Friday, June 08, 2018

Classic Poster Friday: Ric Flair Will Be In The Building


SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1981    GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA
(Brack Beasley Collection)

DUSTY VS. KOLOFF
This week's classic poster is from the spring of 1981. The main event was an odd one as Dusty Rhodes was not a regular in the area. Koloff had just recently won the Mid-Atlantic title and although it's not listed as such on this poster, we're guessing that this was a shot for Dusty at the Mid-Atlantic Championship.

Dusty was still mainly booked in the Mid-Atlantic area as a special attraction, although he had appeared on Greensboro cards in the last six years far more often than any other town in the territory.

This main event was simply a vehicle to continue the wild feud that had started between Ric Flair with his cousins the Andersons and their ally Ivan Koloff. Back in April, Roddy Piper told Flair he would give him a shot at the U.S. belt on TV, but when Flair entered the ring he was momentarily distracted by the Andersons and then attacked from behind by Ivan Koloff with his Russian chain. This led to Flair bringing his own 'equalizer' in the form of a baseball bat to counter Koloff's chain. He would chase Koloff with it, both at live events and on television.

As a result, Flair was suspended and barred from several buildings in an official capacity. But he told fans that the Crocketts couldn't keep him out of every building because he would buy a ticket just like anyone else. Once he had his ticket, he would hit the ring and attack again. The poster even clearly states here that Ric Flair would be in the building, but as you see, not listed for a match.

Yes, the draw for this main event was to see Ric Flair go after Ivan Koloff with a baseball bat.


ANDERSON BROTHERS VS. WAHOO McDANIEL & PAUL JONES
This was a short little program was a throwback to one of the most famous tag team feuds ever in Mid-Atlantic Wrestling history.

On 5/1/81 in Richmond, VA, Gene and Ole Anderson won the NWA World Tag Team titles from The Masked Superstar and Paul Jones. Here is Greensboro, the Anderson Brothers would be tested by a team that were their arch rivals back in 1975, Paul Jones and Wahoo McDaniel. The teams had traded the titles back and forth on a couple of occasions, and had drawn huge houses with hour-long broadways that led to special one-and-a-half and even two-hour time limit stipulations.

So it was a nostalgic thing for many fans to see these two teams go at it again in 1981.

RICKY STEAMBOAT VS. AUSTIN IDOL
Austin Idol was a newcomer in the territory at this point, working both the Mid-Atlantic and Georgia territories as Ole Anderson was starting to book both areas.

Idol got a pinfall victory over Steamboat here as Steamboat was going to be gone for about a month on a tour of Japan.

OTHER NOTES:
Mr. Wrestling II was on this card, working several Mid-Atlantic dates under the developing talent exchange between Georgia and the Mid-Atlantic area.
Jimmy Valiant was also relatively new in the area, wrestling as a heel. It would be roughly a year before he would become "The Boogie Man" Jimmy Valiant in our area and become one of the most popular babyface characters.

* * * * *

See also last week's "Classic Poster Friday" featuring the rare teaming up Ole Anderson and Wahoo McDaniel - - "The Swede and the Indian." with classic vintage audio as well!
http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/2018/06/classic-poster-swede-indian.html 

Special thanks to Brack Beasley.


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