by Liam Byrne
Nothing really out of the ordinary on this debut show, though it is unsurprising that Blanchard/Houston is the best match considering how hot Blanchard is in Mid-Atlantic. Still, the fans in Georgia had got what they wanted; Solie and Anderson back on their screens.
Championship Wrestling from Georgia 8.9.84
A small gap to the next available CWG show, though one that has at least seen some improvement in the quality of the studio. Gordon Solie brings in Ole Anderson, who then pretty much throws straight over to Fred Ward (a promoter in the region) before introducing Bob Geigel, the NWA Chairman. Geigel and Solie laud the opportunity to see Harley Race in action tonight, before they promote a show at the Kemper Arena. This looks like the promotion have loaded the show with senior members of the NWA in order to help give this new rebirth a sense of gravitas.
This is a clipped show so we head straight to an interview between Solie, Ted Dibiase and Paul Ellering. Ellering begins, speaking about how neither ‘Brad nor Dad’ is man enough of the two Armstrongs to rise above the competition when it truly matters, before Dibiase shows off before and after photos following his attack on Bob Armstrong. Dibiase mentions how Bob has made lots of noise about meeting him in a match, but none of it has been face to face and he is here waiting for just that.
Tully Blanchard is in the ring for the first contest of the show, flicking his gown at Dale Veasey pre-match to rile him up. The first lock-up sees Blanchard hit an armdrag, strut and offer an arrogant handshake that Veasey ignores, before a second Blanchard takedown sees Veasey escape back to his feet. Veasey comes out on top of a sequence of armwringers, though Blanchard kicks his way off of the canvas to force a reset. A knee, several punches and a slam have Blanchard on top, whilst an elbowdrop earns him a two count. The champion slaps on a chinlock to wear Veasey down, using a handful of hair to keep him grounded.
Geigel joins Solie on commentary as Blanchard continues to bend the rules to keep on the hold. Veasey does escape with three elbows, before a dropkick has Blanchard fleeing to the outside to halt his opponent’s momentum. Veasey isn’t having any of this, pulling Blanchard back into the ring by his arm, continuing to hold the limb after Blanchard tries a reversal, and yanking him away from the ropes rather than breaking the hold. It takes several chops from Blanchard to rock Veasey, though Blanchard then trips on an attempted Irish whip. A body slam and three elbowdrops cover for this slight botch, only for Blanchard to come off the top into a punch to the stomach. Just as it looks like Veasey is firing up, Blanchard dumps him throat first on the top rope and lands the slingshot suplex to finish. A pretty competitive contest that told a simple, yet effective, story.
The usual interview shill is a little bit unique this week as we have Harley Race standing behind a steel cage and making it clear that he will take the NWA World Heavyweight Title off of Ric Flair and become an eight time champion. This is the main event of a show in October that also has Ted Dibiase versus Ronnie Garvin, as well as the Road Warriors taking on Dusty Rhodes and Ole Anderson, in what is already shaping up to be a huge card.
Following the shill, we have Solie introduce a man that he believes will be the first ever Black NWA World Heavyweight Champion – Tony Atlas. He is speaking to the side of an AWA logo, talking all about the beauty of Georgia as well as all of the wrestlers who are coming through and wanting to make a name for themselves. Atlas believes he is an eligible contender if people want to show what they are capable of, something that he believes the people of Atlanta will enjoy as they love their wrestling as much as he loves them.
Bill Apter joins Solie now, championing how great it is to see Solie and Anderson back on television whilst also indicating that the PWI Interviews are coming back.
Harley Race is next up in the ring, taking on Bob Owens and almost instantly ending the match with a knee to the stomach and a gutwrench suplex for two. Owens is not small, but Race effortlessly sends him over with a butterfly suplex for another two, following up with two driven knees to the forehead for another nearfall. Race isn’t messing around, dropping Owens on his head with a piledriver and hitting a neckbreaker. It is a high stalling vertical suplex that earns Race the victory, and whilst I don’t usually like matches where jobbers kick out of moves a lot, Race is so clinical that it was great to watch him just destroy Owens.
The Road Warriors are back in the region, unfortunately for Greg Brown and Snake Brown as they get jumped before the bell. Hawk hits an early press slam on Greg, with Animal following up with a backbreaker of his own. A throwing slam by Hawk sends Greg into the corner for the tag, with Snake getting no choice in the matter as he is dragged in over the top rope. Animal uses a few kicks to send Snake to the canvas, before Hawk lands a bodyslam and his jumping fistdrop. Quick tags have the Warriors pummelling Snake with a barrage of strikes, including several shoulder charges in the corner by Hawk. Rather than hit the double team clothesline, Animal just stands Snake up for a clothesline off of the second rope by Hawk. Snake is a braver man than I am, kicking out just after the three count and earning a boot from Hawk for his insolence. Standard Warriors fare, making it at least watchable to see how badly they’ll beat up their opponents.
Ellering, Hawk and Animal head straight over to Solie, with Ellering unshaken in his belief that the Warriors are the best tag team going today and are willing to take on anyone, including the Briscos. Some generic heel snarling aimed at the Briscos follows from Hawk and Animal. After a clip in the footage, we return to Ellering removing his coat – sans Warriors – as he is irate about Brad Armstrong, threatening to take him on now. He goes as far as getting into the ring and removing his shirt, though it is unsurprisingly all a ruse as Ted Dibiase jumps Armstrong the moment he gets close to Ellering. Ronnie Garvin, Bob Roop and Bob Armstrong also end up hitting the ring, with Armstrong armed with a belt to leave the father and son combination standing tall.
We get a team that I haven’t yet met during my time looking at action from 1984 – the Rip Rogers and Tim Oates version of The Hollywood Blonds, accompanied to the ring by Brenda Britton. They are up against Mike Jackson and Jason Walker, with Oates and Jackson starting the contest for their respective teams. Two clean breaks from Jackson sees Oates push him away both times, before Jackson takes the contest to the mat with a side headlock. Some dropdowns and a leapfrog lead to an enziguri by Jackson – cutting edge offense – before a dropkick has Oates tagging out to Rogers. Walker also comes in, having Rogers in control with multiple arm wringers, a move that Jackson continues as he re-enters the contest.
It is eventually Walker who gets caught in the heel corner, with Oates applying a front facelock and using a knee to stop Walker building any momentum as he tried to punch his way out of the hold. The tags begin to come quick as the heels have Walker under control, with Rogers berating Walker after a chop and then stamping on his stomach. Oates hits a driving elbowdrop off of the ropes, but again has to use a kneelift to halt Walker after taking a couple punches to the gut. Rogers is bending the rules more frequently than Oates, choking Walker and grinding his face on the top rope. A very awkward looking reversal of a back body drop finally allows Walker to tag out, with Jackson almost instantly stealing victory with a second rope crossbody on Oates. Jackson makes a cardinal error of tagging Oates back in too early, leading to a vicious looking double back suplex, and a less vicious looking Oates DDT for the victory. Probably a better iteration of the Blonds gimmick than the one I saw in Memphis, but that doesn’t say much in all reality.
A pretty good show all in all, helped along by a decisive Harley Race squash, and interesting enough contests including Tully Blanchard and The Hollywood Blonds. If anything, this is of a better standard than what I was privy to before the promotion was bought out, if only due to the need to bring in some Mid-Atlantic talent as well as showcase some newcomers. The place has definitely been freshened up a little.
Championship Wrestling from Georgia 15.9.84
It is Gordon Solie and Ole Anderson as always to open t
he show, though we get another introduction that focuses on bringing in a number of NWA committee members, with Fred Ward and Bob Geigel talking about a wrestling ‘Super Spectacular’. Nothing is particularly clear about what this means, but Geigel talks about going across the country with these huge shows, with the NWA World Champion part of the show to allow everyone to get a chance to see them.
The NWA National Tag Team Champions, Ronnie Garvin and Jerry Oates, are up first on this episode, taking on Randy Barber and ‘Crazy’ Luke Graham. It is Oates and Barber who begin the contest, with a go behind and hammerlock allowing Oates to trip Barber to the canvas. A tag to Garvin sees him utilise a neck crank that forces Barber to grab the ropes to break the hold. Graham gets a tag in, before instantly targeting Garvin’s apparently injured ribs. Graham is significantly more successful on offense than Barber, wrapping Oates up in a hammerlock when he re-enters the contest. Uncharacteristically, Oates doesn’t break clean whilst in the ropes, leading to a knee, a snapmare and a chinlock which puts the champs back in control. Graham manages to halt the momentum of the faces, lifting Oates onto the top turnbuckle and wrapping him up in a front facelock moments later.
Barber is once again the weak point of the team as Oates is able to retaliate with a big slam, one that is repeated by Garvin. Barber does kick out of two pinfall attempts, however, and even manages to work Oates back into his corner. This time, it is Garvin stopping Graham with a punch to the face that sees things switch. After Garvin back body drops Graham whilst applying a headlock to Barber, Oates applies a spinning toe hold on Barber that Graham could break, but he is too busy running away from Garvin and leaves his partner no choice but to tap. A more competitive match that might have been expected, whilst also one that never really settled down into any real structure. Decent enough for it though.
After Solie and Geigel talk about Harley Race taking on Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage, we get another chance to see the Georgia version of The Hollywood Blonds. Mike Jackson and Greg Brown are their opponents, with Rogers and Jackson trading arm wringers in the first instance. Jackson utilises the turnbuckle to takes Rogers over from the side headlock position, whilst Brown gets into the action with a shoulderblock. In trying to use the turnbuckles once more, Rogers turns the hold into an atomic drop which allows him to tag out to Oates. A slam earns him a two count, but Jackson almost earns a two count of his own as he hits a sunset flip on Rogers.
The Blonds begin to double team as he is tagged back in, with slams, back body drops and strikes the order of the day. However, Brown does try to fight back, only for an Oates handful of tights to send him hard into the canvas. The ring has been effectively cut in half, though Rogers somehow lets Brown make a tag out of a front facelock. Jackson is fired up as he lands a dropkick and a face stomp on Oates, but soon tags back out to Brown. Unsurprisingly, this leads to the finish as a double back suplex and an Oates DDT follows the telegraphing of a Brown back drop. A pretty entertaining contest all in all, without being anything spectacular.
Harley Race joins Solie for the shill for the aforementioned cage match in Baltimore, on a show that is not until October the 11th. The graphics that follow plug a show that is just around the corner (the 21st of September) in which the most notable contest is Ted Dibiase meeting Ronnie Garvin in an Indian strap match. With matches such as Crazy Luke Graham versus Luther and Bob Roop versus Nick Patrick, it is indicative of how far the territory has fallen in only a few months when compared to the type of cards they were promoting shortly before the sale.
Speaking of Ted Dibiase, he is against Big Bob Owens in the next match, with both men trading waistlocks until Dibiase goes to the mat with a side headlock. Owens reverses it into a headscissors, forcing the re-set and leading to a second side headlock takedown by Dibiase that is more successful. A shoulder block and a hiptoss are precursors to a third headlock takedown, though Dibiase begins to throw in some more rugged offense with a knee to the back and a back elbow. Owens manages to telegraph a back body drop and slams Dibiase twice, but a charge into the corner sees him go head first into a knee. Perhaps out of frustration as much as anything, Dibiase throws Owens to the outside, only to drag him back in and pull him up after a kneedrop to the face. One more kneedrop is followed by a figure four leglock that ends the contest. Competent, if uninspiring work from Dibiase.
Given more time this week, The Hollywood Blonds join Solie to talk about taking a tilt at the NWA National Tag Team Titles. They don’t exactly inspire, as it is mostly generic pops at the fans for not liking their way of doing things and putting the champions on notice.
Harley Race’s opponent for this show is Dale Veasey, and it is the jobber who surprisingly takes early control with a slam seconds into the contest and a side headlock. The side headlock is reapplied after a shoulderblock, but this just allows Race to hit a big back suplex to break the hold. Normal order resumes for a moment – a neckbreaker earns Race a two count after some methodical offense from the former champion – but Veasey gets a second wind with some shoulder charges in the corner. He misses a charge into the opposite corner though, with Race hitting a piledriver moments later. Somehow, Veasey kicks out at two, and it is a stalling suplex that wins the match for Race in the end. A good squash, primarily due to Race giving Veasey enough to make things interesting.
After Bob Roop and Ted Dibiase shill more for the Baltimore show, with a focus on Ronnie Garvin, it is Roop who is up against Jason Walker in the ring as our next contest. The front facelock is used by Roop to control Walker, alongside several strikes and a gutwrench suplex. A whip into the corner leads to a suplex, whilst Roop then just pummels Walker across the chest with some punches from behind. Grabbing Walker’s legs, Roop drives his foot into the stomach three times, before sending Walker into the turnbuckle head first three times. Walker’s attempts to fight back off of the canvas are weak at best, with Roop smothering any attempt at a legitimate comeback. Some more punches across the chest eventually lead to a clothesline, a neckbreaker and a big shoulderbreaker for the three count. Complete dominance, with Roop showcasing his technical ability alongside some of his more effective brawling skills.
Before the show is finished, we have Tully Blanchard offering a brief retort to Ronnie Garvin, offering him the shot at the Television Title that he seemingly wants.
The relative brevity of this show compared to some of the others does help it as everything flies by quite quickly. The Blonds tag team match probably offered the best in ring action, whilst the Race squash was a masterful showing of how you can just give your opponent enough to make it competitive and engaging. A decent all round show, though the promotional work in between matches highlights how things are nowhere near the pre-sale quality in terms of house shows.
Championship Wrestling from Georgia 29.8.84
Gordon Solie is with us again as he shills the ‘Dream Match’ process that will see the fans write in cards and letters requesting the matches they want to see on the programme, whilst also giving Georgia a whole heap of addresses for mailing and merchandising of course. Ole Anderson joins Solie to talk up the responses so far, before also questioning whether Ted Dibiase will be willing to get into the ring with Ronnie Garvin. This is a short cut of the episode that played at the time, so we jump to Bob Roop and Dibiase with Solie, both men holding their respective National Television and National Heavyweight Titles. Roop talks about there being confusion and Dibiase mentions that he was informed Garvin wouldn’t be there to wrestle him today. Angered by the suggestions that he is a coward, Dibiase turns it on Garvin by saying that he is the man who is ducking the chance for the belt, especially as he came here and wrestled a tag team match instead.
Tully Blanchard is first up this week, money in hand, as he takes on Maurice Cooper. Blanchard is quickly in control, sending Cooper to the mat with a snapmare, using an elbowdrop and riding Cooper on the mat as he tries to escape. The match goes back to standing, before Blanchard brilliantly distra
cts the referee and his opponent by complaining about the mat in order to get a takedown on Cooper. As a rope break brings them back to standing, Blanchard hits a powerslam and begins to berate Cooper as he tries to force the pressure. A leg grapevine somehow gets Blanchard a two count, before a front facelock leads to the slingshot suplex for a brilliantly comprehensive squash.
Ronnie Garvin is now with Solie, calling Dibiase a liar. Having missed last week’s show, it appeared we also missed the two men agreeing to fight. Garvin makes the challenge again, saying he is happy to step into the ring once more if necessary, though he does manage to name his own tag team partner incorrectly in the process. After a cut, we then have Blanchard with Solie as he speaks about all of the wrestlers he is willing to put the Television Title on the line against. This is a short segment, and we cut to Porkchop Cash and Bob Armstrong with Solie, with Armstrong holding a strap in his hand and it is almost ‘strapping time’ for Dibiase. Cash is the Alabama champion apparently, and he is happy to be back in Georgia, offering pretty generic face comments about his return.
Ivan Koloff and Mike Jackson is the next match in the ring, with the Russian immediately working Jackson into the corner, hitting some shoulder charges and a big hiptoss. Jackson misses a second rope crossbody after getting whipped into the corner, but Koloff then misses an elbowdrop. However, he isn’t in trouble for long as he begins to work Jackson over, sending him throat first several times into the top rope and landing a back body drop. Jackson is always competitive though, nailing a back body drop of his own and sending Koloff over with a victory roll for a one count. Jackson fights back to his feet after some more Koloff offense, but as he is building momentum, Koloff sends him throat first into the top rope again. This all builds to a variation of the cobra clutch that earns Koloff the win in a fun squash.
