GEORGIA WRESTLING NEWS, NOTES, AND NOSTALGIA: 01/26/2008

NEWS

The Power Pro Wrestling Alliance debuts in Douglasville, GA, at Jessie Davis Park tonight, with a bell time of 7:00 PM. Ringside tickets are $10 and general admission seating costs $8. Advertised: Bull Buchanan versus Bulldog Raines; and a battle royal. Frankie Valentine, J-Rod, Cru Jones, Dark Star, Dark Gable, Kid Lightning, and Bubba Kaiser are expected to be associated with the new promotion. Please note that this event has moved from the originally advertised Deer Lick Park Gymnasium because that building has been temporarily shut down for hazardous health issues. Jessie Davis Park is located at 7775 Malone Street. Call Brian at (678) 952-4209, Ricky at (770) 883-1064, or Shannon (770) 882-4322 for more info. (Rich Tate)

Flatline Championship Wrestling is in Grovetown, GA, at Patriots Park tonight. Aside from tonight’s show, FCW is in Grovetown on the following dates: February 9, February 23, March 8, and March 22. All cards begin at 7:00 PM. Admission is $7, but kids five and under get in free. Doors open at 6:30. (Thomas Bugg)

Ultimate Christian Wrestling will be in LaGrange, GA, tonight at the Tabernacle Baptist Church, with a starting time of 8:00 PM. Call (770) 713-6367 for more info. (Larry Goodman)

Southern Classic Wrestling will be back in Sandersville, GA, tonight at Big Dog Billiards beginning at 8:00 PM. Call (478) 251-1332 for more info. Kids will be admitted free, while kids between 6 and 12 get in for $3. All other tickets are $6. Advertised: The main event will be a bunkhouse stampede, with the winner earning a shot at the SCW Heavyweight Title on a later date; Tommy Lee (w/ Ace Heffner) will defend the SCW Heavyweight Title versus Psychoman; Loco Motive (w/ Heffner) will defend the SCW Heritage Title versus Chaos – the title will change hands automatically if any member of the VIP interferes; 2 B.A.D. (Jamie Holmes & Conner Cruze) will defend the SCW Tag Team Title versus Marc & Eric Stanton; and Scotty Carmichael versus Leatherface. Frankie Valentine, the Nightmare, Flatline, Josh Stone, Brian Titus, Drive-By, Bobby Joiner, T.W. James, and Big Bank Barfield are also scheduled to appear. (Brian Slack)

Florida Championship Wrestling runs in Port Richey, FL, tonight, at the Jewish Community Center, beginning at 8 PM with the following lineup: A royal rumble featuring Sinn Bowdee, Johnny Curtis, Bryan Kelly, Eric Perez, Rycklon, G’Rilla, Giant Titan, Jake Hagar, Kevin Kiley, Mighty Mikey, Hade Vansen, Tommy Taylor, Chris Gray, Brandon Groom, Mr. Yamamoto David Olivieri and “Roughhouse” Ralph Mosca. Two men start and every minute a new man enters the ring. The last man standing will receive a shot at the Florida Heavyweight Champion. Also on the card is a strap match featuring Afa versus T.J. Wilson; a title match between Southern Heavyweight Champion Heath Miller (with Ted DiBiase, Jr.) and Steve Lewington; Shawn Osborne versus Eddie Colon; Nic Nemeth & Big Rob versus Billy Kidman & Matt O’Neal; and Brad Allen versus Robert Anthony. Val Venis will be Heath Miller’s guest on “Handsome Heath’s Happy Hour”. The Community Center is located at 9841 Scenic Drive. (Alan Wojcik)

Total Nonstop Action will be in Greenville, SC, on February 10 at the Bi-Lo Center for the Against All Odds PPV. The live broadcast begins at 8:00 PM. Tickets are available at the box office and through Ticketmaster. The lineup: Kurt Angle will defend the TNA World Heavyweight Title against Christian Cage; Awesome Kong will defend the TNA Women’s Title against O.D.B.; Johnny Devine & Team 3-D versus Jay Lethal & the Motor City Machine Guns; A.J. Styles & Tomko will defend the TNA World Tag Team Title against B.G. James & Bob Armstrong; Robert Roode versus Booker T; and James Storm versus Eric Young; and Scott Steiner versus Petey Williams. There is also a pre-taped match which will be shown, featuring a barbed wire match between Judas Mesias and Abyss. (Rich Tate)

TNA will be taping for iMPACT! at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL, on the following dates: February 11, February 12, February 25, February 26, March 10, March 11, March 24, and March 25. Admission for tapings is free. Call (407) 224-6000 for more info. (Rich Tate)

Val Venis and Jillian will be appearing on March 16 at the Opry Mills Mall in Nashville, TN, signing autpgraphs as part of the WrestleMania Fan Axxess Tour from Noon to 2:00 PM. (Rich Tate)

World Wrestling Entertainment has a few dates planned soon within our coverage area:
- Columbia, SC, on March 24 for the live RAW broadcast at the Colonial Center with action starting at 8:00 PM. Tickets go on sale on February 16 at 10:00 AM at the box office, the venue’s website, Play It Again Sports, and select Piggly Wiggly stores in Columbia and Lexington, SC. Call (866) 472-8499 for more info. Randy Orton, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy, and Umaga are scheduled to appear.
- Fayetteville, NC, on March 25 for the live ECW/Smackdown broadcast and tapings at the Crown Coliseum with action starting at 7:30 PM. Tickets are available at the box office and through Ticketmaster. Call (910) 223-2900 or (919) 861-2317 for more info. Batista, Edge, Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, MVP, Matt Hardy, and CM Punk are scheduled to appear.
- Orlando, FL, on March 30 for the live WrestleMania XXIV PPV at the Florida Citrus Bowl with action starting at 6:30 PM. Tickets are available at the Amway Arena box office and through Ticketmaster. Call (407) 839-3900 for more info.
- Greenville, SC, on April 21 for the live RAW broadcast at the Bi-Lo Center with action starting at 8:00 PM. Tickets go on sale on March 22 at 10:00 AM at the box office, and through Ticketmaster. Call (336) 852-1100 for more info. Randy Orton, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy, and Umaga are scheduled to appear.
- Greensboro, NC, on April 22 for the live ECW/Smackdown broadcast and tapings at the Greensboro Coliseum with action starting at 7:00 PM. Tickets are available at the box office and through Ticketmaster. Call (336) 852-1100 for more info. Batista, Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Edge, Kane, MVP, CM Punk, and John Morrison are scheduled to appear. (Rich Tate)

NOTES

Great Championship Wrestling has offered to send in the video for the weekly shows that air on television in their local area. We intend on setting up a section that will feature this, and hope to be able to offer the same avenue for other promotions to provide additional exposure for their talent to those who cannot see them live or on television. In the meantime, you can see a sample of what GCW has sent us, which aired earlier this month. Click here for an episode they called a retrospective of 2007, featuring Randall Johnson versus Jonathan Davis; Melissa Coates versus Daffney; and High Impact versus the NOW. Quentin Michaels and J-Rod co-host the broadcast. (Rich Tate)

Click here for a report on today’s broadcast of Southern All-Star Wrestling. (Larry Goodman)

GWH wishes a happy birthday to Shantelle Taylor, who turns 22 today.

Today is the first anniversary of the death of Doug Gentry, 34, of heart disease.

NOSTALGIA

1918: Strangler Lewis defeated Tom Draak in two straight falls at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium for promoter Billy Sandow. Sandow also managed Lewis.

1932: Steve Znoski defeated Paul Harper in the main event at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Henry Weber.

1934: Atlanta promoter Jason Thompson sponsored a publicity stunt in which Bill Lewis would attempt to break the world record of being buried alive. Lewis was to be buried six feet underground outside of Fair Street Arena. Food was to be passed to him through a small shaft. The record for such a stunt was thirty days. We have found no reports as to how long he stayed underground.

1945: Nick Carter defeated Mr. X in the main event at the Augusta Municipal Auditorium for promoter Jack Ross. During the match, Carter removed the X’s mask to identify him as Roland Kirchmeyer.

1946: Herb Welch defeated Jack LaRue in the main event at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Paul Jones. Al Massey & Laverne Baxter defeated Dick Lever & Vic Emanuel in the semi-main event. Also, John Mauldin defeated Jack Kelly by disqualification to retain the Georgia Heavyweight Title. Kelly was disqualified when he hit Bill Crussell. Stay tuned for more on that later. Crussell and Bill Collins were credited as being referees for this card. The program we have for this card notes that Mauldin had “gained possession of the state championship belt put up by promoter Paul Jones”. It added that Jones had “intended for the belt to be competed for in a tournament, although he is willing to concede that Mauldin would have had an excellent chance to win it”. In other matches, June Byers defeated Juanita Coffman, and Nell Stewart defeated Mattie Bell, substituting for Peggy Vaughn. Billy Wolfe was in attendance at ringside for this card. The program also featured an ad for Stan Raymond’s “Sportscope” program airing on WATL AM radio, stating it covers “All the News from the World of Sports”, broadcasting Monday through Saturday at 6:30 PM. There was cooperation between the promotion and Raymond’s show to advertise and discuss the local wrestling scene, as well as feature occasional interviews with wrestlers. Besides noting that Jones is the promoter, the staff credits in the program also mention Bert Prather (Publicity), Bill Hartman (Ticket Sales), Fat Elrod (Announcer), Simon Davis (Timekeeper), and Dr. Samuel Green (Physician). Hartman was a former promoter in Atlanta for the company. It was announced that Ralph Garibaldi would be wrestling on the card on February 1, 1946, and that Young Londos and Bill Longson would be wrestling in Atlanta soon.

1951: The Golden Terror (Danny Plechas) defeated Art Nelson to win the Southern Heavyweight Title at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Paul Jones.

1953: Aldo Bogni defeated Don McIntyre in two straight falls to win the Southern Heavyweight Title at the William Bell Auditorium in Augusta for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Tom Mahoney.

1960: Freddie Blassie defeated Chief Little Eagle in a main event Indian death match at the Macon City Auditorium for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Fred Ward. Joey Maxim was the special referee for the match.

1962: The Assassins defeated Eddie Graham & Dick Steinborn to win the US Tag Team Title at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Paul Jones. Tojo Yamamoto & Taro Myaki defeated Rito & Tito Carreon in the semi-main event. It was announced that Haystacks Calhoun would be wrestling in Atlanta soon.

1968: Mr. Wrestling defeated Dr. M, managed by Jack Crawford, in the main event at the Paul Jones Sports Arena in Atlanta for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Paul Jones.

1971: Luke Graham defeated Paul DeMarco in a main event fence match at the Macon Coliseum for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Fred Ward.

1972: El Mongol, Bill Dromo & Bob Armstrong defeated Buddy Colt, Rocket & Flash Monroe in the main event at the Columbus Municipal Auditorium for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Fred Ward. The semi-main event match between Billy Spears and Leon Ogle was ruled a no contest. After both men were disqualified, Ogle and Spears continued to battle, and it took Dromo, Armstrong, and Rocket & Flash Monroe to separate them. According to the program, Ralph Freed was still in charge of ticket sales in Columbus.

1973: Freddie Blassie defeated Norvel Austin, managed by Jack Crawford, in the main event at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Paul Jones. Mr. Wrestling #1 & #2 defeated Sputnik & Rocket Monroe in the semi-main event. Also, the Zodiac (Bob Orton, Sr.) defeated Bill Dromo, and Eddie & Mike Graham defeated Butcher Brannigan & Bengali. Eddie Smith was credited as being a referee for this card.

1973: El Mongol defeated Ox Baker in the main event in Cartersville for All-South Wrestling Alliance promoter Ann Gunkel. Mongol also won a battle royal. Dick Steinborn and Assassin #2 wrestled to a draw in the semi-main event. It is unclear as to what venue was the site of this card.

1974: Robert Fuller defeated Gary Hart in the main event at the Griffin-Barnesville Sports Palace for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Paul Jones. Tim Woods & Ali Vaziri (Iron Sheik) defeated Ron & Terry Garvin, managed by Jimmy Garvin, in the semi-main event.

1976: Dick Slater defeated the Spoiler, managed by Gary Hart, in a main event “I Quit” match at the William Bell Auditorium in Augusta for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Charlie Harben. Bob Armstrong defeated Abdullah the Butcher in the semi-main event. Ken Mantell and Skip Young were co-winners of a battle royal, and Stan Stasiak defeated Tony Garea.

1978: We do not have results for this match, but Bob Armstrong was scheduled to defend the Georgia Television Title against Ox Baker at the Rome Memorial Gymnasium for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Charlie Harben. The advertised main event was Pak Song versus Abdullah the Butcher, managed by Rock Hunter, and the semi-main event was to be Tommy Rich versus Jacques Goulet.

1979: Ole Anderson & Ivan Koloff defeated Jack Brisco & Mr. Wrestling #2 to retain the Georgia Tag Team Title at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Paul Jones. Dusty Rhodes was the special referee for the match. Thunderbolt Patterson defeated the Georgia Heavyweight Champion Masked Superstar by disqualification in a title match. Also, Tommy Rich & Wahoo McDaniel defeated Stan Hansen & King Kong Mosca.

2002: Dustin Rhodes defeated Scotty Riggs to win the TCW Heavyweight Title at the VFW Fairgrounds in Carrollton for Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling.

– GeorgiaWrestlingHistory.com