Professor Boris Malenko Returns to the Mid-Atlantic Area

School's Back in Session in 1975

by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

For fans of Jim Crockett Promotions in the mid 1960s, the “Great Malenko” was a menacing grappler who tore through the territory from September of 1965 through January of 1967. While having his share of singles successes, Malenko was particularly lethal with his equally nefarious partners Bob Orton, Sr. and Larry Hamilton, the Missouri Mauler. While holding one-half of the Southern Tag Team Titles, Malenko engaged in vicious battles with the likes of fan favorites George and Sandy Scott and George Becker and Johnny Weaver. Malenko was so despised that he was even stabbed by an irate fan at the Fairgrounds in Richmond, Virginia after a tag team match where he teamed with Orton, suffering a severe wound to his abdomen requiring in excess of 30 stitches to close.

Bob Caudle with The Great Malenko and the Missouri Mauler (circa 1967)

After the passage of nearly eight and a half years, Malenko would return to Jim Crockett Promotions in the late spring of 1975. By that time, both Malenko and the territory had undergone a name change. Malenko was called “Professor” rather than “Great,” and the territory was now called Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. At the television taping on June 4, 1975, announcer Bob Caudle told the fans who had just viewed and booed the returning Malenko in the ring, “Our guest with us here at ringside is Professor Boris Malenko, and Professor Malenko has a middle name, but I can’t pronounce it!”

Malenko responded, “For your information Mr. TV announcer, the middle name is Maximilianovich…Boris Maximilianovich Malenko. I can’t tell you people how good it did me to come into this television studio today and listen to that warm reception when I climbed into the ring. It was beautiful; it was heart warming! You know something? Take a whiff; take a good smell…I smell excitement in the air!”

The Professor continued, “You know why this professorship has been bestowed upon me in six different countries? Because I truly am a professor! I come from the college of hard knocks, black and blue is our color; our school yell is ‘ouch.’ I am 230 pounds of mind and muscular coordination that is unbeatable; the greatest piece of wrestling machinery that has ever been composed; a human destruction machine that can destroy and will destroy all of its opposition.”

Malenko concluded, “I’ve proved myself time and time again, even here once long time ago. And I’ll continue to do it once again. I will get into your hearts, and you’ll welcome me! Because you need somebody you can look up to, and I will be that person.”

Caudle commented, “All right fans, Professor Boris Malenko, and I’m sure we’re going to be hearing a lot more and seeing a lot more of Professor Boris Malenko in the very near future.” Caudle was right, and immediately the Professor was dominating fan favorite wrestlers with his highly effective “Russian sickle” finishing hold. Boris teamed back up with his old comrade the Missouri Mauler, and the two were a formidable upper mid card tag team for the remainder of 1975.

In 1976, Malenko segued to a managerial role, though he would continue to don the tights occasionally. The Professor initially managed the Mongols, Bolo and Geeto, but was probably best remembered for managing the hated Masked Superstar from the fall of 1976 through the early months of 1978. And probably the most infamous incident of Malenko’s managerial run was when his victory cigar was stuck in the eye of the popular Mighty Igor, damaging the eye of the Polish powerhouse. And who could forget Wahoo McDaniel stomping on Malenko’s false teeth in separate incidents in 1975 and 1976, with Boris threatening lawsuits against Wahoo on both occasions.

Yes, just as school was letting out for kids in the Mid-Atlantic area in June of 1975, a very different type of Professor was starting school back up in the wrestling world of Jim Crockett Promotions. And conducting himself much like he did as the “Great” Malenko during his first run in the area nearly a decade earlier, Boris Malenko’s actions as a “Professor” would frequently land him in the principal’s office in his school of hard knocks.

Originally published January 23, 2017 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Championship Podcast: Mid-Atlantic TV Jan. 9, 1982

The new episode of the "Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast" dropped this past Wednesday (which appears to be the day this thing will drop regularly), and features a look at the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling episode from January 9, 1982.

Each week, Mike Sempervive and Roman Gomez will review another episode form the series that is currently available in the In-Ring/Territories section of the WWE Network. The show is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network and is available to stream on their website and anywhere else you get your podcasts (such as iTunes, etc.)

What we are enjoying most about the podcast is their providing context to the events taking place, not only in the Mid-Atlantic area, but also in other territories and occasionally the world outside of pro-wrestling.

Also available is the first episode covering the TV show from January 2, 1982 as well as a special "Prelude Episode" that set the stage for the year 1982 and things to come. Also, a special look at Starrcade '84 not to be missed!

* * * * *

From the "Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast" website for this episode:

Welcome to The Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast! On this episode of the show, Mike Sempervive and Roman Gomez return to take a look at Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling from January 9, 1982, featuring:

• The unwieldiest named contest in the history of professional wrestling begins with mispronunciations aplenty!
• Sgt. Slaughter’s headaches with Blackjack Mulligan Jr, and the NWA, continue.
• Ivan Koloff has some theories about what’s happened to Jimmy Valiant’s mind.
• Hot Rod with a hot mic, and how he handled it.
• Taylor, Landel and Anthony: Babyfaced babyfaces.
• Plus much, much more on another exciting edition of the Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast!

The Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Be sure to also check out David Taub's summaries of the Mid-Atlantic shows that are on the WWE Network. We will be cross-referencing that listing with links to the podcast episodes as well.

My Wahoo Surprise on a Visit Home to the Carolinas (1982)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

In 1982, I was living and working in Alabama, far removed from my Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, and I knew very little about what was going on back in the Carolinas. This was, of course, nearly two decades before the internet, and while I kept up somewhat with the happenings by way of the newsstand magazines, they were ridiculously late in updated news, often times many months behind. And I had not yet discovered the "dirt sheets", which provide news on a much more timely basis.

So when I went to spend a weekend visiting my grandmothers in Spartanburg, SC, I carried along my clunky 500 pound VCR (one of the original old "top loaders") and looked forward to recording an hour or two of Mid-Atlantic/World Wide wrestling.

Hooking up the VCR to my grandmother's cable and then to her 1970s Zenith TV freaked out my sweet grandmother. "You're going to break my TV! Please don't break my TV!" She had no idea about VCR, which were still relatively new then, and seeing me disconnecting and reworking cables gave her a lot of anxiety.

But everything went off without a hitch. I was able to record not only one, but two separate hours of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling (the first-run show on WBTV-3 out of Charlotte, NC, and the previous week's show which aired one-week-delayed on the "bicycle" on WFBC-4 out of Greenville, SC. I also was able to tape part of World Wide Wrestling on WLOS-13 out of Asheville, NC, although this particular week, it overlapped with the WBTV CHarlotte episode of Mid-Atlantic.

All of this timing was a bit of a hassle. My VCR was one of the early models, and you could only schedule a single recording at a time. Recording all three of those shows required not only planning around their broadcast schedules, but planning on when to program the VCR for the next show!

When I got around to watching the recording of the current episode of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, I was thrilled to see that one of my all-time favorites Wahoo McDaniel had returned to the Mid-Atlantic area. I had no idea. And to my surprise, he was teaming with none other than Don Muraco! Now this was a shock to me because I had been watching Muraco as a heel in the Georgia territory on the cable superstation WTBS back home in Alabama. He and Roddy Piper had been allies there. So seeing Wahoo teaming with Muraco, apparently a babyface, was a real surprise.

But it was a nice surprise. Not only were they teaming together, it was being discussed how they had won the Western Division of the ongoing NWA World Tag Team tournament. I knew none of this! I knew the tournament was going on, it was being touted pretty heavily on Georgia Championship Wrestling. Atlanta had hosted one of the early tournaments, a huge affair with teams from all over the world. But this information on Wahoo and Muraco was a real revelation to me. (And I even bought the story, albeit briefly, that they had won the western finals in Hawaii!)

But that wasn't all that was going on with Wahoo. They showed a clip from the previous week's World Wide Wrestling episode where Wahoo pinned U.S. Champion Sgt. Slaughter in a non-title match, setting up a blistering feud that would go on for months between the two over the U.S. championship. Wahoo's interest in the U.S. title also played a big part in the storyline that led to Wahoo and Muraco splitting up as a team not long after. (I knew Muraco was a heel all along!)

These storylines and moments from the JCP shows that weekend are great memories for me because it was a brief return to Mid-Atlantic Wrestling which I loved and missed so much.

All of these memories were stirred up by David Taub's recent post summarizing this very show here on the Gateway (Mid-Atlantic TV: May 1, 1982) as part of his series of summaries of the Mid-Atlantic TV shows currently available for streaming on the WWE Network.

And as his series progresses, sometime next spring, Mike Sempervive at the "Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast" will get to this show as well, and I look forward to his analysis and review of this particular show, a sentimental favorite of mine to be sure.

Three Part Interview with David Crockett on Norfolk's "The Flagship"

David Crockett, Jim Ross, and Jim
Crockett, Jr. at the Starrcast IV convention
in Baltimore MD (Nov 2019)

George Pantas conducted a recent interview with David Crockett in advance of November's huge Starrcast convention in Baltimore, MD. He then followed up with David, his older brother Jim Crockett, Jr., and Bruce Mitchell of Pro Wrestling Torch, who moderated the panel with the Crocketts at Starrcast.

The interviews appeared in three parts in The Flagship, an online newspaper site for the military in Norfolk, VA.

We posted a link to the Part 1 on the Gateway back before Starrcast, but part 2 and 3 followed later after that event.

Here are links to all three parts, and a lot of ground is covered, from family to Jim Crockett Promotions and WCW.


Part One
Wrestling legend David Crockett talks Starrcast IV and more

Part Two
Starrcast IV Memories
Interview with Jim Crockett, David Crockett, and Bruce Mitchell

Part Three
Wrestling legend David Crockett, past part-owner of Jim Crockett Promotions tells all.
Continuing conversation with David Crockett

Mid-Atlantic TV: May 1, 1982

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
on the WWE Network

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
TV Summaries & Reviews
by David Taub
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This is a review of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling as it appeared on the WWE Network. Results are included for the week (Monday-Sunday of the given week) as available. Please email with any corrections, typos, results, other details at 1davidtaub@gmail.com. Follow @TaubGVWire

For links to all available summaries, visit our TV Summary Index.


Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Original broadcast: 5/01/82
(taped 4/28/82 at WPCQ-TV studios in Charlotte)
WWE Network feed.  [How to watch this show on the WWE Network.]

WWE Network Direct Link to this show: Mid-Atlantic 5/01/82

Bob Caudle, back with his green jacket, opens the show with NWA representative Sandy Scott. Scott says the western regional of the tag team tournament is decided, and four teams remain in the eastern regional. The belts are on the announcing desk. The final four in the east are Ole & Hansen, The Briscos, Mosca & Killer Kahn and the Samoans. They will be held in Charlotte soon.


—Int. w/Caudle: Jack Brisco
Brisco and Caudle talk about Piper whipping Rich. Caudle promises a VTR of the situation next week (it took place 4/18/82 on Georgia Championship Wrestling). Roddy Piper comes out and is at maximum annoyance. He says he was walking through the Pittsburgh airport and found an Indian tchotchke for Brisco as a gift. If he didn’t want it, Piper would take it back. Piper says he’s proud of heritage and wears kilt. He asks why Brisco isn’t proud of his heritage because he doesn’t wear head feathers. Brisco brushes off the semi-racial insults, and wants a title shot. Piper says he’s willing to put it on the line, then walks off.

[Break]

Match 1
Wahoo McDaniel & Don Muraco d. Bill White & Pretty Boy Fergie
A blue-clad Sonny Fargo is the referee. Great continuity from McDaniel & Muraco. Sandy Scott sticks around on commentary. Muraco finishes off White with the (tombstone) piledriver.

[Break]

—Int. w/Caudle: Wahoo McDaniel & Don Muraco
Muraco acknowledges his rulebreaking ways in the past, but says he’s given Wahoo his word to compete for the tag team championship. I can’t wait to see where this goes.
VIDEO TAPE - We then go to a VTR from that week’s World Wide Wrestling of Slaughter vs. Wahoo in an apparent non-U.S. title match. It picks up the final few minutes, with hot action. Muraco comes out to neutralize The Privates. Wahoo fights out of the Cobra. He pins Slaughter after a chop.

—Int. w/Bob Caudle: Keith Larson; Ron Ritchie
This may be in lieu of local promos. Ritchie talks about Wahoo’s win. Larson talks about his upcoming match versus Roddy Piper.

[Break]

—Int. w/Caudle: Terry Taylor
Caudle says Taylor has a chance to settle “this thing” with Kernodle next. Taylor says he’ll give it his all.

Match 2
Terry Taylor DDQ Pvt. Kernodle
Kernodle is wearing the Mid-Atlantic tag team title belt, although it’s not acknowledged. The two men spend most of the match brawling. Kernodle tosses away Fargo. When the referee attempts to get in between them, he just gets caught in the middle, literally. He calls for the bell, DDQ.

[Break] (the original bumper music bleeds through)

—Int. w/Caudle: Sgt. Slaughter; Ole Anderson; Angelo Mosca & Killer Kahn; Roddy Piper
Slaughter says Wahoo didn’t beat him, Wahoo & Muraco beat him. They will pay. Ole says the tag title means money. He says there can be no one else. Mosca jumps in, with Kahn in tow. Mosca talks about their chances, as Ole says do your best. Piper, in “Too Much Rod” shirt demonstrates how he strapped Rich. Piper has his kilt on.

[Break]

Match 3
Non- Mid-Atlantic championship: Roddy Piper [ch.] d. Keith Larson
Piper has his tartan trunks on. Tartan boots too. Piper wrestles aggressively and dominates. He finishes Larson with the sleeper.

—Int. w/Bob Caudle: Carl Fergie & Bill White & Jim Dalton
(Live studio interview where the local promo segment would normally be.
Pretty Boy talks smack and yells at the fans. He name drops Memphis, trash talks Wahoo & Muraco and complains about Muraco’s piledriver. Dalton agrees. Makes fun of people who give 110%. Dalton gives 100%. White talks abut Wahoo & Muraco and is a little more complimentary.

[Break]

—Int. w/Caudle: Jack Brisco
Brisco talks about scouting teams still remaining in the tag tournament.
VIDEO TAPE - We then go to a VTR of the Brisco Brothers vs. Steve Sybert & Mike Miller match from the 4/03/82 Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. Back to a few more comments with Brisco,.
VIDEO TAPE - VTR of Ole & Hansen vs. Tony Anthony & Ron Ritchie.

Match 4
Angelo Mosca & Killer Kahn d. Ron Richie & Tony Anthony
Caudle keeps pushing the tape of Piper whipping Rich for next week. Kahn makes those guttural noises with every offensive move. Watch Mid-South 1982 for Bill Watts’ detailed explanation of why. Ole Anderson comes to ringside to scout. Anthony takes a beating. Mosca puts him out of his misery, pinning him after a swinging elbow the head.

—Int. w/Caudle: Jack Brisco; Don Muraco
Brisco has a brief word on the tournament, then says he’s coming after Piper. Muraco is out, wearing a flower lei shirt. He’s sticking by the Indian. He wants to win the tag tournament.

“So long for now!”

* * * * * * * *

Results for the week, 4/26/82-5/02/82
(source: Clawmaster’s Archive via Sports and Wrestling blog posted by David Baker)

Mon, 4/26/82 Ottawa, Ontario (Maple Leaf Wrestling)
Angelo Mosca vs. John Studd
Nick Bockwinkel vs. Jay Youngblood
Ivan Koloff vs. Jimmy Valiant
Johnny Weaver beat The Ninja
Plus other matches

Mon., 4/26/82 Greenville, SC — Greenville Memorial Auditorium
Porkchop Cash beat Carl Fergie
David Patterson beat Keith Larson
Paul Jones beat Jim Dalton
Ron Ritchie beat David Patterson
Jack Brisco beat Roddy Piper
Wahoo McDaniel & Don Muraco beat Ole Anderson & Stan Hansen by DQ

Tue., 4/27/82 Columbia, SC
Kelly Kiniski beat Tony Anthony
David Patterson beat Keith Larson
Johnny Weaver beat Alfred Hayes in a lumberjack match
Porkchop Cash beat Don Kernodle
Jack Brisco & Jay Youngblood beat Ole & Gene Anderson

Tue., 4/27/82 Raleigh, NC — Raliegh Civic Center
Don Muraco vs. Pretty Boy Fergie
Killer Kahn vs. Paul Jones
Sgt. Slaughter & Angelo Mosca vs. Jake Roberts & Wahoo McDaniel

4/28/82 Charlotte, NC(TV)
Don Muraco & Wahoo McDaniel vs. Carl Fergie & Bill White
Terry Taylor vs. Pvt. Kernodle
Roddy Piper vs. Keith Larson
Angelo Mosca & Killer Kahn vs. Tony Anthony & Ron Ritchie

Fri., 4/30/82 Charleston, SC
Jake Roberts & Terry Taylor (sub for Don Muraco) beat Pvt. Nelson & Pvt. Kernodle
Killer Kahn beat Porkchop Cash
Ron Ritchie vs. Jim Dalton
Terry Taylor vs. Steve Sybert
Ken Timbs vs. Tony Anthony

Fri., 4/30/82 Knoxville, TN
Johnny Weaver beat Roddy Piper by DQ
Jimmy Valiant beat Ivan Koloff by DQ
Jay Youngblood beat The Ninja in an Indian strap match
Bill White beat Abe Jacobs
Keith Larsen beat Deke Rivers
Vinnie Valentino draw Rick Connors

Sun., 5/02/82 Ashville, NC
Wahoo McDaniel beat Roddy Piper
Jimmy Valiant & Paul Jones beat Ivan Koloff & The Ninja by DQ
Jim Dalton beat Tony Anthony
Kelly Kiniski beat Ken Timbs
Tim Horner beat Tony Russo

Sun., 5/02/82 Roanoke, VA
Ric Flair & Jake Roberts beat Angelo Mosca & Gene Anderson
Killer Kahn beat Johnny Weaver
Pvt. Kernodle & Pvt. Nelson beat Jay Youngblood & Porkchop Cash
Ron Ritchie beat Steve Sybert
Mike Davis beat Bill White

Sun., 5/02/82 Greensboro, NC
Mike Rotundo TLD David Patterson
Killer Kahn d. Keith Larsen
Don Muraco d. Pretty Boy Carl Fergie
Jack Brisco d. Gene Anderson
Ivan Koloff & Ninja d. Jimmy valiant & Ron Ritchie
Waho McDaniel d. Sgt. Slaguhter
NWA World Champion Ric Flair beat Angelo Mosca by DQ

Podcast Episode: Mid-Atlantic TV Jan. 2, 1982

The first regular episode of the "Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast" dropped on Thanksgiving Day, and features a look at the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling episode from January 2, 1982.

Each week, Mike Sempervive and Roman Gomez will review another episode form the series that is currently available in the In-Ring/Territories section of the WWE Network. The show is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network and is available to stream on their website and anywhere else you get your podcasts (such as iTunes, etc.)

What we are enjoying most about the podcast is their providing context to the events taking place, not only in the Mid-Atlantic area, but also in other territories and occasionally the world outside of pro-wrestling.

Also dropping on Thanksgiving Day were the "Prelude Episode," serving as an introduction to the new podcast in general, and a special in-depth look at Starrcade '84.

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling fans will love what Mike Sempervive and Roman Gomez are presenting here, and we at the Mid-Atlantic Gateway look forward to this trip down memory lane each week.

* * * * *

From the "Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast" website for this episode:

Welcome to The Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast. On this episode of the show, Mike Sempervive returns alongside Roman Gomez, to take a look at Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling from January 2, 1982, featuring:

• The introduction of the unwieldiest named contest in the history of professional wrestling.
• A deeper look at each of the wrestlers featured on the show, including true appreciation and love for “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff.
• We get Roddy Piper out here contributin’ and whatnot.
• Inserted out-of-place promos featuring Lord Al and a mysterious Super D
• A meeting of the NWA TV title appreciation club.
• Plus what else was happening around the world of wrestling, at the time, and so much more

The Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Be sure to also check out David Taub's summaries of the Mid-Atlantic shows that are on the WWE Network. We will be cross-referencing that listing with links to the podcast episodes as well.

The "Starrcade '84 Special" part of the big Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast debut week

The folks over at the Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast dropped their first three episodes on Thanksgiving Day last week, the cornerstone being the Starrcade '84 Special looking back at the annual Thanksgiving show in Greensboro that was also available on closed circuit.

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling fans will love what Mike Sempervive and Roman Gomez are presenting here, and we at the Mid-Atlantic Gateway look forward to this trip down memory lane each week.

Check them out at midatlanticpod.com and everywhere you get your podcasts.

From their website:

In celebration of the 35th anniversary, The Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast proudly presents a very special look at Starrcade ’84.

Dubbed “The Million Dollar Challenge,” Mike Sempervive and Roman Gomez cover every aspect of the overshadowed supershow, taking the listener back into time so that they can feel how the promotion built the event, and truly understand what life was like leading into the Greensboro Coliseum, on the night of November 22, 1984.

We believe this to be the most comprehensive and definitive look at the event, ever recorded, and are very excited for you to come along for the ride.

Whether you’re reliving your memories, or creating some new ones, we here at The Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast thank you very much for coming along on the ride!

The Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network.

Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater Defend the World Tag Team Titles in the Mid-Atlantic Area - - Almost (1977)

PART EIGHT

PART EIGHT

by Dick Bourne and Mark Eastridge
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
includes Vintage Classic Audio


As we've discussed in 7 earlier installments in this series, full time wrestlers from both the Mid-Atlantic territory and the Georgia territory made special appearances in each other's areas for one-night events.

While Augusta Georgia was "ground zero" for Georgia Championship Wrestling in this exchange, Georgia stars appeared in many different Mid-Atlantic towns during this time period including Richmond, Charlotte, and Greensboro, and others.

In September of 1976, reigning NWA world tag team champions the Anderson brothers left the Mid-Atlantic territory to go to Georgia, and they took their NWA world tag team title belts with them. A year later, they lost those belts to the unlikely pairing of Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater on 9/23/77 in Atlanta.

Rhodes and Slater were scheduled to come to the Mid-Atlantic territory to defend their newly won titles on October 30 in Greensboro, and actually had sent in video taped interviews to promote the match to be aired in the local Greensboro TV market. Newspaper ads ran advertising Rhodes and Slater bringing their titles to Greensboro to face former champions Ric Flair and Greg Valentine.

 
But before Rhodes and Slater made it here with the belts for the 10/30 show, they lost them back to the Andersons on 10/14/77 in Atlanta. Greensboro newspaper ads, seen above, were revised to reflect the Andersons as new champions.

"Dusty Rhodes, you may call yourself  'the American Dream' but you're going up against the Dream Team!"  - Greg Valentine 

Here is rare vintage audio of Valentine and Flair welcoming Rhodes and Slater to town:

Vintage Audio: Greg Valentine and Ric Flair promote their scheduled match with Rhodes and Slater

 
I've always hated that Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater never made it here with the tag team belts. It would have been an interesting match-up between them and Flair and Valentine - - to say the very least!

And it's nice to hear Greg Valentine use the term "Dream Team" - - that's the name of David Chappell's ongoing 8-part series about Mid-Atlantic Wrestling's "dream team" of the 1970s, Ric Flair and Greg Valentine.

See the earlier posts in this series. 

 Originally published August 24, 2016 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Wahoo Battles Mulligan in the "Greatest U.S. Champion of All Time" Tournament Finals

After months of fierce competition, the "Greatest United States Champion of All Time" tournament comes to an end on Canadian Bulldog's World website.

Rickard's fantasy tournament has been underway since the early summer, but finally comes to a head on Thanksgiving weekend as Wahoo McDaniel and Blackjack Mulligan meet in the tournament finals.

The two had a history for Jim Crockett Promotions going back to the summer of 1975 when Mulligan came into the territory for a brief stint that included Indian strap matches between the two. Mulligan soon left for the WWWF where he and Blackjack Lanza formed the Hall of Fame tag team of the Blackjacks. When then U.S. champion Johnny Valentine's career was ended in the October 1975 Wilmington plane crash, booker George Scott brought Mulligan back to take his spot as the top heel in the territory. Mulligan took the U.S. title from Paul Jones in March of 1976 and began a series of runs as the U.S. champion, occasionally defending against Wahoo during those years.

So who ya got? It's two of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling's most legendary competitors facing off to determine the greatest U.S. champion of all time!

Rickard's match can be found here:
Tournament Finals: Wahoo McDaniel vs. Blackjack Mulligan

Check out other links to all the previous matches in the tournament below!

THIRD ROUND ROUND (SEMI-FINALS)

Ric Flair vs. Wahoo McDaniel
Gateway Preview |  The Match

Blackjack Mulligan vs. Sgt. Slaughter
The Match


SECOND ROUND

Greg Valentine vs. Wahoo McDaniel
The Lumberjack Match

Nikita Koloff vs. Sgt. Slaughter
The Match

Greg Valentine vs. Wahoo McDaniel
Gateway Preview |  The (Non) Match

Blackjack Mulligan vs. Ricky Steamboat
Gateway Preview | The Match

"No. 1" Paul Jones vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair
Gateway Preview | The Match

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. "Handsome" Harley Race



FIRST ROUND

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Johnny Valentine

Dusty Rhodes vs. Greg Valentine

"Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods vs. Roddy Piper

Lex Luger vs. Dick Slater



Nikita Koloff vs. Bobo Brazil

Harley Race vs. Tully Blanchard 
Gateway Preview | The Match


Paul Jones vs. Barry Windham
Gateway Preview | The Match

Jimmy Snuka vs. Magnum T.A.
The Match

Terry Funk vs. Ricky Steamboat
The Match

 
Nikita Koloff vs. Bobo Brazil
The Match