Wrestling Around the Globe

[stu]

How did Tommy Young, great official that he is, fail to see that?? Superstar indeed has a beef!

Great action from this episode of WATG!

[Chad Olson]

Episode T7 - October 13

After Freddie Miller’s familiar intro, Gordon Solie welcomes viewers to this week’s show, and we get down to action…

INTERVIEW - Solie plays a clip of last week’s main event, where Rock Riddle battled Mike Graham to a double countout. He was joined by the World Tag Team Champions, Rock Riddle & Bobby Heenan. Heenan states that Riddle had Graham in trouble the whole match, and he would have easily beaten “that young punk” if the referee hadn’t counted so fast. Graham and partner Larry Zybszko came out to the podium, and issued a challenge for the World Tag Team Championship on October 20 at the Omni show. Heenan and Riddle confer, and Heenan says “you got it!” while Riddle looks bewildered. As the wrestlers depart the podium, Solie mentions that it appears that the World Tag Team Champions may not be “on the same page!”

GTVC Round #2 - Frank “The Hammer” Goodish vs. Lani Kealoha - The young Hawaiian took on the wildman from New Mexico in the second round of the Georgia TV Championship tournament. This match quickly went to the floor, where Goodish was disqualified for running Kealoha into the ringpost. A disappointment given the importance of this match between two rising stars.

INTERVIEW - Goodish walked over the podium and complained loudly to Gordon Solie about the disqualification. After more barking and hollering, Goodish stomped back to the dressing room.

Don Muraco vs. Frank Dalton - Muraco, a frequent tag team partner of Kealoha, took on Frank Dalton in our second match of the afternoon. Solie reminded us that Dalton is currently one half of the Gulf Coast tag team champions and is a veteran competitor. This was an impressive outing for Muraco, as he dominated Dalton with a wide variety of suplexes. He finally used a bridging German suplex to put away Dalton.

GTVC Round #2 - Jim Brunzell vs. J.J. Dillon - Great back and forth match, with neither man having a decided advantage. Dillon dropped Brunzell neck first over the top rope and got a very close near fall. He hit a big ELBOW DROP, but couldn’t put Brunzell away. Brunzell battled back and took Dillon down with a beautiful flying head scissors for a near fall. He quickly wrapped up Dillon in a figure four leglock and got the submission victory to advance in the tournament! Brunzell has been training with the Brisco brothers, and his improvement with his figure four leglock shows the fruits of that labor. *** ½

INTERVIEW - Gordon Solie discusses the battle between Brisco and Bockwinkel last night at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. Some film clips were shown, but the finish was not televised. Due to the controversial nature of the match, a rematch has been signed for next week, October 20, at the Omni in Atlanta, GA!

Bobby Shane vs. Tommy Gilbert, Jr - Shane, a top contender for Jack Brisco’s World Heavyweight Championship, made his GCW debut. Shane looked very impressive against Gilbert, Jr., quickly taking the match outside of the ring. Once order was restored, he used a back suplex to stun Gilbert, Jr., and then clamped on his deadly JAPANESE SLEEPER for the submission victory. Referee Bobby Simmons had to warn Shane with a reversed decision to get him to revive his opponent after the match.

INTERVIEW - Solie pondered if Jack Brisco would make it to the October 20 title defense against Nick Bockwinkel, or if Shane would win the belt in St. Louis on Friday, October 19. Shane came to the podium and assured Solie he would be victorious, and he’d see “all of his adoring fans” in Atlanta next week!

TV Main Event - Fritz Von Goering (4) vs. The Destroyer (1) - The two competitors traded body slams to start the bout off. Von Goering got a close near fall after knee drop to the trachea. He missed a wild charge into the turnbuckle, and the Destroyer took over. The masked man throttled the German from pillar to post. He softened Von Goering’s knees with a bombs away to the leg, and then clamped on the FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK. With the referee distracted, Von Goering’s partner, Baron Von Raschke, was able to rake the Destroyer’s eyes and break the hold. The Destroyer soon recovered, and after a dizzying airplane spin, he picked up Von Goering in a torture rack backbreaker. Von Goering quickly submitted as the capacity studio crowd erupted in joy! Von Raschke charged into the ring, but the Destroyer fended him off, and the German team made a hasty retreat to the locker room!

INTERVIEW - Solie closes the show with NWA Commissioner Lou Thesz. Thesz announces that the Masked Superstar’s complaint has been reviewed and his request for a rematch has been granted. The rematch for the Eastern States Championship will take place on Saturday, October 20, at the Omni Coliseum. Solie updates the list of matches signed for the October 20 show at the Omni:

WHC - Jack Brisco vs. Nick Bockwinkel
Eastern States Championship - Blackjack Mulligan vs. The Masked Superstar
WTTC - Riddle & Heenan vs. Mike Graham & Larry Zybszko
The Destroyer vs. Bob Roop
Thomas Couch & Tommy Gilbert, Jr. vs. Baron Von Raschke & Fritz Von Goering
J.J. Dillon has an open contract for October 20

[stu]

Looking forward to Brisco-Bock!

And watch out for Bobby Shayne....he's a baaaaaddddd man!

Great action Chad!

[Pariah]

Superb recovery by The Destroyer to earn a big main event victory... I see him becoming a future threat to anyone holding gold.

Enjoyed the showdown between Kealoha and Goodish, despite the disappointing finish... Fingers crossed for a rematch someday.

Fun stuff, as always!

[Chad Olson]

Thanks to stu and Pariah for commenting! I appreciate you reading.

Episode T8 - October 20
After Freddie Miller’s familiar intro, Gordon Solie welcomes viewers to this week’s show, and we get down to action…

Larry Zybszko vs.Randy Poffo - Zybszko returned to the ring with his shoulder taped. Poffo ambushed him with a running ax handle as Zybszko removed his ring jacket. Poffo stomped at his shoulder, but Zybszko made it back to his feet. He took control after Poffo missed a running elbow and hit a devastating backbreaker. He immobilized Poffo with a crunching Boston Crab, and then hit a sunset flip for the pinfall.

INTERVIEW - Gordon Solie offers late breaking news with information about Jack Brisco’s title defense against Bobby Shane, last night in St. Louis, MO. Brisco comes to the podium, and Solie questions his motives with two tough title defenses on consecutive nights. Brisco states as NWA WHC, you face the best from around the world, night after night!

Blackjack Mulligan vs. Mr. X - The Eastern States Champion, Blackjack Mulligan, made his GCW TV debut in advance of his title defense against the Masked Superstar tonight at the Omni. The sinister Mr. X attacked at the bell, throwing wild forearms and a dropkick at Mulligan, but the champion shook it off. Mulligan hurled X to the floor, but followed him out and threw the masked man back into the ring. He delivered a high kick to the face, clamped on his BLACKJACK CLAW and forced X’s shoulders down to the mat for the pin. Solie pondered if Mulligan would dominate his masked opponent tonight with such ease.

NWA Showcase Match - Solie narrates the clips from last night’s World Heavyweight Championship match between Jack Brisco and Bobby Shane in St. Louis, MO. Solie shared that the first five minutes of the match were a beautiful exchange of mat wrestling holds, as Brisco and Shane exchanged arm drags, armlocks and headlock takeovers. After Brisco threw Shane around the ring with his deep arm drag, Shane got frustrated and threw some punches. He went for an elbow drop but Brisco rolled out of the way. The champion locked in a deep gut wrench suplex and dropped Shane on his head. Brisco locked in the FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK and after a few minutes of struggling, Shane submitted.

Frank “The Hammer” Goodish vs. Mike Jackson - The Alabama Junior Heavyweight Champion, Mike Jackson, made his GCW TV debut against the wildman Frank Goodish. Goodish welcomed Jackson in a rude manner, picking him up and flinging him across the ring. He then bulldozed Jackson over with a bruising football tackle. Solie reminded the audience that Goodish competed in college football at Iowa State and West Texas State. Goodish threw a devastating clothesline and then hit his JUMPING KNEE DROP on Jackson to end the savage display.

INTERVIEW - Solie introduces Jerry Brisco to the podium. Brisco said he’s still frustrated by his loss to JJ Dillion, and asks if Dillon has an open contract for tonight’s event. Solie confirms that the contract is still open, and asks local promoter Paul Jones to come out. Jones comes out with the contract and tonight’s event is now finalized!

TV Main Event - GTVC Final Round - Jim Brunzell vs. Lani Kealoha (2) - Brunzell dominated the early minutes of the match, blasting Kealoha with his HIGH FLYING DROPKICK. Kealoha managed to kick out but was stunned. Brunzell locked on a sleeper, but missed a buckle charge. Kealoha took over and came off the top rope with a beautiful CROSS BODY BLOCK for the victory! NWA Commissioner Lou Thesz (on hand for tonight’s NWA World Title match) enters the ring with the Georgia TV Championship and presents the belt to Kealoha. Brunzell looks frustrated, but ultimately shakes hands with Kealoha in a good display of sportsmanship. Solie offers his congratulations to the new Georgia TV Champion, Lani Kealoha!

INTERVIEW - Solie informs fans that tickets are still available for tonight’s big show at the Omni Coliseum. Freddie Miller reviews the line up and encourages fans to “be there!”

World Heavyweight Championship - Jack Brisco vs. Nick Bockwinkel
Eastern States Championship - Blackjack Mulligan vs. The Masked Superstar
World Tag Team Championship - Riddle & Heenan vs. Mike Graham & Larry Zybszko
The Destroyer vs. Bob Roop
Frank “The Hammer” Goodish vs. Jim Brunzell
Thomas Couch & Tommy Gilbert, Jr. vs. Baron Von Raschke & Fritz Von Goering
J.J. Dillon vs. Jerry Brisco

[Pariah]

Sweet victory for the Pacific islander to become the first GTV champion... Hoping for a healthy title reign! 🤟

[stu]

Brunzell's handled the loss well, as one would expect from a sportsman like him! Looking forward to the big World Title Match!

[Cory Olson]

Another great show! I am interested to see how long Kealoha can hold on to the TV title. Looking forward to the next Omni card, particularly the three big title bouts!

[TTX]

Nice win for the Pacific Islander. Also looking forward to Jack vs Nick.

[Chad Olson]

Episode T9 - Omni Coliseum, October 20

Jerry Brisco b. J.J. Dillion - Short, sweet and to the point. Brisco was upset because Dillon scored a quick pin on him in the Georgia TV Championship tournament. He got revenge as he blasted Dillon with a standing dropkick at the bell and rolled him up in the OKLAHOMA SIDE ROLL for the pin!

Baron Von Raschke & Fritz Von Goering b. Thomas Couch & Tommy Gilbert, Jr. (2) - The young team of Couch and Gilbert, known as TNT (Thomas and Tommy) took on the diabolical veteran duo. Von Raschke went on the attack early, but Gilbert Jr., evaded an elbow drop and made the big tag to Couch. From that point, it was a back and forth affair, with the young team making a great showing. The turning point was Gilbert Jr.’s attempted Thesz Press on Von Raschke, who caught him and dropped him throat first across the top rope, stunning Gilbert Jr. Von Raschke tagged out to Von Goering, who came off the top rope with successive knee drops, and used his BACKBREAKER to get the pinfall. The German duo appeared they were going to inflict more pain on Gilbert after they overpowered Couch and threw him out of the ring. From the dressing room came Lani Kealoha in his street clothes to clear the ring. Kealoha helped the young team to their feet as Von Raschke and Von Goering made threats and gestures as they retreated to the dressing room.

Jim Brunzell DQ Frank “The Hammer” Goodish (2) - Goodish came down to the ring barking and howling, while Brunzell looked determined after his loss in the GCW TV finals earlier in the day. This was a great bout between two up and coming grapplers. They battled back and forth early in the match, before Brunzell got a close two count with a rolling reverse cradle off a missed clothesline. Brunzell came off the top rope with a body press and then locked in a sleeper. Things looked bleak for Goodish, but he backed Brunzell into the turnbuckle, which caused both men to tumble to the floor. As both men staggered to their feet, Goodish picked up a chair from the timekeeper and clobbered Brunzell. Referee Scrappy McGowan called for the immediate disqualification for the blatant illegal action. ***½

Eastern States Championship - Blackjack Mulligan (2) COR The Masked Superstar (3) - Blackjack Mulligan was defending his Eastern States Championship against top contender the Masked Superstar. While both men normally compete in the Mid-Atlantic territory, Blackjack’s title is recognized in Georgia. This match was an all out war from start to finish! The challenger got the jump on the champion at the bell, and quickly battered him with a flying cross chop and a head butt, both of which got close two counts. They battled outside of the ring as much as inside the ring, which saw the advantage swing back and forth. Blackjack showed off his deceptive agility, when he left his feet for his flying back elbow ram, which impressed the capacity crowd. As the battle raged back and forth, Mulligan hit his big boot to the face, which sent Superstar through the ropes and crashing into the ringside table. Referee Bobby Simmons made his count, and Superstar failed to get back into the ring. Mulligan was declared the winner, but it appears this war is far from over. ****

Bob Roop (1) COR The Destroyer (1) - A good solid match. Roop took advantage at the bell and relentlessly worked over the Destroyer’s neck with neckbreakers. He leveled him with a crunching gut wrench backbreaker but could only get a two count. The Destroyer reversed the momentum when Roop telegraphed a back body drop. He used an airplane spin to wear down Roop, but couldn’t make the cover due to his own fatigue. As the battle raged on, it spilled out to the floor, where the competitors traded heavy blows. Roop delivered a spinning neckbreaker on the floor and slide back into the ring. The Destroyer could not make it back to the ring by the ten count, so Roop was declared the winner.

WTTC - Mike Graham & Larry Zybszko b. Riddle & Heenan (1) - Graham and Zybszko were seeking revenge for a disputed victory last month. The World Tag Team Champions came into the ring very confident. Riddle and Graham started the match off, and Riddle quickly got Graham in the figure four leglock, seeking a quick win. Graham made it to the ropes, and was able to tag out to Zybszko. Zybszko came into the match like a whirlwind, knocking Heenan and Riddle around with ease. Zybszko wore down Heenan with a sleeper and then picked him up for his VERTICAL SUPLEX. Riddle tried to interfere, but Graham met him with a dropkick. The fans erupted as referee Scrappy McGown counted to three! Mike Graham and Larry Zybszko were announced as the new World Tag Team Champions!

WHC - Jack Brisco (4) DDQ Nick Bockwinkel (4) - Brisco, the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, took on Bockwinkel, who had lobbied for a rematch after a disputed finish recently in Los Angeles. The match opened slowly, with both men feeling out the opponent. Brisco got an early advantage, but Bockwinkel scored a close nearfall with Brisco’s own rolling reverse cradle. Brisco got back on track with a beautiful bridging German Suplex. At that point, the former world tag team champion Bobby Heenan came down to ringside, still clad in his black singlet. The advantage swung back and forth, with Bockwinkel using his FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK on the champion, only for the champion to make the ropes.

Brisco battled back, getting an apparent pinfall with a Thesz Press, but Bockwinkel’s foot made the ropes at the last second. Ringside observers claimed Heenan may have helped Bockwinkel. Heenan hopped up on the apron to point out the foot on the rope. As Bockwinkel joined Heenan and the referee in the discussion, Brisco grabbed Bockwinkel in the ROLLING REVERSE CRADLE. When they hit the ropes, Bockwinkel crashed into Heenan, who tumbled to the arena floor! Bockwinkel kicked out of a sure pinning situation. Near the 25 minute mark, the battle tumbled out to the arena floor. Both wrestlers exchanged punches on the floor, which turned into Bockwinkel swinging a chair at Brisco. The champion grabbed a chair of his own, and hammered Bockwinkel over the head. Referee Bobby Simmons called for the double disqualification, which did not please the crowd. ****½

Join us next week on Georgia Championship Wrestling for all of the fallout from tonight's big show!