summer 1974, McCord began wrestling for Georgia Championship Wrestling as Mike McCord. He competed in Georgia until losing a loser leaves town match to Harley Race in November 1974, returning to Florida later that month. On February 20, 1975, McCord and wrestlers Gary Hart and Bobby Shane were passengers on a Cessna 182 Skylane piloted by wrestler Buddy Colt between Miami and Tampa. While attempting to land at Peter O. Knight Airport in foggy conditions, Colt crashed into Tampa Bay. Shane was killed in the crash and the other wrestlers injured, with McCord sustaining two broken ankles, several broken ribs, and severe lacerations to his feet. McCord was inactive for several months while rehabilitating. Later that year, McCord wrestled a handful of matches for Georgia Championship Wrestling, some of them as the masked "Super A" - briefly holding the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship - before going on hiatus for the next two years. Following the accident, McCord reportedly developed a fear of flying, which led him to largely restrict his future wrestling career to the Mid-South. His return from injury led Pro Wrestling Illustrated to name him its "Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year" for 1975. In July 1977, McCord wrestled a handful of matches for Championship Wrestling from Florida before once again going on hiatus. By this point, McCord's weight had increased to 300 lbs. Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama (1978–1979) McCord re-emerged in March 1978 in Fritz Von Erich's Texas-based NWA Big Time Wrestling promotion under the new persona of "the Universal Heartthrob" Austin Idol. As part of his new character, McCord lost considerable weight, developed a more muscular physique, and bleached his hair blonde. Over the next two months, Idol competed in NWA Big Time Wrestling and Paul Boesch's Houston Wrestling (where he was briefly billed as "Often Idle"). In May 1978, he unsuccessfully challenged Dale Valentine for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship. He left Texas later that month after losing a loser leaves town match to Kevin Von Erich. Idol made a handful of appearances for Pacific Northwest Wrestling in Portland, Oregon and for Big Time Wrestling in Detroit, Michigan before joining the Memphis, Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association in December 1978. Idol was immediately booked as a main event star in the CWA. Shortly after debuting, Idol defeated Jerry Lawler for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. He held the title until January 1979, when he lost to