpeZUdkFhX#ajpw#NWApic.twitter.com/huGyvlzQNd
— 全日本プロレス/alljapan (@alljapan_pw) May 17, 2026
But what goals does he have while still stateside?
“There are always more challengers and more challenges to be had,” he said, “And I’m a man that likes to set goals and accomplish them. There are so many guys in the NWA that I would love to get in there and fight, if I’m just being honest with you. Just kick their ass.”
In other words, you want to “Thrill ‘Em All?”
“Yeah,” Mason agreed. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
You can watch Mason defend the NWA Heavyweight title against Bryan Idol, plus the finals of The Crockett Cup, on Comet TV Saturdays at 4 pm ET.
You can personalise your Google settings to see more stories from slamwrestling.net when you search for wrestling news.
Google’s Preferred Sources feature lets you choose the websites you trust most. Once added, Google is more likely to show SLAM in Top Stories and the “from your sources” section.
- Click this link to take you directly to Google’s “Source preferences” page.
- Sign into your Google account.
- Search for slamwrestling.net.
- Tick the box next to Slam Wrestling.
Adding SLAM as a Preferred Source helps you see more of our news, features, and exclusive coverage in Google search.
