7/8/67 4/14/70 Georgia Championship Wrestling Back to Solie's Wrestling Videos Catalog Georgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, U.S., superstation WTBS. Savannah, Georgia is steeped in U.S. history as much as it is the wrestling business. 11/2/57 As the NWA tried to broaden its scope and unify the territories, instead of seeing them bought out by the McMahon machine, many titles were absorbed and ceased to exist, as weve learned so far. 1/20/50 Firstly, it started promoting matches at the then-brand-new Omni Coliseum. 4/30/57 Another great transaction from this seller! **this is not for the State or Novice Championships tournaments***. Black History Moments Though many teams like Buddy Fuller and Ray Gunkel managed to wrangle the belts away from them on a few occasions, The Assassins always seemed to get them back in short order. 1/16/50 Finally, on March 2, 1985, the WWF began airing in-studio matches (while changing the name of the program to WWF Georgia Championship Wrestling) co-hosted by ring announcer Miller and play-by-play commentator Gorilla Monsoon. 8/3/68 Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.226), NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, List of National Wrestling Alliance territories, List of independent wrestling promotions in the United States, Championship Wrestling from Georgia profile, from WrestlingData.com, "CARDS & RESULTS: 1970-79 (July-September 1971)", "CARDS & RESULTS: 1970-79 (October-December 1971)", "CARDS & RESULTS: 1970-79 (July-September 1972)", "CARDS & RESULTS: 1970-79 (January 1973)", "On this day in pro wrestling history: Gagne wins AWA title from Fritz Von Erich, Wahoo beats Piper, Guerrera over Jericho", "CARDS & RESULTS: 1970-79 (November 1973)", "CARDS & RESULTS: 1970-79 (April-June 1974)", "CARDS & RESULTS: 1970-79 (January-March 1977)", "CARDS & RESULTS: 1970-79 (January-March 1978)", "CARDS & RESULTS: 1970-79 (April-June 1978)", "Pulse Wrestling's Top 100 Wrestlers of the Modern Era: #35 Stan Hansen", "CARDS & RESULTS: 1970-79 (October-December 1978)", "CARDS & RESULTS: 1970-79 (January 1979)", Georgia Championship Wrestling Title History, Pay-per-view and closed circuit events (19831990), Professional wrestling in the United States, Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams), Heart of America Sports Attractions/Central States Wrestling, Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance, International World Class Championship Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling/Portland Wrestling, Southern Championship Wrestling (Georgia), Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts)/Mid-South Wrestling, Wrestling Association of Championship Krushers, Ladies Professional Wrestling Association, Jim Crockett Promotions (Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling), NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship, NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, Funny or Die Presents: America's Next Weatherman, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Georgia_Championship_Wrestling&oldid=1141177481, American professional wrestling television series, American companies disestablished in 1984, Entertainment companies established in 1944, Independent professional wrestling promotions based in Georgia (U.S. state), TBS (American TV channel) original programming, 1944 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state), Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. 2/5/69 They took the titles in 1980 when they defeated both teams of The Assassins and Mr. Wrestling I & II. 2/9/70 If you are willing to volunteer a few hours a year or a few hours a week, please let us know. 8/6/57 11/15/69 1/8/70 Not only was he the state champion but was the first to ever win this level of tournament for a Bainbridge wrestler. Learn more. 9/26/55 This left the trio of The Briscoes and Paul Jones in the decision-making end of the office with Ole along for the ride with his little percentage of stock. The exact length of several title reigns are uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used. 1/27/70 143 talking about this. 5/20/60 , 6/21/50 In 1979, Austin Idol made his bid for the belt and took it from Ray Candy, and captured it two more times by the end of 1980, feuding with Tommy Rich and Kevin Sullivan, who held it three times himself. Thank you for keeping up with us in this series as we delve into the history of the wrestling territories. USA gave McMahon another time slot when WWF Prime Time Wrestling, a similar program to the WWF's TBS program that aired on Monday nights and was a forerunner to the current Monday Night Raw, debuted early in 1985. 12/8/61 On December 25, 1971, Georgia Championship Wrestling made its television debut with a special Christmas program. Please disable your ad blocker to view the video content. 2/25/44 3/16/70 2/15/70 He ended his time in Georgia with a series of matches against Ted DiBiase, where he lost his title and began wrestling under the mask against DiBiase as Mr. R. Tommy wrapped up his time in GCW in 1984 before he headed on to Memphis. Parade Of Champions 8/26/69 1/9/61 This left Ole out in the financial cold with his drawls in the breeze. At 131 days, Armstrong's second reign was the longest in the title's history. 1/1/68 11/21/69 1/17/67 While there have certainly been many instances of this . 2/6/59 Learn more about the rise and fall of Georgia Championship Wrestling: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Following Black Saturday, Ole sued Barnett and tried to continue with his own Championship Wrestling from Georgia. 4/14/70 2/9/61 Simultaneously, unbeknownst to Barnett, McMahon also began making deals with the majority stockholders, The Brisco Brothers. Throughout the season Mr. Stutler made his mark by beating several high level state contending wrestlers from around the state. The situation was further complicated by a growing rift in the working relationship between Barnett and Anderson, as well as dissatisfaction in the profit levels by shareholders Jack & Jerry Brisco and Jim Oates. 6/10/68 Georgia Championship Wrestling had many glory years that saw wrestlings finest journey through its doors. Tennessee (Johnson City, Knoxville, Chattanooga) Both images show the WTBS Techwood Drive studios on the right and Alexander Memorial . Though he got his break in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, it was in Georgia Championship Wrestling that he really made his mark on the NWA. However, unlike World Championship Wrestling, which had been a weekly show from the TBS studios in Atlanta, the WWF's TBS show at first consisted solely of highlights from the WWF's USA Network and syndicated programming, as well as house show clips from Madison Square Garden, Boston Garden, and most of the other major arenas it did business in. Georgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired its first show on WTCG, a UHF independent station in Atlanta, as a Christmas special on December 25, 1971. 10/18/55 3/15/70 1/29/59 The oldest city in Georgia and a strategic port city in the American Revolution, Savannah was the last city occupied by the British before they sailed back home in 1782. Noah competed at the 170 lbs weight class and was the eventual Georgia State Freshman Champion. The WWF show on TBS was a ratings disaster from the start. 11/26/56 Verne Gagne's AWA debuted on ESPN in 1985 and aired on the network until the company folded in 1991. It looked like Ann had Mid-South against the ropes, but it was an audible call by Watts to bring in outside help that would finally help him win the insurrection. GCW moved its weekly live shows to the new venue, and it held wrestling events there over the next 25 years. The death set off some internal problems, with Ray's widow Ann, who had worked closely with Ray and expected to get her share of the promotion being shut out in favor of Bill Watts, with the promotion being renamed "Mid-South Sports." 6/27/52 Several loyal wrestlers went with her, including then Georgia Tag Team champs Dick Steinborn and Argentina Apollo, which left those titles vacant. 3/28/67 9/9/57 While it probably wasnt a good idea to screw over Ole, the partners all came out of the deal financially or occupationally sound for the rest of their careers in the business. Before he left GCW, Rich also feuded with the newly arrived Road Warriors. Without Andersons knowledge, Jim Barnett, with help from the Briscos, facilitated the buyout of minority shareholders Frances Jones and Jim Oates, which allowed McMahon to acquire 51% of the company and controlling interest of the stock on April 9, 1984. These teams dominated the tag division until The Fabulous Freebirds came to town. The second half, however, ushered in such promotional notables as Ray Gunkle, Jim Barnett, and Paul Jones, who made Georgia Championship Wrestling, Inc. (a member of the National Wrestling Alliance) a household term throughout the state via television. No pads or helmets or jerseys. 7/28/44 free shipping. There's no time to rethink strategy, regroup, or even to catch your breath. 3/28/70 Wrestling is perhaps the purest form of athletic competition to exist in the realm of organized sports. 7/16/63 He was 80 years old. Promoter and businessman, Grady Odum acquired the rights to Georgia Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s. 4/22/70 4/21/70 5/1/70 , 6/10/57 5/5/44 1/6/69 1/1/68 Sunday, March 5, 2023(Little Kids State), 7:00AM Weigh Ins for 6/8/10U State and 12/14U Novice - MUST BE IN LINE AT 7AM, Est 3:30pm Finalist Ceremonies and Finals for 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th place matches. We look forward to seeing Noah excel in both sports as well as the classroom. The Georgia Tag Team Championships also saw more than its fair share of action in the late 70s and into the 80s. Mid-South Sports's longterm prospects were not good at that point, most of their wrestlers had gone with Ann, and Ann's promotion had gotten Mid-South's television time slot, though both promotions aired on WTCG. 3/12/65 However, greed, Vince McMahon, and a dark day in wrestling forever remembered as Black Saturday led to the demise of this territory, leaving many to wonder what could have been. [4] Turner himself was angered by the sinking ratings and made two decisions that would fix the ratings problem. 4/7/70 4/21/61 georgia championship wrestling vols 11-20- pro wrestling. 3/30/70 There have been a total of 13 recognized individual champions and 8 recognized teams, who have had a combined 10 official reigns. 1/7/57 Great Female Inventors This program was hosted by Gordon Solie and was recorded in the studios of WTCG in Midtown Atlanta. Many of the NWA's regional promoters were unhappy, but Barnett claimed since he was only using Georgia-based wrestlers, that there was no harm. 4/3/70 1/25/61 As a result, on March 30, 1985, McMahon sold the Saturday night time slot (but not the Georgia Championship Wrestling promotion) to Jim Crockett, Jr., a Charlotte-based promoter who ran NWA-branded shows in the Mid-Atlantic states. With Gordon Solie providing the soundtrack that only he could, Georgia Championship Wrestling began to tape shows for television at a small studio on Peachtree Street. His battles with Wahoo McDaniel were also the stuff of legend in GCW. Excellent communication! 1/11/70 1/20/61 10/7/55 4/20/70 3/27/50 Wrestling Arrests You May Not Be Aware Of! Jones staged his weekly cards at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium every Friday evening beginning in 1944 until his retirement in 1974 and, under his watch, pro wrestling in the state of Georgia flourished. 5/1/70 In the Summer of 1984, McMahon began a correspondence with Barnett in an attempt to buy his portion of GCW. I am extremely proud of Noah and his record setting accomplishments this year. While Barnett is scapegoated with the demise of GCW, when he sold his shares to McMahon, it allowed the WWF to run its product in the venerated 6:05 time slot on TBS. He brought with him his former partner Lars to continue as The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, where he and Arn had left off. 2/23/70 2/13/70 This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 19:24. Ratings for the WWFs TBS programs ranged from mediocre to low while the handful of live events that the Federation staged in Georgia drew poorly. 1/23/69 1/5/68 Delivery times may vary, especially during peak periods. 2/3/66 The past wrestling season Noah transferred in from Ohio to begin the season and finish with a near flawless record losing only once during the middle school and high school season. 5/5/44 Georgia Championship Wrestling was formed in Atlanta in 1944 by promoter Paul Jones (retired wrestler Andrew Lutzi, not Paul Frederik who later was given the name) as ABC Booking. 2/28/70 In 1982, Georgia Championship Wrestling changed its main programming name to World Championship Wrestling. This promotion would eventually become World Championship Wrestling (WCW) when Turner bought the promotion from Crockett in 1988 and later withdrew it from the NWA. 3/20/50 4/18/70 The changing of hands and promotional banners that Georgia Championship Wrestling went through in the early 70s leaves its history somewhat clouded during that time. 2/4/55 2/10/70 After working out a few prior commitments, Georgia Championship Wrestling ceased to exist. Fritz Von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) joined ESPN in 1986 and its Dallas-based successors, the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) and the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), later occupied time slots on the network as well. Well discuss one of the most prolific territories to have ever opened its doors on the way. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 1/28/70 Georgia Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia. 2/14/61 On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Awards ceremonies will take place by weight-class as each weight class is completed. 11/19/57 1/3/66 1/8/69 Hamilton began wrestling as the original Assassin in the Georgia territory in the mid-60s. 3/4/70 He died on September 18, 2004, from complications of pneumonia. The earliest recorded champions were The Mighty Yankees (Mighty Yankee #1 and Mighty Yankee #2), and the last-known champions were Robert Fuller and Bob Armstrong. 11/25/63 Buddy Fuller and Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods gave El Mongol his best matches, but he managed to capture the title ten times in that stretch of time. 1/4/61 3/23/70 Vince McMahon is a very ambitious individual. In 1982, Georgia Championship Wrestling renamed its weekly program World Championship Wrestling, a name the entire promotion would grow to be identified by. 11 Unforgettable Wrestling Moments at The Omni, Battle for Atlanta How The NWA Crushed Ann Gunkels Outlaw Promotion, the tag division until The Fabulous Freebirds, Championship Wrestling from Florida | Wrestling Territories, A Ghost Story: How a Long-forgotten Territory Still Haunts WWE, Battle for Atlanta | How The NWA Crushed Ann Gunkels Outlaw Promotion, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_HWwv81Oni3PeOwYGuclbA, Disclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. The 2022 NJSIAA Wrestling Championships kicked off on Thursday, March 3, 2022 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. 7/29/61 3/30/57 No one was safe, and no quarter was given when the Wrecking Crew hit the ring. 2/6/69 The restaurants were sold in 2000, and Ray "El Mongol" Molina passed away in 2016 at 86. 6/16/44 3/3/70 Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia. The footprint left by Georgia Championship Wrestling can still be felt in the way the product is presented today. What became known as Black Saturday happened solely due to greed and spite. 3/16/70 Shows were taped before a small (yet enthusiastic), live in-studio audience, as were most professional wrestling TV shows of that era. 1/21/55 Georgia Television title (1969-1979) 4/18/70 He brawled his way through the Georgia heavyweight division, capturing the title four times during his time there, and he unified his belt with the newly formed NWA National Heavyweight Championship in September 1981. 4/28/70 , 1/3/57 4/20/70 Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) Inactive promotion in the Americas region. Event Name: A power struggle in late 1983 forced Barnett to sell most of his shares in GCW to a conglomerate consisting of wrestlers and brothers Jack Brisco and Jerry Brisco; Paul Jones; and Al Rogowski, a match booker, who also wrestled as "Ole Anderson." Additionally, in September of 1982, the name of the promotions highly-rated TV program was officially changed to World Championship Wrestling. 10/14/55 > Ted Oates versus Bobby Eaton . 1/1/69 3/20/69 8/30/61 Some reigns were held by champions using a ring name, while others used their real name. 3/28/70 6/23/44 Bad Fads Museum Rich was a fan favorite during his run in the NWA, working the babyface angle to the hilt as he battled with Buzz Sawyer, The Fabulous Freebirds, among many others. Both Mid South Wrestling and Championship Wrestling from Georgia outdid the WWF in ratings. The Omni would become synonymous with WCW wrestling in later years. Mr. Wrestling I & II gave them their most competition while at GCW, but very few teams stood in their way for long. Ratings problem contending wrestlers from around the State in both sports as well as the Assassin... Wrestlers from around the State or Novice Championships tournaments * * out the... 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