The SmarK Rant for Georgia Championship Wrestling – 11.17.79

The SmarK Rant for Georgia Championship Wrestling – 11.17.79

Taped from Atlanta, GA

Your host is Gordon Solie

We pick things up with Bobby Heenan offering Tommy Rich a shot at Harley Race’s World title, and all he has to do is pass one more test. So Rich signs the contract, and Bobby immediately reveals that he actually signed to wrestle Terry Funk in a Texas Death Match…but then finds out that it’s also going to be a cage match, so that none of the Heenan Family can interfere. And if Tommy can’t beat Funk, he’ll vacate the Georgia title and leave the territory. But if HE wins, then Bobby Heenan is out of Georgia and he gets a shot at Harley Race! Turns out Tommy switched the contracts on him. Damn now I want to see that Omni show.

Austin Idol & The Superstar v. The Bruno Brothers

Masked Superstar has a very flamboyant teal mask this week. Superstar works on Dave Bruno with a facelock and brings in Austin Idol. I love how Gordon can’t tell the difference between the Bruno twins so he just calls them both “Bruno”. They’re actually the Deaton brothers, Joel and Vernon. Idol escapes a wristlock and bails to the floor to tell the front row what’s what, and I’m not gonna lie, he’s pretty attractive and he’s making me feel some feelings. I haven’t felt this way since the first time I saw the Outrunners on their Girth Brooks tour in 2022. Back in the ring, Idol with a backdrop suplex on one of the Brunos and he finishes with the figure-four at 3:20, despite the guy’s brother trying to break up the move unsuccessfully.

Back with Bobby Heenan, who is still salty about the contract switch and he’s got no plans to leave the territory.

Meanwhile, we get a video package about the Brisco Brothers, with highlights of them beating jobbers.

Tony Atlas joins us and promises to buy some bags for Bobby Heenan and pack them on his behalf when he loses.

Bret Hart v. Ted Allen

They trade takedown attempts and Allen grabs an armbar, but Bret kips up and reverses him to a headlock on the mat. Allen goes back to the armbar and powerslams him for two, but he goes for an abdominal stretch and Bret traps him in a cradle for the pin at 3:38.

Ole Anderson joins Gordon, but Thunderbolt Patterson interrupts and wants to be Ole’s new best friend because he trusts Ole implicitly. Well I can’t see how that could backfire on him.

Ole Anderson & Thunderbolt Patterson v. The Spoilers

Patterson beats on a Spoiler in the corner and Ole comes in for some forearms, and then he hauls in Spoiler #2 and they whomp on him as well. Ole with a pair of slams and Thunderbolt wears him down and pins him at 1:51. And then they rip the mask off, but the guy runs away with his face covered.

Afterwards, Ole promises that himself and Thunderbolt are gonna be the greatest team in Georgia history and they’re gonna unmask the other Spoiler too.

Carl Fergie & Rocket Munroe v. Mr. Wrestling II & Dusty Rhodes

Dusty quickly hits them with elbows and slugs away on Fergie, and then Wrestling II kneelifts him and Dusty drops the bionic elbow to finish at 1:00.

Mr. Wrestling II v. Mike Fever

Gordon clarifies that this Mr. Wrestling is not the guy we just saw but concedes he does look a lot like him. 2 takes him down with a pair of headlocks, but Fever beats on him with forearms to escape. So 2 slams him and hits the kneelift for the pin at 1:45. But then the real deal comes out to confront him and they do the SPIDER-MAN MEME.

Afterwards, Wrestling II demands a mask v. mask match against the fake Mr. Wrestling II to settle things, which will be at the Omni show! I don’t know if we ever found out the ID of the fake one here.

Ricky Fields v. Dave Bruno

Bruno manages to take him down, but Fields makes the ropes and goes to work on the arm. Bruno slams him for two, but Fields gets a snapmare for two and dropkicks him for two. Gutwrench gets the pin at 3:20.

Meanwhile, we take a look at Tommy Rich’s upcoming opponent, Terry Funk, facing young Jim Dillon in Florida in a lights out match. Terry runs him into the post and busts him open, and back in for a backbreaker that gets two. And then he hits him with a wild haymaker and finishes with a piledriver. Next up, Funk faces Bob Roop in another lights out match, and hits him with a piledriver but this one only gets two. So he tosses Roop to the floor and piledrives him out there. So back in the studio, Tommy Rich admits that this could cost him his career, but he’s gotta do whatever he can to earn that World title shot.

Ole Anderson & Thunderbolt Patterson join Gordon and Ole promises to run Bobby Heenan and his whole family out of the state at the Thanksgiving show in the Omni.

Wahoo McDaniel v. Abdullah Zatar

The ring intros are cut off for this one, as Wahoo takes him down and works the arm, and then chops him down and powerslams him for two. Wahoo pounds on him with chops and finishes with a butterfly suplex at 3:30.

Stan Hansen v. Buck Brannigan

Hansen works the arm and yanks him off the ropes, but Buck grabs a headlock and works on that. The crowd really wants to see the lariat, so Stan smashes Buck with forearms and chases him to the apron, and then slingshots him back into the ring and tosses him around. Blind charge misses and Brannigan gets two, however. Stan takes him down and works the arm, but Brannigan slugs away on the ropes until Hansen gets sick of him and just clobbers him with the lariat to put him away at 6:00.

Oddly enough that Terry Funk v. Tommy Rich match that was supposed to happen at the Omni didn’t happen, and it was changed to Rich v. Bobby Heenan in a loser leaves town cag match instead. Not sure of the story behind that one. Also on that show, which wasn’t mentioned here, a tournament for the tag team titles to solve the Ole/Ernie Ladd problem, and we’ll get all that fallout next week, I’m sure!