The SmarK Rant for World Championship Wrestling (Georgia) – 01.15.83

The SmarK Rant for World Championship Wrestling (Georgia) – 01.15.83

I feel like it’ll be easiest if I just sync up the review timelines for Mid-Atlantic, Mid-South and Georgia, so I hopefully some consistency in who is going where.

Taped from Atlanta, GA

Your host is Gordon Solie

Ric Flair joins us right away, and he’s here to tell all the babyfaces of the Georgia territory that no one is going to take off Buzz Sawyer’s helmet, so DON’T EVEN TRY. But then Solie brings up Hacksaw Butch Reed, who has been making challenges to Flair lately with no answer from Ric. So Ric has an answer, and produces $5000 cash (which he just carries around all the time because that’s how he rolls!) and if Reed can beat him, he gets the cash and a future title shot. But if he can’t win, he never gets a title shot again.

Ivan Koloff v. Mike Starbuck

Starbuck tries a couple of headlock, but Ivan backdrops him and puts the boots to him before going to work on the leg. Ivan with the facelock and he beats on Starbuck with clubbing forearms and the FULL BODY SLAM to set up a backbreaker for two. And he finally sends Starbuck into the corner and finishes with the falling knee at 4:11.

The Super Destroyer joins Gordon and he’s going on tour to all the towns so he and Uncle Ivan can beat all the babyfaces across the nation.

Dick Murdoch v. Chic Donovan

Interesting to see Murdoch back here in Georgia after spending what felt like most of 82 in Mid-South, and still doing the Marine gimmick. Donovan tries to work the arm and Murdoch nails him with an elbow, as Donovan does a funny flat back sell off that, and Murdoch follows with a press slam. Murdoch grabs a headlock and hits him with a cheap punch to the head after telling the ref not to worry about it, and Chic continues his wacky selling of all the stuff. Finally Chic chokes him out on the ropes, but Murdoch hits him with more elbows and finishes with the brainbuster at 3:10.

Dick Murdoch joins us and he’s pretty ashamed to see Buzz Sawyer running around with headgear on just because he got his head shaved. Look at Dick, he’s already ugly and no one cares! Man’s got a point.

Bruiser Brody v. Jim White

Brody storms in and destroys White, slamming him and beating him down with kicks before choking him out on the ropes. Brody with a big boot to send White into the corner and follows with a dropkick before throttling him and then dropping the knee on him to finish at 1:45. Brody knew how to squash dudes, man.

Bruiser Brody welcomes himself to World Championshp Wrestling, since no one else is gonna welcome him. So he comments on all the pretty boys with the big muscles, like Paul Orndorff and Bruce Reed, and guys like Stan Hansen who have big mouths but can’t back it up.

Ric Flair joins us again, reminding us that he’s the foremost authority on stewardesses the world over. Because he flies so much, you see.

Buzz Sawyer & Ole Anderson v. Terry Ellis & Larry Hamilton

Ole and Buzz, professional miserable bastards, double-team Hamilton and bully him in the corner, and then Ellis comes in and Buzz rubs his face in the mat while riding him on the mat. Buzz with a FULL BODY SLAM and legdrop. Apparently it was Tommy Rich who shaved Buzz’s head as revenge for Buzz shaving Johnny Rich’s hair off. Well hopefully they can settle their beef quickly and move on with their lives. Buzz holds Ellis in a chinlock and rubs his face on the mat to humiliate him some more. Ole puts him in the dreaded front chancery and puts the boots to him, as they’re really murdering his jobber, and Buzz finishes with the powerslam at 5:00.

Ole Anderson and Buzz Sawyer join Gordon at the desk and Ole brags about how everyone said “Just wait until Stan Hansen gets a hold of Ole” and yet he’s standing there unharmed. So we get a clip of Hansen threatening to hang out at ringside for Ole’s matches and shaving his head. Ole is of course not scared of these threats, calling Hansen “big fat ugly and stupid”, so Hansen appears like Joe Hendry and beats the shit out of both Ole and Buzz by himself.

Ric Flair v. Pat Rose

Obviously a very rare TV appearance for Flair. Flair controls on the mat and SHOOTS THE HALF for two. Rose gets some offense with a hiptoss and Flair has a nice “WTF” selling moment as he realizes that he was taking the guy too lightly. Flair drops a knee on him and beats on him with chops before dropping the knee on him and NOW WE GO TO SCHOOL with the suplex and figure-four to finish at 4:10.

Buzz Sawyer, Ivan Koloff and Ole Anderson join Gordon again, and Buzz is down to a bandana covering his bald head. Sadly his hair never did grew back.

Meanwhile, last week on the show, Bruiser Brody storms the ring and destroys Randy Barber while he’s in the middle of a match and then complains that he “sound around for the first match” and couldn’t bear to sit through another match without getting action. So he decides to be nice to Gordon, but for everyone else it’s gonna be a long year.

Dick Murdoch v. Bob Scott

A second Murdoch squash here in the second hour of the show, and it goes about the same as the first one with a brainbuster to finish at 0:30.

Prime Brusier Brody is a lot of fun but this felt like a lot of Buzz Sawyer for 40 minutes. A little goes a long way.