




04/16/2012 – April 16 Georgia Wrestling Nostalgia
From Rich Tate:
April 16, 1934 (Monday) – Atlanta, GA – Fair Street Arena (Jason Thompson – Promoter) > Foy Rivers over Pete Rogers > Frank Remille over Wayne Coleman > Georgia
Light Heavyweight Title / Southern Light Heavyweight Title Match: Hugh Winn* over Tarzan Jordan to retain the titles / Notes: It was reported that 2,000 were in attendance
for this card. Coleman substituted for Bill Crussell in the match against Remille. Winn had been the reigning Georgia Light Heavyweight Champion and Southern Light
Heavyweight Champion since he went over Fred Lassiter for both titles on March 5, 1934, in Atlanta, GA.
April 16, 1934 (Monday) – Atlanta, GA – Westlake Arena (Luke Appling – Promoter) > Jake Burton versus Chief Ping Pong > John Steele versus Mike Brady > Glenn
Cowan versus Young Gotch
April 16, 1937 (Friday) – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Theatre (Frank Speer – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Ivan Evkovich over Roy Graham > Frank Speer over
Al Getz (01) > Lou Thesz over Bill Lee / Notes: Speer substituted for Lou Plummer in the match against Getz.
April 16, 1937 (Friday) – Atlanta, GA – Northside Arena (Frank Bettis and Cleve Roby – Promoters) > Tony Papalino versus Bull Montana > Chin Lee (01) versus Young
Londos > Buck Lawson versus Farmer Mack
April 16, 1940 (Tuesday) – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Theatre (Bill Hartman and Thad Holt – Promoters / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Tiny Morgan over John
Grandovich > Marvin Jones over Juan Humberto by disqualification > NWA World Heavyweight Title Match: Ray Steele* over Hans Schnabel to retain the title / Notes:
Steele had been the reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion since he went over Bronko Nagurski in St. Louis, MO, on March 7, 1940. This version was the one
recognized by the National Boxing Association as the National Wrestling Association.
April 16, 1941 (Wednesday) – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Municipal Auditorium (Abe Simon – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Jack Kennedy over Marvin Jones
> Joe Campbell over Sid Marcus > Lou Thesz and Dorv Roche went to a draw at 90:00 / Notes: Marcus substituted for Joe Millich in the match against Campbell.
April 16, 1945 (Monday) – Savannah, GA – Savannah Municipal Auditorium (Lou Masters, Dick Leonard, and Buster White – Promoters) > Tarzan White over Babe
Zaharias by disqualification > Jack Dillon over Cowboy Luttrall > Roland Kirchmeyer over Otto Schnabel
April 16, 1953 (Thursday) – Columbus, GA – Columbus Sports Arena (Fred Ward – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Henry Harrell over Tex Riley > Carlos
Guzman over Aldo Bogni > Jack Coulter and Gorgeous Gilpin went to a draw
April 16, 1954 (Friday) – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Municipal Auditorium (Paul Jones (01) – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Don McIntyre & Red McIntyre and
Don Big Kettle & Dick Big Kettle went to a draw > Lu Kimm over the Swedish Angel > Freddie Blassie over Clyde Steeves > Pat O’Connor versus Hans Schmidt ended in
a no contest
April 16, 1956 (Monday) – Augusta, GA – William Bell Auditorium (Bill McDaniel – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Billy Blassie versus Tom Drake > Harry
Lewis versus Chief Big Heart > Jerry Graham versus Rocky Columbo > Jack O’Brien versus Argentina Rocca / Notes: Although not mentioned, Kola Kwariani was likely
in attendance, as he was charged with traveling with Rocca as a troubleshooter for him.
April 16, 1962 (Monday) – Augusta, GA – William Bell Auditorium (Steve Manderson – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Johnny King (01) versus Ali Bey
(01) > Don Whittler versus Andre Drapp > Frank Hickey versus the Canadian Angel > Dick Steinborn & Ray Villmer versus Jim Wright & Lenny Montana
April 16, 1963 (Tuesday) – Macon, GA – Macon City Auditorium (Fred Ward – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Jack Armstrong and Farmer Powell went to
a draw > Choo-Choo Lynn & Chief Little Eagle over George Bell & Tarzan Tyler > Women’s World Title Match: the Fabulous Moolah* over Betty Garcia to retain the title >
World Heavyweight Title Match: Eddie Graham* over Lenny Montana to retain the title / Notes: Moolah had been billed as Women’s World Champion since she went over
Judy Grable on September 18, 1956, in Baltimore, MD. However, she was not considered the undisputed champion until June Byers retired with her title, won in Atlanta
on August 20, 1954, in a win over Mildred Burke, until Byers retired in 1964. Graham had been the reigning World Heavyweight Champion since he went over Freddie
Blassie on February 1, 1963, in Atlanta.
April 16, 1965 (Friday) – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Municipal Auditorium (Paul Jones (01) – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Greg Peterson over Randy Roper >
Frankie Cain over Pancho Villa (02) > Tarzan Tyler over Jerry Miller > Red Roberts over Pedro Zapata > Southern Tag Team Title Match: the Corsicans (Corsica Jean &
Corsica Joe) over Buddy Fuller & Jesse James (02)* to win the title > Georgia Heavyweight Title Match: Lee Fields over Mario Galento* by disqualification; Galento
retained the title / Notes: Fuller and James had been the reigning Southern Tag Team Champions since they went over the Mysterious Medics (01) (Mysterious Medic #1
and Mysterious Medic #2 (01)) on March 13, 1965, in Atlanta. Galento had been the reigning Georgia Heavyweight Champion since he went over Sputnik Monroe on
November 13, 1964, in Atlanta. It was announced that Alex Perez and the Fabulous Moolah would be wrestling on the card on April 24, 1965, and that Joe Scarpa would
be wrestling in Atlanta soon.
April 16, 1968 (Tuesday) – Macon, GA – Macon City Auditorium (Fred Ward – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Corsica Jean over Chuck Adcox > Bobby
Hart and Tank Morgan went to a draw > Southern Tag Team Title Match: Enrique Torres & Alberto Torres* over the Rising Suns (Motoshi Okuma & Shinya Kojika) by
disqualification to retain the title / Notes: The Torres’ had been the reigning Southern Tag Team Champions since they went over Stan Vachon and Butcher Vachon on
January 5, 1968, in Atlanta.
April 16, 1971 (Friday) – Atlanta, GA – Paul Jones Sports Arena (Paul Jones (01) – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Robert Fuller over Nikita Mulkovitch >
Derrell Cochran over Guillotine Gordon by disqualification > Michel Dubois & Fidel Castillo over Jim Wilson & Jerry Oates > Roberto Soto & Klondike Bill & El Mongol over
Buddy Colt & the Assassins (01) (Assassin #1 (01) & Assassin #2 (01)) / Notes: Homer O’Dell managed Colt. Charlie Harben was credited as being a referee for this
card. Fuller participated in an autograph session for fans.
April 16, 1974 (Tuesday) – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Municipal Auditorium (Ann Gunkel – Promoter / All-South Wrestling Alliance) > Wayne Cowan over Lanny Poffo > Afa over
Oki Shikina > Georgia Tag Team Title Match: Ray Candy & El Mongol* over the Royal Kangaroos (Jonathan Boyd & Norman Frederick Charles) > Georgia Heavyweight
Title Match: Ron Pritchard over the Missouri Mauler* to win the title > Thunderbolt Patterson over Ox Baker by disqualification > Assassin #2 (01) over the Mighty Yankee
(03) > Lights Out Texas Death Match: the Magnificent Zulu over Crusher Verdu / Notes: Rock Hunter managed Verdu and the Yankee.
April 16, 1974 (Tuesday) – Macon, GA – Macon Coliseum (Fred Ward – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Tiger Conway, Jr., over Bill Costello > Jerry Oates
over the Zebra Kid (02) > Jerry Brisco over Derrell Cochran > Ron Garvin & Terry Garvin and Robert Fuller & Earl Maynard went to a draw > Round Robin Match: Bob
Armstrong over Jerry Lawler and Mr. Wrestling #2 (01) / Notes: The winner of the Armstrong-Lawler-Wrestling #2 match was to earn a match for the NWA World
Heavyweight Title on April 23, 1974. Jimmy Garvin managed the Garvins.
April 16, 1976 (Friday) – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Municipal Auditorium (Paul Jones (01) – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Ted Oates and Skip Young went to
a draw > Jerry Oates over Karl Von Steiger > Greg Valentine over Rick Martel > Dick Slater & Mark Lewin over the Red Devils (Black Gordman & the Great Goliath (02)) >
Georgia Heavyweight Title Cage Match: the Spoiler (02)* over Mr. Wrestling #2 (01) > $5,000 Bounty Match: Dusty Rhodes over Stan Stasiak (02) / Notes: Gary Hart
managed the Spoiler.
April 16, 1978 (Sunday) – Macon, GA – Macon Coliseum (Fred Ward – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Paul Ellering over Ken Dillinger > Jacques Goulet
over Pierre Lefebvre > Abdullah the Butcher over Tommy Rich > Ole Anderson & Lars Anderson over Rocky Johnson & Adrian Adonis > AWA Heavyweight Title Match: Mr.
Wrestling #2 (01) over Nick Bockwinkel* by disqualification > Dusty Rhodes over Stan Hansen / Notes: Adonis substituted for Wahoo McDaniel to team with Johnson in
the match against the Andersons. Bobby Heenan managed Bockwinkel. Rock Hunter managed Abdullah.
April 16, 1978 (Sunday) – Atlanta, GA – Omni Coliseum (Paul Jones (01) – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Adrian Adonis over John Ruggers > Wolfgang
Schmidt & Helmut Schmidt over Raymond Rougeau & Pez Whatley > AWA Heavyweight Title Match: Nick Bockwinkel* over Mr. Wrestling #2 (01) > Georgia Heavyweight
Title Match: Stan Hansen* over Ric Flair > Abdullah the Butcher over Tommy Rich > Rocky Johnson & Thunderbolt Patterson over Ernie Ladd & Ole Anderson > Billy
Graham versus Dusty Rhodes ended in a no contest / Notes: Bobby Heenan managed Bockwinkel. Rock Hunter managed Abdullah and the Schmidts.
April 16, 1979 (Monday) – Augusta, GA – William Bell Auditorium (Charlie Harben – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Carl Fergie versus Chick Donovan >
Frank Dusek versus Rocket Monroe > Mike Stallings versus King Kong Mosca > Georgia Television Title Match: Ole Anderson* versus Bob Armstrong > Georgia
Heavyweight Title Match: the Masked Superstar* versus Mr. Wrestling #2 (01) > Russian Chain Match: Ivan Koloff versus Dusty Rhodes
April 16, 1980 (Wednesday) – Columbus, GA – Columbus Municipal Auditorium (Fred Ward – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Handicap Match: Mike
Sharpe over Charlie Fulton & Jim Nelson > Jay Strongbow over the French Angel (02) > Ivan Koloff & Alexis Smirnoff over Kevin Sullivan & Lars Anderson > Baron Von
Raschke over Mr. Wrestling #2 (01) by disqualification > Tommy Rich versus Austin Idol ended in a no contest / Notes: Rock Hunter managed Koloff and Smirnoff.
April 16, 1983 (Saturday) – Chattanooga, TN – Chattanooga Memorial Auditorium (Paul Jones (01) – Promoter / Georgia Championship Wrestling) > Tony Atlas over Bob
Roop by forfeit > Destruction, Inc. (Matt Borne & Arn Anderson) over Brian Blair & Brett Wayne > Dick Murdoch over Ivan Koloff > National Heavyweight Title Match: Tommy
Rich over Larry Zbyszko* by disqualification / Notes: Homer O’Dell managed Koloff. Paul Ellering managed Destruction.
