Post by Ringside Junkie on Oct 17, 2005 16:59:28 GMT -5
GEORGIA CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING CHANGES NAME
By: Larry Goodman
In a strange twist of events, the wrestling company doing business as Georgia Championship Wrestling adopted a new name.
Promoter Jerry Oates surprised the fans in attendance at last night’s GCW show with the announcement that the company would now be known as Great Championship Wrestling. Oates explained that the name change was prompted by plans to run shows outside the state of Georgia.
But it appears there is more to the story than Oates was letting on. According to the records on the state of Georgia website, the corporate name “Georgia Championship Wrestling, Inc” has been registered to Grady Odom since 1989. The name of the company co-owned by Oates and Bill and Diane Hewes is Piledriver Productions. Odom, who promoted shows in the Macon area, apparently registered the name after WWE dissolved the corporation operating under that name. Former GCW ring announcer Dan Masters, who left the company on very bad terms, stated that Odom has asked for time on his Wrestle Jam TV show. “Mr. Odom and I have a meeting scheduled for Tuesday in which we will look at television expansion as well as upcoming events in the Peach State,” said Masters. Masters stated that he has obtained Odom’s approval to go on the air this Tuesday night in Columbus (9pm on TV-16) as “The Voice of Georgia Championship Wrestling.”
As for the show, great championship wrestling it was not. In fact, it was the worst GCW show I’ve attended. Only three of six matches came off as advertised. GCW has a developed a hardcore group of regular attendees whose loyalty to GCW has been richly rewarded over the last 18 months. Stuff happens in the wrestling business. The best laid plans go awry. But a show like this one gives the appearance of a company that is playing it fast and loose with the support of their fans. Attendance was actually up (325), from the last week when they went head up with the Braves playoff game.
(1) John Bogie beat Adam Jacobs in 8:24. Babyface vs, babyface. It was even-steven until Jacobs pulled hair. Jacobs hung Bogie out to dry on a dropkick for a one count. Jacobs imprinted his hand on Bogie’s chest. Bogie worked a side headlock takeover. Bogie used a variant of the spinebuster to set up a climb to the top. Jacobs crotched him into a tree-of-woe and hit a running baseball slide. Bogie ate a boot charging in. Bogie got near falls with a vertical suplex and La Magistral cradle. Bogie messed up the bump on Jacob’s inverted DDT. Bogie pinned Jacobs with an inside cradle, Bogie’s pet finish of late.
(2) “Loverboy” Lee Thomas beat Sean Bates in 5:07. Sean Logan was Thomas’ scheduled opponent. This was not the first time Logan had been booked and failed to appear. Bates, a total unknown, came out glad-handing like he was a face. He’s a well built little guy, but the look with the underwear showing is so indie. Bates should have been heeling right out of the box, since Thomas appeared to be getting a renewed push as a face. Thomas applied a Walls style crab. Bates made the ropes. Thomas continued to work on the low back area. Banks added to the role confusion about with an inside cradle for a near fall. Bates’ offense looked shaky. Thomas rolled out of the path of a moonsault attempt by Bates. Thomas then pinned Bates with a split-legged moonsault.
Ring announcer Steve Owen, winner of the “Voice of GCW contest,” called the active military personnel into the ring for some well-deserved props. The building is only a few miles down the road from Fort Benning.
Owen then introduced Jerry Oates, who made the announcement about the name change. Oates said had set out to honor legendary Georgia promoters such as Ray Gunkel, Paul Jones and Fred Ward with the name Georgia Championship Wrestling but they had to change with times.
(3) Mike Foxx beat Colt Derringer in 7:56. Foxx’s look got him over right away. He’s a former PCW (Arlington, Texas) Heavyweight Champion. Too bad he didn’t have more to work with here. Foxx cranked away on a side headlock. It was Déjà vu all over again, as just like the first match, the heel took over by hanging the face out to dry on a dropkick. Derringer’s offense was uninteresting. So dull, that the someone from the company started tossing Georgia Championship Wrestling t-shirts (can’t sell those anymore) out to the crowd as the match was in progress. Derringer missed with a legdrop off the middle rope. Foxx capped off a comeback with a flying bodypress for a near fall. Derringer tried for a pumhandle slam and Foxx countered with an RKO for the three count. The finish was the best thing about the match.
Steele’s gimmick has come a long way. If you would have told me that a guy wearing a t-shirt on his head could look cool, I would never have believed it. Steele was supposed to face Kid Kash. Kash wasn’t there because he’s started full-time with the WWE Smackdown crew. Steele ran down Kash and issued an open challenge. Thomas came out as Kash’s replacement
(4) Damien Steele beat Lee Thomas in 9:11. Thomas opened a like a ball of fire. Thomas scored with a rolling leg cradle and administered a kinky spanking. Thomas hit a DDT. But he played to the crowd rather than pressing his advantage. Steele took over. Steele worked on the arm with a hammerlock slam. Thomas flipped over the top and dropkicked Steele. Steele tried to choke Thomas out. Thomas’ limp arm showed signs of life when ref Steve Miller checked him for the third time. Thomas ralled with a series of rights and lefts. Thomas missed a moonsault by a country mile and covered anyway for a credibility-killing near fall. Thomas recovered with a slingshot kneedrop for a near fall. Thomas tried for a flying crucifix, and Steele countered with a neckbreaker that didn’t look like a finisher.
(5) Disco Inferno vs. Chris Stevens (with Greg Brown) went to a 15 minute draw. Disco retained the GCW Television Title. It wasn’t announced as a title match and the finish was messed up. And it was still by far the best match of the night. The match had a good story behind it. Disco had regained the title in a three-way the previous week by pinning champion A. J. Steele Disco’s entrance was one of the entertainment highlights of the evening. Disco kept making Stevens give him room so he could do his dance on all four sides of the ring. Funny stuff. Stevens has got to be the most underrated wrestler in the state of Georgia. Everything he did looked good. Disco took his lumps, as Stevens was rocking him with corner lariats. Disco stepped aside, delivered a back elbow to the chops and hit a Russian legsweep. Disco did the Village People’s Elbow for a near fall. Stevens cut the nonsense short with a lariat. Stevens hit a slingshot suplex. Stevens tossed Disco. Brown gave Disco some unsolicited help with getting back in the ring. Stevens catapulted Disco into a face full of turnbuckle. The crowd saw through Disco’s lame bump. Stevens dropped an elbow off the middle rope for a two count. Stevens did a Harley Race knee. Stevens used the ropes for extra leverage on the abdominal stretch. When the ref caught Stevens cheating, Disco hiptossed out of it. Stevens used a powerslam for a near fall. Stevens applied a camel clutch. Out of the double down spot, Disco hit a swinging neckbreaker and a lariat for near falls. Disco went for the Village People’s Elbow again. Nobody home. Disco hit the Chartbuster and Stevens kicked out. One minute to go. Stevens caught Disco flying off the ropes and dropped him with a spinebuster. Stevens hit a top rope elbow as the time counted down. Disco appeared to kick out late before the bell rang. The complaints of Brown and Stevens fell on deaf ears. I’m guessing that the bell was supposed to ring prior to the three count but there were timing issues with the countdown.
Erik Watts came down the ramp for his match against Kevin Northcutt with his hand heavily bandaged. He got the usual great pop from the women and children in attendance. Watts slipped as he tried to climb to the ropes and turned it into a comedy spot. Oates entered the ring. He stated that Watts could not wrestle because he didn’t have medical clearance. Watts argued that it was merely a flesh wound. Oates explained that Watts got 15 stitches put in his hand at St. Francis hospital after his match last Saturday night. (How Watts suffered this damage is still not known. When Watts came to the ring for his match last Saturday, his hand was already bleeding.) Kevin Northcutt said he was now living in Columbus (having relocated from the unspeakable devastation of his hometown of New Orleans), and he wasn’t leaving until his personal business with Watts was finished. An anonymous jobber was brought out to face Northcutt.
(6) Kevin Northcutt (with Greg Brown) beat Ben Thrasher (with Erik Watts) in 7:19. A sorry excuse for a main event. Northcutt jawed with Watts as he beat on Thrasher. He used the crescent kick, a Yakuza kick and a half-assed northern lights suplex into the buckles. Northcutt pulled Thrashed up to prevent a three count. Thrasher made the comeback, one he should not have gotten if Northcutt is to be taken as a serious challenger to Watts’ throne. There was some type of glitch with the execution of Northcutt’s finisher, the B.M.F. (double underhook piledriver finisher). Northcutt settled for a standard piledriver to score the pinfall. The crowd broke into a “We Want Watts” chant. Watts got in the ring. Referee Dr. Steve Miller kept Watts and Northcutt separated. Steven Owen announced Watts vs. Northcutt for next week. It’s a title match although it was not announced as such.
NOTES: Atlanta has a radio show devoted to pro wrestling for the first time since Jim Ross left WCW. The Weekly Wrestling Informer with host Horace Hawkins airs on 1420AM (WTAB) from 9-10pm Wednesday nights. Michele Vallery from Wrestling Weekly is a regular contributor. I have am doing a weekly segment on the Georgia wrestling scene. Listeners are welcome to call in at 404-292-1420…Former GCW referee Mark “Sweat” Owens was in the house…Masters has an interesting interview up on www.danmasterslive.com with wrestling historian Rich Tate on the history of the Georgia Championship Wrestling name.
By: Larry Goodman
In a strange twist of events, the wrestling company doing business as Georgia Championship Wrestling adopted a new name.
Promoter Jerry Oates surprised the fans in attendance at last night’s GCW show with the announcement that the company would now be known as Great Championship Wrestling. Oates explained that the name change was prompted by plans to run shows outside the state of Georgia.
But it appears there is more to the story than Oates was letting on. According to the records on the state of Georgia website, the corporate name “Georgia Championship Wrestling, Inc” has been registered to Grady Odom since 1989. The name of the company co-owned by Oates and Bill and Diane Hewes is Piledriver Productions. Odom, who promoted shows in the Macon area, apparently registered the name after WWE dissolved the corporation operating under that name. Former GCW ring announcer Dan Masters, who left the company on very bad terms, stated that Odom has asked for time on his Wrestle Jam TV show. “Mr. Odom and I have a meeting scheduled for Tuesday in which we will look at television expansion as well as upcoming events in the Peach State,” said Masters. Masters stated that he has obtained Odom’s approval to go on the air this Tuesday night in Columbus (9pm on TV-16) as “The Voice of Georgia Championship Wrestling.”
As for the show, great championship wrestling it was not. In fact, it was the worst GCW show I’ve attended. Only three of six matches came off as advertised. GCW has a developed a hardcore group of regular attendees whose loyalty to GCW has been richly rewarded over the last 18 months. Stuff happens in the wrestling business. The best laid plans go awry. But a show like this one gives the appearance of a company that is playing it fast and loose with the support of their fans. Attendance was actually up (325), from the last week when they went head up with the Braves playoff game.
(1) John Bogie beat Adam Jacobs in 8:24. Babyface vs, babyface. It was even-steven until Jacobs pulled hair. Jacobs hung Bogie out to dry on a dropkick for a one count. Jacobs imprinted his hand on Bogie’s chest. Bogie worked a side headlock takeover. Bogie used a variant of the spinebuster to set up a climb to the top. Jacobs crotched him into a tree-of-woe and hit a running baseball slide. Bogie ate a boot charging in. Bogie got near falls with a vertical suplex and La Magistral cradle. Bogie messed up the bump on Jacob’s inverted DDT. Bogie pinned Jacobs with an inside cradle, Bogie’s pet finish of late.
(2) “Loverboy” Lee Thomas beat Sean Bates in 5:07. Sean Logan was Thomas’ scheduled opponent. This was not the first time Logan had been booked and failed to appear. Bates, a total unknown, came out glad-handing like he was a face. He’s a well built little guy, but the look with the underwear showing is so indie. Bates should have been heeling right out of the box, since Thomas appeared to be getting a renewed push as a face. Thomas applied a Walls style crab. Bates made the ropes. Thomas continued to work on the low back area. Banks added to the role confusion about with an inside cradle for a near fall. Bates’ offense looked shaky. Thomas rolled out of the path of a moonsault attempt by Bates. Thomas then pinned Bates with a split-legged moonsault.
Ring announcer Steve Owen, winner of the “Voice of GCW contest,” called the active military personnel into the ring for some well-deserved props. The building is only a few miles down the road from Fort Benning.
Owen then introduced Jerry Oates, who made the announcement about the name change. Oates said had set out to honor legendary Georgia promoters such as Ray Gunkel, Paul Jones and Fred Ward with the name Georgia Championship Wrestling but they had to change with times.
(3) Mike Foxx beat Colt Derringer in 7:56. Foxx’s look got him over right away. He’s a former PCW (Arlington, Texas) Heavyweight Champion. Too bad he didn’t have more to work with here. Foxx cranked away on a side headlock. It was Déjà vu all over again, as just like the first match, the heel took over by hanging the face out to dry on a dropkick. Derringer’s offense was uninteresting. So dull, that the someone from the company started tossing Georgia Championship Wrestling t-shirts (can’t sell those anymore) out to the crowd as the match was in progress. Derringer missed with a legdrop off the middle rope. Foxx capped off a comeback with a flying bodypress for a near fall. Derringer tried for a pumhandle slam and Foxx countered with an RKO for the three count. The finish was the best thing about the match.
Steele’s gimmick has come a long way. If you would have told me that a guy wearing a t-shirt on his head could look cool, I would never have believed it. Steele was supposed to face Kid Kash. Kash wasn’t there because he’s started full-time with the WWE Smackdown crew. Steele ran down Kash and issued an open challenge. Thomas came out as Kash’s replacement
(4) Damien Steele beat Lee Thomas in 9:11. Thomas opened a like a ball of fire. Thomas scored with a rolling leg cradle and administered a kinky spanking. Thomas hit a DDT. But he played to the crowd rather than pressing his advantage. Steele took over. Steele worked on the arm with a hammerlock slam. Thomas flipped over the top and dropkicked Steele. Steele tried to choke Thomas out. Thomas’ limp arm showed signs of life when ref Steve Miller checked him for the third time. Thomas ralled with a series of rights and lefts. Thomas missed a moonsault by a country mile and covered anyway for a credibility-killing near fall. Thomas recovered with a slingshot kneedrop for a near fall. Thomas tried for a flying crucifix, and Steele countered with a neckbreaker that didn’t look like a finisher.
(5) Disco Inferno vs. Chris Stevens (with Greg Brown) went to a 15 minute draw. Disco retained the GCW Television Title. It wasn’t announced as a title match and the finish was messed up. And it was still by far the best match of the night. The match had a good story behind it. Disco had regained the title in a three-way the previous week by pinning champion A. J. Steele Disco’s entrance was one of the entertainment highlights of the evening. Disco kept making Stevens give him room so he could do his dance on all four sides of the ring. Funny stuff. Stevens has got to be the most underrated wrestler in the state of Georgia. Everything he did looked good. Disco took his lumps, as Stevens was rocking him with corner lariats. Disco stepped aside, delivered a back elbow to the chops and hit a Russian legsweep. Disco did the Village People’s Elbow for a near fall. Stevens cut the nonsense short with a lariat. Stevens hit a slingshot suplex. Stevens tossed Disco. Brown gave Disco some unsolicited help with getting back in the ring. Stevens catapulted Disco into a face full of turnbuckle. The crowd saw through Disco’s lame bump. Stevens dropped an elbow off the middle rope for a two count. Stevens did a Harley Race knee. Stevens used the ropes for extra leverage on the abdominal stretch. When the ref caught Stevens cheating, Disco hiptossed out of it. Stevens used a powerslam for a near fall. Stevens applied a camel clutch. Out of the double down spot, Disco hit a swinging neckbreaker and a lariat for near falls. Disco went for the Village People’s Elbow again. Nobody home. Disco hit the Chartbuster and Stevens kicked out. One minute to go. Stevens caught Disco flying off the ropes and dropped him with a spinebuster. Stevens hit a top rope elbow as the time counted down. Disco appeared to kick out late before the bell rang. The complaints of Brown and Stevens fell on deaf ears. I’m guessing that the bell was supposed to ring prior to the three count but there were timing issues with the countdown.
Erik Watts came down the ramp for his match against Kevin Northcutt with his hand heavily bandaged. He got the usual great pop from the women and children in attendance. Watts slipped as he tried to climb to the ropes and turned it into a comedy spot. Oates entered the ring. He stated that Watts could not wrestle because he didn’t have medical clearance. Watts argued that it was merely a flesh wound. Oates explained that Watts got 15 stitches put in his hand at St. Francis hospital after his match last Saturday night. (How Watts suffered this damage is still not known. When Watts came to the ring for his match last Saturday, his hand was already bleeding.) Kevin Northcutt said he was now living in Columbus (having relocated from the unspeakable devastation of his hometown of New Orleans), and he wasn’t leaving until his personal business with Watts was finished. An anonymous jobber was brought out to face Northcutt.
(6) Kevin Northcutt (with Greg Brown) beat Ben Thrasher (with Erik Watts) in 7:19. A sorry excuse for a main event. Northcutt jawed with Watts as he beat on Thrasher. He used the crescent kick, a Yakuza kick and a half-assed northern lights suplex into the buckles. Northcutt pulled Thrashed up to prevent a three count. Thrasher made the comeback, one he should not have gotten if Northcutt is to be taken as a serious challenger to Watts’ throne. There was some type of glitch with the execution of Northcutt’s finisher, the B.M.F. (double underhook piledriver finisher). Northcutt settled for a standard piledriver to score the pinfall. The crowd broke into a “We Want Watts” chant. Watts got in the ring. Referee Dr. Steve Miller kept Watts and Northcutt separated. Steven Owen announced Watts vs. Northcutt for next week. It’s a title match although it was not announced as such.
NOTES: Atlanta has a radio show devoted to pro wrestling for the first time since Jim Ross left WCW. The Weekly Wrestling Informer with host Horace Hawkins airs on 1420AM (WTAB) from 9-10pm Wednesday nights. Michele Vallery from Wrestling Weekly is a regular contributor. I have am doing a weekly segment on the Georgia wrestling scene. Listeners are welcome to call in at 404-292-1420…Former GCW referee Mark “Sweat” Owens was in the house…Masters has an interesting interview up on www.danmasterslive.com with wrestling historian Rich Tate on the history of the Georgia Championship Wrestling name.