The SmarK Rant for Georgia Championship Wrestling – 11.10.79

The SmarK Rant for Georgia Championship Wrestling – 11.10.79

Big episode this week!

Taped from Atlanta, GA

Your host is Gordon Solie

Austin Idol joins Gordon and promises to be the first one to unmask Mr. Wrestling II.

Carl Fergie v. Bret Hart

Bret is selling his left knee this week after the draw with Buzz Sawyer last week, and Bret works a headlock to start. Fergie powers out of that and puts Bret down with a forearm before going to his own facelock. Bret takes him down again and works the arm on the mat as Gordon reveals that Bret was a provincial champion of amateur wrestling in Canada. We’re learning new things about this Bret Hart kid every week! Fergie whips him into the corner and Bret takes the buckle harder than he’s been doing lately. He should keep that up. Bret makes a comeback with a backdrop, however, and finishes with a bodypress at 6:00. Gordon gives kudos to Fergie for not going after the injured knee.

Ole Anderson, Stan Hansen and Tommy Rich join Gordon, and Ole has a set of cuffs to keep Bobby Heenan from interfering in his matches. In fact, he’ll be handcuffed to Bobby THIS FRIDAY when Tommy defends against Karl Kox, and if Bobby tries to interfere, Ole is gonna jerk him off. Or words to that effect.

The Masked Superstar is tired of people yelling and screaming around here, so he’s gonna calmly issue a challenge to everyone bugging him, especially Mr. Wrestling II.

Georgia Tag team title: Ernie Ladd & The Masked Superstar v. Ole Anderson & Stan Hansen

This is to settle the disputed tag team title after the breakup of Ole and Ernie Ladd, and they start brawling right away. Ernie decides to go cut a quick promo and they start again, as the faces double-team the Superstar in their corner and Ole goes for the mask at the behest of the bloodthirsty crowd. Mask-thirsty? Ladd comes in and beats on Hansen in the corner, but Stan hauls him back into the babyface corner and Ole takes him down with a neck vice. Ernie fights out of that and puts Ole down with shoulderblocks, but Ole sends him into the ropes and Ladd manages to hang himself in an impressive bump for someone his size. Ole and Stan double-team him and Stan drops an elbow for two, but Superstar catches Ole with a shot to the throat to take over. Ladd backdrops him, but misses a senton, and Hansen comes in with a backdrop for two. Superstar hits Hansen with the flying forearm, but it only gets one, and they bring Hansen back to the corner for more abuse. Stan comes back with a shoulderblock on Superstar for two and IT’S A PIER SIX BRAWL, but the time limit expires at 6:47, so nothing is settled. And Ladd’s friend Tom Shaft hits the ring and beats on Ole’s ribs with punches and then busts Ole’s ear open with a shot. So I guess he’s a boxer.

OK, so KrisP cleared up the thing with the bits of the show stitched together, because it was two hours of programming originally and split into two separate shows, and as long as Solie wearing the same suit, it’s from the same airing. So for the second hour, we start with Tommy Rich confirming that he’s defending the Georgia title against a mystery opponent drawn out of a hat this week, and then he’ll have to defend against a Bobby Heenan Family member NEXT week.

Dynamite Bobby Jaggers v. Mike Fever

Austin Idol joins us on commentary and announces that IDOL-MANIA is sweeping the nation, with thousands of men nationwide begging him to stop wrecking their homes. And their women are spending thousands on hairdos and manicures so they can look pretty for Austin Idol when they attend his shows. Jaggers drops elbows on Fever and goes to a chinlock while Idol relates a story about getting a telegram from a beauty shop owner who tells him business has QUADRUPLED since he arrived in Georgia, from all the women who have to look beautiful to impress him. Jaggers works a facelock while Idol takes credit for running Tony Atlas out of the territory with the figure-four. Jaggers finishes with a back elbow at 4:30.

The Masked Superstar joins us and Bobby Heenan is tired of being chastised for “cheating” when really everyone does the dirty tricks and they’re just the ones who get heat for it.

Tommy Rich clarifies that this Friday in Atlanta, it’s his Georgia title against Karl Kox’s TV title. This is quite the week for Tommy Rich.

Tommy Rich v. Dave Bruno

Tommy works a headlock on the mat, but Bruno slams out of it, so Tommy gets pissed and dropkicks him before finishing with a spinning toehold at 3:00.

Ernie Ladd introduces his new protégé, Tom Shaft, who appears to be a boxer and will be punching out Ole Anderson this Friday night in Atlanta. He does a good intense promo here, but he didn’t stick around the area for very long and was out of the business a couple of years later, from what I can tell.

Ole Anderson joins us to reflect on his feud with Ernie Ladd, and he’s already got a bunch of knots on his head, and the only way to stop him is when it’s his funeral and he’s six feet under. So maybe it’s time for the Anderson brothers to reunite and deal with the Tom Shaft problem that’s popped up. So then we get some older footage of the Wrecking Crew beating some jobbers in Mid-Atlantic, back when Ole was the new kid replacing Lars Anderson. Man Ole could play babyface when he needed.

The Masked Superstar v. Jim Johnson & Jack Brown

Well those are some boring ass jobber names. Sounds like what Ron Burgundy would call his fists before a fight. Superstar takes them both down with headlocks, but Brown goes for the arm until Superstar takes him down and headbutts him into the corner. And then Johnson comes in, so Superstar hits him with a lariat and finishes with the cobra clutch at 2:30.

Tommy Rich and Stan Hansen are back to threaten the Heenan Family again, and Stan isn’t here to belittle the Superstar, but on Friday night he’s going to win a cobra v. lariat match. I dunno, in real life I don’t how you take out a cobra with a lariat. Also that’s a hell of a house show they’re promoting, with the Rich v. Kox title v. title match, Hansen v. Superstar, and Andersons v. Ernie Ladd & Tom Shaft. I’d pay $10 to be in the arena for that one.

Carl Fergie v. Wayne Rogers

Rogers looks like a terrified hostage out there based on his facial expression during the ring introductions. Fergie wins a wristlock battle with a knee to the ribs and goes to work on him with a good old full arm drag and twist. They trade hammerlocks on the mat, but Rogers gets a sunset flip for two. So Fergie runs him into the corner to take over again. Fergie with an atomic drop for the pin at 5:09.

Jacques Goulet and Chris Markoff, complete with their European tag team title trophy, promise to end the careers of Buzz Sawyer & Ricky Fields and teach them a lesson about being no good punks.

Jacques Goulet & Chris Markoff v. Ricky Fields & Buzz Sawyer

Dammit, did we miss the Tommy Rich v. mystery opponent match, then? Maybe it happened in the missing parts of the first hour. Sawyer runs wild for a bit, but Goulet catches him with a backdrop for two. So Fields comes in and gets a sunset flip on Goulet for two, then dodges an elbow and slams him for two. Buzz comes in with a headlock, but Goulet ties him up in the corner and Markoff works the arm until Buzz takes him down with a headlock again. Goulet cuts him off with a gutwrench for two and Markoff works an armbar, but Fields gets a hot tag and works on Markoff in the corner. Goulet comes in and hits an Oklahoma Stampede on Fields and then a suplex for two. Markoff works the arm again and puts Fields down with a double axehandle. Goulet gets a legsweep for two, but Fields comes back with a gutwrench and then Markoff cuts him off again with a backdrop. Markoff goes back to the arm with TV time running out, but it’s back to Sawyer, who hits Markoff with a giant dropkick and cradles for two. It’s BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA and everyone slugs it out for the double DQ at 7:57. Man this is the week for nothing getting settled.

Disappointed that we never got the Rich title defense, but next week he defends against a mystery member of the Heenan Family, so we’ll see if he can fend off that challenge!