World Championship Wrestling – June 18, 1983: Georgia On My Mind (Includes Full Show)
World Championship Wrestling
Date: June 18, 1983
Location: WTBS Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Freddie Miller, Bob Roop
Well here’s your random one of the week as we have a random episode of the original WCW show. This would be from Georgia Championship Wrestling and it was one of the hottest wrestling shows around at the time. I have no idea what to expect here but Tommy Rich will likely be featured. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Gordon Solie isn’t here this week so Freddie Miller is our host/commentator.
Tommy Rich (with some very blonde hair) says Buzz Sawyer is always looking over his shoulder. He doesn’t care who Sawyer sends after him though because he isn’t leaving. We see a clip of Rich chasing Sawyer for a brawl backstage and Rich blames Larry Zbyszko for causing the whole thing. The brawl goes back into the arena with Rich getting the better of things to wrap it up.
Miller throws us to house show ads which of course we don’t see.
Mr. Wrestling II vs. Joel Young/Bob Brown
I think I have the names right at least and Wrestling has to beat them both. Wrestling knocks Young around to start and the knee lift sends him into the ropes for a count from the referee. Back in and a front facelock sets up a chinlock as this is one sided thus far. A young Rick Rood (Rude of course) is wandering around the ring as Wrestling hits his running knee lift for the pin at 4:36. Brown comes in to go after Wrestling but gets backdropped. Another knee lift gives Wrestling the pin at 5:34.
Rating: C. This was kind of a weird one as Wrestling beat the fire out of both of them and then it just kept going. That’s the kind of a match that could go on for just a few minutes and end about the same way. That being said, Wrestling was a huge star in this area so putting him out there for a long match makes sense.
Post match Larry Zbyszko (National Champion) tries to come in but get sknocked away rather quickly.
Buzz Sawyer insists that Larry Zbyszko isn’t scared of anyone. He also doesn’t like Tommy Rich trying to steal his spotlight. They’ve been fighting all around the world and they’ll do it again in Albany, Georgia on July 7 and Sawyer can’t wait. There is nothing left of Rich when Sawyer gets done with him.
Iron Sheik and Paul Ellering come in, with Ellering comparing Ronnie Garvin to a wet pig. He sees Garvin’s face everywhere from in the bathroom to when he’s eating his cuisine. The Iron Sheik will be ready for Ole Anderson too.
Killer Tim Brooks vs. Zane Smith/Rick Rood
Brooks snapmares Smith down to start and grabs a chinlock, followed by a quick front facelock. Some elbows have Smith in more trouble as it is WEIRD to see Rude as a clapping good guy on the apron. Brooks rips at Smith’s jaws and drops him throat first onto the top rope. A suplex and legdrop finish Smith at 4:01 so Rood comes in, though Brooks has to stomp on Smith a few more times first.
Rood’s headlock doesn’t last long as Brooks grabs him again. Another headlock doesn’t work so Rood shoulders him down, with Larry Zbyszko grabbing Rood’s foot from the floor. Cue Mr. Wrestling II to stare at Zbyszko as the time expires at….6:32? If there was a break in there, they did an all time job of editing it out.
Rating: C. I’m not sure what was going on with the time there but Rood and Brooks felt like they were starting to go somewhere. If nothing else, Rood with short hair and regular trunks was quite the visual, but he definitely had a look. Brooks was a good midcard heel, especially in World Class, so it was nice to see him doing something else in a different place.
Tommy Rich is ready for Buzz Sawyer on July 7 in Albany, Georgia. Rich thought this was over with him but now it’s a No DQ match.
Rick Rood is ready for Killer Tim Brooks in Albany. The fact that he talks to “Mr. Miller” about “Mr. Brooks” and how much he’s looking forward to meeting all of the fans as one of the politest men you could imagine is BIZARRE.
Ronnie Garvin vs. Ron Rossi
Garvin is known as the One Man Gang and grabs a headlock to grind away early on. Rossi reverses into a wristlock and gets taken down for a splash as Garvin doesn’t seem overly worried here. A neck crank has Rossi in more trouble and Garvin works on the arm. Back up and Rossi grabs a headlock, with commentary not believing that it’s really hurting. Garvin gets up to chop away as the aggression begins. A suplex and elbow drop have Rossi in more trouble as Garvin seems to be enjoying the beating. Garvin stomps on the ribs and drops some knees for the pin at 5:00.
Rating: C. Garvin has grown on me a bit over the years as he’s good in the role of a tough guy who is going to give you a hard fight. That’s more than you can get from some people and it’s nice to see him getting to just beat the fire out of someone. The match was an extended squash but Garvin felt like a star.
Remember how Tommy Rich is ready to face Buzz Sawyer in a No DQ match on July 7 in Albany, Georgia? Still the case.
Killer Tim Brooks didn’t get enough time to face Rick Rood this week and doesn’t see why Rood’s arm wrestling career matters. They’ll be using their legs here and Brooks might even headbutt him! Roode better do some curls and get those arms ready.
Paul Ellering, with Arn Anderson, thinks Ole Anderson is useless.
TV Title: Iron Sheik vs. Randy Barber
Sheik is defending and gets in a clothesline to start, followed by some early choking. A backdrop puts Barber down again and the gutwrench suplex gets one, with Sheik pulling him up. Sheik’s belly to back suplex retains the title at 2:09. Sheik looked like a killer out here and he would be WWF World Champion by the end of the year.
Paul Ellering, with Arn Anderson, is at the announcers’ desk to yell at Ole Anderson. Ellering insists that Arn is going to change his name to Arn Ellering, which has Ole concerned. For now though, Ellering thinks Ole should be concerned with the Road Warriors, so let’s go to a taped match.
Road Warriors vs. Randy Barber/Joel Young
The Warriors, who look like male strippers with a biker theme, aren’t defending their National Tag Team Titles. Hawk drives Barber into the corner to start and it’s off to Animal for the big forearm to the chest. Animal sends Barber flying and drops Young, setting up Hawk’s slingshot splash for the pin at 2:02. To say the Warriors were green here would be an understatement, but you don’t find a team who looked like that with that kind of power very often. Tweak them enough and let them become the monsters they were destined to be.
Back in the arena, Ole comes up to Ellering and asks if his challenge is still good. They get in the ring and the brawl is on but here are the Roar Warriors to jump Ole from behind. The big beatdown is on with Stan Hansen and Tommy Rich running in for the save. All that and Hawk didn’t even lose his hat. Now that’s a star.
Buzz Sawyer has a surprise for Tommy Rich in Albany, Georgia.
Paul Ellering says his men are taking over.
Ronnie Garvin is ready to take Ellering out in Albany, Georgia. Garvin: “I found the Easter Bunny and I’m going to make an Easter Bunny out of you in Albany, Georgia.” That’s a rather unique threat.
Mike Jackson vs. Bill Irwin
Irwin is a newcomer and hammers away against the ropes to start. Jackson’s dropkick lets him grab a headlock but Irwin knocks him into the corner without much trouble. This lets Miller wish the director a happy birthday and run down some upcoming shows. Irwin’s knee drop gets two but Jackson sends him into the corner and manages to hammer away. Back up and a shoulder breaker gives Irwin two but Jackson gets in a nice flying headscissors. A big boot drops Jackson and the show ends (as it often did, as this was a weird setup where it was technically two shows put together) at 5:14 shown with no winner.
Rating: C. This was one of those weird things that you would see with older TV shows and it was something you would just get used to over time. Jackson was getting beaten up for the most part and that boot at the end looked good, but it wasn’t necessarily the end. That’s a bit of a surprise but Irwin definitely felt like a bigger star here.
Roll credits.
Opening sequence.
Freddie Miller welcomes us to the show (which will be a bit shorter due to a Braves game) and brings in Buzz Sawyer, who lists off all of the people who have tried and failed to get rid of him. Now it’s Dick Murdoch coming after him but Sawyer is going to take Murdoch out too.
Pat Rose vs. Brett Wayne
They shake hands to start as Bob Roop joins commentary to talk about the Road Warriors taking Ole Anderson out in the first hour. Wayne armdrags him down a few times to start and then grabs a headlock takeover to grind away. A pretty terrible Figure Four makes Rose give up at 3:50.
Rating: D+. Not much to this one, as it was more just the two of them having a basic match. Neither of them really stood out and Rose’s Figure Four was rather awful to bring it further down. This was a miss for the show and while Rose has done well enough elsewhere, they didn’t get much out of this one.
Larry Zbyszko vs. Rick Rood
Zbyszko’s National Title isn’t on the line and Killer Tim Brooks (Zbyszko’s paid enforcer) and Mr. Wrestling II are here too. They walk around a bit to start and Rood pops up off of a slam before grabbing one of his own. Rood takes him down in an armbar and they take turns powering each other into the corner. Both of them shove the referee and that’s a double DQ at 3:45.
Rating: C+. This was a case where you could see the potential, with Rood definitely showing a bit of fire. He was a totally green star at this point and it would take someone giving him a chance (it was coming) for him to break out. This was little more than a tease for something bigger, but putting Rood out there with the champion is a pretty nice endorsement.
Post match Mr. Wrestling II says he’ll do anything to get a rematch with Zbyszko for the title. Zbyszko stole the National Title from him and Wrestling II wants it back no matter what.
Dick Murdoch vs. Joel Young
Strap match and basically a preview for Murdoch vs. Buzz Sawyer. Bob Roop is on commentary and doesn’t know why Young is in there. Young tries to run but gets pulled back in with quite the yank. Murdoch beats on him with the strap some more and there’s the suplex. The four buckles give Murdoch the win at 2:50. Total decimation.
Miller previews a card tomorrow night at the Omni, with Mr. Wrestling II getting a National Title shot if he can beat Killer Tim Brooks first. Otherwise, it’s just a non-title match with Larry Zbyszko. Cue Zbyszko who says he’s going to beat Wrestling II up for fun.
Buzz Sawyer yells about beating up Dick Murdoch in their strap match at the same Omni show.
Paul Ellering has found Ole Anderson’s watch and destroys it.
We look back at the Ole Anderson beatdown. Seriously how did Hawk not lose his hat?
Tommy Rich and Stan Hansen swear vengeance on the Road Warriors.
Dick Murdoch, with the strap, is ready for Buzz Sawyer because they’re both rather ugly and they’ll beat on each other. It turns out to be a Loser Leaves Town match and Murdoch isn’t planning on going anywhere (but he did).
Miller acknowledges that this show is shorter than usual as he wraps it up.
Overall Rating: C+. This was fascinating in a way, as it’s so far before modern wrestling took over (Hulk Hogan wouldn’t be WWF Champion for about seven months) and you could definitely see what could be seen as rough edges. The focus was definitely still on the house shows nd that makes perfect sense, but the important thing here is that I could get an idea of the main stories taking place. This was just a random, one off show and I got the idea of what was going on around here in short order. Nice job here, though it’s really just more about previewing the house shows than anything here (as was the case back in the day).
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