Georgia Championship Wrestling
June 28, 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: Baron Von Raschke (6/8/1980)
NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions: The Assassins (6/16/1980)
NWA Georgia Jr. Heavyweight Champion: Kevin Sullivan (6/8/1980)
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 to enjoy and there’s enough action here to warrant a watch.

Your host is Gordon Solie.

• Terry Taylor vs. Mike Davis

They build to a stalemate for the first minute or so. Davis grabs a headlock, but Taylor wants to stop all that by working the arm. Davis makes a mistake agreeing to the test of strength with a weakened arm as Taylor wins that battle. Taylor goes back to the arm, but Davis will not be denied as they both come to their feet. Davis delivers a huge slam and an elbow drop for two. Taylor finds an inside cradle for a two-count. Sunset flip by Davis gets two. Taylor grabs Davis for a hiptoss and almost trips over Davis. He then applies that abdominal stretch into a rollup for the pinfall. (5:56) They shake hands after the bout. Solie remarks that Davis has learned a valuable wrestling lesson here today. He calls Taylor the “Rookie of the Year” even though we’re only in June, but I’m guessing he’s the only rookie around getting any kind of a push this year. Terry Taylor does in fact win the PWI Rookie of the Year in 1980. The other runner ups from PWI Magazine at the end of 1980 were Barry Windham (Florida), Rick McGraw (Mid-Atlantic and WWF), and Tom Prichard (Los Angeles). *½

Next up, Gordon Solie brings out Austin Idol and Kevin Sullivan to discuss what happened with them last week when Idol came to Sullivan’s aid. Idol says he felt he owed Sullivan something after breaking his brother’s leg – because he’s a good dude now. Sullivan admits he was super shocked that Idol came to help him last week. Sullivan explains he came to help Idol in the Omni while Idol was getting his teeth kicked in by Abdullah the Butcher and Mark Lewin. Solie feels it would be best to show the footage, but apparently the board of directors have decided that it’s “too hot for TV”. BOOOO! Sullivan and Idol aren’t interested in being friends. As they start to walk away, Solie announces the board of directors have of course decided to make them a team against Mark Lewin and Abdullah the Butcher in the Omni on Sunday July 6. Idol wants Sullivan’s word that he won’t stab him in the back. Sullivan shakes Idol’s hand and we are off to the races.

• NWA National TV Championship: Tommy Rich (c) vs. Dennis Condrey

Solie announces that Rich is giving up his TV title after this match to get a shot at Harley Race and the NWA world title since Rich is the number one contender. Shouldn’t it still Baron Von Raschke who has been very quiet as of late? Of course assuming Rich loses this match, the belt would go to Condrey anyways, but then he probably wouldn’t be granted a shot at the NWA world title. WHATEVER. This is happening. Rich stays with the headlock to start. Condrey finally gets him to stop by catching him with a kitchen sink knee. Condrey tries to force Rich down by overpowering him, but Rich finds a way and delivers a hiptoss. Condrey backs Rich into the ropes and goes low on him to take over. Rich eats the turnbuckle for a two-count. Condrey grabs an ab stretch near the ropes and uses the ropes for a TON of leverage. Dutch Mantel appears at ringside to help out Condrey. Rich finds the THESZ PRESS OUT OF NOWHERE, but only gets two. He slips out of a slam and grabs a SLEEPERHOLD. Sensing trouble, Mantel gets up on the apron. Rich shoves Condrey off into Mantel for 1-2-NO! Mantel distracts Rich again and causes him enough trouble for Condrey to jump him from behind. There’s one backbreaker from Condrey, but Rich counters a second one into an inside cradle for the three-count in 4:15.

Afterwards, Rich heads over to Solie and gives him the TV belt. He tells the people he’s bringing the NWA world title to Georgia.

Now over to Dusty Rhodes from the Florida TV studio. He’s totally buying Ole Anderson’s loyalty – hook, line, and sinker. He builds up a double bull rope match with him and Ole against the Assassins for July 6 in the Omni.

• Austin Idol vs. Mark Lewin (w/the Great Mephisto)

Idol tries to BUM RUSH THE SHOW, but Lewin puts a stop to it with his overhead chops. He fires back on Lewin and they brawl at ringside scaring all the kids. Inside the ring, Idol slams Lewin and knee drops him before going for the LAS VEGAS LEGLOCK when Mephisto jumps in the ring for the DQ in 1:02. Lewin slaps the SLEEPERHOLD on Idol to the point Idol is going, going, GONE. Neither referee can stop Lewin. Mephisto puts the headdress over Lewin’s eyes to get him to stop. The locker room empties with the good guys to keep Lewin at bay. Meanwhile, Mephisto is supposed to “waking up Idol”. That does very little to help. Mephisto tells Solie that everyone will pay, one by one. Eventually, the babyfaces carry Idol out of the ring and back to the locker room. N/R

Next thing we see, Austin Idol is out attacking Mark Lewin and Abdullah the Butcher at ringside. Of course he’s outnumbered until Kevin Sullivan comes out armed with a freaking AX HANDLE. That scares away the heels as you might expect.

Moving on, Solie talks with Terry Taylor who appears to be eyeing the National TV title now that it’s vacated by Tommy Rich. He suggests a tournament to find a new champion and he wants to be on that list.

Before we go, Kevin Sullivan and Austin Idol talk about how they are banned together to take out these freaks Mark Lewin and Abdullah the Butcher. Sullivan and Idol will meet them in the Omni – and there will be TWO REFEREES. Idol says he’s going to kick somebody’s ass and that gets muted. Solie can’t blame Idol for the way he feels right now.

And that’s all she wrote. Until next time, so long for now.