Last Battle of Atlanta

Last updated
The Last Battle of Atlanta
DateOctober 23, 1983
Venue Omni Coliseum
Kayfabe
Wrestler Tommy Rich Buzz Sawyer
Nickname Wildfire Mad Dog
Working
Performer Thomas Richardson Bruce Alan Woyan
Promotion(s) Georgia Championship Wrestling
Position 7th on the card
Stipulation(s) Steel Cage
Result
Time12:06
Tommy Rich defeats Buzz Sawyer

The Last Battle of Atlanta was a professional wrestling match between Tommy Rich and Buzz Sawyer, of Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW). The un-televised match took place at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia on October 23, 1983. [1] WWE credits the match as the basis for the Hell in a Cell match. [2]

The match took place in a steel cage, however unlike traditional steel cage matches, this match had a roof on it. Due to the roof on the cage, escaping the cage was not an option, the match could have only been won by pinfall or when competitor could not answer the 10 count. Sawyer's manager Paul Ellering would be locked inside of his own separate cage. The stipulation of the match stated that Ole Anderson would immediately face Ellering if Rich were to win. Rich pinned Sawyer at the 12:06 mark. After the match, Ellering came into the ring in order to check on Sawyer, however Anderson immediately came out for their match. [3]

For many years the footage of this match was considered to be the "holy grail" and was believed to not exist. [4] In 2012 the WWE stated that only a few pictures exist from the event. [5] Although it was believed to have not been filmed, the video wound up in the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) library, however it remained on its original reel and was kept unlabeled. WCW's assets were purchased by the World Wrestling Federation in 2001, and footage entered the WWE library unmarked. [6] In September 2016 however, the match was uploaded to the WWE Network, [7] with the remainder of the event added in October 2018. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Steiner</span> American professional wrestler

Scott Rechsteiner, better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler.

An "I quit" match is a type of professional wrestling submission match in which the only way to win is to make the opponent say the words "I quit". It is a variation of the submission match as it can only be won by submission, but it is special in that the submission has to take the form of the forfeiting opponent saying "I quit". Generally, whenever a wrestler knocks down their opponent with a move or inflicts a submission move, the opponent will be asked—either by the referee or the opponent—to say the words into a microphone. "I quit" matches are commonly used to settle (kayfabe) grudges and embarrass rivals since saying "I quit" is usually a sign of admitted inferiority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Rich</span> American professional wrestler

Thomas Richardson is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tommy “Wildfire” Rich. He is a one time former National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion and Smoky Mountain Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. He primarily appeared in Georgia Championship Wrestling and Memphis throughout the 1980s, as well as World Championship Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling throughout the 1990s. He is a 1974 graduate of Hendersonville High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Swinger</span> American professional wrestler

Joseph Dorgan is an American professional wrestler currently under contract to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), using the ring name Johnny Swinger. Dorgan is also known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling under the Johnny Swinger name and with World Wrestling Entertainment as Johnny Parisi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buzz Sawyer</span> American professional wrestler

Bruce Alan Woyan was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Buzz Sawyer.

<i>Clash of the Champions</i> World Championship Wrestling professional wrestling television program

Clash of the Champions is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The specials were supercards comprising pay-per-view caliber matches, similar to the World Wrestling Federation's Saturday Night's Main Event series. The Clash of the Champions shows were famous for typically not airing commercials during matches even though many of these matches lasted 20 minutes or more.

Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as "Hybrid Wrestling", with its roster featuring a mix of different wrestling styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Gage</span> American professional wrestler

Nicholas William Wilson, better known by his ring name Nick Gage, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), where he is a former 3 time GCW World Champion. He also wrestles for various other promotions on the independent circuit. He is the only man to win the "big three" of American deathmatch tournaments: the CZW Tournament of Death, the IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch, and the GCW Tournament of Survival.

<i>Superstars on the Superstation</i>

Superstars on the Superstation was a televised professional wrestling event, presented by Jim Crockett Promotions, filmed in advance at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, airing on TBS on February 7, 1986. The event drew 10,000 fans to the Omni, while the broadcast had a Nielsen ratings of 3.2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Riddle</span> American professional wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter

Matthew Frederick Riddle is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW). He also performs in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current NJPW World Television Champion in his first reign. He is best known for his tenures in the UFC and WWE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madman Fulton</span> American professional wrestler

Jacob Southwick is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in Impact Wrestling under the ring name Madman Fulton and in WWE on its NXT brand under the ring name Sawyer Fulton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hart Legacy Wrestling</span> Canadian professional wrestling promotion

Hart Legacy Wrestling (HLW) is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion operated by some members of the Hart wrestling family, it was founded mainly by Teddy Hart and his associates. Smith Hart was also involved with the promotion prior to his death on July 2, 2017. His long-time partner Stacey Angel is the current owner of the promotion. Bret Hart has no involvement in HLW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachael Ellering</span> American professional wrestler

Rachael Ellering is an American professional wrestler currently performing for Ring of Honor (ROH). She is a former Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion.

2019 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

<i>Halftime Heat</i> Professional wrestling Super Bowl counterprogramming that is produced by WWE

Halftime Heat was a series of professional wrestling broadcasts produced by WWE used as Super Bowl counterprogramming. They aired during their respective year's halftime of the Super Bowl.

GCW Bloodsport is a professional wrestling event held by the American promotion Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). This event consists of a unique ruleset compared to a traditional pro wrestling event, in that every match must end in either a knockout or submission. The traditional wrestling ring is replaced by a ring canvas with no ropes or turnbuckles.

Villain Enterprises was a villainous professional wrestling stable consisting of Marty Scurll, Brody King, PCO, and Flip Gordon. The stable performed in Ring of Honor (ROH), where they are former ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where King and PCO are former NWA World Tag Team Champions, and Australia's World Series Wrestling (WSW), where Scurll is a former WSW World Champion. King and PCO have also won both ROH's Tag Wars tournament and the NWA/ROH co-promoted Crockett Cup tournament in 2019, and previously held the ROH World Tag Team Championship, while Scurll and King are former WSW Tag Team Champions. They were joined by Flip Gordon at Best in the World.

WCW All Nighter is a series of late night specials that aired on TBS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game Changer Wrestling</span> American professional wrestling promotion

Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), formerly known as Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW), is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Jersey. The promotion was originally founded by Ricky Otazu in 1999; it was rebranded under its current name in 2015, after a sale to Danny Demanto and current owner Brett Lauderdale. The promotion specializes in hardcore wrestling, as well as mixed martial arts–inspired shoot style matches.

References

  1. ↑ "GCW The Last Battle Of Atlanta « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  2. ↑ "Exclusive: How the rarest match in wrestling history was discovered". WWE. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  3. ↑ "GCW @ Atlanta, GA - Omni - October 23, 1983 (10,600)". The History of WWE. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  4. ↑ LaMotta, Jim (7 September 2016). "Looking At "The Last Battle Of Atlanta"". PWMania. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  5. ↑ "Wrestlers You Need to Know: Southern Stars". WWE. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  6. ↑ "WWE NETWORK ADDING COMPLETE 'LAST BATTLE OF ATLANTA' EVENT TODAY | PWInsider.com". www.pwinsider.com. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  7. ↑ "'Last Battle of Atlanta' & more classic content coming Tuesday to WWE Network". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. 2016-09-04. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  8. ↑ Coulson, Steve (2018-10-18). "EXCLUSIVE: This Week's WWE Hidden Gems Update Revealed – Event Previously Thought To Be Lost To Time". WWE Network News. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.