Ronnie Garvin: His NWA World Championship Matches

Photo Credit: Slamfest Bob

Ronnie Garvin

NWA World Heavyweight Champion from September 25, 1987 - November 26, 1987 

My first memory of "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin as a kid was when I was nine during his run in the WWE from 1988 - 1990.  Which is why I always call him "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin and not "Hands of Stone."  When I found out that he had beaten Ric Flair for the NWA World's Championship I couldn't believe it.  To me he was a comedy wrestler, not someone that I took seriously enough to have been World Champion.

Later in life I learned to respect his in ring ability and that his wrestling style in WWE was nothing like his style in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and the rest of the NWA.  Sort of how the Bushwackers were a comedy act but the Sheepherder's were a blood and guts team.

I was always under the impression that after Garvin won the title from Flair his first match and first defense was two months later at Starrcade.  This furthered to lower my opinion of him and his title run.  Recently I decided to look into it and see if that was the case, and I learned that it wasn't.

Garvin with Jim Crockett

Turns outs he wrestled his first title match just two days later in Greensboro against Big Bubba Rogers.  He would go on to wrestle a full load of house shows through October and November defending the championship along the way against Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson and others.

He also wrestled in several tag team match teaming with Nikita Koloff & Dusty Rhodes.
He wrestled several matches on the weekly television shows against jobbers.  He even wrestled in a War Games match at the Nassau Coliseum.

It's been said that he was just an interim champion as Crockett wanted to have Ric Flair in a title match at Starrcade, which was the same day as the inaugural Survivor Series, where the fans knew Flair would win the title back.  Other turned the opportunity down except Garvin who thought it would be his only chance to hold the championship.  I have a hard time believe this as I can't imagine anyone would turn down the opportunity to be the NWA World Champion for even one day.

In the end thought, Ronnie Garvin was a fighting champion and even though all of his high profile matches were on the house shows, he still deserves our respect for his run as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

The following matches can be found on the WWE Network:

NWA World Championship Wrestling
September 26, 1987 - 51 minutes into the episode the finish of Garvin winning the title
October 10, 1987 - 54 minutes in: Ronnie Garvin vs. Mike Force
October 17, 1987 - 64 minutes in: Ronnie Garvin vs. Tommy Angel
November 7, 1987 - 34 minutes in: Ronnie Garvin vs. Alan Martin

Starrcade 1987, Chi-Town Heat

List of matches with Ronnie Garvin as NWA World Champion.

September 25 1987 JCP House Show, Detroit, Michigan
Steel Cage: Ronnie Garvin pins NWA World Champion:"Nature Boy" Ric Flair to win the title
Garvin pinned Flair after about 35 minutes with a sunset flip off the top rope.

Footage from this match was played on World Championship Wrestling on 9/26/1987 and on WorldWide on October 3, 1987 the match aired with David Crockett on commentary.

September 27 1987 JCP House Show, Greensboro, North Carolina
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated Big Bubba Rogers

September 28, 1987 JCP House Show, Greenville, South Carolina
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated NWA Tag Team Champion: Arn Anderson

September 29 1987 JCP Television Taping.  Misenheimer, North Carolina

NWA Pro - Aired October 10, 1987
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated Tommy Angel

Worldwide - Aired October 10, 1987
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin & NWA World Television Champion: Nikita Koloff wrestled NWA Tag Team Champion: Arn Anderson & NWA United States Champion: Lex Luger to a draw

October 5, 1987 JCP House Show, Greenville, South Carolina
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated NWA Tag Team Champion: Tully Blanchard

October 6, 1987 JCP Television Taping, Spartanburg, South Carolina
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated NWA Tag Team Champion: Tully Blanchard

Worldwide - Aired October 17, 1987
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated jobber with Garvin Stomp at

October 7, 1987 UWF TV, Cleveland, Ohio
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated NWA Tag Team Champion: Tully Blanchard by disqualification

Ric Flair and Lex Luger interfered with Luger ramming Garvin's head into the ringside table busting him open.  The Road Warriors and Paul Ellering made the save

October 8, 1987 JCP House Show, Hammond, Indiana
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated "Nature Boy" Ric Flair

October 10, 1987 WTBS Studios Taping, Atlanta, Georgia
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin pinned Mike Force

October 10, 1987 JCP House Show, Greensboro, North Carolina
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated "Nature Boy" Ric Flair

October 11, 1987 JCP House Show, Cincinnatti, Ohio
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated "Nature Boy" Ric Flair

October 11, 1987 JCP House Show, Columbus, Ohio
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated "Nature Boy" Ric Flair

October 12, 1987 JCP House Show, Greenville, South Carolina
"Nature Boy" Ric Flair & NWA United States Champion: Lex Luger defeated NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin & Robert Gibson

October 16, 1987 UWF House Show, Kansas City, Kansas
Beat 2 Out of 3 Falls: NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeats "Nature Boy" Ric Flair

October 17, 1987 WTBS Studios Taping, Atlanta, Georgia
NWA World Champion: Ron Garvin pinned Tommy Angel
Garvin finished Angel in short fashion and cut a promo post match about his match with Flair at Starrcade

October 17, 1987 JCP House Show, Baltimore, Maryland
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated "Nature Boy" Ric Flair

October 18, 1987 JCP House Show, Detroit, Michigan
"Nature Boy" Ric Flair & NWA United States Champion: Lex Luger defeated NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin & "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes

October 20, 1987 JCP House Show, Fayetteville, North Carolina
"Nature Boy" Ric Flair & NWA United States Champion: Lex Luger defeated NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin & "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes

October 30, 1987 JCP Television Taping, Norfolk, Virginia

NWA Pro - Aired October 31, 1987
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin pinned George South
Garvin won the match in about two minutes

Worldwide - Aired October 31, 1987
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin pinned Johnny Ace
Garvin won in 47 seconds with a punch in the face

November 2, 1987 JCP House Show, Greenville, South Carolina
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin pinned The Warlord

November 3, 1987 JCP House Show, Rock Hill, Soutth Carolina
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin & NWA World Television Champion: Nikita Koloff wrestled "Nature Boy" Ric Flair & NWA United States Champion: Lex Luger

Photo credit: Slamfest Bob

November 4, 1987 JCP House Show, Portsmouth, Ohio
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin & NWA World Television Champion: Nikita Koloff wrestled "Nature Boy" Ric Flair & NWA United States Champion: Lex Luger

November 7, 1987 WTBS Studios Taping, Atlanta, Georgia
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin pinned Alan Martin
Garvin beat this guy up like he owed him money, brutal.

November 8, 1987 JCP House Show, The Omni Atlanta, Georgia
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated Gladiator #1 & #2 in a handicap match

November 9, 1987 JCP House Show, San Francisco, California
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin & Jimmy Garvin defeated "Nature Boy" Ric Flair & NWA United States Champion: Lex Luger

November 12, 1987 WTBS Studios Taping, Atlanta, Georgia

Worldwide - Aired November 14, 1987
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin pinned Larry Stephens in under two minutes with the Garvin Stomp

November 13, 1987 JCP House Show, Hampton, Virgina
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin & NWA World Television Champion: Nikita Koloff  defeated "Nature Boy" Ric Flair & NWA United States Champion: Lex Luger when Garvin pinned Flair

November 16, 1987 JCP House Show, Inglewood, California
"Nature Boy" Ric Flair & NWA United States Champion: Lex Luger defeated NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin & UWF Heavyweight Champion: "Dr. Death" Steve Williams in an elimination match, Garvin was pinned by Flair and Luger & Williams were counted out of the ring.

November 21, 1987 JCP House Show, Washington DC
NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin defeated NWA Tag Team Champion: Arn Anderson

November 25, 1987 JCP House Show, Long Island, New York
War Games: NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin, "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, NWA Western States Heritage Champion: Barry Windham, and The Rock n' Roll Express: Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson defeated Big Bubba, NWA World Tag Team Champions: Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson and United States Tag Team Champions: Midnight Express: Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane when Rhodes submitted Eaton with the figure four leg lock

November 26, 1987 Starrcade 1987, Chicago, Illinois
Steel Cage Match: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair pins NWA World Champion: Ronnie Garvin to win the NWA Championship

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast The Wrestling Insomniac on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network. 

Later Readers!