He is used to wowing wrestling fans inside the squared circle.
But starting next week,
a blunt county native will take movie goers on
the thrill ride of a lifetime digital storyteller,
William Wynette and 10 news anchor, Abby Ham caught up with the thrill,
Billy Silas Mason ahead of his Hollywood debut.
His name Silas Mason.
I'm a professional wrestler.
I wrestle people professionally known in the wrestling world as the thrill, Billy.
This Merrillville native knew from an early age, he wanted to be between the ropes.
I was a little kid sitting in front of the TV,
back when they used to have the dials to get it on and it was,
it was uh
la
parka versus Ultimo Dragon.
And I was like, man,
these guys are like superheroes and so I like superheroes
and stuff and I said I wanna be a superhero.
And now I am
a student of the Jacobs Pritchard Wrestling Academy.
Mason had humble beginnings, wrestling in places like the Green Acres flea market.
Now he is signed to the National Wrestling
Alliance owned by smashing Pumpkins front man,
Billy Corgan.
So I was in a band for a while.
Uh was played on 94 3, the X if anyone remembers that radio station.
So me and Billy Corgan are kind of kindred spirits.
We both played on the same radio station.
His venture into the NW A has allowed Silas to not
only perform all over the country but internationally as well.
I mean,
Canada and Australia are basically the same place except Australia is on the bottom
of the flat earth,
you know. So, uh, actually it was dope. I love working there.
Mason is the current holder of both the NW
A national championship and the JCP World Championship.
See
that right
there
is the largest arm in Blunt County.
I don't know how big those TV S you got in the
house are but darling pull it back out because I got two
of
them
and a visit to our studios early in 2023 really helped Mason star shine,
get your mom out the field. It gets your dad out of the
kitchen because the
National
wrestler
line
is what y'all been missing.
Honestly, it was that interview at, uh,
for the news station that like really popped off
because like people heard about it on the news,
people had seen me on NW A
and then there was just that big, like,
sir,
I get like over a million views all across the whole social media and stuff like that.
But, uh, it's just been a meteoric rise man. Finally,
the natty is back home in Knoxville. Baby.
Ever since I was a child,
people said my family was cursed
in October 2022 production began on the Iron Claw.
A film about the Von Erik wrestling family.
Mason's headshots wound up in the hands of the movie's producers and
they felt he was perfect to play Terry Bam Bam Gordy,
a member of the legendary trio, The Fabulous Freebirds.
They asked me if I knew who Terry Bam. Bam Gordy was.
I was like, man, I've been ripping him off for like a
seven years at the time that I've been wrestling.
Silas did so well in his role,
he received praise from a former referee who shared
the ring with Cory for years during his heyday
that just got done like, you know, running through one of the scenes,
he was like, man for a second, it looked like Bam Bam was out there, man.
So like that was really cool.
The main character of the Iron Claw is played by Zac Efron, super sweet guy.
But I will say this
with him being like the big Hollywood type.
Sometimes it's like a because uh me and him were sitting there talking,
I had a can of Grizzly Wintergreen long cut.
I put it in and he's like,
oh man, I
love doing Grizzly Wintergreen.
I was like, hell, yeah, we're like talking about dipping.
He's like, yeah,
when I go fly fishing out in like Thailand and stuff like that I was like,
see now you lost me.
You're relating to him and then you're just like, oh,
we live completely different lives, brother,
regardless of their inability to relate.
Mason left the set of the Iron Claw with high praise from Ephron.
Zac Efron's favorite wrestler. This guy, he literally told me that
after we like filmed one of the scenes, he's like, man,
you're just so fun to work with.
And I was just like, hell, yeah, brother, he's like, you're my favorite wrestler.
I was like, I am
because I'm my favorite wrestler too.
Mason's favorite part of filming the Iron Claw.
That was actually a high class productions
helped me pay off my car too. So that was sick.
I like that. Hollywood. Not bad for a kid from Merial.
I'm really grateful to, you know,
being a kid from Blunt County who didn't really like,
you know, start out with much in life.
Now, I got two big shiny belts, baby and a lot of money in my bank account.
So I can't complain.
He is the definition of a character. All right.
Well, if you would like to watch the big screen,
the Iron Claw opens next Thursday at
Central cinema and theaters across East Tennessee.