Georgia Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: July 3, 1983
Location: Omni, Atlanta, Georgia

This seems to be the big finale of the WWE Vault presenting shows from GCW in this era, as we get a full house show. That should be more than enough to blow off everything going on and I could go with seeing these matches go for more than a few minutes each, at least most of the time. Let’s get to it.

No opening of course, which makes sense.

Brett Wayne vs. Bill Irwin

Irwin is new around here and not interested in a handshake. Wayne slips away on the mat to start and Irwin is already looking frustrated. Irwin takes him down by the wrist and gets kicked away to give us another standoff. This time Wayne takes him down in a headlock but misses the elbow, meaning they get to stare at each other some more. A slam puts Wayne down but he kicks off again and that’s enough before we need to reset again.

Wayne takes him down by the arm to some more success and we keep the slow pace. Back up and Irwin powers him away again, setting up a big backbreaker to actually do some damage. Some choking on the ropes has Wayne in more trouble and a suplex gives Irwin two, with the fans liking that kickout.

A gutwrench suplex gives Irwin two more and the running knee connects but Wayne’s foot is on the rope. That just ticks Irwin off so he knees Wayne in the head and throws him outside. A running boot knocks Wayne off the apron and Irwin gets the chance to strut a bit, as all evil cowboys are known to do. Wayne can’t beat the count at 8:59.

Rating: C. The crowd was way into Wayne here and it’s easy to understand as he had quite the smaller good guy look. Irwin on the other hand was a big bully looking monster (who happened to strut) so the basic dynamic was there. I’m not sure about the countout but at least Irwin got a win over an opponent who was fighting back.

Post match Irwin is ticked off and Buzz Sawyer has to come out and calm him down. When BUZZ SAWYER is the voice of reason, you must be nuts.

Tim Brooks vs. Bob Sweetan

The bigger Sweetan backs him into the corner to start before working on the arm. That’s broken up so Sweetan does it again, with Brooks going to the ropes for a cheap shot. Sweetan knows all about cheap shots (and various other horrible things) so he grabs a headlock, with Brooks grabbing the hair. That just lets Sweetan get in a cheap shot of his own as we’re firmly in “get the crowd to cheer while the good guy does bad things 201”.

A big right hand sends Brooks flying and Sweetan grabs another headlock, this time on the mat. Back up and Sweetan hiptosses him into the corner, with the referee having to jump out of the way. Sweetan grabs the headlock again and we do the hair pull/cheap shot sequence again. A slam gives Sweetan two and, you guessed it, it’s another headlock. Sweetan finally gets accused of pulling the hair (despite Brooks being limited in that area) and they’re stood up.

This time Brooks grabs a headlock, which I guess counts for variety. Brooks hammers away but Sweetan is back with right hands of his own. Back up and Brooks gets in some more effective shots in the corner but Sweetan gets fired up. The big whip into the corner has Brooks in trouble and they slug it out until it’s a time limit draw at 10:15 (close enough).

Rating: C-. This got going a bit near the end but they never got out of first gear. They were mainly just doing basic punches without much to stand out, along with the variety of headlocks. It did help that they weren’t just standing/laying around with the headlocks, but there is only so much to get out of a match where they only got going in the last few minutes.

Tully Blanchard vs. Pez Whatley

I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Whatley around here. Blanchard is introduced as the Southwest Heavyweight Champion but this is non-title. We get the handshake, with Blanchard getting in the slap and then bailing out to the floor. Back in and Whatley wins a battle of the wristlocks, which has Blanchard bailing back outside. Whatley pulls him down by the arm again and Blanchard claims a hair pull, which he thinks should make him the winner. Instead Whatley spits at him, which the fans seem to like.

Blanchard gets in a cheap shot to take over in the corner and we go into the slower beatdown. Naturally this includes the chinlock until Whatley fights up for a slam and a rare forward dropkick. Blanchard knocks him right back down and drops an elbow for two before sending Whatley crashing out to the floor. Whatley eventually gets back in and Blanchard jumps him in the ropes, with a bunch of knees drawing the DQ at 6:03.

Rating: C+. This was better, as Blanchard had such a smug arrogance to him that it’s easy to dislike him. He was still getting experience at this point but you could see the talent in there. On the other hand you have Whatley, who could make a nice fired up comeback and had the underdog nature that made him great for this kind of a spot. Nice match here.

Post match the brawl stays on and we’re likely going to do this again.

TV Title: Ron Garvin vs. Iron Sheik

Sheik, with Paul Ellering, is defending in Garvin’s final shot at the title and, as usual, the title can only change hands in the first ten minutes. Before the match, Garvin promises to give America a 4th of July present by taking the title from Sheik. The brawl is on before the bell with Garvin hitting him with the flag pole. Ellering tries to come in and gets knocked down, allowing Garvin to use the flag to tie Sheik to the ropes.

We pause for Garvin to chase Ellering as the referee unties Sheik, who gets slammed and choked with the flag some more. The match seems to have started somewhere in there as they slug it out and Garvin punches him down. Garvin chokes away but Ellering comes in for the DQ at…call it 2:00 I guess? This was barely a match anyway but the crowd was on fire for the whole thing. Garvin would win the title two weeks later.

Post match the brawl stays on and Sheik tries to bail, only for Garvin to atomic drop Ellering into him. Ellering has to hold Sheik back from getting inside again and they finally leave but Sheik comes back and throws a chair at Garvin.

We get an intermission, which is cut out as you might have guessed.

Road Warriors/Paul Ellering vs. Ole Anderson/Tommy Rich/Stan Hansen

Well that’s a good guy team. Hansen takes over on Animal to start and Rich comes in with a knee, meaning it’s quickly off to Hawk. The good guys start working on Hawk’s arm, with Anderson coming in for a wristlock. Animal comes back in and gets dropped with a double elbow, followed by Anderson dropping the elbow for two. Hawk is quickly cut off as well but manages to take over on Anderson, with Animal grinding away on a headlock.

Rich gets headlocked as well, followed by the general assortment of forearming. That’s eventually escaped so Anderson can come back in, only to get beaten down in the corner as well. Unfortunately that means another chinlock, as Animal keeps him in trouble for a good while. Anderson finally slips away and brings in Hansen as everything breaks down. Hawk throws Rich over the top and that’s enough for the referee to call the DQ at 15:30.

Rating: C. This got some time and that’s nice to see, as the Warriors could use some experience at this point. If nothing else, it might let them figure out how to do something other than chinlocks. That being said, they’re certainly going out of their way with some less than satisfactory finishes this week. You would think that one of them could take a quick rollup, but then again it was a very different style and time here so it’s hardly out of the ordinary.

Post match the brawl is on with someone (perhaps Man Mountain Darsow) running in to help the good guys clear the ring.

Scott Casey vs. Buzz Sawyer

Casey armdrags him down to start and they circle for a bit, with Sawyer taking it into the corner. That’s broken up and Sawyer takes a heck of a bump off a backdrop, followed by a nice dropkick to give Casey two. Back up and they trade leapfrogs until Casey hits a heck of a forearm to put him on the floor (with another good bump from Sawyer). Back in and Casey grabs a headlock takeover and grinds away before grabbing a keylock.

Sawyer slips out of that and hammers away, setting up a front facelock to slow Casey down. A suplex drops Casey again but Sawyer misses his really good looking top rope splash. Casey tries an O’Connor roll but Sawyer grabs the rope and the trunks for the pin at 9:28. Hang on though as Tommy Rich and referee Scrappy McGowan come in to say what happened and that’s a reversed decision.

Rating: C+. The more I see from Sawyer, the more impressed I am with him. The guy was just weird and out there but a crazy good athlete and bumper. It’s a shame that he was such a nutjob/bully behind the scenes because otherwise he could have been a bigger deal. Casey was a fine good guy, but it was hard to take your eyes off of Sawyer here.

Post match Sawyer jumps Rich and they brawl into the crowd, with Rich (shockingly) being busted open. They get back in the ring with Rich getting the better of things but they go back into the crowd, with Rich’s big running ax handle looking like he’s in a movie fight scene. The cops finally break them apart.

National Title: Mr. Wrestling II vs. Larry Zbyszko

Zbyszko is defending and Mr. Wrestling I and Killer Tim Brooks are the guest referees. The guest referees both get in their arguing before the match, with I rubbing the top of II’s mask for a weapons check. Or luck maybe? The bell rings and Zbyszko says he wants to keep this scientific, which is of course fine with a man named MR. WRESTLING. The bell rings a second time as Zbyszko’s stalling has managed to shift the space time continuum.

II backs him into the corner to start and seems to dance a bit as Zbyszko is already getting frustrated. An armdrag makes it even worse for Zbyszko and they keep things slow with a test of strength. II grabs a headlock takeover and it’s so strange to see both referees checking on it. Well Brooks is doing it more from a distance but it still counts. Zbyszko fights up but gets taken right back down as II keeps grinding away.

This time Zbyszko makes the rope and takes him down by the arm, which is broken up by a headscissors. That has Zbyszko bailing to the apron and even Brooks counts him for a bit. Back in and Zbyszko’s headlock doesn’t get him very far as II knocks him out to the apron again. This time Zbyszko comes back in to work on the leg and of course we spend some time laying on the mat. II kicks him in the head to break it up and chases Zbyszko out to the floor again without much trouble. A rather fast eight count brings Zbyszko back inside and we go into the test of strength.

That’s broken up and Zbyszko backs off again, with II grabbing the mic and telling him to wrestle. A slap to the mask seems to make II angry so he takes Zbyszko down by the leg and cranks away. Zbyszko ties up II’s arm while II works on his leg, as they’re certainly not just laying there. They roll over to the ropes and it’s broken up, with the fans applauding as they have to get up again.

Zbyszko backs him up against the ropes for a forearm and both referees seem displeased. II easily takes him down and hits a knee lift out to the floor and yes, yes we are stalling some more. Back in and Zbyszko gets two off a sunset flip but has to bail outside at the threat of another running knee. Zbyszko actually takes him into the corner this time and gets one off of a slam.

II slams him right back and they go into the corner, with Brooks ordering a break (the referees haven’t been anything close to a major factor yet). That earns II a snapmare into a chinlock as we somehow slow down again. That’s broken up so Zbyszko changes the pace with a full nelson. II powers out with a backbreaker and grabs a front facelock. Zbyszko knocks him outside though and Brooks gives him a much more regular count than I gave earlier.

Back in and Zbyszko grabs another headlock and snaps down on it, which has II rather shaken up. Some big right hands have II staggered even worse and he gets snapmared into a chinlock. That works so well that they do it again, with II getting up one more time. II starts dodging some right hands, almost dancing in the process. II’s snapmare gets two and we’re clipped to Zbyszko getting punched out of the air.

A belly to back suplex drops Zbyszko again and the knee gets two, with Zbyszko in the ropes. The referees get into it over the rope, with Brooks throwing I over the top. Cue Rick Rood to chase Brooks off as II hits another running knee, with I counting a kind of slow two. Back up and Zbyszko misses a kick to the face but manages a suplex to leave them both down again.

II gets two more off a piledriver and the running knee sends Zbyszko right back into the ropes. We’re clipped again to both of them down until II gets two off a double leg. II grabs a sleeper and Zbyszko is in trouble as time expires at 45:18 shown. The official time is sixty minutes, making me wonder if A, I missed more cuts, B, how much was cut and C, how much they faked the time because that’s a heck of a lot to miss.

Rating: B-. This is a weird one as the match is very long, but it didn’t really feel like it was stretching. It felt like a contest between two men fighting for a championship until one of them couldn’t get up any longer. You could see the two of them getting worn down and they kept me interested, but dang that clipping was rough as I wonder just how much I missed. Good match though, even if it never got to some all time level.

Post match I officially names II as the winner, but that doesn’t mean a title change. The referees were barely a factor for the most part and I kept forgetting that was a thing until the brawl at the end, which wasn’t even that much.

Overall Rating: C+. The action was kind of a mess here with some rather awful finishes, but you could feel the energy throughout the show. What matters the most here is that the fans were into everything and you could see how easy it was to get into the whole thing. It was interesting to see the build to these shows as you can see how the fans would be brought along for the card. I’d absolutely go for more of this, as it’s an easy watch with some good stuff going on up and down the show. Not a great event, but rather fun.

Results
Wild Bill Irwin b. Brett Wayne via countout
Killer Tim Brooks vs. Bob Sweetan went to a time limit draw
Pez Whatley b. Tully Blanchard via DQ when Blanchard attacked in the ropes
Ronnie Garvin b. Iron Sheik via DQ when Paul Ellering interfered
Stan Hansen/Tommy Rich/Ole Anderson b. Road Warriors/Paul Ellering via DQ when Hawk threw Rich over the top rope
Scott Casey b. Buzz Sawyer via reversed decision
Larry Zbyszko vs. Mr. Wrestling II went to a time limit draw

 

 

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World Championship Wrestling
Date: July 2, 1983
Location: WTBS Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentator: Gordon Solie

We’re rolling along with these things for the next few weeks and that has me interested. There are only a few big names around here and it’s fun to see how they interact. The big story continues to be Mr. Wrestling II going after Larry Zbyszko and the National Title, along with Tommy Rich doing whatever he has going on. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Gordon Solie introduces newcomer (or perhaps returning star) Scott Casey, who loves the competition around here and has his eye on Buzz Sawyer. He’s not happy with Dick Murdoch being sent away so he’ll see what he can do.

Solie previews the show and sends us to last week’s main event, which only got started before we ran out of time.

Road Warriors/Paul Ellering vs. Brett Wayne/Arn Anderson/Joe Lightfoot

Ellering is in street clothes (street unknown) because he knows the Warriors can take care of the three of them on his own. The good guys take turns on the Warriors’ arms to start but Ellering gets in a cheap shot to take over on Anderson. Hawk grabs a chinlock and we’re out of time so we’re cut to Ole Anderson running in to go after Ellering as the match is thrown out. Not enough shown to rate again as we just saw the same stuff from last week and the post match brawl. Apparently Wayne and company won when one of them was thrown over the top.

Ole Anderson talks about the greatness of the United States and not liking Paul Ellering bringing in the Iron Sheik from the evil Iran. Maybe the Road Warriors need to go back to Chicago, or even Iran. Ellering DOES NOT love America so Ole is proud that Arn Anderson has kept the family name.

They have their own young guy of their own and here he is, along with Arn: Man Mountain Darsow! This is of course Barry Darsow (23 at the time and looking even younger as he only debuted earlier in the year) as a lumberjack with an ax, as Ole says the Anderson are back together FOR AMERICA. Well that was insane and about as 80s as you can get.

Larry Zbyszko (once again with the belt) and Tully Blanchard join Solie, with Zbyszko talking about how he got the NWA President to give him the belt back. He’s tired of Mr. Wrestling II and II’s friend Mr. Wrestling I with all of their shenanigans so Zbyszko is putting up $25,000 against II’s mask. It’s going to be an elimination tag match and Zbyszko will be teaming with Blanchard and whomever II can find as his partner.

Larry Zbyszko/Tully Blanchard vs. Mr. Wrestling II/Pez Whatley

I believe this is the match ($25,000 vs. II’s mask), which is under elimination rules and has three rounds lasting six minutes each. Whatley and Zbyszko start things off and of course we hit the stall button, with II coming in to face Blanchard without any contact being made. They lock up and go pretty much nowhere, so it’s back to Whatley for a headlock takeover.

Whatley pulls him down again without much trouble before sunset flipping Zbyszko for two. II comes back in to headlock Blanchard, who backs into the corner to keep things slow. Now Zbyszko comes in for a headlock of his own, only for Whatley to come in for a small and another near fall. Whatley is sent into a knee in the corner though and the round ends (5:55 so close enough this time).

We go to Mr. Wrestling I, who can’t stand Zbyszko. Paul Ellering comes in to say his men will win everything at the Omni.

Buzz Sawyer yells about how he’s going to destroy the cowboy from San Antonio (Scott Casey) but it might be in Cincinnati or Atlanta. Eh dude’s nuts enough that he might do both of them.

We rejoin the tag match for the start of round two, with Zbyszko asking for time but getting whipped into various corners by Whatley. Zbyszko gets a boot up in the corner and Blanchard takes over, allowing Zbyszko to stomp away again. A suplex gets two on Whatley and Blanchard grabs a crossface chickenwing.

Whatley backdrops his way out and dropkicks Blanchard but can’t make the tag. II comes in anyway and everything breaks down, with Whatley throwing Blanchard over the top, drawing the DQ at 3:04 of the round and 12:04 total (counting the stuff between rounds). Zbyszko comes in to slug it out with II and power him into the corner. A rip at the mask has II in more trouble and Zbyszko throws him down to tear some more. II fights him off but gets sent into the corner as the round ends.

Tommy Rich is here and is happy about a fan winning a contest to come to Atlanta and meet him. Solie reads most of the fan’s address, which is quite the weird thing to hear. Buzz Sawyer comes in to scream at Rich, who he doesn’t think much of apparently.

We go back to the third round with II grabbing a front facelock on Zbyszko. Blanchard comes in and gets beaten down just as fast. Zbyszko’s distraction lets Blanchard get in a knee to the back though and the chinlock goes on. Some shots to the ribs have II in more trouble but he manages a suplex on Blanchard. The knee lift hits Zbyszko but the cheap shots cut off the comeback again. Zbyszko goes for the mask again and again it wakes II up. The double teaming is on and Blanchard shoves the referee for the DQ at 3:32 of the round and 21:35 overall (again counting time in between falls).

So we’re down to II vs. Zbyszko with the former in a lot of trouble and Zbyszko going for the mask again. Again that brings him up but Zbyszko sweeps the legs and grabs the rope for the pin at 4:42 of the round (22:35 overall)….and here is Mr. Wrestling I to tell the referee what happened. Somehow THIS IS FINE and the match continues so II rolls Zbyszko up for the final pin at 5:02 of the round and 22:55 overall.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a long match for TV back then and it wound up being kind of awesome, with Wrestling II overcoming the odds and pinning the champion, even if it might not have been fair. Zbyszko is going to get to rant about the stupid official (yep that’s deserved) and odds are it all sets up a big showdown at the Omni. Fun stuff here, and solid wrestling angles all around.

Post match Zbyszko rants about how this isn’t standing so he wants II one more time tomorrow night at the Omni, with I and Tim Brooks there too. And of course II doesn’t get the money!

Wrestling II says this ends at the Omni and he wants the money and the belt, which he won fairly (the money is a stretch but saying he won the belt fairly is nuts even by wrestling good guy standards).

Bill Irwin, another cowboy, says he’s here to be the top dog. Wouldn’t that be the Mad Dog Buzz Sawyer? Might not want to go there with the gimmick infringement.

Bill Irwin vs. ???

Irwin jumps him to start and stomps away without even taking his coat off. More stomping sets up the chinlock, followed by the middle rope elbow to finish for Irwin at 2:09. Total destruction.

Solie announces the winner of the contest, but this time gives his FULL address. Geez privacy means nothing these days. Anyway Irwin comes in to say that he doesn’t want to hear about Tommy Rich being Wrestler Of 1982 because it’s 1983. Irwin wants Rich out here and fires off his whip, but Rich is in the ring.

Tommy Rich vs. Bob Brown

Well hang on as Irwin charges in instead.

Tommy Rich vs. Bill Irwin

Irwin pump kicks him down to start but gets cut off with some right hands as this does seem to be a match. Irwin knocks him down again so Rich elbows him in the head, setting up the abdominal stretch. Cue Buzz Sawyer to jump Rich for the DQ at 2:18, apparently fine with the top dog thing.

Post match Scott Casey runs in for the save.

Casey and Rich go to the podium, with Casey saying he’ll watch Rich’s back and vice versa. Ole Anderson comes in to say they have their own group and they’re chasing the bad guys out of here.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: B. Dang this show is a blast, as it feels like it’s flying by and taking place in a tiny venue, which makes it all the more impressive. This show saw new people showing up, big matches being set up for the major Omni show, and one heck of a long TV match with some stakes. What more could you want, and remember that this is about six months before Hulk Hogan even came back to the WWF from the AWA. Not bad, as these studio shows can be awesome.

Results
Mr. Wrestling II/Pez Whatley b. Larry Zbyszko/Tully Blanchard – Rollup to Zbyszko
Bill Irwin b. ??? – Middle rope elbow
Tommy Rich b. Bill Irwin via DQ when Buzz Sawyer interfered

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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World Championship Wrestling
Date: June 25, 1983
Location: WTBS Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentator: Gordon Solie

I liked last week’s show and this one should be fun again. We’re also getting a slightly shorter show this week, as they’re only going for the regular hour rather than the extended version last week. I wonder if this is the whole thing that was broadcast, as last week was treated like two different shows. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Gordon Solie is back and brings in Mr. Wrestling #1 to talk about tonight’s show. Solie runs down the card and we’re already off to a break.

Back with…the same people here and Wrestling announcing that we have a new rule: in the event of a draw, the referee gets to determine the winner.

National TV Title: Iron Sheik vs. Bob Roop

Sheik is defending and has Paul Ellering in his corner. Roop wrestles him down to start and grabs a headlock takeover. Sheik gets up and is headlocked right back down as they’re in the basic starter phase here. They get up again and Sheik chops him in the corner, which has Roop annoyed.

A slam lets Sheik set up the front facelock so Roop fights out with a running knee. The elbow drop gives Roop a quick two and he gets Sheik up for a suplex. That earns him more chops against the ropes and they go with the grappling…until the time limit expires at 6:56. So the referee gets to pick the winner and he picks, uh, neither, as it’s a draw.

Rating: C. Well, it’s kind of a weird way to start the draw rules but it’s actually pretty accurate here. Neither of them really stood out over the other and it’s fine to have the two of them stay this way. If nothing else, it would have been a stretch to have the title change hands on a referee decision. Logical, but odd overall.

Larry Zbyszko complains about Mr. Wrestling II cheating against him and we see clips from their National Title match at the Omni, with Wrestling using KICKS! Zbyszko pulled the referee in the way of a running knee before getting knocked down. Wrestling’s friend Rick Rude came in to count the pin and gave Wrestling the belt, which he took with him.

Back in the studio, Zbyszko demands the title back and says that he deserves the respect after beating Bruno Sammartino. He even says there are rumors Sammartino is going to come to Altoona, Pennsylvania (Huh?) but for now, we need an unbiased referee. That would be his friend Killer Tim Brooks, who insists he’d be impartial. This was a fine heel rant after Wrestling looked like a moron and it’s nice to get the story that simply.

We meet the new host of the upcoming Georgia Superstars show. He looks like my cousin so this is rather odd.

Larry Zbyszko vs. Pez Whatley

Non-title, Killer Tim Brooks is referee and Mr. Wrestling II is sitting at ringside. Believe it or not, Zbyszko stalls to start and talks a lot of trash before they trade arm cranking. An exchange of takedowns leaves us with a standoff before Whatley gets two off a sunset flip. Back up and Zbyszko slams him down and gets headbutted for his efforts. Whatley grabs a backslide for two and tries a small package but time expires at 6:55. And Brooks gives it to Zbyszko of course.

Rating: C. Weird time limits aside, that at least makes some more sense, as now you can have someone just cheating as a referee, which seems to tie into the top title program at the moment. Zbyszko and Brooks work well enough together, though you could see something from Whatley. He’s young and energetic and I could go for seeing a bit more of him in the coming weeks.

Mr. Wrestling II is livid and is ready to face Zbyszko for the belt anywhere anytime.

Zbyzsko is ready to be back at the Omni on July 3 and will bring his own special referee.

Tommy Rich has won an award for contributions to wrestling in 1982 and gets a watch.

Mr. Wrestling II vs. Killer Tim Brooks

Wrestling II has the National belt with him but isn’t champion. Hold on though as Mr. Wrestling I comes in to be referee and here are Larry Zbyszko and Rick Rood to join us at ringside. II takes Brooks down and ties up the leg, with Brooks being in trouble. Rood trips Brooks down and gets yelled at, with Brooks grabbing a snapmare into a chinlock. Brooks stomps away but II is back with a backdrop and the running knee (finisher) to send Brooks into the ropes. Zbyszko gives Brooks a foreign object but I takes it away, meaning it’s another running knee lift to pin Brooks at 5:24.

Rating: C+. I really am kind of digging Brooks here and it’s cool to see him getting presented a lot on these shows. Putting him in there against a star like II and it’s worth a look. This ties into the title program too and I being in there as a fair referee makes things all the more interesting.

The good guys come up to the announcers’ desk and II tells Zbyszko to bring all of his “gimmicks” to the Omni because they can both have a guest referee.

Paul Ellering thinks the Road Warriors are tough.

Ronnie Garvin knows he can beat the Iron Sheik and we see him beating the Iron Sheik, but it was one minute after the time limit so there was no title change. The title is a trophy, so Garvin breaks it instead. What a nice guy. Garvin has one more title shot at the Sheik and he promises to win.

Buzz Sawyer vs. Ronnie Garvin

Sawyer jumps him to start fast and grabs a side suplex but Garvin is right back with right hands and ad ropkick as they’re certainly starting fast. Garvin knocks him to the floor and Sawyer takes the countout at 1:11. Ok then.

Paul Ellering and the Iron Sheik are ready for Garvin, one more time.

Ole Anderson is happy that his cousin (got it, cousin this time) Arn Anderson has changed his mind about Paul Ellering, with the face turn likely taking place at the Omni.

Road Warriors/Paul Ellering vs. Arn Anderson/Brett Wayne/Chief Joe Lightfoot

Ellering is in street clothes because he trusts the Warriors to beat the three of them up on their own. Hawk (well, not officially as the Warriors don’t actually have individual names yet) gets caught in the wrong corner so the good guys can work over his arm. That doesn’t last long as he drags Anderson into the bad corner for some alternate beatings but time expires and the show ends at about 2:00 shown. That’s just something you dealt with back then.

Overall Rating: B. Yeah this worked really well and I want to see more from this promotion. That’s all the more impressive when I was dropped into the middle of this show and it’s still working out this well. The wrestling wasn’t exactly great, but it’s 1983 studio wrestling so you’re only getting so much. I get most of the stories and care about what’s happening with these people without much time. I’m getting why this promotion has its reputation and that is rather cool to see.

Results
Iron Sheik vs. Bob Roop went to a time limit draw
Larry Zbyszko b. Pez Whatley via referee’s decision
Mr. Wrestling II b. Killer Tim Brooks – Running knee lift
Ronnie Garvin b. Buzz Sawyer via countout
Road Warriors/Paul Ellering vs. Arn Anderson/Brett Wayne/Chief Joe Lightfoot went to a time limit draw

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6