Georgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on U.S. cable channel TBS (Turner Broadcasting System). Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia (the U.S. pro wrestling industry was a patchwork of self-contained, regional and sub-regional companies -- there was no single, nationwide promotion). The territory was affiliated with what had been the world's top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades before, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The TV show, hosted by Gordon Solie, was recorded in one of WTBS' studios at 1050 Techwood Drive, in downtown Atlanta. Shows were taped before a small (yet enthusiastic), live in-studio audience, as were most pro wrestling TV shows of that era. The show featured wrestling matches, plus melodramatic monologues and inter-character confrontations -- similar to the programming offered by other territories, including the Northeast-based World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Big stars who came in and out of Georgia Championship Wrestling included Mr. Wrestling II, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Dusty Rhodes ("The American Dream"), Ole Anderson, Larry Zbyszko, Bob and Brad Armstrong, The Masked Superstar, Ricky Steamboat, Ted DiBiase (later known as "The Million Dollar Man" in the WWF), and Ronnie Garvin. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... TBS is an abbreviation that may refer to many different subjects: There are two television networks and one radio network commonly referred to as TBS. Tokyo Broadcasting System, a TV station in Tokyo, Japan TBS Radio & Communications, a radio station in Tokyo, Japan TBS (TV Network), US The rock/emo... Turner Broadcasting System logo The Turner Broadcasting System (often abbreviated to Turner or TBS) is the company managing the collection of cable networks and properties started by Ted Turner from the mid-1970s to the late-1990s. ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is a group of independent professional wrestling promotions which has been in operation since 1948. ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is a group of independent professional wrestling promotions which has been in operation since 1948. ... Gordon Solie Gordon Solie, real name Francis Jonard Labiak (January 26, 1929 – July 27, 2000), was a professional wrestling play-by-play announcer working for World Championship Wrestling. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. ... Dusty Rhodes may refer to: Dusty Rhodes (wrestler), the stage name of Virgil Runnels, Jr. ... Ole Anderson Alan Rogowski (better known as Ole Anderson) was a professional wrestling performer and promotion executive. ... Lawrence (Larry) Whistler (born December 5, 1953) is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. ... Bob Armstrong Bullet Bob Armstrong (Joseph James) was a professional wrestler in the 1970s and 1980s. ... Brad Armstrong Brad Armstrong (Brad James) is a professional wrestler. ... Bill Eadie is a professional wrestler who has competed under the names of Ax as part of Demolition and The Masked Superstar. ... Richard Blood (born February 28, 1953 in West Point, New York), better known by his ring name Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, is an American former professional wrestler. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Ron Garvin Ron Garvin was a professional wrestler and referee. ...

GCW's show, which aired on Saturday evenings, was complimented with a Sunday evening edition.

Another promotion called Georgia Championship Wrestling was formed in the 2000s, but later re-named itself Great Championship Wrestling. This article is becoming very long. ...

History

Georgia Championship Wrestling was formed in Atlanta in 1944 by promoter Paul Jones as ABC Booking. ABC held its matches at Atlanta's Municipal Auditorium every Friday night. Jones operated ABC for thirty years until his retirement in 1974, though from about 1970 until 1972 he was assisted by his booker Ray Gunkel - in fact, Jones was so infirm by this time that Gunkel effectively ran the promotion. This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Atlanta Municipal Auditorium originally known as the Auditorium and Armory was an auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... In geography, Booker is a hamlet in the United Kingdom. ... Raymond Fred Gunkel (February 16, 1924 - August 1, 1972), known professionally as Ray Gunkel, was an American professional wrestler and promoter in the state of Georgia. ...

The promotion underwent some big changes in 1972. Firstly, it started promoting matches at the then-brand-new Omni Coliseum. Secondly, it switched its television outlet from its longtime home, WQXI-TV (now WXIA) to an upstart UHF station then called WTCG but later renamed WTBS (not yet a superstation, but still owned by Ted Turner.) 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Omni Coliseum, usually called The Omni, was an indoor arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. ... WXIA-TV is the NBC television affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia. ... Ultra high frequency (UHF) designates a range (band) of electromagnetic waves whose frequency is between 300 MHz and 3. ... WTBS is a American TV station, broadcast on channel 17 (DTV channel 20) in the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area. ... Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American media mogul and philanthropist. ...

The Battle of Atlanta

The new television deal would be one of Gunkel's last decisions. Ray Gunkel died of a heart attack later that year after a match versus Ox Baker in Savannah, Georgia. The death set off some internal problems, with Ray's widow Ann Gunkel, who had worked closely with Ray and expected to get his share of the promotion being shut out in favor of Bill Watts, with the promotion being renamed "Mid South Sports." Ann Gunkel decided to start her own promotion outside of the National Wrestling Alliance. Douglas A. Baker (April 19, 1934-)better known professionally as Ox Baker, was an American professional wrestler, best known for a finishing hold called the Heart Punch. ... Coordinates: County Chatham Mayor Otis S. Johnson Area    - City 202. ... Bill Watts, (born on May 5, 1939 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), is a former American professional wrestler and promoter. ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is a group of independent professional wrestling promotions which has been in operation since 1948. ...

It didn't look good for Mid-South at that point, most of their wrestlers had gone with Ann, and Ann's promotion had gotten Mid South's television time slot, though both promotions aired on WTBS. (Ted Turner and Annn Gunkel had both attended Brown University and were rumored to be romantically involved.) After two years of strife, a trouble-shooter was called in: Jim Barnett, who had owned promotions in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Colorado and Australia. (The Australian promotion had used the named World Championship Wrestling.) It this point, Ann's promotion went downhill, being locked out of arena dates, with wrestlers defecting to Mid South, and finally Ann Gunkel's All Star Wrestling cried uncle in 1974. Brown University is a private university located in Providence, Rhode Island. ... // History Jim Barnett begun its game working in 1991. ... Official language(s) English Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Area  Ranked 38th  - Total 36,418 sq mi (94,321 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 270 miles (435 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... It has been suggested that List of WCW programming be merged into this article or section. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Superstation

When WTBS went on satellite in 1976, making the station available to cable systems all across the USA, the renamed Georgia Championship Wrestling became the first NWA promotion to be broadcast nationally, Needless to say, many of the NWA's regional promoters were unhappy, but Barnett claimed since he was only using Georgia-based wrestlers, that there was no harm. Whether or not Barnett was in fact taking the promotion national is a matter of dispute, some wrestlers, such as Roddy Piper, say that he was in fact doing so, but prevented by fears of crossing organized crime figures involved with the sport. 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Rowdy Roddy Piper (born Roderick George Toombs on April 17, 1954) is a Canadian professional wrestler. ... Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ...

Barnett was forced out in a power struggle in 1983. This set the stage for an important move in wrestling history, involving a then-little known regional promoter: Vince McMahon. 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr. ...

The Move That Changed Wrestling History

Georgia Championship Wrestling was primarily owned in 1983 by a conglomerate of: Jack Brisco and Jerry Brisco (brothers who were also superstar amateur and professional wrestlers); Jim Barnett; and, Paul Jones. The remaining ten-percent stake belonged to Al Rogowski, a match booker who also wrestled as "Ole Anderson". 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Freddie Joe Brisco most to known as Jack Brisco (born September 21, 1941 in Blackwell, Oklahoma) was a popular and successful professional wrestler during 1970s, and into the 1980s. ... Floyd Gerald Brisco (born January 24, 1950 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is an American former professional wrestler. ... // History Jim Barnett begun its game working in 1991. ... Paul Jones (born February 24, 1942) is an English singer, actor and radio presenter. ... In geography, Booker is a hamlet in the United Kingdom. ... Ole Anderson Alan Rogowski (better known as Ole Anderson) was a professional wrestling performer and promotion executive. ...

In 1984, the Briscos sold their stock in GCW to Vince McMahon for $900,000, and guaranteed jobs with the WWF. Gerald (Jerry) Brisco, in fact, is still a road agent in today's WWE. After working out a few prior commitments, Georgia Championship Wrestling ceased to exist. Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, is a professional wrestling promotion, currently the largest in North America. ...

According to Ric Flair in his book, To Be The Man, the Road Warriors were offered $5,000 to injure the Briscoes during a tag-team match by an unnamed, disgruntled source. Instead of injuring them, they promptly informed the Briscoes and told them not to worry because, "We're not those kinds of business people." This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the professional wrestling team, for otheruses see Road warrior The Road Warriors were a popular professional wrestling tag team comprised of Michael Hawk Hegstrand and Joseph Animal Laurinaitis. ... In professional wrestling, a tag team consists of two or more wrestlers who are working together as a team. ...

The purchase of Georgia Championship Wrestling by the WWF/E is still considered the tipping point in U.S. professional wrestling's evolution from local or regional sideshow, to national phenomenon. The other primary event was the demise of WCW in 2001, which WWE liquidated much the same as it had Georgia Championship Wrestling. The phrase tipping point or angle of repose is a sociology term that refers to that dramatic moment when something unique becomes common. ...

Black Saturday

Main article: Black Saturday (1984)

On July 14, 1984 (a.k.a. Black Saturday, within the U.S. pro wrestling industry), Georgia Championship Wrestling ceased to exist when Vince McMahon, Jr. unexpectedly bought the promotion and its TV time slot for his then-nationally expanding WWF (re-named WWE in the 2000s). Freddie Miller, an announcer, was the only member of the original Georgia Championship Wrestling on-air cast who did not quit in protest, or, just get replaced by the new owner. McMahon had underestimated two major factors, however. The first: the differences in tastes between fanbases of different geographical regions. The WWF's style of wrestling sharply differed from "NWA Georgia"'s. Secondly, Georgia fans -- also citizens of The South -- resented the symbolism of a 'yankee' company coming down from "The North" and "taking over" their wrestling. The WWF version of the show (which had previously been re-named World Championship Wrestling) received much lower ratings than its NWA-associated forerunner. As a result, in mid-1985, McMahon sold the Saturday night time slot (but not the Georgia Championship Wrestling promotion) to Jim Crockett, Jr., a Charlotte, North Carolina-based promoter who ran NWA-branded shows in the Mid-Atlantic states; Jim Crockett Promotions took over production of the TV show. In time, the show was re-named WCW Saturday Night, reflecting an overhauled look and a new home studio-arena. In 2001, McMahon would gain the rights to Crockett's library of Georgia Championship Wrestling/World Championship Wrestling/NWA matches and shows -- augmenting his own WWE Tape Library -- through his purchase of assets belonging to the now-bankrupt WCW (it should be stressed, however, that McMahon did not buy the actual company known as WCW). Black Saturday is the name given by wrestling fans on July 14, 1984, when Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation took over the Saturday night time slots on WTBS that had been home to Georgia Championship Wrestling. ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1984. ... Black Saturday is the name given by wrestling fans on July 14, 1984, when Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation took over the Saturday night time slots on WTBS that had been home to Georgia Championship Wrestling. ... Vincent Kennedy McMahon (born August 24, 1945) is a American wrestling promoter, occasional professional wrestler, on-screen personality, and former play-by-play announcer. ... Freddie Miller (1929-1992) was a local television personality in Atlanta, Georgia, having worked for WAGA-TV. Miller is fondly remembered by professional wrestling fans as Gordon Solies co-host on Georgia Championship Wrestling. ... Jim Crockett, Jr. ... WCW Saturday Night was the weekly Saturday night TV show on TBS, produced by World Championship Wrestling. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... WCW logo until 1999 World Championship Wrestling or WCW, was a professional wrestling promotion that existed from 1988 to 2001. ...

Trivia

GCW re-named its TV show World Championship Wrestling in August of 1982. When Jim Crockett Promotions bought its time slot from McMahon, they elected to retain the World Championship Wrestling name originated by GCW. It has been suggested that List of WCW programming be merged into this article or section. ... Jim Crockett Promotions was the name of a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. ...

External links

• Georgia Championship Wrestling Title History