Pro Wrestling Illustrated Cover of the Week

March 1982

Year End Awards Edition for 1981

M

WE LOVE PRO WRESTLING!

Mr. Wrestling II, Gordon Solie and "Wildfire" Tommy Rich

Georgia Championship Wrestling

Georgia Tag Team Champions 1970s

NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions

Tony Atlas and Tommy Rich

November 1977

defeated The Executioner and Pak Song 

Pro Wrestling Illustrated Cover of the Week

August 1982

Ricky Steamboat and Tommy Rich

Today in Wrestling History (April 27th)

April 27th 1981

Augusta, Georgia

Tommy Rich stuns the wrestling world by pinning NWA World Champion Harley Race to win his first and only

World Heavyweight title.  

However, only 4 days later in Gainesville, Georgia, Harley Race would recapture the belt to begin his 6th world title reign.

Wrestling Magazine Cover of the Week

Pro Wrestling Illustrated 

March 1982

WCW Six Man Tag Team Titles

August 5th 1991

Big Josh (Matt Borne), Dustin Rhodes and Tom Zenk win the WCW World Six Man Tag Team Titles from the Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Jimmy Garvin and Badstreet aka Brad Armstrong) in St. Joseph MO.

That team would hold the belts until October 8th 1991 when they lost to The York Foundation (Tommy Rich, Ricky Morton and Terry Taylor) managed by Alexandra York (Terri Runnels) in Montgomery, AL.

02/06/1982: Tommy Rich vs. Buzz Sawyer

Today in Wrestling History April 27th (Tommy Rich Edition)

1981 - Tommy Rich defeats Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Title in Augusta, Georgia. This ended Race's fifth title reign. Harley would win back the belt four days later.

1987 - Austin Idol defeats Jerry Lawler to win the Southern Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee in what is arguably one of the most famous matches in Memphis Wrestling history. The match was a steel cage bout, with a cage that covered the floor and ringside area. Austin Idol and manager Paul E. Dangerously had promised to refund the money of every fan in the Mid South Coliseum if Idol lost the match. Lawler, in addition to the Southern Heavyweight Title, also put his hair on the line. The finish saw Tommy Rich (who flew into Memphis from Japan that morning and hid under the ring all day with a six-pack of beer and an air mattress) come up from under the ring after a ref bump and help Idol win the match. Lawler had his hair cut to a crew cut length, while fans were literally grabbing and shaking the cage in anger. This match ended Lawler's 36th Southern Title reign after only a week, and began Idol's 3rd title reign. The Lawler vs. Idol & Rich feud would continue for several months, ending with Lawler & Bill Dundee defeating Idol & Rich in a Scaffold match.

Watch closely in part 5 at the beginning when a fan climbs to the top of the cage and then watch a cop climb up the other side like a it was nothing to chase the fan down.