September 19th in the Time Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
George Bollas\Golden Terror\The Zebra Kid 1923
Lenny Keen\Cousin Junior\Moondog Cujo 1960
Paco Alonso Lutteroth 1952
Happy Birthday:
Gerry Brisco (79)
Ringo Mendoza (76)
Yoshiaki Yatsu (70)
Natalie Neilson\Eva Marie (41)
Rene Paquette (40)
Sujiro Higuchi\Jiro Kuroshiro (33)
RIP Memorial: We stop & remember those who have passed on this day and gave themselves to the business for us, the fans. We salute you and thank you.
(none)
50 Year Flashback:
9-19-1975: Professor Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji defeated Tony Garea & Dean Ho in a one night four-team tag team tournament to win the vacant NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship at the City Auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia
Pictured: Professor Toru Tanaka and Mr Fuji
Professor Toru Tanaka (real name: Charles Kalani Jr.) and Mr. Fuji (real name: Harry Fujiwara) were one of the most infamous heel (villain) tag teams in professional wrestling during the 1970s, particularly in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, precursor to WWE). They first teamed up in 1972 and quickly became known for their "exotic" Japanese warrior personas, incorporating karate chops, judo throws, and underhanded tactics like blinding opponents with salt from hidden bags—a signature move that often led to disqualifications or controversial victories. Managed initially by The Grand Wizard in the WWWF, they captured the WWWF World Tag Team Championship three times (May 1972–December 1972, November 1973–April 1974, and May 1976–September 1976), feuding with popular babyface (hero) teams like Chief Jay Strongbow & Sonny King, Tony Garea & Dean Ho, and the Valiant Brothers.
By mid-1975, Tanaka and Fuji were established stars in the WWWF but were occasionally loaned out to other territories under the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) umbrella—a common practice in the territorial era of wrestling, where promotions shared talent to boost drawing power and storylines. In August 1975, they reunited (after a brief split) and debuted in Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), the NWA-affiliated promotion based in Atlanta, promoted by Jim Barnett. They were managed there by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, adding to their villainous allure with Heenan's mouthpiece promos. Their arrival was hyped as an invasion of "foreign heels" to challenge the regular Georgia talent.
Their opponents in the finals match, Tony Garea and Dean Ho, were also WWWF transplants and longtime babyfaces. Garea (real name: Anthony Caltavuturo) was a reliable, technical wrestler often positioned as an underdog champion or contender in the WWWF, having held the WWWF Tag Titles with Haystacks Calhoun in 1973. Dean Ho (real name: Dean Heydt) was a Hawaiian powerhouse known for his amateur wrestling background and high impact moves like the Asian Spike (a nerve hold). The duo had teamed sporadically in the WWWF, facing off against Tanaka and Fuji in heated matches during 1974–1975, building a natural rivalry based on the heels' cheating versus the faces' clean fighting style. Garea and Ho were touring GCW as fan favorites, representing "American" resilience against the Japanese invaders.
The NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship, established in 1968 and defended primarily in the Atlanta/Macon area, was a prestigious mid-South title that drew top talent from across the NWA. By July 1975, the belts were held by Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater, a rugged heel team who had won them earlier that year. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why the Georgia titles were vacated. Some records indicate that Slater & Orton, Jr vacated them after winning the Macon Tag Titles, but that wouldn’t make logical sense. Other records show Slater & Orton lost the Georgia belts to Mr. Wrestling II & Rick Martel on August 24th, 1975, in Savannah, Georgia, but why Wrestling II and Martel vacated the belts in not known.
To crown new champions quickly and generate buzz, Renesto booked a one-night, four-team single-elimination tournament on September 19, 1975, on the big card for the week, the regular Friday night City Auditorium show in Atlanta, Georgia. This format was a staple in wrestling to create instant drama and showcase invading stars like Tanaka and Fuji, who were hot off their WWWF success and perfect for heel heat in the South, where anti-foreigner angles played well. The event was part of GCW's weekly TV taping and house show circuit, drawing a crowd eager to see matches and stars from other territories come in to challenge for the belts locally.
The tournament featured established GCW teams mixed with the WWWF imports:
Semi-final Match 1: Professor Tanaka & Mr. Fuji (with Bobby Heenan) defeated Mike McCord & Bobby Duncum. McCord was a local midcarder, and Duncum (father of future WWF star Barry Duncum Jr.) was a burly brawler; this match established the heels' dominance early.
Semi-final Match 2: Tony Garea & Dean Ho defeated Nikolai Volkoff & Brute Bernard. Volkoff (a Soviet heel portraying a Russian strongman) and Bernard (a French-Canadian brute) were another foreign heel duo, making this a babyface vs. heel clash that advanced Garea and Ho as crowd-pleasing underdogs.
Finals Match: Professor Tanaka & Mr. Fuji defeated Tony Garea & Dean Ho to win the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship. The match likely lasted 10–15 minutes, emphasizing the rivals' prior WWWF history—Garea and Ho sought revenge for past salt-throwing incidents, but Tanaka and Fuji's cunning (possibly involving Heenan's interference or a salt spot) secured the victory. No major injuries or controversies were reported, but the win was positioned as a shocking upset, with the heels celebrating amid an upset and angry crowd.
This win marked Tanaka's second reign with the Georgia titles, his first was earlier in 1975 with The Assassin (Jody Hamilton). Tanaka & Fuji would hold the belts for about a month, defending against local teams like Thunderbolt Patterson & Tommy Rich, before dropping them on October 13, 1975, to Bob Backlund and Jerry Brisco in a high-profile match that elevated Backlund in the Georgia territory and the overall landscape of the National Wrestling Alliance.
50 Year Flashback
September 1975 Review of NWA Georgia, Atlanta Georgia Territory
The NWA Georgia Wrestling Territory, operated as Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) under promoter Jim Barnett, was one of the hottest and most financially successful regional promotions in the National Wrestling Alliance during the mid-1970s. Based primarily out of Atlanta, with key venues like the Municipal Auditorium in Columbus, Georgia, Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Centreplex Coliseum in Macon, the City Auditorium and the Omni in Atlanta, GCW drew crowds between 3,000 and 5,000 in each town and often 10,000+ at the Omni shows.
The NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship was the top prize, frequently changing hands to create urgency and draw gates—often involving brutal no-DQ stipulations.
Top babyfaces included Mr. Wrestling II (John Walker), a masked hero embodying Southern grit, Jerry Brisco, Bobby Duncum and the perennial favorite, Dusty Rhodes. Heels featured hard-nosed Americans like Dick Slater and foreign menaces like Abdullah the Butcher, Nikolai Volkoff, Dick Slater, Bob Orton, Jr, Toru Tanaka, and Mr. Fuji, often managed by figures like Gary Hart or Bearcat Wright.
September 1975 was a transitional month, bridging summer feuds into fall builds. The focus was on the Georgia Heavyweight title's instability (three changes in three months) and a tag team tournament to refresh the division. Major angles centered on foreign heels dominating, priming babyface comebacks, amid ongoing personal rivalries.
Babyfaces:
Mr. Wrestling II
Jerry Brisco
Mike McCord (later Austin Idol)
Bob Backlund
Bobby Duncum
Dean Ho
Tony Garea
Dusty Rhodes (one week appearance in Columbus\Atlanta)
Bill Watts (two appearances)
Rick Martel
Sonny King
Les Thornton
Bearcat Brown (occasional appearance)
Andre The Giant
Jay Strongbow
Heels:
Dick Slater
Bob Orton, Jr
Professor Toru Tanaka
Mr. Fuji
Nikolai Volkoff
Brute Bernard
Ron Garvin
Bob Griffin
The Sheik (occasional appearance)
Sir Dudley Clements
Andre The Giant Appearances in September 1975 in Georgia
Monday 9/8/1975 Sports Palace, Griffin, Georgia defeated Nikolai Volkoff
Wednesday 9/10/1975 Municipal Auditorium in Columbus, Georgia won the 14-man Battle Royal
Friday 9/12/1975 City Auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia defeated Brute Bernard
Saturday 9/13/1975 WTCG-TV Atlanta, Georgia defeated Otto Von Heller & The Marauder in a 2 on 1 Handicap Match
Big Feud of the Month
Dusty Rhodes, Jerry Brisco, Bobby Duncum & Mr. Wrestling II vs Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr
Saturday 9/6/1975: Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Georgia: Bob Orton, Jr defeated Jerry Brisco in a Texas Bullrope Match
Monday 9/8/1975 Sports Palace in Griffin, Georgia: Dusty Rhodes & Jerry Brisco vs Dick Slater & bob Orton, Jr ended in a DDQ
Tuesday 9/9/1975 Centreplex Coliseum in Macon, Georgia: Dusty Rhodes & Jerry Brisco def Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr with Special Ref: Bobby Duncum
Wednesday 9/10/1975 Municipal Auditorium in Columbus, Georgia: Dusty Rhodes def Dick Slater in an I Quit Match, Jerry Brisco def Bob Orton, Jr
Thursday 9/11/1975 Memorial Gymnasium in Rome Georgia: Dusty Rhodes & Jerry Brisco vs Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr in a Taped Fist Match
Friday 9/12/1975 City Auditorium in Atlanta Georgia: Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr defeated Dusty Rhodes & Bobby Duncum in a Taped Fist Match
Saturday 9/13/1975 Sports Palace, in Griffin, Georgia: Dick Slater & bob Orton, Jr vs Bobby Duncum & Jerry Brisco
Monday 9/15/1975 Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Georgia: Bob Orton, Jr vs Jerry Brisco in an Indian Death Match, Dick Slater vs Mr. Wrestling II in an I Quit Match
Tuesday 9/16/1975 Centreplex Coliseum in Macon, Georgia: Jerry Brisco defeated Bob Orton, Jr in an Indian Death Match
Thursday 9/18/1975 Memorial Gymnasium in Rome, Georgia: Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr vs Mr. Wrestling II & Jerry Brisco in a Cage Match
Friday 9/19/1975 City Auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia: Mr. Wrestling II defeated The Sheik in a Bounty Match
Sunday 9/21/1975 Municipal Auditorium in Columbus, Georgia: Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr (ch) vs Jerry Brisco & Bobby Duncum for the Columbus Tag Team Titles
Monday 9/22/1975 Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Georgia: Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr vs Jerry Brisco & Mr. Wrestling II in a Lumberjack Match
Tuesday 9/23/1975 Centreplex Coliseum in Macon, Georgia: Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr (ch) def Jerry Brisco & Mr. Wrestling II for the Macon Tag Team Titles
Thursday 9/25/1975 Memorial Gymnasium in Rome, Georgia: Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr vs Jerry Brisco & Mr. Wrestling II in a Lumberjack Match
Friday 9/26/1975: City Auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia: Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr (ch) def Jerry Brisco & Mr. Wrestling II for the Macon Tag Team Titles
Monday 9/29/1975: Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Georgia: Jerry Brisco & Mr Wrestling II defeated Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr
Champions in September:
NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champions: Nikolai Volkoff defeated Mike McCord, September 19th, City Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia
NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions: Professor Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji winning the one-night tournament on September 19th in Atlanta
Columbus Heavyweight Champion: Dick Slater
Macon Heavyweight Champion: Dick Slater
Columbus Tag Team Champions: Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr
Macon Tag Team Champions: Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr
NWA Southeastern Tag Team Champions: Bobby Duncum & Jerry Brisco defeated Professor Toru Tanaka & Bob Orton, Jr on 9/3/1975 at the Municipal Auditorium in Columbus, Georgia
Thank You for Reading
I'm Tony Richards, Pro Wrestling Historian, Author and Storyteller. I share pro wrestling historical items in each issue of the Time Tunnel Pro Wrestling History Newsletter. Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my information on select events, matches and insights, please share it with folks you think might like to be a subscriber!
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