Batman!

Does it get any better than this as a kid? Heck no - - greatest TV show ever!

 

Maybe greatest BATMAN ever! 

With his number one fan!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

TV Show - Episode #150! HOLY COW! That's One-Five-O!

Jake Manning is available on Twitter & Instagram @manscoutmanning

Evel Knievel

The next best thing to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling on a Saturday afternoon in the 1970s was Evel Knievel motorcycle jumping on "ABC's Wide World of Sports."

"Today, You're Ricky Steamboat"

The Mid-Atlantic Gateway has posted a story about my 1988 match with Ric Flair on Superstation WTBS.  The Gateway is my favorite website, by the way. I wrote in my book "Dad You Don't Work You Wrestle" that I found my own Noah's Ark and it was full of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling stuff. That's the Gateway.

Here's the first part. Click the link below to read the whole story!
 

Ric Flair Tells George South: 
"Today You're Ricky Steamboat"

by Dick Bourne,  Mid-Atlantic Gateway

I've written before about all the stories that George South has told me over the many years we've been good friends, and usually I find myself not believing half of them. I mean, come on - - wrestlers tend to tell tall tales, am I right? And George loves to tell a good story. But then someone comes along that was involved in one of those stories and says something that confirms his story and I wind up calling him and confessing  - - "You were right!"

Such was the case on a recent episode of the "WOOOO! Nation" podcast, when Ric Flair and co-host Conrad Thompson were taking questions sent in by fans. One question dealt with wrestler Mike Jackson and why he never quite got a break to move up the cards back in the day. Jackson was thought of at the time (and still to this day) as one of the best underneath workers in the business and all the main event guys liked working with him.

But Flair moved on quickly from Jackson and said this, which confirmed part of a story George had told me long ago:

"You know who was actually the best worker back then, was George South .... I got in the ring with him one time and I said, 'Buddy, today you're Ricky Steamboat'. And we tore it down."  - Ric Flair, WOOOO! Nation, December 9, 2015

Read the entire story of match with Ric Flair RIGHT HERE!

With Ricochet and Tessa

With Ricochet and Tessa at Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte. They are tearing this building down next week. Kind of sad!

TV Show Episode #149 - Christmas Show

At the 10:14 mark, my phone rings. I thought it was the Ghost of Buzz Sawyer calling me, but it was actually the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. I thought I had silenced the phone, but I actually pressed the answer button, and then put it back in my pocket. So the Gateway was listening to the the rest of the show LIVE! Dang, I used half my minutes!

King Shane Williams wins EWA Jr. Heavyweight Championship

A new EWA World Jr. Heavyweight champion was "crowned" Saturday night, December 12, after an exhausting tournament held in Drexel, NC.

King Shane Williams (with Queen Taylor) defeated T.O. in the finals of the tournament. he becomes the 11th wrestler to hold the prestigious title.

The championship had been earlier vacated by Zane Dawson when he failed to make weight. Dawson had held the title since June of 2014.

Williams joins an elite group of wrestlers who have held the title including Mike Lee, Brad Thomas, George South Jr., Jason Jones, Charlie Dreamer, Jake Manning, Caleb Conley, Baron Bullard, and Cedric Alexander, among others.

When asked by reporters how it felt to win the EWA Jr. title, Williams simply replied, "It's good to be King!"

ADDED NOTE: We will be updating our EWA title histories soon!

TV Show Episode #148 - Fresh Biscuit Edition

George South Interviewed for ESPN's "30 for 30" Feature on Ric Flair

George South was interviewed the morning of December 9, 2015 for an upcoming episode of ESPN's "30 for 30" that will focus on the life and career of Ric Flair. The episode is scheduled to air in late 2016. The shoot, with also included Magnum T.A. and others, took place in a warehouse at Highspots.com in Charlotte.

More photos after the jump.

George South Training School

A recent photo from my training school at Highspots. With Cedric Alexander and Tessa Blanchard, two of the best!

TV Show - Episode #147

Monthly Greeting - December 2015

DECEMBER 2015

WOW, it is here, my favorite time of the year! Merry Christmas to everyone! "For unto us is born the Christ child." What a great time to be alive. God is in control and the peace that passes all understanding can also be yours. Just call on the name of the One who made you.

My son Brock is worse than me. He had his tree up 2 months ago. I know I am only 53 years old but I have never met anyone in my life that is offended when I say Merry Christmas, have you? Were do they get this from?

My beautiful twins have a birthday this month and I am so proud of them.

• Wrestlecade 4 is now in the books and this one was the best one yet. Thanks to Tracy Myers, Brian, Will and Tim for letting me be a part. My favorite moments were with Bob Caudle, Bill Eddie and when Tully pulled me to the side and thanked me for all I had done for Tessa. Over 3000 fans came over the weekend and over 100 pro wrestlers worked their gimmick tables. Whew.....think about that the next time you have a few family members over for supper and you want to scream.
• My wrestling school now has over 40 students signed up and I am so thankful. Tessa continues to amaze me and everybody else. 
• My wrestling school t-shirt is selling great and what a great testimony of a guy that bought my book at a wrestling show and after reading it, realized God loves him to!

Are my Cowboys done? I sure know Romo is! I never expected it to be this bad. I was there when they went 1 and 15 years ago and I think this is worse.

Its raining hard, I mean Noah's Ark hard, storming and I have to run into Wal-Mart to get my milk. The good kind, not that 2% gimmick. And after paying, I almost get run over by the young man bringing the shopping carts in from the rain, wiping them off and making sure they are nice and warm. As I walk outside, this sweet lady from Salvation Army is ringing the bell, yes, in the rain!!! I mean, her red kettle now looks like a cooking pot full of water. Is it that much trouble for Wal-Mart to let the woman come inside?? Aaaaaaaaaaaah! Are you people crazy?  Geez.......


If I can rent you a ring, sell you a book or eat your cookies and milk, just let me know! Thanks everyone for a great year.

Don't look back - -  look to Jesus!

God bless you, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

- George

George's Calendar - December 2015

DECEMBER 2015

Friday, Dec. 4, C.C. Griffen Middle School, Charlotte, N.C. (Special Guest Ricky Steamboat.)
Saturday, Dec. 5, Middle School, Pickens, S.C.
Tuesday, Dec. 8, GSouth Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C.

Saturday, Dec. 12, R.O. Huffman Center, Drexel, N.C.
Tuesday, Dec. 15, G. South Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C.
Wednesday, Dec. 16, '' HAPPY BIRTHDAY Soto's , Abba and Scarlet.

Saturday, Dec.19, PWX, Armory, Hickory, N.C.
Tuesday, Dec. 22, GSouth Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C.

Friday, Dec. 25, '' MERRY CHRISTMAS. ''
Friday, Dec. 25, NMCW, Armory, Kings Mtn. N.C.
Tuesday, Dec. 29, GSouth Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C

Wahoo McDaniel Tribute Show

The Ropes: A Pro Wrestling Documentary

TV Show Episode #146- Potsie and Ralph Edition

"Maverick is the Name"

With my grandson Maverick

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

Wrestlecade IV

See you at Wrestlecade this Saturday!!! Biggest fanfest of all time!!!

Tony Romo for President

Blessed!!

Yep, me and Ricky Steamboat and the Rock & Roll Express all in the ring once again. God is so good!!

With the "Hawaiian Punch"!

I got to visit with Ricky Steamboat in Norfolk, VA Friday night and show him the new book on the U.S. championship by my buddy Dick Bourne at the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. Ricky held that title several times in the 1970s and 1980s.

We spent 30 minutes talking about the U.S. belt! He remembered that "heavyweight" was misspelled on the belt and loved seeing all those photos of it again. He marked out a little remembering working with Buddy Rogers in one of the U.S. tournaments. And got mad that Slaughter put new leather on the black belt! haha

It was great seeing Ricky again as always, he's just so first class in everything he does. He may be "the Dragon" to all of you, but he'll always be "the Hawaiian Punch" to me!

TV Show Episode #145 - YMCA Edition

TV Show Episode #144 - Commissioner Gordon Lego Confusion Edition

TV Show Episode #143 - Bat-a-rang Edition

WrestleCade is One Month Away!

WrestleCade Website

Monthly Greeting - November 2015

NOVEMBER 2015

WOW!!! "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." - 1 Tim. 1: 15. And boy am I glad he did. That is my hope. It don't matter how dirty you are, Jesus will clean you up.

Can you believe it is Thanksgiving already? I love this time of year. We all have so much to be thankful for. God has blessed me with the greatest kids and grandbabies of all time. Everything I have is because of Him. I hope we all learn to say thank you the other 11 months of the year just as much. It is such a rainy and messy day today and my Cowboys ain't helping much, but if you know Jesus as your Savior, you have the greatest gift in the world.

• Thank everyone for the great feedback on my new website. I love it. 
• Wrestlecade is here folks. The greatest pro wrestling event I have ever been involved in is just a few weeks away. Over 100 legends and over 50 matches will take place over that great weekend and I am so glad to be a part of it. I plan on taking 2 cases of DYDWYW with me, and a bunch of  Hardy Boys phone cases, hey you never know. 
• I am so glad to be on a few shows with Ricky Steamboat this month. What a first class guy. 
• My wrestling school has over 40 students signed up now and I am so blessed. Tessa Blanchard is the real deal folks. If you get a chance to see her, please do.

Can my Dallas Cowboys season be over with now? It sure looks that way!! Romo, I will never make fun of you fishing again!!

Has the whole world lost its mind? A teacher tells the student to put her phone away in class, the idiot kid says no! The police have to be called in. The punk kid still says no! So, the police must do his job and remove the brat. Simple, right? Not in what use to be called America! The policeman is fired and they have raised over 40 grand for the student! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah I hate everybody!! Oh yeah, where is the person that called the police? No where to be found, heck even the principal never spoke up for the police officer!! Yep, next time, I would just say,"wrong number.'' Geez!!!!!


If I can rent you a ring, build you a boat, sell you a great book, please let me know. Don't eat too much and remember, it's ok to tell Jesus thank you!!!  

God bless you, and Happy Thanksgiving,

- George

George's Calendar for November 2015

NOVEMBER 2015

Tuesday, Nov. 3, GSouth Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, GSouth Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C.

Friday, Nov. 13, Chester, S.C.
Saturday, Nov. 14, Crest Middle School, Shelby, N.C.
Tuesday, Nov. 17, GSouth Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C.

Friday, Nov. 20, Big Time Wrestling, Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Va.
Saturday, Nov. 21, Big Time Wrestling, High School, Powhatan, Va.
Sunday, Nov. 22, Building TBA, All GSouth Wrestling School Students Booked.
Tuesday, Nov. 24, GSouth Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C.
Thursday, Nov. 26, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Thursday, Nov. 26, CWS Boys Club, Asheboro, N.C.

Friday, Nov. 27, WRESTLECADE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS, Benton Conv. Winston Salem, N.C.
Saturday, Nov. 28, WRESTLECADE FAN FEST & SHOW, Benton Conv. Center, Winston Salem, N.C.
Sunday, Nov. 29, Queens of Combat, Ziggys, Winston Salem.

On The Road

with my friend Andy McDaniel

New at the George South Museum

TV Show Episode #142 - Hamburglar Edition

This week's show is definitely NOT sponsored by mcDonald's.

Here ya go, Mr. #1!

Still the greatest McDonald's commercial ever.

TV Show Episode #141

Getting it right!

A Diamond in the Flea Market

Oh let me preach on this my people.

My beautiful grandbaby Dallas loves finding old, beat up, used wrestling figures at the flea market. To him they're priceless! Thats how JESUS sees you!! You may be dirty, beat up, and feel used, but to the King of Kings, you are a diamond in the flea market!

Preach! Dang George, that aint bad!

This Saturday!

TV Show Episode #140! Yes 140!!

TV Show Episode #139 - Georgia on Fire Edition

Beautiful Bobby!

Bobby looked so good. So good to see him again.

Maverick

Kerry getting hot that I just have David's son on my website. Only special people will get that. 

The Topic for Tonight

Fixin' to walk into George South wrestling school. Topic tonight -

If me or my guys have a ring post, steel, or boards in our hands, and you goofballs try to shake our hand, which always happens, chances are you will be standing there for a long long time!! Whoever came up with that, ain't never set up a ring!

TV Show Episode #138

Monthly Greeting - October 2015

October 2015

WOW, just 3 months to Christmas!!! Heck, if you go into Wal-Mart now you would think that Christmas is already here. What the heck? Slow down everybody. My son Brock is one of those that loves Christmas so much I bet he already has his tree up.

I can't believe where this past year has went. God is so good to me and has blessed me with everything I could ever want. I ask you now, if you know Jesus as your personal Savior? What better time to start over than now.

• I am leaving today for two huge Big Time Wrestling shows with Ric Flair and Kevin Nash. We are expecting over 2000 fans Friday night in Alma, Ga. I know my great website guy will love where we are going to be at - - Old Bacon High School! 
• I spoke with Lori and Jillian Armstrong this morning and they are doing great. Talk about where does time go? Jillian is now in high school. 
• I received a big package in the mail from my favorite wrestler Paul Jones this week and I still can't get enough of having him autograph a picture for me. Well, it's signed to my kids, but of course they will never get them. 
• My wrestling school is now up to 35 students and growing. I am so blessed to be able to teach these great kids. Tessa continues to show everyone what I have been saying for a year. She is something special. 
• Happy Birthday in October to my buddy in Pennsylvania who I never hear from anymore. As long as I don't have to help move again, anything is good with me! And my back!
• My wrestling school t-shirts and my 2nd greatest book ever written has been selling so good. I want to thank everybody. 
• Did you see the article the Gateway wrote about me? It's on my site, too. That was a fun night. 

Oh man. Such a great start to the season, and then Dez and Romo go down. Now if I could just get them to hurry up and get back. What a heartbreaking loss last week to Atlanta.

I really don't go looking for these people. I actually hate people, but being a ''Burt Reynolds'' (before Loni) A-1 public figure, I get asked to do a lot of things, or give when it is just stupid. Jeff Long from Georgia is the biggest idoit I have never met. He wrote me asking if I could bring my ring, all my guys and the kitchen sink down to Georgia and help him with his medical bills. Most of the time I just ignore these requests because there are just so many and it just is stupid. Plus I guess since they have no rings or wrestlers in Georgia, he must ask me now, right? None of this was really the issue, he wasn't acting like an idiot yet. The idiot part came when I said no, he wrote me and called me ''ungodly'' for not doing it! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! You idiot! Godly or ungodly has nothing to do with anything! Just because I say no, and can't give money to everybody that asks, doesn't make me ungodly! Neither does calling people idiots when they deserve it!! He said he "was referred" to me. I bet he was!! Nobody in Georgia wants to deal with him! And by the way, how about this guy help ME with MY medical bills???

Whew, Makayla, please hug Paw Paw!


I hope everyone has a great month and if me and my Grandbabies can come by and sell you something, just let me know. God Bless.

- George

George's Calendar for October 2015

OCTOBER 2015

Thursday, Oct. 1, Rowan Co. Fair, Salisbury, N.C.
Friday, Oct. 2, Old Bacon High School, Alma, Ga. (Special Guest Ric Flair)
Saturday, Oct. 3, T.B. Thomas Sports Center, Hartsville, S.C.
Sunday, Oct. 4, New Hope Baptist Church, Old Fort, N.C.
Tuesday, Oct. 6, G. South Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C.
Wednesday, Oct. 7, Dixie Classic Fair, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Saturday, Oct. 10, Charlotte Motor Speedway, 11 a.m. Bell time.
Saturday, Oct. 10, Patrick Co. High School, Stuart, Va.
Tuesday, Oct. 13, GSouth Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C.

Saturday, Oct. 17, AML, Southside Rec. Center, Highpoint, N.C.
Tuesday, Oct. 20, GSouth Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C.

Saturday, Oct. 24, R.O. Huffman Center, Drexel, N.C.
Sunday, Oct. 25, AML, Johnny & Junes, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Tuesday, Oct. 27, G. South Wrestling School, Charlotte, N.C.
Wednesday, Oct. 28, Friendship Baptist Church, Concord, N.C. "Fall Brawl"

Saturday, Oct. 31, TBA

Dallas and Paw Paw love the Minnesota Wrecking Crew!

THROWBACK THURSDAY

With Dallas at the Anderson brothers Classic tag team tournament in 2011.

Finding Gold in a Dallas Cowboys Book

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

George South has a knack for finding the most obscure references to wrestling in just about any book he picks up. It's uncanny. The best example of this was probably the time he found a book in a used bookstore for $1.00 that talked about the first season of the NFL Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. In that book, which had been tucked away in the back of this old bookstore, covered in dust, probably never to be read again, George finds a picture of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling legend Johnny Weaver when he was a deputy sheriff for the Mecklenburg Sheriff's Department. Johnny was helping with crowd control in security at a Panthers game.

What were the odds? Only George could find that! There are countless other examples, too. There have been references to Wahoo McDaniel in a New York Jets football history book, more things like that.

The most recent example was in the book "Legends of the Dallas Cowboys" by Cody Monk, which was a collection of stories and memories about the great legends in Dallas Cowboys history.

I had given this book to George for his birthday. We were meeting at a local Hickory Tavern restaurant for dinner and to watch the Cowboys play the Giants the opening weekend of the 2015 season on Sunday Night Football. I even told him when he was first looking through it, "I bet you anything you will find some reference to wrestling in there."

I figured it would be perhaps a reference to one of the old-timer players having been a wrestler at some point. A lot of professional football players were part-time pro wrestlers back in the day before the NFL and AFL players made a great deal of money. Some, like Wahoo McDaniel, made more money in a summer of pro wrestling than in an entire season of football.

So about a week later George sends me a text with a photo attached of a passage in the book about Kerry Von Erich winning the NWA world title from Ric Flair at Texas Stadium in 1984.

Well, I'll be darned, he did it again!

The passage was in a section of the book devoted to memories about the old Texas Stadium in Irving, TX that was home to the Cowboys until a few years ago when they moved into the new AT&T Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX.

Once again, George had found wrestling gold in a random book. And I can just about guarantee you it will happen again at some point down the road.

The following is an except from the "Texas Stadium" chapter in "Legends of the Dallas Cowboys" by Cody Monk, pg. 187:

"Non-football events: In September 1971, Texas Stadium opened its doors with a 10-day revival from noted pastor Billy Graham. Johnny and June Cash performed and future President and First Lady Laura and George W. Bush attended. The event was simply the first of a litany of major events. In 1972 and then from 1984-88, Dallas-based World Class Championship Wrestling, featuring the legendary Von Erich family, held its annual "Parade of Champions" shows at Texas Stadium. The most famous match happened on May 6, 1984, when Kerry Von Erich beat "Nature Boy" Ric Flair for the NWA title in front of over 50,000 fans, only months after Kerry's brother, David Von Erich, died in Tokyo. On the music side, the Jackson Five, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Metallica, Alabama, and Madonna all played at Texas Stadium...."

George and I enjoyed a big plate of wings, thanks to our friend Doug Joyner who had given George a gift card for his birthday. It wound up being a great night as quarterback Tony Romo led the Cowboys down the field in the final minute of the game and threw the winning touchdown pass to my old Tennessee favorite Jason Witten. Dallas defeated the New York football Giants 27-26.

How 'bout them Cowboys?

Sadly, I wasn't with George to celebrate. I had left at the end of the 3rd quarter because of the long trip home late on a Sunday night. I enjoyed listening to the voice of the great Verne Lundquist (filling in for the usual voice of the Dallas Cowboys Brad Sham) make the call of that final drive on XM satellite radio. As Romo threw that winning touchdown, I could only imagine George, being one of only a few people left in the restaurant at midnight, running around like NC State Coach Jim Valvano after winning the 1983 NCAA national basketball championship - - looking for someone to hug.

DYDWYW with the AML Title Belt

Throwback Thursday: The Twins

TV Show #137 - El Hijo del Cowboy Edition

Dallas Cowboys - Week 1

Can the season be over now????

Week one summary on DallasCowboys.com

TV Show - Episode 136 - Don Kirshner Rock Concert Edition

Throwback Thursday on the Headlock Ranch

Scarlet, Garrett, and Abigail South (June 2006)
On the Headlock Ranch!

Garrett, Scarlet, and Abigail South (June 2007)
On the Headlock Ranch!