Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Catch up on this story in PART ONE and PART TWO
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PART THREE
Two weeks after being injured by Jimmy Snuka on Wide World Wrestling, "Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods returned to television sporting a neck brace and thankful to not have been permanently injured. On the September 19, 1979 taping of the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling program, announcers Bob Caudle and David Crockett welcomed back the talented masked grappler.
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| Tim Woods |
Caudle answered, "That's right, we do Mr. Wrestling; it's a film of the match with Jimmy Snuka, and David this is courtesy of World Wide Wrestling." Crockett concurred, "That is correct, and right now here it is." Caudle then continued, "And Mr. Wrestling while this tape is going and while the action is in the ring you can tell us in some of your own words what's happening in there and what's going through your mind right now during this match."
Mr. Wrestling commented in response, "Well, this was a match that came out of a tag team match where I issued a challenge to either Buddy Rogers or Jimmy Snuka, and Snuka stepped in and said he would be happy to welcome me into the ring anytime. So I took him up, it was right here on television. You can see I came after the man; I was ready for the man. He at the time had JUST won the United States Championship. He was the new U.S. Heavyweight Champion right here. This was probably the first time he'd been in the ring since winning that title."
After the early part of the taped match played for the fans, Caudle opined to Woods, "It looks to me like, especially at this part of the match that you were really giving him more than he could handle." Mr. Wrestling agreed, "Well I came after him, that's for sure." As the bout wore on and the chicanery of Snuka and Rogers carried the day, the masked man was none too happy at what he witnessed again.
Caudle then queried Woods, "After seeing that, how are you feeling now?" Mr. Wrestling responded bluntly, "Well, I feel much better...I'm happy to be standing here. This happened several weeks ago as you know, but it makes me sick to my stomach every time I see it. Wrestling is a great sport..."
Before Woods could finish his thought, he was rudely interrupted by Buddy Rogers who flew onto the set yelling, "What's the idea?!?" Caudle shouted out, "Here is Buddy Rogers! And here is Jimmy Snuka as they both now attack Mr. Wrestling again! He's down on the floor...Rogers came out to hit him; Snuka came out to hit him from behind."
As the studio audience howled their disapproval of the events that were transpiring before them Caudle continued, "Rogers reaches down and takes that collar now off of the throat of Mr. Wrestling and here is Snuka way up onto the ring and onto the ropes WAY off and down onto the floor! And that's about eight or nine feet up in the air, as Snuka came down with that shoe hard again now across the throat of Mr. Wrestling as they continue to maul him!"
As the TV program went off the air it appeared without any doubt that Buddy Rogers and Jimmy Snuka this time had completed the act of putting Mr. Wrestling out of commission as they thought they had two weeks earlier. But once again Rogers and Snuka had underestimated the toughness of this talented grappler from Michigan. The graceful mat technician would soon throw all his amateur moves, along with his mask, out the window. Tim Woods, and a new "friend" of his, were about ready for a merciless fight!
Wanted Out Of Wrestling---Buddy Rogers & Jimmy Snuka!
To be continued in Part 4!
