George South

George South (born September 7, 1962) is an American professional wrestler.

In the course of his career, South has wrestled for professional wrestling promotions such as Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.

South began wrestling in 1984, having his first match on December 26, 1984, in Championship Wrestling from Florida.

Teaming with Mike Allen at a CWF TV taping, the rookie lost to the Pretty Young Things (Koko B. Ware and Norvell Austin).

South next appeared in Mid South Wrestling, teaming with Rocky King to take on Kamala in a two-on-one match on January 2, 1985, in Shreveport, Louisiana.

South next appeared in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP).

South made his debut on the April 6, 1985, edition of World Championship Wrestling, the inaugural broadcast of the show after Jim Crockett acquired the TBS time slot.

That night a young South teamed with Greg Stone to face Ivan Koloff & Krusher Kruschev (Barry Darsow).

A week later he had his first singles match, losing to Magnum T. A. on the Saturday night program.

On June 1, 1985, he received his first ever match (non-title) with then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair.

He would become Ric Flair's favorite journeyman to wrestle as Flair considered him a great worker.

South was used as enhancement talent but he always got in some offense and was very good at getting heel heat with the fans.

He did however gain his first victory September 14, 1985, when he defeated Mack Jeffers in Columbus, Georgia.

While still frequently wrestling for Crockett, South also wrestled in Georgia Championship Wrestling and captured his NWA Georgia Junior Heavyweight Championship in 1986 in between stops for JCP.

South also made appearances in NWA affiliate Central States Wrestling in the fall of 1986.

In his first match there, he defeated Colt Steel on October 26 in Kansas City, Missouri, followed up by a win two days later against Mark Fleming.

After a loss to Steel on November 21, 1986, South ended his run in CSW with another win over him on November 27, 1986, in Kansas City, Kansas.

He then returned to Mid Atlantic Wrestling, where he began to frequently team with Gary Royal in the masked jobber tag teams the Cruel Connection, Mexican Twin Devils and the Gladiators.

As the Gladiators, South and Royal jobbed for Bill and Randy Mulkey giving the perennial jobber tag team their only televised win on World Championship Wrestling.

In the first round of the 1987 Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup, South teamed with Steve Keirn and wrestled Mike Graham and Nelson Royal to a draw.

Throughout the year he continued to team with Royal – usually as the Gladiators – and gained occasional victories in singles competition.

In 1988 they were redubbed The Cruel Connection, and on April 22 entered the 1988 Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup but lost to The Sheepherders in the first round.

While still wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions, South made his first World Wrestling Federation appearance on August 2, 1988, at a TV taping for WWF Wrestling Challenge.

He wrestled The Honky Tonk Man in a non-title match.

On the August 24, 1988, taping of Challenge, South wrestled The Blue Blazer, the match being the masked Owen Hart's first televised WWF match.

South would have matches with a wide area of WWF performers, including Brutus Beefcake, Jimmy Snuka, The British Bulldogs, Sam Houston, The Rockers, Rhythm & Blues, and The Ultimate Warrior.

During the fall of 1988, Jim Crockett Promotions was acquired by Ted Turner and ultimately rebranded World Championship Wrestling; during this time South continued as a regular.

On August 2, 1989, he was defeated by Al Perez in the latter's debut match.

On April 1, 1989, South would lose to The Great Muta's WCW debut, and then enter a house show series with him that month.

Two months later, he became part of wrestling history on Clash of the Champions VII.

Teaming with Cougar Jay, he faced off against The Ding Dongs on June 14, 1989, in a match held in a sweltering Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Although new WCW Vice President Jim Herd was expecting a strong reaction for his new tag-team, the crowd turned virulently against them.

While each Ding Dong took turns ringing a giant bell at ringside while the other wrestled, the crowd booed and announcer Jim Ross was noticeably embarrassed.

South's opponents are now regarded as having one of the worst gimmicks of all time.

Gary Royal would depart WCW after 1989, leaving South to soldier on in singles matches wrestling under his own name or as "Cruel Connection #1".

He faced a wave of incoming new talent, including Johnny B. Badd, Van Hammer, and Marcus Bagwell as the new decade progressed.

His final appearance came on January 20, 1990, episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling where he teamed with Alan Martin to face Demolition.

After 1992 his appearances became infrequent.

On August 20, 1993, when he teamed with The Italian Stallion to face The Cole Twins at a house show in Bluefield, West Virginia in what would be his only match of the year.

In 1994 he returned for WCW Saturday Night matches against Alex Wright, Jim Duggan, and Dave Sullivan.