George South
Encyclopedia
George South is a professional wrestler
who has appeared as a preliminary wrestler in World Championship Wrestling
, Jim Crockett Promotions
and the World Wrestling Federation
.
's Jim Crockett Promotions
(JCP). He was used as enhancement talent but he always got in some offense and was very good at getting heel
heat
with the fans.
He was also Ric Flair's favorite jobber to wrestle as Flair considered him a great worker.
South wrestled in Georgia Championship Wrestling
and captured their NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight Championship
in 1986 in between stops for JCP.
South also wrestled as a preliminary wrestler in World Wrestling Federation
on occasion in the 1980s.
South was the top heel in the Pro Wrestling Federation that ran from 1992 until 1999 in the Carolinas. He mainly feuded with his arch-rival, The Italian Stallion
, who promoted the company with some help from South.
In the 1990s, South worked as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling
.
South is a born-again Christian and says one of his biggest thrills was passing a Christian
tract
to Hulk Hogan
in WCW who told him he needed it. In 1999 three full-color cartoon tracts were produced for South entitled The Greatest Match Ever, Who is Your Tag-Team Partner?, and Who Are You Wrestling Against?, illustrated by comics artist Steven Butler
, packaged by The Nate Butler Studio and published by PowerMark Productions.
When the PWF closed in 1999, South opened his own promotion called the Exodus Wrestling Alliance. He still runs shows as of 2005 in the Mid-Atlantic area and participates in Christianity/wrestling shows with Nikita Koloff
and Ted DiBiase
.
One of his gimmicks is the fact that he gets heel heat from the fans by sticking his tongue out at them and taunting them about how he is manhandling their hero in the ring. He is proud of the fact that he does not have to get crude, use profanity, or become vulgar to get heel heat.
An important part of South's modern day matches are moves and performances intended to pay tribute to the great wrestling stars of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including Wahoo McDaniel
, Blackjack Mulligan
, Brute Bernard, Two Ton Harris, Paul Jones
, Ricky Steamboat
, Tully Blanchard
, the Anderson Brothers, and others.
South's most significant recent match was against Brad Armstrong in Spartanburg, SC at the Wrestling Night of Legends II. It is considered, by those who follow the current independent scene and the recent trend of legends reunions, to be a textbook look at everything that was right about "old school" wrestling.
South trains up and comers at the Rings wrestling training facility in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesdays. His son, George South Jr., is also now a wrestler.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
who has appeared as a preliminary wrestler in World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
, Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
and the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
.
Professional wrestling career
South started wrestling in 1985 in the NWANational Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
's Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
(JCP). He was used as enhancement talent but he always got in some offense and was very good at getting heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
heat
Heat (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, heat refers to both crowd reaction and real-life animosity between those involved in the professional wrestling business. In terms of crowd reaction, heat is usually either cheers for a babyface or boos for a heel...
with the fans.
He was also Ric Flair's favorite jobber to wrestle as Flair considered him a great worker.
South wrestled in Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, U.S., superstation WTBS. Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia Georgia...
and captured their NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight Championship
NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight Championship was a championship in the NWA's Georgia Championship Wrestling promotion. It was strictly for the junior heavyweight wrestlers.-Title history:-External links:*...
in 1986 in between stops for JCP.
South also wrestled as a preliminary wrestler in World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
on occasion in the 1980s.
South was the top heel in the Pro Wrestling Federation that ran from 1992 until 1999 in the Carolinas. He mainly feuded with his arch-rival, The Italian Stallion
Gary Sabaugh
Gary Sabaugh is an American professional wrestler, known by his ringname The Italian Stallion, who has competed in North American independent promotions throughout the 1980s and 1990s including stints in both the World Wrestling Federation and National Wrestling Alliance, specifically Jim Crockett...
, who promoted the company with some help from South.
In the 1990s, South worked as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
.
South is a born-again Christian and says one of his biggest thrills was passing a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
tract
Tract (literature)
A tract is a literary work, and in current usage, usually religious in nature. The notion of what constitutes a tract has changed over time. By the early part of the 21st century, these meant small pamphlets used for religious and political purposes, though far more often the former. They are...
to Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
in WCW who told him he needed it. In 1999 three full-color cartoon tracts were produced for South entitled The Greatest Match Ever, Who is Your Tag-Team Partner?, and Who Are You Wrestling Against?, illustrated by comics artist Steven Butler
Steven Butler
Steven Butler is a comic book artist. He is known both for penciling the Archie Comics series Sonic the Hedgehog as well as creating new designs for Archie characters in 2007.-Career:...
, packaged by The Nate Butler Studio and published by PowerMark Productions.
When the PWF closed in 1999, South opened his own promotion called the Exodus Wrestling Alliance. He still runs shows as of 2005 in the Mid-Atlantic area and participates in Christianity/wrestling shows with Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff is a retired American professional wrestler,. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, he wrestled as "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff, which was a play on the nickname of fan favorite "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes .Nikita was brought into the National...
and Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
.
One of his gimmicks is the fact that he gets heel heat from the fans by sticking his tongue out at them and taunting them about how he is manhandling their hero in the ring. He is proud of the fact that he does not have to get crude, use profanity, or become vulgar to get heel heat.
An important part of South's modern day matches are moves and performances intended to pay tribute to the great wrestling stars of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including Wahoo McDaniel
Wahoo McDaniel
Edward "Wahoo" McDaniel was a Choctaw-Chickasaw Native American who achieved fame as a professional American football player and later as a professional wrestler.-Early life:...
, Blackjack Mulligan
Blackjack Mulligan
Robert Jack Windham , better known by his ring name Blackjack Mulligan is a former professional wrestler and a former American football player...
, Brute Bernard, Two Ton Harris, Paul Jones
Paul Jones (wrestler)
Paul Jones is a retired professional wrestler and manager. He had success in the National Wrestling Alliance 's Mid-Atlantic region, including an NWA World Tag Team title reign with Ricky Steamboat.-Career:...
, Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career...
, Tully Blanchard
Tully Blanchard
Tully Arthur Blanchard is a semi-retired second generation American professional wrestler. He is best known as an original member of the Four Horsemen....
, the Anderson Brothers, and others.
South's most significant recent match was against Brad Armstrong in Spartanburg, SC at the Wrestling Night of Legends II. It is considered, by those who follow the current independent scene and the recent trend of legends reunions, to be a textbook look at everything that was right about "old school" wrestling.
South trains up and comers at the Rings wrestling training facility in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesdays. His son, George South Jr., is also now a wrestler.
In wrestling
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Peggy Lee LeatherPeggy Lee LeatherPeggy Lee , also known by her stage names Peggy Lee Leather, Lady X, and Thug, is an American professional wrestler.-World Wrestling Federation:Peggy Lee competed in the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-1980s...
- Sheik Mohammed Abdul
- Peggy Lee Leather
- Wrestlers managed
- Nelson KnightNelson Frazier, Jr.Nelson Frazier, Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Mabel, Viscera, Big Daddy V, and King V. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment...
- Bobby KnightRobert Horne (wrestler)Robert Lawrence Horne is a retired American professional wrestler who is most famous for his time in the World Wrestling Federation as Mo, part of the tag-team Men on a Mission with partner Mabel.-Harlem Knights:...
- Nelson Knight
Championships and accomplishments
- American Pro Wrestling
- APW Television Championship (1 time)
- APW United States Championship (1 time)
- Exodus Wrestling Alliance
- EWA Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
- EWA Television Championship (1 time)
- Independent Championship Wrestling
- ICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Marc Ash
- Jim Crockett PromotionsJim Crockett PromotionsJim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
- NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight Championship was a championship in the NWA's Georgia Championship Wrestling promotion. It was strictly for the junior heavyweight wrestlers.-Title history:-External links:*...
(1 time)
- NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight Championship
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- Anderson Brothers Classic Tag Team Tournament winner (2004) with Brad Anderson
- Pro Wrestling Federation
- PWF Eastern States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- PWF Heavyweight Championship (7 times)
- PWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- PWF Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with The Rising Sun (1), Mean Mark (1), Terry Austin (1), The Italian StallionGary SabaughGary Sabaugh is an American professional wrestler, known by his ringname The Italian Stallion, who has competed in North American independent promotions throughout the 1980s and 1990s including stints in both the World Wrestling Federation and National Wrestling Alliance, specifically Jim Crockett...
(1) and The EqualizerBill DannenhauserBill Dannenhauer is a retired American professional wrestler better known as Dave Sullivan or The Equalizer.-Career:Bill Danenhauer started out in college football as the Offensive Coordinator at Washburn University...
(1)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him # 248 of the top 500 wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1997.
- Southern Championship Wrestling
- SCW Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- Other titles
- RAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)