Brisco’s legacy in the pro ranks also would include a pair of significant developments later in his career.

Brisco was partly responsible for breaking Hulk Hogan into the business after “discovering” a powerfully built individual named Terry Bollea playing bass guitar in a rock band at a local Tampa bar. Brisco arranged for the muscle-bound musician, who just happened to be a wrestling fan and frequented the Tampa armory on Tuesday nights to watch Brisco wrestle, to meet with longtime Florida promoter Eddie Graham and trainer Hiro Matsuda the next morning. Bollea later changed his name to Hulk Hogan, and the rest is history.

As a part owner of the Florida and Georgia promotions, Brisco also was a key player in the 1984 acquisition of WTBS wrestling programming rights by WWE owner Vince McMahon, a pivotal point in wrestling history commonly referred to as “Black Saturday.” Brisco, along with brother Jerry, covertly sold Georgia Championship Wrestling to McMahon, claiming business partner Ole Anderson (Al “Rock” Rogowski) was running the company into the ground.

I was unaware of this

I think I've said this before but it always seems weird to me that people in other parts of the country (and Canada) watched the same shit that I picked up on a local UHF station (Braves, Wrestling, Bill Tush etc.).

I think WTBS was all I watched in the early 80s. I had Georgia wrestling, Braves baseball (I was a big Bob Horner fan), NightTracks, plus all the 60s sitcoms that all started 5 min past the hour.

Word, us too. Channel 17 was where it was at.

They used to show some sorry non-Hanna Barbera, non-Disney cartoons, too, like Pixie and Dixie and shit, because when we came back from Germany, I think this is the only channel we watched as well. Oh, and Small Wonder - the best television show about a molo-inventor who makes his own living sex toy robot.

I can't find it, but any mention of Buzz Sawyer makes me think of Tommy "Wildfire" Rich and a promo he cut for a match where he said "Just remember, Christmas Day NIGHT!!" about 4 times. One of the funnier expressions I trot out every now and again.

Rich always struck me as a 2nd or 3rd tier, should have stayed in the high school gym venues kind of guy.

Yeah, I saw him in the Hampton, GA Post Office a few years back. I guarantee he's still wrestling in one of those little promotions like the one Dusty was running that did shows at armory's and the like.

I mean, Flair and Hogan are still wrestling for chrissakes.

i'm not sure how much i care for a world without the nature boy ric flair wrestling in it. i hope he never stops.