Georgia Championship Wrestling
March 8, 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: Tommy Rich (2/23/1980)

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.

Solie is in the middle of interviewing Austin Idol. He’s still being questioned about breaking Tommy Rich’s leg two weeks earlier. He runs through his usual idioms, clichés, and IDOLMANIA. After getting his hands on Harley Race, now Mr. Wrestling II will be looking for a measure of revenge against Austin Idol in the Omni tomorrow night.

Gordon brings in Rock Hunter with his men the Georgia tag champs Ivan Koloff and Alexis Smirnoff. Hunter mentions how Koloff and Smirnoff have destroyed Ole and Lars Anderson with simple holds like a hammerlock. Lars has apparently “thrown in the towel” to get Koloff and Smirnoff to stop ripping at Ole’s arm. Meanwhile, Koloff and Smirnoff are speaking gibberish to each other with occasionally mentioning the word “Americans”.

When we return, Gordon Solie is standing by with Lars Anderson and Stan Hansen. Lars says that Ole will be out of action 2-3 months due to the shoulder injury. SOMEBODY HAS TO DO SOMETHING AROUND HERE ABOUT ALL THIS CRAZINESS. Hansen feels all these nasty foreigners need to watch themselves because he’s got a ton of American pride. Tomorrow night in the Omni, Hansen and Lars will take on Ivan Koloff and Alexis Smirnoff. Lars says they are coming for the arm – AND THEN THE TITLES.

• Stan Hansen & Lars Anderson vs. Bob Owens & Bob Garrett

Because he’s an Anderson, Lars goes for the arm. Because he’s Stan Hansen, he just beats the crap out of Garrett and Owens. Stan lands the LARIAT and tags in Lars who slaps on the STEPOVER ARMBAR on Owens for the submission win in 1:31.

Gordon Solie mentions that all the good guys around here think that Austin Idol definitely seems to be a bounty hunter under the pay of the NWA world champ Harley Race.

• Dusty Rhodes vs. Charlie Fulton

We start the second hour of wrestling with the NWA Southern Heavyweight champ Dusty Rhodes. Fulton escapes an armbar and wants to thrown down on Dusty, but that turns bad real quick as Rhodes leads to the Flip Flop and Fly before locking in the armbar again. Fulton retaliates again, but that’s bad idea jeans. Dusty fires back, lands a back elbow off the ropes, and hits the BIONIC ELBOW for the win in 2:00.

Mr. Wrestling II comes out to speak with Gordon Solie. He’s still preaching that Austin Idol is a bounty hunter. Wrestling II compares this to the Watergate scandal. Tomorrow night, there’s $10,000 on the line as Austin Idol faces Mr. Wrestling II.

After the break, Gordon Solie is talking with Terry Funk. Great promo from Terry – imagine that. He’s sick in the head over hearing that Dusty Rhodes is a former NWA world champion. He cost Dusty the title, he broke Dusty’s arm, and he wants Dusty out of wrestling more than anything else. Terry wants everyone to realize that now he’s the king of Texas death matches. As for Wahoo McDaniel, Terry and his brother Dory Jr. will be on Wahoo’s back until he’s out of wrestling for good. He mentions the people will be chanting “yellow” at him and starts seething at the thought. After Terry and Dory Jr. are done beating Dusty and Wahoo in the Omni, Terry will get his hands around Dusty’s neck and squeeze until his eyeballs pop out. That’s about all Gordon Solie can stand and cuts the interview short. AWESOME.

Gordon Solie talks with Tony Atlas. He tells people have unlimited potential if they just discipline themselves to work hard. Hmm, my how attitudes have changed. Atlas says he wanted to be in an arm wrestling tournament in Louisiana, but couldn’t make it and had Ken Mantell go in his place. He wishes there could be an arm wrestling tournament in Georgia. Atlas also looks forward to getting in the ring against the nasty talking Russians and Germans around here. Solie sets up a clip produced by his sons Eric and Greg of Tony Atlas and his workout regiment set to “Jas’ Moon” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In between getting his face stepped on by the ladies, he manages to bench press 500 pounds.

• Kevin Sullivan & Tony Atlas vs. The Avengers

I’m surprised Tony Atlas is having this much trouble with these masked guys. After the match goes back and forth for a while, the match breaks down. Sullivan backdrops Avenger #2 and once he’s back up to his feet, Atlas comes through with the crossbody block for the win in 4:02.

After the bell rings, Sullivan and Atlas go to talk with Gordon Solie. Sullivan goes on a pro-American rant speaking out against these bald Russians and Germans who need to LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT. Sullivan meets Baron Von Raschke tomorrow night in the Omni. Atlas meets Killer Khan. Just as Atlas starts to go off on Khan and shake his finger at the camera, the video switches on us.

Back to the show, Dusty Rhodes and Wahoo McDaniel talk to Gordon. THEY ARE TEXAS, BABY. Not these Funk boys. Dusty thinks Terry is nothing but a big clown. Tomorrow night, Dusty and Wahoo once again meet the Funk brothers. I would love to see this match.

• Wahoo McDaniel vs. Jim Nelson

Before he’s Private Jim Nelson as part of Slaughter’s army in Mid-Atlantic and before he gets his big break as Boris Zhukov in Mid-South, he’s just regular Jim Nelson. Wahoo doesn’t mess around trying to rip off Nelson’s arm. He does a great job selling. Nelson keeps getting the cheap breaks by grabbing the ropes. Wahoo takes him to the center of the ring and twists the ankle. But again, Nelson makes the ropes and goes to the floor. Back inside, Wahoo decides to go to impact moves with a powerful vertical suplex for the win in 3:08. Dang, I wanted to see Wahoo chop the crap out of Nelson.

Gordon Solie talks with Baron Von Raschke. All the top guys around here are shaking in their boots in fear over when they have to face the Baron. Raschke almost salivates over the idea of teaming up with the Russians because nobody could beat them. His superiority however is supreme in every degree and he’s looking for American challengers to face the Brain Claw.

• Baron Von Raschke vs. Marvin Turner

Von Raschke DOMINATES and puts the squeeze on Turner with a chinlock trying to keep the ref behind his back to prevent him from checking to see if there’s a choke. Baron grabs the CLAWHOLD until he gets the three-count in 1:32.

Austin Idol stops by to discuss the “real estate transactions” between he and Harley Race. Idol tells Gordon Solie that he’s the “kingpin” around here. People are just jealous and envious of his success. Idol says Tommy Rich just got what he deserved and considers the slate clean. Now as for Mr. Wrestling II, he stuck his big nose in Idol’s business. How can people get behind a man who hides his face? Idol accuses Mr. Wrestling II to be an escaped convict. He’s got the Las Vegas Leglock, but what does Mr. Wrestling II have to beat him? I can only assume Idol went after Wrestling II’s knee earlier in the show.

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