Southern Championship Wrestling from Georgia?

[midatlantic4ever]

I saw this video clip on You Tube with Tommy Rich getting attacked by Austin Idol. Supposedly, this took place in the late 1980's. The ring announcer is Joe Pedicino. Paul E. Dangerously is in the clip along with the Midnight Express "version" he brought to WCW around the 1988-1989 time frame, Randy Rose and Dennis Condrey.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zopr_eScfz


How long did this group stay around? Anyone have any information about this promotion? Started? Ended? Where were they based out of?

[bobbyryates]

taped at Miss Kitty's.
good show. it was on the wrestling block in atlanta on saturday nights.

[superworker]

I think that was the late Ann Gunkels group to start opposition against GCW. The group didnt last long. Joe Pedicino had a time block on Sat.night where he would show all tapes from different territories. He would show, Memphis, WCCW, UWF, Deep South etc. They were mostly a week behind but it kept you informed on what was happening in other terrritories.

[thegreatbolo]

There's lots of info about Ann Gunkel's group and the "BATTLE FOR ATLANTA" in Joe 'ASSASSIN' Hamilton's new book just released.

[superworker]

Im gonna have to check Jodys book out. What a helluva worker he was back in the day. When I worked for him in Deep South we worked all over Georgia and he always took care of the more experienced guys...money wise that is. Ann Gunkel was the wife of former Ga. star Ray Gunkel. She was set an ready to roll but she didnt have quite deep enough pockets to compete with Barnett and the others. And then on top of all that she became terminally ill and passed away. Her show was channel 36 out of Atlanta. The same station that Lars Anderson talked his way into and ripped EVERYONE off he came in contact with. Why do you think Ole got rid of him so fast. Since Im on the subject of Larry Heinimi( spelling), I saw a great shoot fight with him and Frankie Cain (The Great Mephisto and one of the original Infernos), in the dressing room in Columbus Ga. Lets just say Lars left a bloody mess. Now that was priceless.

[superworker]

Just watched that you tube match with Tommy Rich and Randy Rose with Austin Idol. To this day I still wonder why Tommy didnt work out and go to the gym because in Ga. he was white hot for a long time. maybe he thought he or it (the biz) was gonna last forever. He was the classic sympathy babyface And always bled buckets. Dusty said one time " RED MAKES GREEN"

[midatlantic4ever]

I have always wondered the same thing about Tommy Rich, why he didn't stay in shape. Even when he came back to WCW around 1989 or so, he still had a fan base out of Georgia and the Carolina's from being on WTBS for so many years. It's really sad to see how his career fell apart. I don't remember anyone in the business being as hot as he was during the late 70's and early 80's.

Thanks everyone for the feedback on Ann Gunkel's promotion. I'll have to check out the "Assassin's" book myself. I really miss those days of old school wrestling from Georgia.

[starrcadefan]

SCW from Georgia started off with a bang in early 1988...They had Tommy Rich, Randy Rose, Paul E Dangerously, Austin Idol, Bruiser Brody, Ricky Morton straight from the NWA, Mr Wrestling II, Doug Sommers, Jerry Blackwell, Chick Donovan, Outlaw Joel Deaton, Abdullah the Butcher, Eddie Gilbert was in some, Manny Fernandez, Dick Slater, and the names go on forever......Plans were at one time announced on Joe Pedicino's WATL 36 block for the Von Erichs to actually make some dates....The shows were hosted by Joe Pedicino and former WCW Center Stage ring announcer Rhubarb Jones, who is a top rated morning radio DJ in Atlanta......Later the late Rick Stewart from Central States Wrestling, and Tony Schiavone's Starrcade 86 broadcast partner came in to host the shows.....I will never forget seeing Bruiser Brody vs Abdullah the Butcher on TV a week or so before Brody was killed in Puerto Rico...... I always heard that was Brody's last televised match in the states.......I think Jerry Blackwell headed up and booked the group....In the Fall of 1987 the group was running shows around Georgia under the banner of AWA Georgia with Blackwell involved...Curt Hennig, Wahoo McDaniel, Original Midnight Express, Boris Zhukov & Soldat Ustinov and others from the AWA made trips down south and appeared on the shows...... They even ran a big show at the Cobb Civic Center in Marietta and had Sgt. Slaughter vs Iron Sheik, Curt Hennig vs Jerry Lawler, Original Midnight Express vs Wahoo McDaniel and Jerry Blackwell, etc.....And man in 1987 that was a big deal for a Georgia independent....... Wish that group had lasted a lot longer than it did.......