Georgia Championship Wrestling
February 23, 1980
Atlanta, GA
WTBS-17 Studios

The current GCW champs are as follows:
NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Harley Race (11/7/1979)
NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champion: Mr. Wrestling II (1/12/1980)
NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions: Ivan Koloff & Alexis Smirnoff (12/7/1979)
NWA National Television Champion: Austin Idol (2/21/1980)

TIME FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. That’s right. While this show is incomplete and jumps around, it’s available here on YouTube for all of us to enjoy and there’s enough action here to warrant a watch.

Your host is Gordon Solie. He’s talking with Mr. Wrestling II and we go to a clip of a Tommy Rich versus the Masked Superstar. Rich gets Superstar in an inside cradle and nearly pins him. Taking offense, Superstar grabs Rich and throws him over the top rope. He then grabs the ref (Joe Powell – the Wrestling II impersonator), rips off his shirt, and puts him in the COBRA hold. MR. WRESTLING II comes in and tries to save Powell by ripping off the Masked Superstar’s MASK. Back to the studio, Solie and Wrestling II remind everyone that Mr. Wrestling II has also broken the Cobra hold.

The tape changes and we go to Gordon Solie interviewing Tommy Rich. 1980 is still going to be Tommy’s year as he looks to win the NWA world title from Harley Race tomorrow night in the Omni. GET READY HARLEY BECAUSE TOMMY RICH IS FIRED UP.

After the break, Solie talks with the National TV champ Austin Idol. He’s carrying a leather belt on one shoulder and the TV title on the other. Idol thinks Tommy Rich has bitten off more than he can chew by taking a match with him and then facing Harley Race in just 24 hours.

• NWA National TV Championship: Austin Idol (c) vs. Tommy Rich

They run the ropes to start with shoulder blocks and armdrags. Idol takes a powder and complains about a hair pull. Back inside, Idol and Rich trade headlocks. The NWA world champ Harley Race appears at ringside to get a closer look and encourage Austin Idol. He catches Rich with a knee and backdrops him for a two-count. There’s a slam and an elbow drop from the second rope score another nearfall. Running knee drop gets two again. Rich punches back and monkey flips Idol out of the corner. Rich finds a sleeperhold, but Idol pushes Rich off into the ref for the break. Idol kicks Rich into the leg and starts to take Rich to school. He tries the LAS VEGAS LEG LOCK as Race gets up on the apron for some reason. Rich kicks Idol off into Race. Now Harley takes his jacket off. Rich punches on Idol and covers him while Race comes off the top rope for a Flying Headbutt, but Rich moves and Race nails Idol. As the ref wakes up, Rich covers Idol for the three-count and the TV title. (4:39) Rich goes to town all over Race and Idol. While he’s beating on Race, Idol sneaks out and grabs his leather belt. He then jumps Rich from behind and locks in the LAS VEGAS LEGLOCK. To keep him in the hold, Idol ties the belt around the hold to keep Rich from going anywhere. Meanwhile, Race is delivering knee drop after knee drop to the thigh. Good guy jabronis come out to stop Race, but can’t. Eventually, Kevin Sullivan and Mr. Wrestling II come out to chase Harley Race and Austin Idol out of the ring. Tommy Rich is FIGHTIN’ MAD right now, but his knee is gone according to Solie.

After the break, Gordon Solie says there will be no more wrestling on this program until he talks with the NWA world champ Harley Race to explain his actions. As Race walks over to him with the NWA world title belt on his shoulder, Solie points out that there were rumors and talks of a $5000 bounty and it appeared Race was right in the middle of what just occurred to Tommy Rich. Race thinks Solie is out to make him look like the bad guy, but people like Gordon have no idea what it’s like to hold the NWA world title and have top talent gunning for you all the time. Race dangled the $5000 bait and Austin Idol’s greed took the bait by eliminating a top challenger. It’s really that simple. He’s not the bad guy, he just put out the bait. Wow. Gordon feels there’s no further explanation and dismisses Race. Gordon shakes his head and has no idea what to say to that type of rationale.

• Wrestling II vs. (Genichiro) Tenryu

Yes, it’s *that* Tenryu. Wrestling II dominates with armbars to start. Tenryu slaps him back on the chest and grabs a headlock. Tenryu decides to karate chop instead, but that gives Wrestling II some separation and takes Tenryu to the mat for a headscissors. Crowd is rapping about II. Hilarious. Back to the headlock on Tenryu. Eventually, Tenryu escapes with a back suplex and an elbow drop gets two. Wrestling II catches Tenryu with a quick KNEE LIFT to stun Tenryu. Back to the center of the ring, they start trading nearfalls and Wrestling II drills Tenryu another KNEE LIFT for the win at 4:28.

Freddie Miller gives us an update on Tommy Rich. The NWA has decided since Tommy Rich is hurt, Mr. Wrestling II will be given the opportunity for the NWA world title. Mr. Wrestling II comes over to Solie and accepts the match. This time, Harley Race has gone too far and Wrestling II promises to get even while dedicating the match to Tommy.

The Funk brothers are in the TV studio. We go to a video of Terry Funk carrying a rifle on his ranch. Dusty Rhodes is an egg sucking dog. Talk turns to Jack and Jerry Brisco. Terry and Dory are superior to stupid Okies like the Brisco brothers. Alright. Back to the studio, Terry Funk says he and Dory ran him out of Georgia and continues to run Dusty down. Solie mentions there is still supposed to be a tag match between Toru Tanaka and Killer Khan and the Brisco brothers. Terry then says he and Dory bought Toru Tanaka and Killer Khan’s contracts so they can face Jack and Jerry. We never get any Brisco brother, but we do get DUSTY RHODES and WAHOO MCDANIEL. They beat the snot out of the Funk boys clearing them out of the ring until we go to commercial.

After the break, Dusty Rhodes and Wahoo McDaniel appear with Gordon Solie. Dusty points his finger at the camera yelling at the Funk boys. Wahoo says he doesn’t know what it cost to buy Jack and Jerry’s contracts, but he doesn’t care because he trusts Dusty with his finances. WHAT. Tomorrow night in the Omni, Dusty and Wahoo face Terry and Dory Funk Jr. I’d pay to see that one.

Austin Idol interview. He doesn’t seem too concerned about losing the TV title because he made $5000 today. Idol talks about what he’s going to do in the lumberjack strap match he is booked to have against Kevin Sullivan in the Omni.

Ole and Lars Anderson interview. More of the Omni build continues. Ole mentions how the Americans just beat the Russians in the Winter Olympics for a gold medal and paralleled that victory with he and Lars beating Ivan Koloff and Alexis Smirnoff in their Texas Tornado match tomorrow night in the Omni.

Harley Race interview. Gordon lets Harley know how disappointed he is in him right now. Race doesn’t care what anybody thinks as long as he gets done what needs to be done. Tommy Rich needed to be taught a lesson. Race sets up the clip of what went down between Rich and Idol earlier in the show. Harley says this lesson cost him $5000 and beating Mr. Wrestling II won’t cost him a dime. Now Race looks to eliminate Mr. Wrestling II and he will do it all by himself – TOMORROW NIGHT IN THE OMNI!

Mr. Wrestling II interview. Wrestling II lets us know that Harley Race has gone lower than a snake on the ground. TOMMY RICH, THIS MATCH IN THE OMNI IS ALL FOR YOU.

Dusty Rhodes and Wahoo McDaniel interview. Dusty says Terry and Dory would get their butts whooped by their daddy if he was still around. They replay the beatdown Dusty and Wahoo gave the Funk boys earlier in the show. Wahoo says he and Dusty are TOUGH together and plan on finding out who the toughest duo from Texas really is. Dusty says he and Wahoo are going to “take care of bidness, baby” tomorrow night in the Omni.

Kevin Sullivan interview. Sullivan can’t BELIEVE what Austin Idol has done to Tommy Rich and he looks to stop him in a lumberjack strap match tomorrow night in the Omni.

Another Wahoo McDaniel interview. He keeps talking about how many miles he’s traveled to help Dusty Rhodes against the Funk brothers. Sounds like we’ve switched over to Sunday night now.

Austin Idol interview. Idol says Tommy Rich is the one who tried to get him into a match by slapping him in the face. Idol doesn’t forget anything. The $5000 from Harley Race had nothing to do with Tommy Rich, but the money came from a piece of real estate. Idol feels he’s nobody’s hitman because he is the kingpin. IDOLMANIA HAS GONE CRAZY HERE – and “The Maniac” Kevin Sullivan needs to be concerned. He’s put one man out of action and whose to say he wouldn’t do the same to Sullivan.

• Ray Candy vs. Bob Owens

Candy is able to withstand everything Owens throws at him and returns the favor. Well, Owens tried. A vertical suplex and a running powerslam takes care of Owens in 3:39.

Harley Race interview. Solie asks Race about the piece of real estate he purchased from Idol for $5000. Race says this has all been explained so there’s nothing more to say. Now as far as why he’s in Georgia, he’s taking care of Harley Race business. He explains he has to do all he can to hold onto the NWA world title. Mr. Wrestling II will be eliminated – TONIGHT IN THE OMNI.

Old time wrestler turned manager Rock Hunter goes down the list of top heels that he loves watching in this area. He will soon be managing the tag champs Ivan Koloff and Alexis Smirnoff very soon and shows interest in them towards the end of this interview.

That’s going to do it for this week. Until next time, so long for now.