| Best of World Championship Wrestling | |
|---|---|
 Best of World Championship Wrestling bumper (1985–1987) | |
| Created by | Georgia Championship Wrestling /Jim Crockett Promotions |
| Starring | SeeWorld Championship Wrestling alumni |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Production location | WTBS' studios at 1050 Techwood Drive inAtlanta, Georgia |
| Camera setup | Multicamera setup |
| Running time | 60 minutes per episode |
| Original release | |
| Network | TBS |
| Release | 1973 (1973) – 1987 (1987) |
Best of World Championship Wrestling (a.k.a.Best of Championship Wrestling) is an hour-long show, that was the Sunday evening edition ofTBS' Saturday night wrestling shows,Georgia Championship Wrestling andNWA World Championship Wrestling. The rights toBest of World Championship Wrestling now belong toWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Best of World Championship Wrestling began in the 1970s to complementGCW, which by 1984 had been renamedWorld Championship Wrestling. It became inactive shortly afterVince McMahon bought GCW on July 14, 1984 (a.k.a.Black Saturday). When McMahon sold the Saturday Night time slot toJim Crockett Promotions, the Sunday edition ofWorld Championship Wrestling was resurrected, first asBest of Championship Wrestling[1] and later asBest of World Championship Wrestling. However, airings of Sunday editions became infrequent due to TBS' coverage of theAtlanta Braves and theAtlanta Hawks.
BoWCW's format was essentially a magazine format, mainly featuring recaps of matches which had previously aired on other related programming. In addition,Bill Apter, then ofPro Wrestling Illustrated, had a sit-down interview segment called thePWI Scouting Report. During the show's GCW years, the show was hosted solo byFreddie Miller. During the show's JCP years, it was hosted solo byTony Schiavone.
One of the most-remembered wrestlingangles to air on this show was the announcement of then-NWA presidentBob Geigel strippingMagnum T. A. of theNWA U.S. Heavyweight Title for "conduct unbecoming a champion" due to Magnum clotheslining Geigel after Geigel reprimanded him for an attack onNikita Koloff. This set up the famous "best-of-seven" wrestling series to fill the title vacancy. Koloff defeated Magnum 4–3 to win the vacant title.
The show also (during its GCW days) featuredTommy Rich as NWA World Heavyweight Champion during his short reign as champion (possibly the only videotape showing him with the belt) and also the announcement of Magnum T. A.'s car accident and an address to send get well cards and letters.
In early1988,Ted Turner expressed interest in a new Sunday evening wrestling show which featured original matches. Turner got his wish whenNWA Main Event debuted to strongratings. In November 1988, Jim Crockett Promotions was sold to Turner, who renamed the organizationWorld Championship Wrestling.