The SmarK Rant for World Championship Wrestling – 06.18.83

The SmarK Rant for World Championship Wrestling – 06.18.83

Yes, so the Vault has FINALLY started posting these, which took forever because they’re so hard to assemble from the footage available and I sure appreciate the effort. Apparently this will run for August so hopefully everyone watches them and they do well enough to continue on. I had done some of the Georgia stuff from KrisPLettuce a while back, but the quality on them is so dodgy that it’s too hard to carry on a narrative with them a lot of times. This one, however, looks amazing.

Also for those wondering about the two different hours, this was actually the first wrestling war on TV, as Ann Gunkel owned one version of Georgia Championship Wrestling and Ole Anderson and his investors owned the other, and Ted Turner basically said “You both get one hour on TBS and you can share the studio” and it became a two hour block. But then Ole’s group bought out Ann’s group and it kind of became just one show after that point. But that’s obviously very simplified.

Taped from Atlanta, GA

Your host is Freddie Miller, subbing for Gordon Solie this week. Bob Roop joins him on commentary for the whole show but never appears on camera oddly enough.

Tommy Rich joins us to start, and he’s coming after Larry Zbyszko because Larry sent Buzz Sawyer after him and they got into a wild brawl backstage. Well I’m sure they’ll settle that one quickly and Tommy can move onto something else. Anyway we get footage of them brawling at a house show and fighting into the crowd in wild stuff for 1983 Georgia.

Mr. Wrestling II v. Rob Brown & Joe Young

Young slugs it out with Wrestling II, but II hits him in the gut and gets a snapmare for two. Meanwhile young Rick Rude is watching at ringside and II takes Young down with a facelock for two. Meanwhile Bob Roop joins us on commentary talking about how Wrestling II asked for the “toughest two men he could face in a handicap match”, although I’m not sold on their toughness at the moment. Young tries to bail to the floor, but II hauls him back in for a kneelift to finish him while Larry Z tries to interfere and Rude runs interference for Wrestling II. So it’s over to Brown, and II quickly slams him and finishes him off with the kneelift as well. And Larry threatens a fight, but backs off as usual.

Mad Dog Buzz Sawyer joins us and he’s tired of hearing that the “feud is over” with Tommy Rich, when in fact it’s just getting started. Truer words have never been spoken. We’re also joined by the Iron Sheik and manager Paul Ellering, and they’re tired of seeing Ronnie Garvin’s face everywhere.

Killer Tim Brooks v. Zane Smith & Rick Rude

So Brooks has decided to do a handicap match to show up Mr. Wrestling II, complete with facing II’s young protégé Rood. Brooks beats on Smith in the corner and facelocks him while Roop puts over the arm wrestling prowess of young Rick Rude. Brooks beats on Smith in the corner some more, ramming him into the turnbuckles and putting the boots to him before dropping a knee on him. Brooks drops him on the top rope and continues putting the boots to him before hitting a suplex and then dropping a leg on him for the pin at 4:00. So that leaves Rick Rude, and Rick grabs a headlock as Roop notes that Rude as a lot of confidence in himself. You can certainly say that. Rude slugs it out with Brooks and gains the advantage, but Zbyszko trips him up from behind and Brooks beats him down. So Wrestling II comes out to counteract Larry and the ref calls for the bell at 6:30, as the time limit has expired and Brooks was unable to beat both guys.

Tommy Rich joins us again and he’s coming after Buzz Sawyer in Albany, and he’s got an ace up his sleeve. We also hear from Rick Rude, who is facing Tim Brooks in Albany and he does a humble babyface promo that doesn’t suit him at all.

Ron Garvin v. Ron Rossi

Garvin works the arm and takes Rossi down for a splash that gets two. Ron with a chinlock and he goes to a neck vice and twists him up with a wacky submission hold, using his legs to hammerlock Rossi while twisting his neck. Rossi fights out, so Garvin beats on him with forearms and chokes him out before dropping elbows on him and adding a kneedrop to finish at 4:51.

Killer Brooks joins us and he’s heard that Rick Rude is a champion arm wrestling but SO WHAT?

Arn Anderson joins us with new manager Paul Ellering, and Paul claims that Arn will be changing his name from Anderson to Ellering now because he hates Ole so much.

TV title: The Iron Sheik v. Randy Barber

Sheik hits Barber with a gutbuster while Ole Anderson joins us on commentary and confronts Arn about the name change, and man he’s disappointed in Arn for joining up with the Sheik and those Road Warrior punks. Ole demands an explanation and Arn calmly says that he’s doing what Ole told him: Joining with winners. Sheik finishes with a gut wrench suplex at 2:07.

Back at the desk. Ellering mocks Ole’s cheap suit and fat face and is glad to see Ole is still OK after his Road Warriors beat him up last week. So let’s take a look at a match featuring them from last week.

The Road Warriors v. Joe Young & Randy Barber

The Warriors are in their early Rob Halford phase, with black leather chaps and full heads of hair, and they’re announced as the new National tag team champions. This was actually bullshit, as Ole just gave them the belts and made up the title change in order to give them the biggest push possible. The Warriors aren’t actually named “Hawk and Animal” at this point, and they throw Barber around before bringing Young in and double-teaming him with forearms in the corner as well. Hawk finishes off Young with a splash at 2:10.

Back at the desk, Ellering and Ole continue jawing at each other and Ellering wants to step into the ring to settle it, so Ole obliges him and the Warriors jump into the ring and brutalize Ole.

Wild Bill Irwin v. Mike Jackson

Jackson dropkicks Irwin and gets a headlock, but Bill puts the boots to him and drops him on the top rope to take over. Irwin slugs away in the corner and hiptosses Mike before stomping him down again and then he puts Mike down with a backbreaker for two. Irwin with a slam and he drops a knee for two. Jackson makes a comeback, but he walks into a boot in the corner and Irwin puts him down with a shoulderbreaker for two. Roop notes that no one ever kicks out of HIS version, but maybe Irwin just does it a bit different. Meanwhile, Stan Hansen stops by and updates us on Ole Anderson, as apparently Ole has been taken to the hospital but he’s gonna be OK. Whew. Jackson with another comeback, but Irwin blocks a headscissors and puts him down with a pump kick to finish as we’re out of time for the first hour at 5:20.

So we switch to the second hour, as Buzz Sawyer joins Freddy and rants about all the people who failed to take him out. Specifically he’s after Dick Murdoch at this moment. And one of them is gonna leave town after their match.

Brett Wayne v. Pat Rose

Wayne takes him with shoulderblocks, but Rose gets a slam, so Brett armdrags him and chases him to the floor. Back in the ring, Wayne holds him down with a side headlock as Miller notes that this is a special half hour episode because the Braves are playing. Rose puts him down with a back elbow, but Wayne backdrops him out of the corner and puts him in the figure-four to finish at 3:00.

Larry Zbsyzko v. Rick Rude

Larry has lots of complaints as usual, and he’s the National champion but this is non-title. So the issue is that Larry wants Mr. Wrestling II to vacate ringside, but he feels entitled to still have Killer Brooks at ringside. Larry tries to take Rude down but can’t overpower him, so he gets a slam instead. Rude takes him down with a hiptoss and gets his own slam, prompting a list of grievances from Larry before Rude goes to work on the arm. Larry slams out of it, but Rude hangs on and stays on the arm. Larry slugs out of it this time, but misses an elbow and they slug it out until the ref stops the match for being out of control at 4:00. They were being really protective of Rude at this point, but it wasn’t until he went to Memphis that Jerry Jarrett was able to create the Ravishing gimmick and turn him into a REAL star.

Back at the desk, Wrestling II declares his boy the real winner and he’ll be coming to take his title back soon.

Dick Murdoch v. Joe Young

This is a strap match as Murdoch warms up for Buzz Sawyer and I presume so that they can introduce the gimmick to fans before the house show series. Murdoch beats on him with the strap and touches two turnbuckles, but Young fights him off to stop the momentum. Murdoch beats on him with the strap and suplexes him, and then drags him to all four buckles for the win at 2:38. Interesting to see a strap match worked as a squash like that.

Larry Zbsyzko stops by the desk and notes that even if Wrestling II beats Killer Brooks at the Omni, he’ll still face II in the main event. And Buzz Sawyer yells some more.

Paul Ellering joins us and he wants to return Ole’s watch after finding it in the ring earlier, but it’s not keeping time anymore, so he smashes it on the desk to try and get it working. Sadly it doesn’t work. And we take another look at the attack from earlier in the show, before Tommy Rich and Stan Hansen join us, swearing revenge on Ole’s behalf at the Omni tomorrow night.

Holy crap this was crazy to see this show in pristine video quality for once. I really hope they keep uploading these.