wrestling / Video Reviews
Georgia Championship Wrestling (8.21.1982) Review
Image Credit: Georgia Championship Wrestling
Loading...-Originally aired August 21, 1982.
-Your hosts are Gordon Solie and Roddy Piper.
-A history-making announcement by Gordon: This is the last episode of Georgia Championship Wrestling before it takes on “different nomenclature.” Next week, the show will be WORLD Championship Wrestling.
-Roddy Piper cuts a crazy promo about how this promotion has now fired him TWICE and he keeps coming back. And now he’s trying to get into the National Title tournament and people are trying to screw him out of his shot. “I can stare at a potato from 20 yards and make it peel itself out of fear!” And we get MORE foreshadowing from Gordon, as Piper takes off in a huff with the fans booing, and Gordon refers to an angle on one of the episodes that I don’t have and says that Piper was nice enough to take over commentary and run the show in a situation where Gordon didn’t feel safe, and because of that, Gordon feels that Piper actually DOES have some admirable qualities that he simply doesn’t show very often.
-Onto other business, Gordon wants to address a question that comes in the mail a lot because wrestling fans really wonder about this…The reason you see so many matches on TV where mismatched inexperienced rookies battle stars who clearly outmatch them in ability and star power is because those young rookies WANT those matches. They need to get their experience, even if the match isn’t fair. On the other hand, you only see evenly matched battles between contenders of equal caliber when you buy tickets to arenas. Just to make things interesting though, they’re going to try something for a while starting with this week’s episode, in which matches will be made by random drawings.
TITO SANTANA vs. PETE MARTIN
-Not this one, though. Martin wanted to get experience.
-Hiptosses to and fro by Tito. Hammerlock by Tito, but Martin makes the ropes to force the break. Martin throws forearms and finally gets something going, slamming Tito into place but missing a splash. Whip and “ring my bell,” as Gorilla called that one move, and Tito finishes with a stepover toehold into a roll-up for three.
-Piper has the GOOD coke this week because he’s no hero, he pulls women’s hair, he’s never spent the night in jail, and he hates the way American men keeps their cigarette packs rolled in their sleeves. He storms off again, and Gordon shakes his head disapprovingly and muses, “So much potential, so much confusion.”
-The first name for the random drawing match is pulled out–Super Destroyer.
-Speaking of the good coke, here’s Don Muraco. Gordon’s neutral facial expression and one-sentence wrap-up are the best part of these interviews.
MAGNIFICENT MURACO vs. DALE VEASEY
-Muraco gets Veasey on the mat and works him over with a stepover toehold. Muraco abruptly mouths off at Piper and Piper stops in mid-sentence because he’s so confused that Muraco would make a nasty remark toward him. But Piper shakes that off quickly and goes back to heaping praise on Muraco as he levels Veasey with a double kneelift.
-Muraco dumps Veasey on the floor and then dumps him right back in, and a tombstone finishes things for the magnificent one.
-Freebirds are here and ready for the triple main event in the Omni on the 29th!
-Your Omni card:
National Tag Team Title, Freebirds defend against Samoans
Falls Count Anywhere, Muraco vs. Tommy Rich
1-night tournament for the National Title, featuring: Paul Orndorff, Iron Sheik, Buzz Sawyer, Ivan Koloff, Tito Santana, Masked Superstar, Matt Borne, Roddy Piper, Ole Anderson, Super Destroyer, Ernie Ladd, and Brad Armstrong. Gordon says it’s going to be a Round Robin tournament, but since that would be 132 matches, I’m assuming he has bad information.
-The other name has been randomly drawn, and it’s Paul Orndorff.
-Sonny King offers $2,000 to anyone who’s willing to take the Iron Sheik’s Persian Clubs Challenge right here on “the Super Channel.” Gordon is funny and quirky in his absolute REFUSAL to say “Persian” here, insisting that these are actually Indian Clubs. Sheik does some reps and then takes off, waiting for a taker.
PAUL ORNDORFF vs. SUPER DESTROYER
-Buzz Sawyer comes out to scout Orndorff as Destroyer clamps on a side headlock and takes him down. Orndorff manages to wring the arm and get Destroyer on the mat. Hiptoss by Orndorff gets two. Destroyer switches from scientific wrestling to aggression, putting boots to Orndorff’s back. Orndorff gets aggressive right back, whipping Destroyer to the corner and doing a stepover on the arm.
-Destroyer goes right back to the dirty tactics well, choking Orndorff over the top rope and taking some direct shots to the throat. Ole Anderson strolls out to do some scouting of his own for the tournament.
-Destroyer gives Orndorff a forearm for two. He goes to a chinlock to try to wear out Orndorff while Ole goes on a tangent about how he thinks it’s ridiculous that the Freebirds think the National Tag Team Title is more important than the World Tag Team Title belts, just because the National Tag Team Title is defended all over the world, which technically makes them some sort of International Tag Team Title. Like, a World Tag Team Title, almost, I suppose. Buzz Sawyer offers some words, and Gordon just mutters “Right,” and cuts to a commercial.
-Back from the break, Orndorff is fighting back with an elbow and a turnbuckle shot. Orndorff works the leg AND the arm as Gordon warns that the 15-minute time limit is ticking away. Lefts and rights by Orndorff as, true to Gordon’s word, the bell sounds for a draw. Lots of action and no sign that they were just running out the clock for the time limit. Good TV bout!
-Masked Superstar says that whoever the National Title tournament winner is, fans are going to say that man is the BEST in the country.
-Ole Anderson promises that he’s winning the tournament, but it sounds gruffer when he says it.
WILD SAMOANS (with Sonny King) vs. RANDY BARBER & CHARLIE WHITE
-Slams and stomps by Sika the Samoan. Afa tags on and applies a front facelock, which is not as alliterative. Samoans just keep beating on them as Gordon questions the jobbers’ strategy of targeting the midriff. Samoan drop puts the jobbers out of their misery.
-Don Muraco comes out to rant and it’s pretty transparently just to pad for time. Muraco’s up to the task.
STANDBY MATCH: MIKE JACKSON vs. STANLEY BORNE
-Ernie Ladd strolls out to join Mister TV Announcer on commentary, and the gist of it seems to be “I was heel the last time I was in Georgia, now I’m face.” Borne works the ribs and slams Jackson down. Jackson rolls him up for two, then bodypresses for another two, then rolls him up for another two. Borne backdrops Jackson. Stanley bears a resemblance to Matt, but I can’t find any info about him.
-Dropkick and flying headscissors by Jackson as a clock appears in the corner. Gutwrench by Borne stops the onslaught, and the whoopie cushion finishes….hold on…this IS Matt Borne, why in God’s name was Gordon calling him Stanley?
-Gordon kicks off hour #2 by chatting with Buzz Sawyer about the National Title tournament. Buzz wants what’s coming to him! Ernie Ladd steps in, proclaiming himself “The NEW Ernie Ladd.” He runs down all the heels in the tournament, because they are egg-sucking dogs.
BRAD ARMSTRONG vs. ABDUL ZATAR
-Armstrong takes him down right away for a roll-up, but Zatar grabs the ropes. He manages to clamp headscissors on Brad as Gordon suddenly muses that something is off about Roddy Piper lately and he’s trying to figure out what’s going on with the troubled Scotsman.
-Criss-cross leads to a backdrop by Brad, and he locks on a side headlock and we get quite comfy with that for a bit. Zatar finally breaks after remembering that he’s still in the hold and rams Armstrong into the turnbuckles. Zatar tries his own side headlock, but Brad chops free and drops a knee for one. Double kneelift by Brad, and a pretty clever combo sees Brad apply a stump puller and then just roll backward to make it a roll-up for three.
-Masked Superstar is upset because Burrhead Jones issued a challenge for some reason, and no one can come to Burrhead’s aid now.
MASKED SUPERSTAR vs. BURRHEAD JONES
-I just recap ’em, folks. He’s 46 or 47 years old, from what I can find, and after a fairly decent midcard career, it seems that the idea here is that they’re pushing him as a faded star going for one last shot at glory.
-Superstar hammers away as Tony G comes out to tell us a little more of a story. He was Jones’ partner in a tag team match last week and Superstar injured him, so Jones’ challenge is something of an attempt by Jones to avenge his friend.
-Superstar sends Jones to the floor and just keeps hammering and booting him. Back in, Irish whip by Superstar, and it looks like Jones is attempting the Slaughter bump from that but he doesn’t quite make it. Hard clothesline by Superstar finishes. So after building it up and booking an angle, Jones got NOTHING.
-Ernie Ladd strolls out and demands a chance to avenge the guy who was doing the avenging in this match, and he wants to get his hands on Masked Superstar.
-Tommy Rich sort of illustrates the problem with trying to promote multiple house shows on a national TV show by talking about next weekend’s falls-count-anywhere match against Don Muraco. He says he’s taking preparation for the match one day at a time, like tomorrow in Cincinnati when he faces Ric Flair for the world title. That’s….that’s his prep for a match against Don Muraco. A world title match is his PREP.
-Gordon wants to offer a few words about Roddy Piper. Piper is a gifted athlete, a former boxer and young professional…but he seems tormented by some sort of confusion, as illustrated with his promo in the previous hour in which he couldn’t stay on one train of thought.
BUZZ SAWYER vs. RANDY WHITE
-Tito Santana drops by for commentary as Buzz just pounds on White. Powerslam makes quick work of the youngster, and Tito wraps up his thoughts by telling us he enjoys signing autographs.
-Gordon Solie welcomes the wrestler formerly known as Roy Rogers, revealing that his name is actually Johnny Rich and he changed his name so he wouldn’t be piggy-backing off of Cousin Tommy’s fame. Muraco comes out and gets in Johnny’s face, feeling pretty cocky about the falls-count-anywhere match.
OLE ANDERSON vs.
-Telltale pause by Gordon at the start of the match to let us know that nobody gave him the jobber’s name. Ole rides “his man” around the ring as Roddy Piper returns to commentary to rant and rave a bit more. Piper gushes with words of praise for Ole while Ole gets an almost-crossface chicken wing on His Man. Slam and a big elbow get the win for Ole.
-Superstar comes out to cut another promo, but Ernie Ladd stalks into the ring and demands that he get his ass in the ring. Ernie stands there “waiting to get beat up” according to Superstar, and he just walks off in disgust.
FABULOUS FREEBIRDS (National Tag Team Champions) vs. CHIC DONOVAN & ED TIMBS
-Donovan tries evasive maneuvers with Gordy, and it actually works for a bit as he manages to get Gordy caught in a standing side headlock. Gordy gets free and throws a big right hand. Donovan tags in his partner and Gordy is so damn riled up that he just fights both opponents.
-Hayes tags in with a FULL bodyslam and tries to finish with an elbow off the turnbuckles, but Timbs rolls out of the way and smartly works the arm over before ramming Hayes in the corner. Gordy tags back in and kicks Timbs to the floor, then slams him on the concrete. Freebirds take turns distracting the referee and beating the hell out of Timbs and the audience is going nuts for this, as they’re just cheating for NO reason and the jobber is getting destroyed.
-Donovan tags in and now he gets heaved to the concrete with SAUCE by Gordy. Hayes with an aggressive chinlock. Timbs tags in, misses a corner charge, and gets bulldogged and piledriven to end the destruction.
-Don Muraco proclaims himself the prince of darkness and warns Tommy Rich about what’s coming in the Omni.
-The Iron Sheik comes out to do another exercise with the International Clubs while Sonny King demands that somebody come out here and take the challenge for $2,000 in cash. No takers this week.
WILD SAMOANS vs. MIKE JACKSON AND A PAUSE BECAUSE GORDON DOESN’T KNOW WHO THE OTHER GUY IS
-Jackson tries a bodypress off the second rope but Afa catches him and hurls him the length of the ring. Rear chinlock is locked on, but Jackson elbows free, only for him to get mowed down and caught in the move again. Baaaaaaaack bodydrop by Afa. Everybody tags , but Jackson’s partner, whom we’ve apparently confirmed is named Powell, runs right into a Samoan drop for a quick three-count.
