Scott Bowden presents Kentucky Fried Rasslin

Never one to brag, “The Universal Heartthrob,” Austin Idol humbly salutes the fans for their support in this clip from Georgia Championship Wrestling, circa 1980. Years before the Hulkster shamelessly ripped him off, IdolMania was indeed running wild nationwide–the modest one didn’t even bother to include Boise, Idaho; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Bangor, Maine; Oil Trough, Texas; Clearwater, Florida;  Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico; French Lick, Indiana; Climax, Michigan; the Missouri Boothill; Needmore, Texas; and beautful Hooker, Oklahoma. (I love how Gordon Solie gradually becomes agitated with Idol–even sunglasses can’t hide his anguish. Incidentally, Gordon’s cool shades were not foreshadowing a heel turn; I believe this interview was conducted shortly after eye surgery.)

For those of you misguided marks out there who thought Dusty Rhodes had the magic of genuine Stardust all those years, you must feel really foolish to discover its true origins. Clearly, the Idol was the highest paid professional athlete at the time–after all, it costs a fortune to import real Stardust from Las Vegas.

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At last year’s NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest, Jim Cornette stressed during his Q & A session that WWE didn’t introduce humor to wrestling, maintaining that Jerry Jarrett’s Memphis promotion successfully balanced comedy and serious issues to produce one of the most entertaining wrestling shows in the country. While WWE thinks they’re pushing the envelope with their so-called “humor” and that they’re breaking new ground by injecting funny situations into wrestling, nobody was funnier than Jerry Lawler as a heel in the ’70s, yet the fans still hated his guts, likewise with Jimmy Hart in the early ’80s. And then you had Lance Russell as the straight man between Lawler and Hart during their feud, which Cornette compares to “…Howard Cosell standing between Ali and Frazier.”

Russell’s facial expressions and reactions to the heels’ outrageous claims were indeed priceless, as this clip from 1976 illustrates (but first a word from Mid-South Poison Control):

Like Russell, Georgia Championship Wrestling’s Gordon Solie also had a way of injecting a little subtle humor with his classic deadpan looks when a baddie like the Masked Superstar (Bill Eadie) boasted and bragged. In the clip below, Solie’s flabbergasted reaction to Superstar’s list of top contenders (which includes a few WTBS jobbers) illustrates the sly comedy that is rare in wrestling today. (Incidentally, Eadie’s voice and methodical delivery sound like that of a twisted-yet-intelligent madman, almost like a serial killer…perfect for a mysterious, masked heel.)

Incidentally, for those who think Cornette was merely one of the funniest promo guys ever, check out his serious side when he discusses retirement plans for Dusty Rhodes…strong stuff from the master.

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They don’t make ‘em like Ernie “Big Cat” Ladd anymore. Classic promo from Georgia Championship Wrestling with Gordon Solie (who’s sporting some very cool shades, by the way), running down that whiskey-drinkin’ Wahoo McDaniel, the wanted fugitive (hence the mask) Mr. Wrestling II, and the ”loco-weed” abusers Baron Von Raschke and Austin Idol (now that’s a funny visual). Oh, yeah–dig the Sterling Golden (a young Hulk Hogan) legdrop in the closing credits.

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