Les Thatcher

I have talked with people that were Whitey.

Les Thatcher was Whitey's partner.

Ron and Don grew up with Whitey, wrestled Whitey.

Jim White, all these people that knew Whitey on a day-to-day personal level.

If I don't tell it, who's going to tell it? Nobody is going to do the work that I've done.

Nobody.

Nobody's going to have the library time and the computer time and the actual going to places to take pictures and And the actual conversations of sitting with people that were alive then and were working then, and, you know, it's unbelievable, the conversations with Cora Combs and Jim White and Ron Wright and Melvin Johnson and Zach Murray and all the, Ron Fuller, Jimmy Golden, all the, Les Thatcher, all these people that I've gotten to sit with and talk to and make notes and everything about these people.

where they were there.

He worked with Gordon.

He worked with Les Thatcher.

Oftentimes, Dutch Mantell, Ron Fuller, Bob Armstrong were guys that would come out to the desk and kind of add some color to the matches.

And I think Charlie did a great job on this episode of advancing that story that you're referring to.

And it makes you look forward to seeing him appear here on the TV, in the studio, at the arena near you.

So I think they did a fantastic job.

Well-rounded video there with Les Thatcher, whomever produced it.

Excellent job, I thought, of making me want to see Tony Charles.

1981, the first, airs a show here in Atlanta, GA, in the Omni.

We've got Andre the Giant defeating Hulk Hogan, Bobby Eaton defeating The Assassin, Joe LeDuc defeating Jerry Oates, Kevin Sullivan battled Steve Cohen to a draw, NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion Les Thornton defeated Steve O, NWA Georgia Champion Tony Atlas defeated Alexis Smirnoff, Mr Wrestling 2 defeated National Champion Mongolian Stomper by DQ, Robert Fuller and Ted DiBiase defeated the NWA National Tag Team Champions, Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts by DQ.

And in a no-disqualification match, Dusty Rhodes defeated Ole Anderson.

We've got a picture here of the January 81 edition of the PWI.

Joe LeDuc defeats Jerry Oates.

Steve Kern defeats Kevin Sullivan.

Les Thornton over Steve O. I've done all those results, didn't I? They're also in Columbus, Georgia on the first.

Main event is Mr. Wrestling 2 and Steve Kern defeating the Fabulous Freebirds by DQ.

So think about this, the second year that Georgia Championship Wrestling is on television on the Superstation TBS.

Before it was the Superstation, right? They were just old, plain old WTBS, and Gordon Solie and Les Thatcher are on commentary.

It's a Georgia Heavyweight Championship match, Cowboy Bill Watts against Mr. Wrestling, and it's about an eight, nine-minute match.

And they talk about how, you know, Sam Muchnick, NWA president, allowed this match to go on television, and they're talking about the rarity of a championship match like this being on television.

So we're not gonna be watching the Bluegrass Brawl because the 10th of April's television is gonna be all highlights of Bluegrass Brawl, so.

And by the looks of the little picture next to the advert, we've got Les Thac- Les Thaxter, Les Thatcher.

Les Thatcher and Lance Russell are gonna be here by the looks of it, so it's gonna be, uh, nice and entertaining for us.

Stan Lane now in with a kick, Irish whip.

Clothesline sends down Dixie Dynamite.

And Sullivan went on to tell the people why he hated me so much with an interview that was crazy good with, in Knoxville with Sullivan's father.

You know, Les Thatcher was doing the interview, but apparently I broke Sullivan's brother's leg in a amateur wrestling match, right? Contest.

But I put the figure four on him, the Las Vegas, broke his leg.

It ruined his career.

So that might have even been his first gig, but I'm not 100% sure on that.

And then from him, they moved on to Les Thatcher.

He had wrestled in the territory the previous seasons, and that was actually Les Thatcher's first commentating gig.

And Rudy was the one who had suggested it to him.

So I think he covered most of 71.

Um, but of course my husband, Rudy Gonzalez, he's always there to support me.

Francisco Ciatso, Tom Prichard, Les Thatcher, Al Snow, Ivelisse, uh, Maria Padilla, Ricky Reyes, Mercedes Martinez.

Of course Zelina Majors, Sal with Shine, Malia Hosaka, Mr. Iguana, Jazz, Thunder Rosa, Brian Kendrick, Paul London, Daga, TJ Wilson, Bobby Fish, and Tokyo Ghoul.

If I miss anybody, I apologize.

Yeah

... you and Les Thatcher are also the first people to introduce the gimmick table.

Yeah.

The, the table that we call the gimmick table that has all the shirts and merchandise-