October 25, 1980 Southeastern Championship Wrestling Television Show Review
By: Karl Stern (@dragonkingkarl, @wiwcool, karl@whenitwascool.com)
I grew up on NWA Southeastern Championship Wrestling as promoted by Ron Fuller based out of Pensacola, Florida and presenting shows from the Florida panhandle throughout Alabama up to the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. This is the second program episode for Southeastern Championship Wrestling. Ron Fuller had bought Gulf Coast Wrestling from the Field's brothers a couple years earlier but in October 1980 Ron Fuller repackaged it with a new, different television show called Southeastern Championship Wrestling.
Don't confuse this with the Southeastern Championship Wrestling program that had been operating for years out of Knoxville, TN. While both were owned by Fuller, they had a totally different TV show and completely different champions and storylines. This website is focusing solely on the southern end of the promotion and the television show which was taped in a studio in Dothan, AL.
After using computer graphics to inset last week's Southeastern Championship Wrestling logo they are out this week using the old Gulf Coast Wrestling set and Charlie Platt is joined by the new guest announcer Les Thatcher.
The first match is in the ring and it seems like it might be a cut away to a previously taped match: Jerry Stubbs (NWA U.S. Junior heavyweight champion) verses Ricky Gibson. This match is certainly from one of the arenas and is being voice-overed. Ricky Gibson is the older brother of future Rock & Roll Express member Robert Gibson. Both of the Gibson brothers were regulars in the Southeastern area.
It's a good back and forth match until a referee bump and then Stubbs throws Gibson over the top rope but the referee didn't see it. Jerry Stubbs wins with a roll up and leverage from the ropes.
We now get a promo for the Thursday, November 13, 1980 Birmingham, Alabama Boutwell Auditorium show. Ron Fuller cuts a promo putting down some of the north Alabama towns. He says he isn't going to those silly towns. He's only going to wrestle in Birmingham. The November 13, 1980 card will be a tournament for the NWA Alabama title. Ron says he has the Florida and Georgia titles hanging in his closet and won't even show them because they are "rinky dink".
Interview now with Robert Fuller & Jos LeDuc. They are the new NWA Southeastern tag team champions having won the belts in Mobile on October 7, 1980. Last week the Big C's (Don Carson & Dennis Condrey) were the Southeastern tag team champions so undoubtedly that match was taped well before the air date. A lot of stuff is oddly out of order here as they try to get things going.
To the ring for our next match: Mike Masters verses Charles Odom. Mike Masters did some matches up for WWWF in the northeast. He wasn't around here long and never really made a splash in wrestling despite being a pretty muscular guy but not that tall. This match appears to have been taped in the Dothan studio. Mike Masters wins with a back breaker.
Now it's time for Personality Profile again which, again, is just a fancy name for an interview segment. Les Thatcher interviews Ron Fuller and are again talking about the upcoming NWA Alabama title tournament. Ron Fuller is dogging out the former promotions in the state calling their wrestlers fat or skinny and unskilled but now Alabama is going to see real wrestlers. Ron Fuller has been on fire for these first two shows.
Les Thatcher brings Robert Fuller out to join the interview saying that he has entered the Alabama title tournament too. Ron Fuller is not happy with this. Ron Fuller says that if his brother Robert is working in the Southeastern area then promoter Don Curtis can tear up his contract and then walks off the set. Robert then explains that there are hard feeling between he and Ron and they are certainly on opposite sides of things.
Back to the ring for our next match: The Mongolian Stomper verses Charlie Cook. The Mongolian Stomper is managed by the Big C (Don Carson) who we saw teaming with The Big C II (Dennis Condrey) last week. As we found out earlier, the Big C's lost the NWA Southeastern tag team titles to Robert Fuller & Jos LeDuc. Last week the Mongolian Stomper was managed by Gorgeous George, Jr. Like I said things are weirdly out of sequence until they get things going. The match goes to a double count out.
Les Thatcher interviews Jerry Stubbs about entering the NWA Alabama title tournament. Stubbs is the current NWA U.S. Junior champion and they are talking about Stubbs wrestling in two different classes.
Next match in the ring: Stan Frazier & Jos LeDuc verses Big C's I & II (Don Carson & Dennis Condrey). Big Plowboy Frazier was later better known as Uncle Elmer in the WWF and worked a lot in Memphis. Of course, LeDuc wrestled all over the world. The match descends into a brawl with the referee calling it a no contest. After the match Jos LeDuc unmasks Big C 1 as Don Carson. Carson and Big C 2 then beat down Jos LeDuc who is saved by Robert Fuller so I guess that is how they ended up together.
Interview with Jos LeDuc & Robert Fuller.
An unnamed authority figure comes out and says that he has just got a phone call that Ron Bass is returning to the area.
October 25, 1980 (Television Show): Host Charlie Platt & Les Thatcher... Jerry Stubbs defeated Ricky Gibson to retain the NWA U.S. Junior title... Ron Fuller promo... Interview with new NWA Southeastern tag team champions Robert Fuller & Jos LeDuc... Mike Masters defeated Charles Odom... Ron Fuller and Robert Fuller interview... Mongolian Stomper battles Charlie Cook to a double count out... Jerry Stubbs interview... Jos LeDuc & Stan Frazier battled Big C's I & II (Don Carson & Dennis Condrey) to a no contest... Big C 1 is unmasked as Don Carson... Interview with Robert Fuller & Jos LeDuc... Announcement of Ron Bass coming back in to the area. (Referee: Jimmy McGuire)
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