GCW #18 Page #2

Arn Anderson and Matt Borne were the first team that Paul would manage but after a few months they broke up and it seemed as if Paul would fall to the way side. Then out of the blue the Road Warriors burst into the Georgia rings and with Paul by their side they dominated every team put before them.  Precious Paul set out to build a dynasty and dubbed his new group “the Legion Of Doom”. Paul recruited such wrestlers as Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Buzz Sawyer, The Iron Sheik and King Kong Bundy to his Legion.  He was very successful even though the Warriors for a short time dumped him.  Paul Ellering was a rare manger as he handled much of the groundwork for the Warriors.

These two guys were young and inexperienced and put their trust in Paul.  He acted much like an agent and helped them forge a career that would make them into one of the top teams in the history of the sport.  I will later write a complete story on them.  I am sure I left out many great mangers that passed through Georgia but the talent of mangers was always in the area and kept things jumping.  

The third man in the ring is one that gets very little credit but he is the glue that holds the whole together.  Georgia fans have been blessed to see some of the greatest referees ever to grace the sport in their rings.  The list is long but so I will only highlight a couple of them.  “Scrappy” McGowan was one of the first that I remember. He was a young kid with a shaggy hair-do and always looked a little disheveled.  He was a top notched ref though and played the role well.  Ron West was the veteran referee or Senior referee as they are now called.  He was the perfect straight man and knew his way around the ring.  He is another of the wonderful people that I have had the pleasure to work with and for. He is very professional but at the same time personable.  Ronnie is currently working for the circus and booking some matches with Dusty Rhodes. 

I cannot write this with out mentioning “Pee Wee” Randy Anderson.  Randy recently passed away and will be missed by all.  The most famous of all Georgia refs has to be Nick Patrick.  Nick did not start to be ref but injuries forced to become one.  Nick is the son of Jody Hamilton, The Assassin, and was trained to wrestle by him. Unlike his dad, Nick was a lightweight and the promoters started him as a ref but after a few years he grew and added some weight and started to wrestle.  He blew his knee out and this started a life long problem that to this day he still has.  Nick tried several times to come back but the knee kept him from wrestling.  Nick decided to make his living as a ref.  He has called some of the greatest matches in the history of the sport and is still calling matches for the WWE.  

NEXT MONTH:

An in depth look at tag teams.

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