Hello, everyone, and welcome to my column on the history and events of Georgia Championship Wrestling.  I thank Vince for allowing me a place to relate my memories and recollections of what I feel was one of the most anticipated television wrestling programs in history, as well as a group that could “sell out any arena in the world”, according to the late, great Gordon Solie. 

I, like most of you, anxiously awaited each Saturday afternoon for the time to tune into WTCG or as it was later known, WTBS.  As I understand it, Georgia Championship Wrestling, hosted by Solie, as well as Freddie Miller among other short stint co-hosts, was one of the most watched blocks of television among cable viewers during the late seventies and early eighties.  That led to the show also becoming a much sought after advertisement portion of the Superstation’s programming schedule. 

No column could be written about Georgia Championship Wrestling without mention of the Dean of wrestling announcers, Mr. Solie himself.  Wrestling fans embraced Gordon in much the same fashion as football fans viewed Keith Jackson, or boxing fans saw Howard Cosell, and possibly baseball fans with Vin Scully. 

Gordon Solie brought to each show a sense of drama and realism that is invisible in announcers today.  Definitely old school, he could announce a match as if you were listening to the matches on the radio, rather than a visual medium.  As an experiment, I once manipulated the controls on my television to reflect a simple black screen, and listened to a few matches rather than watch.  I am sure I was visualizing every single move nearly the way I would have seen it with my own eyes. 

That was the beauty of Gordon Solie’s career.  He truly was a master of wrestling play by play.  Arguably, very few other men could even be compared to Solie.  However, if you ever saw Georgia Championship Wrestling, you probably understand exactly what I felt about the legendary broadcaster.