Al Perez defeated the Handsome Stranger-Al Perez was a seasoned veteran with good looks and looking across him in the ring was a newcomer of sorts with just as good looks.  Perez wasn't the fan favorite in the match but managed to advance to the second round.  Later the Handsome Stranger would show his stuff as Buff, Marcus Alexander Bagwell. 

John Tatum defeated Jeff Gaylord-These were two experienced pros who somehow lost the opportunity to hit it big time.  Tatum was probably more famous for his manager Missy Hyatt and struggles with Sunshine as he was for his skills.  Gaylord was impressive in the ring and had an incredible physique.  Tatum won the match and advanced another round. 

Bad News Brown defeated El Azteca- I can not say much about this matchup because I'm not familiar with El Azteca but Bad News Brown is someone who never became as big as he should've but brought the Ghetto Blaster to pro wrestling. Gotta love that. 

Austin Idol defeated Dirty White Boy-Austin Idol and the Dirty White Boy in a classic match that made people remember of USWA days of old.  

Cactus Jack defeated Gary Young- Not even the Gorgeous One could handle the future King of Hardcore.  No Cheap Pops were uttered by Cactus Jack this night but the only pop in his favor was the one announcing him going to the second round. 

Brian Lee defeated Bill Irwin- Another match that showed the experience of two seasoned veterans.  Wild Bill was defeated by Lee but not before demonstrating a classic battle between two respected grapplers.

Steven Dane defeated Tug Taylor-A matchup that lacked in most areas even though effort was far from short in this encounter.

Terry Gordy defeated Randy Rhodes-Not even the most experienced of wrestlers could defeat Gordy on is best day and even though Gordy's heyday might've been past him, he still showed the energy and effort that made him one of the most respected and admired brawlers in the world. 

The first round was complete and that set up six second round matchups: 

The Patriot defeated Axis-The Patriot seemed to be at his best in this matchup and tourney.

Stan Lane defeated Steve Cox-Sweetness was too much as Stan perhaps recalled some of his greater days and was determined to make a name for himself in this new federation and era.

Al Perez defeated John Tatum- In a matchup that brought back memories of World Class and USWA, both stars shined as they gave all they could.

Austin Idol defeated Bad News Brown-Like Stan Lane, Idol was determined to show he still had plenty of gas in the tank and indeed he showed that and then some.

Cactus Jack defeated Brian Lee-Was this the beginning of a new era.  Years later, we would be subject to watching this superstar in death defying moves and matches.  Ah, those were definitely the days.

Terry Gordy defeated Steven Dane-Dane was no match for Gordy who dominated this match and moved into the next round with a convincing win.

That left us six superstars left, here we go:

The Patriot defeated Stan Lane-In a match that the fans were sure to love, the Patriot didn't disappoint as he defeated Sweet Stan Lane. To Stan's credit however, he showed himself as a true professional and a greater performer.

Al Perez defeated Austin Idol-Perez with his good looks and athleticism showed why he was a former world champion.  He looked ahead to the semifinals and he at the end of this match, he coasted right in.

Terry Gordy defeated Cactus Jack-What a matchup.  Eleven years later, I would still love to see this matchup. Two brawlers, one legend and one soon to be legend battling for a spot in the semifinals.  Even though Cactus lost to a stronger Freebird, it was not the end of the story for the man from Truth of Consequences, Bang Bang.

Semifinal match:

In the only semifinal match of the evening, Al Perez defeated Terry Gordy-Two superstars giving their all and it was well worth it.  This match showed what the tournament was all about, two grapplers giving their all.  Gordy walked away with more respect and cheers than he entered with and that's only a credit of how well this match went with these guys.

Final match for the championship:

The Patriot defeated Al Perez- In probably one of the best matches of all the tournament matches, The Patriot defeated Al Perez but therein lie controversy.  Perez's foot was on the ropes as the Patriot got the three count.  After learning of this six days later, the Patriot refused to accept the title victory. 

That's the GWF North American Championship Tournament.  As you can see, it featured many prominent stars, legends, and up and coming phenoms as well.  Next time we will focus more on the Tag Team Scene of the GWF.  Until then, take care and so long everybody.

NEXT MONTH:

The GWF Tag Team Scene