In February 1997, The Beautiful Blondes wrestled Surge and Venom at a National Championship Wrestling television taping in Asheville, North Carolina. On April 4, The Beautiful Blondes and Allen King wrestled a 6-man tag match against Scott Sterling, Ricky Harrison, and Donnie Dallas for Southern Championship Wrestling in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Golden traveled to Georgia's National Championship Wrestling for the summer where he faced David Jericho and Ricky Rocket. On July 10 in Sylva, North Carolina, Golden lost to Rocket in a match for the then vacant NCW Television Championship. He again lost to Rocket in Sylva on October 2, 1997. On February 21, 1998, The Beautiful Blondes wrestled GAWF Tag Team Champions Kane and Abel Adams at a Great American Wrestling Federation event in Red Oak, North Carolina. By the late-1990s, Golden has established himself as a formidable competitor in the Southern United States with victories over veteran wrestlers such as Bobby and Jackie Fulton, Tony Anthony, Tracey Smothers, and Jimmy Valiant. Though considered a "heel" wrestler by Southern wrestling fans, he was very popular with crowds in his native Tennessee. Golden briefly feuded with Stan Lee but would eventually reform The Beautiful Blondes with him. Golden spent much of 1998 in Appalachian Mountain Wrestling where he had standout matches with AMW Heavyweight Champion "Playboy" Bryan Wayne. On August 1, 1998, Golden and Ricky Harrison defeated The Artists Formerly Known as The Young Guns (Scott Sterling and Jeff Lovin) for the AMW Tag Team Championship. Their three-month championship reign was ended by Bryan Wayne and his former partner Stan Lee at "Tag Wars '98" on November 14; their opponents had won an eight-team tournament earlier that night to earn a title shot. Golden subsequently won the vacant AMW Junior Heavyweight Championship from Eight-Ball Jones on December 12, 1998. Several days later in Cornelia, Georgia, Golden defeated Shane Austin for the NCW United States Heavyweight Championship in a three-way match also involving David Jericho. He lost the belt to Jesse Taylor three months later. Golden also teamed up with his uncle Jimmy Golden for occasional tag team matches in Kingsport. A July 21 bout against David Jericho and Rusty Riddle ended in a no-contest, however, they beat Pretty Handsome (Chris Steelheart and Mike Hanson) in August 1998 and "Dirty White Boy" Tony Anthony & Dr. Dan in July 1999. On March 25, 2000, Golden wrestled Big Ox for a Southeastern Championship