WRESTLING COLUMNS

Professional wrestling is deeply saddened as one of its greatest performers ever passed away on July 27, 2000. He suffered from throat cancer, which spread to his brain, which lead to his passing away at the age of 71. I am not talking about a wrestler, or even a manager who used to be a wrestler. I am talking about the greatest wrestling announcer in the history of the sport. The voice of professional wrestling, and the "Dean of Wrestling Broadcasters", Gordon Solie. Gordon Solie was the voice of the National Wrestling Alliance, spending time in many of the different NWA territories before the NWA went national, and even after Ted Turner purchased the organization and converted it into World Championship Wrestling. Gordon Solie was the voice behind professional wrestling's first commercially released videotape, "Lord of the Rings", a compilation of the National Wrestling Alliance and its many stars. Gordon Solie knew the names of all of the holds, all of the parts of the body effected by the holds, and called every match as if it were a pay-per-view main event, even though there were no pay-per-views in Gordon's heyday. For those of us old enough to remember the National Wrestling Alliance, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Florida Championship Wrestling, or any of the other regional NWA broadcasts, we were privileged to have heard the great Gordon in action. For those of you who are not old enough, find some tapes of NWA wrestling from the period just before the conversion to WCW (late seventies/early eighties). Find out how wrestling should be done, and by all means, rent or buy a copy of "Lord of the Rings" See and hear professional the way it used to be, the way it was before "sports entertainment". Good-Bye Gordon Solie. There is a hole in the professional sky because of the loss of one of its brightest stars. wrote: If you have any comments, reactions, rebuttles or thoughts on this column, feel free to send them to the email below, If your email is intelligently written, they will be posted underneath this messege.. We at OnlineWorldofWrestling want to promote all points of view, and that includes YOURS.

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