World's Greatest Wrestling

Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy and Buddy Jack Roberts: the original Fabulous Freebirds, lit up every promotion they were pushed in. Michael was in a small class of top level talkers, Buddy brought intense fight and Terry, well, Terry was a big man who could move and talk. Seen here in early 1980s with the Dean, Gordon Solie!

Arguably the greatest overall big man, even if he did work a little stiff. Stan "The Lariat" Hansen filled arenas from Texas to Georgia to Japan for decades.  And he genuinely seems like a good guy. 

Ole Anderson. Much is said about his temper and personality, but Ole knew the business and generally booked great runs whenever he was in charge. Of course to hear him tell it, he was the ONLY person who could properly book a show 

50th State Wrestling, or Big Time Wrestling from Hawaii as I recall Lord Tally-ho Blears & Bill Francis starting each show. I was four and five years old and living in Hawaii and every Friday night would look forward to the matches that had been advertised in our local Big Island paper, West Hawaii Today for the Honolulu matches. A couple of times a friend of my stepfather would take me to them in his helicopter. Tor Kamaka (later Tor Kamata in Georgia), Sammy Steamboat, Russ & Ed Francis, High Chief Peter Maivia, Prince Ikuea and occasionally Nick Bockwinkel, Dusty Rhodes and Andre the Giant. I recall wanting to go to an event where Andre and Dusty were tagging but the show sold out within minutes, probably in late 1978.  The book pictured is an excellent history of the promotion. 

Georgia Championship Wrestling, under the Jim Crockett Promotions umbrella, consistently set the standard for storylines and building up to epic feuds, like Tommy "Wildfire" Rich and Buzz Sawyer, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, and the infamous brawls The Four Horsemen had with many other factions. Led mostly on commentary by caller extraordinare Gordon Solie, GCW became a national powerhouse when WTBS satellite went cable. I was fortunate enough to live in Columbus, Ohio and since GCW was oddly my territory, I got to see the wrestlers and shows frequently. 

The Dean of Professional Wrestling Announcers, Gordon Solie, seen here on the set of Georgia Championship Wrestling with one of the greatest ring tacticians of all time, Mr. Wrestling II, Johnny Walker.