Southern Championship Wrestling (Georgia)

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Southern Championship Wrestling (SCW) was a Georgia-based pro-wrestling promotion founded in 1988 in Marietta by Jerry Blackwell. It operated as an American Wrestling Association (AWA) affiliate until 1990, and after Blackwell stepped back, Joe Pedicino kept it going for another year under the name Georgia All-Star Wrestling (GASW). SCW drew top talent from the AWA and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and featured on-air talent like Pedicino, Rick Stewart, Rhubarb Jones, and a young Paul Heyman.

SCW started full-time in early 1988 and ran shows across Georgia, with a weekly TV program, Southern Championship Wrestling from Georgia. The first Southern Heavyweight Champion was Chris Adams, crowned in June 1988 after defeating Buck Robley; the first Southern Tag Team Champions were Tommy Rich and Ted Oates. The roster mixed AWA veterans such as Bob Orton Jr., David Sammartino, and Austin Idol with local stars, and even hosted famous names like Bruiser Brody, Terry Funk, and the Von Erichs on TV. Buck Robley, as booker, introduced memorable angles, including a $10,000 Slam Battle Royal.

SCW competed with Jody Hamilton’s Deep South Wrestling (DSW) in a crowded Georgia scene and helped define the state’s late-era territory era before the NWA system declined and the WWF rose. In early 1990, Blackwell closed SCW. Pedicino relaunched it as GASW and kept it running until 1991, recruiting some Crockett-era announcers and promoting new talent, including Marcus Bagwell (as Fabian). Pedicino later helped launch the Global Wrestling Federation in Texas.