Georgia Championship Wrestling
May 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: Austin Idol (3/29/1980)
NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions: Ivan Koloff & Alexis Smirnoff (4/26/1980)
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. This time, we’re covering the whole month of May in 1980.

Your host is Gordon Solie. 

• Ivan Koloff & Alexis Smirnoff (w/Rock Hunter) vs. The Avengers – (Georgia Championship Wrestling, 5/10/80) 

Before the match, Rock Hunter says he’s going to have his Russian boys unmask these “Avengers” to see who they are once and for all. Oddly enough, the Avengers clean house on the Russians to start. When they come back in the ring, the Avengers continue to fight and unmask themselves to be revealed as OLE AND LARS ANDERSON. It’s Katie bar the door now, folks. With the Russians thrown back out to the floor with Rock Hunter, they decide to fight another day. No contest after about 40 seconds. 

Ole and Lars head over to Gordon Solie telling him that the time has come for the Russians. THE ANDERSON BROTHERS ARE BACK! 

After the break, Gordon Solie is standing by with the Georgia heavyweight champ Austin Idol. Check out the Mr. Bill t-shirt Idol is wearing. We go to a clip from the Omni where it appears Baron Von Raschke is about to turn Idol babyface after the Baron lost the held up National TV championship title. Raschke turns on Austin Idol and puts the BRAINCLAW on him. Idol provides commentary over the footage and explains that Raschke is just jealous and can’t control himself. Back in the studio, Idol wants the wrestling fans to start calling Raschke “onion head”. The title will be on the line – Austin Idol versus Baron Von Raschke – NEXT SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE OMNI! 

The video switches over to Ernie Ladd calling Chief Jay Strongbow a “yellow belly” and dares him to get into the ring. Strongbow has his left arm in a sling. Eventually, Strongbow can’t take it anymore and jumps in the ring only to get his arm beaten and kicked. This continues until TONY ATLAS runs out for the save. Atlas goes over to Gordon Solie telling the world that Ernie Ladd is going to get what is coming to him. 

• NWA National Television Championship: Tommy Rich (c) vs. The Angel – (Georgia Championship Wrestling, 5/17/80) 

Rich spins out and stands up after a sit-out with the Angel. He clamps on a headlock and they play around with it for a while. An atomic drop won’t stop the headlock, but a back suplex will. He starts slamming Rich and working the back trying to get the win, but RICH WILL NOT DIE! Back to the headlock. Solie calls Rich a “matured” wrestler now that he’s sticking to one hold and not letting go. Angel catches Rich into an inside cradle for two. He applies a front headlock and possibly grinds his forearm against the throat. Once Rich gets to the ropes, Angel starts putting the knees to him. Angel tries a vertical suplex, but Rich manages to slip out and surprise him with an O’Connor roll for the win. (7:31) They just knew how to get people over back then. *½ 

Mr. Wrestling II joins Tommy Rich and Gordon Solie. Rich doesn’t care who challenges him for the National TV title because he’s got the people behind him. Mr. Wrestling II meets Abdullah the Butcher while Tommy Rich battles Kurt Von Hess — TOMORROW NIGHT IN THE OMNI! 

After the break, the Georgia heavyweight champ Austin Idol speaks with Gordon Solie. He tells the people watching to send in their best Austin Idol posters and he’ll bring the top two with him to be shown on Georgia Championship Wrestling. Now about tomorrow night in the Omni, Austin Idol will be taking on Baron Von Raschke. Idol calls him an onion head and says that Raschke is ugly. Oh, it’s on. 

We catch the Russians Ivan Koloff and Alexis Smirnoff trying to ambush Ole Anderson when Lars Anderson appears, knocks out Rock Hunter, and helps Ole clear the ring of the communists. 

Austin Idol – the Georgia heavyweight champ – talks with Gordon Solie again. Baron Von Raschke wouldn’t listen and follow the ways of Austin Idol because he’s just a dumb onion head. They once again show Raschke turning on Austin Idol to turn Idol babyface from a few weeks back. Idol claims that Raschke is just jealous of IDOLMANIA~! 

We start the next video with Iron Mike Sharpe telling Bob Sweetan he better stop hurting people – OR SWEETAN IS GOING TO GET HURT! 

• Kevin Sullivan vs. Ricky Craven – (Georgia Championship Wrestling, 5/24/80) 

Solie mentions there will be a Georgia Jr. Heavyweight title tournament coming soon. He acts like this is a tournament match at certain points and then doesn’t at other points of the match. Sullivan wins rather easily with the Spinning Toe Hold in 3:40. 

Kevin Sullivan speaks with Gordon Solie after the match. He puts over the Omni card set for Sunday June 8 as eight of the top Jr. heavyweight wrestlers will be on the card in a tournament for the new championship. The dangerous Assassins return to Atlanta, the Minnesota Wrecking Crew will be teaming up to take on the Russians, and “Maniac” Mark Lewin will be in town. Big night ahead. 

They take us over to the Knoxville TV Southeastern Championship Wrestling show to give the people an idea of how nutsy Mark Lewin is – in case they don’t already know. We see Lewin chop the crap out of Pat Rose, go out of his mind, and put out Rose with the SLEEPERHOLD. Lewin’s manager the Great Mephisto is shown a telegram from the NWA President Bob Geigel from Kansas City that the sleeperhold has been banned from wrestling. NO ONE CAN WAKE UP PAT ROSE! The Knoxville promoter says that Lewin is now barred from the area. He then goes out towards the people and scares the crap out of them before the Great Mephisto finally takes Lewin back to the locker room. 

Now over to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling TV. They show us Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood taking on Swede Hanson and Billy Starr. Of course, you know who is here to take the fall. Steamboat and Youngblood will be at the Omni on Sunday June 8 to face the Assassins. Solie mentions at the end of the clip that Steamboat and Youngblood are the recognized NWA world tag team champions. 

Looks like you can now write in to vote who you (yes, YOU!) will be facing the NWA world champ Harley Race on Sunday June 8. Tony Atlas stops by asking for your vote as he’s one of the favorites who could be picked by the fans to get this match with Race. 

• Kevin Sullivan & Mike Graham vs. “Nature Boy” Stan Lane & Bryan St. John – (Georgia Championship Wrestling, 5/24/80) 

Interesting matchup here. Bunch of Florida guys. Lane and St. John went by the Blonde Bombers down in Florida. Don Muraco stands in Lane and St. John’s corner. It’s just a cornucopia of NWA territory action here today. Graham starts off with St. John as they trade arm holds. Solie has plenty to say about Mike Graham’s background here. Tag to Sullivan, he’s in control of St. John with an armbar. Back over to Graham, he gets stuck on the wrong side of town, but quickly reaches Sullivan for a tag. Sullivan catches a knee from Lane who is standing on the apron. Lane tags in and lands a gutwrench suplex. He buries a kitchen sink knee into Sullivan. In comes St. John, he gets nailed by Sullivan who then reaches Graham for a hot tag. He monkey flips St. John and tags Sullivan. Another monkey flip and tag sequence. Graham applies the FIGURE-FOUR, but Lane drags St. John to the ropes. The match breaks down with backdrops everywhere. The Blonde Bombers try the double battering ram, but Lane and St. John are shoved into each other. While the ref is busy with Sullivan for no real reason, Lane elbows Graham from behind. That knocks Graham into the ropes who bumps into St. John and lays on top of him for the three-count. (6:32) After the match, Lane ties Sullivan up in the ropes while Don Muraco applies the ASIATIC SPIKE on Graham. When the ref finally helps Sullivan free, Sullivan grabs a chair and runs off Muraco to save his friend. I wonder where this is going since I believe everyone but Sullivan head back to Florida. ** 

Afterwards, Mike Graham and Kevin Sullivan head over to Gordon Solie to talk crap about Don Muraco. 

• Austin Idol vs. Charlie Fulton – (Georgia Championship Wrestling, 5/24/80) 

Tony Atlas joins us for special commentary. Idol maintains control for much of the match as you might imagine. Fulton goes to the eyes to turn the tide, but Idol comes back with left jabs and then a sharp right. There’s a slam and an elbow drop from the second rope. LAS VEGAS LEGLOCK and we’re done at 5:13. 

Tommy Rich joins Gordon Solie and Tony Atlas. Rich still feels 1980 will be his year to become the world champion. He wants the fans to vote for him to get the NWA world title shot on Sunday June 8 in the Omni. 

Austin Idol makes an appearance to talk with Gordon Solie. He confesses he had a brother who was in the Vietnam war who stepped on a land mine and had both his legs severed at the knee. Last Saturday night, Austin’s brother developed acute phlebitis and passed away on Tuesday. Before he died, Austin held his brother’s head in his hands to hear his last words: win the NWA world title and let somebody love you. Wow. That’s all Austin Idol can say right now and Gordon can’t really add anything to that. 

• Austin Idol vs. (Genichiro) Tenryu – (Georgia Championship Wrestling, 5/31/80) 

Tenryu chops away on Idol to start, but Austin quickly turns the tide and gets super aggressive with Tenryu. He slams Tenryu and delivers the Flying Elbow Drop before applying the LAS VEGAS LEGLOCK for the win in 46 seconds. 

The video switches over to “MANIAC” Mark Lewin putting David White in the SLEEPERHOLD. The Great Mephisto covers Lewin’s eyes with a towel hoping that the darkness will make Lewin break the hold. Well, the hold gets broken and Lewin is just a mad man scaring the ringside fans. There’s ANOTHER wrestler down over by Solie that’s been put to sleep by Lewin, I’m assuming. THIS DUDE IS WILD~! 

THE SUPER SUMMER WRESTLING SPECTACULAR! And that’s all she wrote. 

Until next time, so long for now.