Georgia Championship Wrestling (8.22.1981) Review

-Originally aired August 22, 1981.

-Your host is Gordon Solie, who notes that there’s a cable operators’ convention in town and we have a bunch of executives in the audience today as a result.

-Gordon says that GCW is trying to book Andre the Giant for a TV appearance next week and gets us hyped for how big Andre is by showing us with “a person who is six feet tall,” and it’s Vince McMahon, who doesn’t merit being IDed by Gordon.

-The Masked Superstar is here, wielding his newly-won National Heavyweight Title. Superstar pledges to defend it against all comers and pulls out a list of stars that he feels deserve title shots against him, and it’s a bunch of jobbers, which is funny, but he also has Haystacks Calhoun on the list, which is odd.

BIG JOHN STUDD & IRON MIKE SHARPE vs. MIKE FEVER & JERRY MAHONEY
-Audience seems really confused here, cheering for Sharpe but giving a mixed reaction to Studd, and Studd even acts like a heel, vowing to beat up the jobbers because they’re rednecks.

-Sharpe beats on Mahoney, and that’s not a fair fight because Mike Sharpe is Iron and Jerry Mahoney is made of wood. RIGHT?

-Fever tags in and gets caught in a full nelson. Mahoney tags back in and gets some offense to a pop and I’m just baffled now because Sharpe was definitely a babyface last week. THESE FANS CHEER WHO THEY’D NORMALLY BOO AND BOO WHO THEY’D CHEER, MAGGLE!

-Sharpe chokes out Fever and he’s now doing the constant yelling shtick that’s more associated with his heel persona, so I guess they just decided to have Iron Mike switch sides. Studd tags in and finishes with a backbreaker.

MR. WRESTLING II vs. ED TIMBS
-II locks on a damn good wristlock and tries to flip Timbs over with it, but Timbs is slow to figure out what spot II is trying to get him to do, and honest to god II almost snaps Timbs’ forearm in half just trying to flip him over the hard way before Timbs gets a clue and goes along with it.

-II sticks with the top wristlock, but Timbs finally gives him a shot to the gut. Timbs attempts some really soft-looking offense and II looks embarrassed to sell it so he just makes an immediate comeback. Timbs completely shits the bed on…something attempted off the ropes. II sends him into the ropes and Timbs can’t really handle that either, and the backdrop is just…I’m sorry, I have to turn on the Maffew Signal and shine it over England for a second, the final minute of this match is brutal and merits preserving for history. Kneedrop by II puts Timbs, and us, out of our misery.

-Michael P.S. Hayes is here to remind us that he’s teaming up with Andre in the Omni next week!

KEVIN VON ERICH vs. RICK FERRARA
-Kevin flips Ferrara around while Gordon marvels that Kevin has “no wasted flesh” on him, which…I get what he’s saying, but even if you’re a lardass, your flesh still has a function, it’s keeping all that fat from spilling out and making the floor slippery.

-Kevin works the arm while Mr. Wrestling II comes in for guest commentary, except Gordon refers to him as Ed Timbs when he first shows up, so this is definitely an afternoon taping for Gordon. Also, I was actually excited when he first slipped up and said Ed Timbs was sitting in for guest commentary because it’s like…are they making him come out there and apologize?

-Anyway, Ferrara gets some offense as II cuts a really insincere promo thanking all the great, wonderful fans for supporting him, even if the other babyfaces are getting some token votes, and this is either the worst babyface promo ever or II is turning heel soon.

-Bodyscissors leads into what Gordon can only call as “Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh” because he definitely had something else in mind, but it gets the three-count, and post-match Gordon notes some telltale blood in Ferrara, who definitely broke his nose doing whatever the finish was supposed to be.

-Masked Superstar is here. Gordon Solie has tried to pry into his identity and his past. He wears a mask because he values his privacy and he asks Gordon to respect that and stop trying to investigate his background. He turns his attention to Tommy Rich, who’s mad because he got 13 stitches the last time he wrestled Superstar. “Well, I’m mad too, I wanted you to get 38!”

TERRY GORDY & SUPERFLY JIMMY SNUKA (Tag Team Champions) vs. RICK THOR & JIMMY POWELL
-Not sure which one is Thor but these are the two least-deserving guys that the name could possibly be given to.

-One of the jobbers gets beaten down. Gordy throws Powell, apparently, out to the floor over and over again while the cable TV executives are clearly entertained by how hapless Powell is. Powell gets slammed into place. Superfly splash, and then the claw hold finishes. Shawn Michaels has told the story about how he used to do the superkick and THEN a teardrop suplex as his actual finisher, and Pat Patterson took him aside and told him the superkick has greater impact and it’s more interesting to look at, so he should just finish on the superkick. Watching Snuka to the top rope splash and do another thing after that brings that story to mind.

MASKED SUPERSTAR (National Champion) vs. BRUCE REED
-Gordon lays out a nice story to start, noting that Superstar’s weird, snippy promo earlier is a sign of nerves, and it’s likely because Reed is NOT getting the credit that he deserves and Superstar knows it. And then immediately Reed overpowers Superstar on the lockup and wins a fistfight to send Superstar out to the floor, and even under a mask, Superstar looks really irked that the rookie just showed him up.

-Back in, Superstar goes the cheap-shot route, but Reed comes back with forearms and a bodypress for one, and Superstar looks REALLY aggravated and goes to the floor for a breather.

-Former National Champion Steve O sits in on commentary. Superstar again gets a little offense in, but Reed tackles him coming off the ropes and Superstar is just having the worst week of his life out there. Reed works the arm. Superstar backs him into the ropes to break it, but Reed hiptosses him, and with Superstar on the mat, Reed goes straight to an armbar.

-Superstar gets to his feet and forces a break by going to the ropes. He headbutts Reed, but Reed is still in it, reversing an Irish whip and dropkicking Superstar for one. Reed goes for a bodypress, but Superstar ducks and Reed hangs himself, and Superstar goes right to the cobra hold. Reed hangs on for a good, long time and tries to go for Superstar’s mask as a trick to force the release, but Superstar hangs onto the hold until Reed loses his grip and passes out. Good TV match that made the loser a winner. Superstar won clean as a sheet but Reed was the star of the show here, and nobody could say he wasn’t.

-Michael P.S. Hayes is out here and says he’s going to be teaming up with Tommy Rich later in the show, and Gordy & Snuka show up to start trouble. Hayes isn’t shy about fighting both at once, and he manages to rip Gordy’s sport coat before taking off, and I have a feeling that’s not the last we’ll be hearing of this altercation in this show.

RIC FLAIR vs. KEN TIMBS
-Save the family name, Ken! Flair is beltless at this point but less than a month away from his first World Title. Gordon puts over Ric Flair, noting that he’s double tough. Yes, but does he ask for or give quarter? We need to know, Gordon! I mean, we know he asks for quarters NOW, but I mean in 1981.

-Flair backdrops Timbs, and apparently, the Timbs family just flat-out was born without the backdrop gene because it doesn’t go well for Ken, either. Front facelock by Flair, and then he heaves Timbs out to the floor. Back in, the figure four gets the submission.

-Tommy Rich is here. He’s surprised that Michael P.S. Hayes isn’t blowing smoke, he really does seem to have had a change of heart lately. And he knows that Superstar isn’t really THAT hard-headed, and he’s pulling that mask right off in the Omni next Saturday night.

-Ric Flair is in Georgia because it’s on national TV and that means it’s the focal point of the wrestling business, so you have to come here to make a statement.

BRUNO SAMMARTINO, JR. & GEORGE WELLS vs. PROFESSOR SONODA & TOMAHAWK THOMPSON
-Sonoda gets hiptossed by wells, then sent across the ring with bodyscissors. Everybody tags and Sammartino bodyslams Thompson and follows with a legdrop, which you might remember from last week’s show. Honestly, if it’s this or his horrific near-murder of a jobber on WWF TV a few years later, I’ll take this.

-Sonoda tags in and gets some offense going and the crowd starts a “Let’s go Bruno” chant, so give him some credit, he’s getting over. Hot tag to Wells, to connects with a flying tackle and gets three.

-Michael P.S. Hayes is here again with $150 so that big baby Terry Gordy can buy ten jackets to replace the one that got ripped.

MASKED SUPERSTAR (National Champion) vs. FRED MACKENZIE
-14 Michael Hayes promos and two Superstar squashes makes me feel like they had kind of a light roster for a two-hour show this week.

-Superstar throws Mackenzie to the floor and he lands with a WHAM. Neckbreaker by Superstar as Gordon theorizes that Superstar is doing this because he needs to look like a badass after his embarrassing showing against Reed, which is a nice way to explain a guy working double-duty. Cobra hold gets the win for the champ.

-Superstar cuts a nice promo admitting that it took 12 minutes to beat a rookie, but he DID beat him. Bill Eadie’s shoot interviews in recent years about being as honest as you can while staying in kayfabe. Superstar saves face a little bit here because he doesn’t bullshit the fans, he admits he misjudged the rookie, but the belt around his waist still says that he’s the best.

MR. WRESTLING II & KEVIN VON ERICH vs. JOSE MEDINA & THE ANGEL
-Okay, seriously, I’ve heard that GCW was weird about treating each hour of the two-hour show as if they were separate episodes, I didn’t realize it was this literal.

-Von Erich works over Medina. II tags in and gets a takedown, and Angel tags in and takes his licks. Medina gets flung around by Von Erich. Bodyscissors into a roll-up, as Medina manages to do it right, and Von Erich gets the three-count.

MICHAEL P.S. HAYES & TOMMY RICH vs. BOBBY GARRETT & DAVID SIERRA
-Gordon hints that the jobbers have started a training regimen together and they seem to have “something in mind” about this upcoming match.

-So Rich handles Sierra without much difficulty, and then everybody tags. Hayes slams Garrett and drops an elbow from the second rope. Rich tags back in and applies a front facelock. Jobbers use some strategy to give Sierra an opening to sneak-attack Rich. Rich gets away and tags in Hayes. Sierra rakes the eyes and tags Garrett back in. Hayes shakes off the cobwebs quickly and finishes with a piledriver.

BRIAN ST. JOHN vs. BRIAN ST. JOHN’S OPPONENT
-We have two minutes left in the show and Gordon’s not even sure who the hell the other jobber is. Drop toehold as somebody finally passes the name Dave Stanley to Gordon. Running forearm by St. John. Gordon lays out what’s actually a really interesting character for St. John. His deal is that he WAS a jobber in Georgia some years back, went away, got better, and now he’s back with a stated goal of getting a match with every guy who disrespected him in his first run and rubbing his face in the mat. St. John gets the win and we are desperately outta time!

7.2

The final score: review Good

The 411

Another good week makes me glad I went with this show.