Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Two Ton Harris Steals the Show

Two Tons Of Comedy
Author Unknown, Charlotte News 1965

WIKIPEDIA
Two Ton Harris, who doesn't really weigh two tons but a mere 301, is one of the most delightful characters Promoter Jim Crockett has brought into his wrestling ring here in recent years. Although wrestling in a preliminary, Two Ton stole much of the show last night at the coliseum.

After a particularly shrewd act of villainy, he winks at the crowd and points to his head. When his opponents grow a mite too unhappy with his tactics, Two Ton drops to his knees, clasps his hands and pleads for mercy.

Given a moment of free time, he parades his round, black-clad frame around the ring, caresses his long, curly locks and poses smilingly for the fans to enjoy him.

When the crowd squeals on him to the referee, he runs around the ring trying to shush them. Two Ton has a better routine than most of the comics I've seen on TV. 

- Charlotte News, January 12, 1965 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

PERSPECTIVE: JANUARY 1965
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

The short piece above appeared in the Charlotte News the day after a 1/11/65 Charlotte Park Center card where Two Ton Harris worked the opener against Abe Jacobs. it brought a smile to my face when Mark Eastridge sent me the clipping because Two Ton Harris was always a favorite of mine as a kid .... "I got him now!"

The other preliminary matches on the card included Johnny Weaver vs. The Beast, Penny Banner vs. Kim Stratton, and tag match featuring Mike Gallagher and Lee Henning vs. Chief Big Heart and Rudy Kay.

The main event was a big six-man fence match with no time limit and no disqualifications. It pitted Aldo Bogni and Bronko Lubich with their manager Homer O'Dell as their partner against George Becker and The Kentuckians (Tiny Anderson and Big Boy Brown.) 

The ad touted the main event match as one surrounded by a "7-foot steel wire fence." This was long before we started calling them "cage matches" and I liked it better when they were called fence matches because it made the purpose of the enclosure clearer.

A "cage" tends to signify that you want to keep the combatants caged in. But the general purpose of these fence matches was to keep other people out; to prevent interference from other parties. It also kept any of the combatants from escaping, sure, but it primarily insured that the match would be settled between the combatants inside the wire fence with no one else able to interfere. (Other stipulation-matches like lumberjack matches worked better to keep guys from running, and were more exciting than a fence match, anyway.)

I also liked how the promotion always plugged the company who provided the fencing, which was a barter arrangement to be sure. In this case, thanks go to the fine folks at Charlotte Fence Builders, a company founded in 1958 by Charlotte businessman Jim McClain, and still in business today.

As always in Charlotte, advance tickets were available at the National Hat Shop. In 1965, ticket prices were a steep $1.50 for adult general admission, $2.00 reserved, and $2.50 reserved ringside. Tickets for children under 12 we just 75 cents.

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Blackjack Mulligan Faces The Indian Strap (Part 4)

by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Before reading this,
catch up on PART ONE, PART TWOand PART THREE of this series.

* * * * * * * 
PART FOUR

After Blackjack Mulligan shocked the fans in Richmond, Virginia by appearing on the July 12, 1975 airing of the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television show and challenging the great “Chief” Wahoo McDaniel to a Texas Death Match, Wahoo and even Mulligan’s buddy Ric Flair had plenty to say in the lead-up to this epic grudge battle!

Later in the July 12th show, Wahoo explained to announcer Les Thatcher and the Richmond fans, “Well you know, I had a strap match and beat the man and I thought I had him out of my hair for good…but the man has come back for more. Now, a Texas Death Match, that’s his kind of match. That’s a match where falls don’t count. There could be one fall, there could be 100 falls.”

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Yearbooks
McDaniel further elaborated, “It’s just the man that can answer after a ten count wins the match. Now, the man is six foot seven and 309 pounds…he’s tough; I think I’m tough. I’ve been in death matches, sure they’re bloody, they’re hard because it’s the man who has the most intestinal fortitude to get up off that mat, to keep fightin’ and to keep goin.’ It's the man standin’ at the end of the match and that’s what I intend to be…the man standin’ at the end of the match.”

Never at a loss for words, Blackjack’s friend Ric Flair, who was on the interview set for his Lumberjack match with Paul Jones on that same July 18, 1975 Richmond card, also weighed in on the Wahoo-Blackjack bout. Ric told Thatcher, “Ah baby, Mulligan just called me on the phone and you folks just saw him on the TV, Mulligan is MAD! McDaniel if I was you I would get down on my hands and knees and pray, pray that Mulligan gets shot out of the sky, that a train runs over him, that a car hits him, that anything happens to him before he gets to the Richmond Coliseum.”

The Nature Boy concluded his remarks and directed them straight to Wahoo, “You gotta know how bad he wants a piece of your body, to come all the way from Eagle Pass, Texas just to get a piece of you McDaniel! I shutter at the very thought of what he’s gonna do to you!”

On a warm and muggy Richmond evening on July 18th, around 10:00 p.m. within the confines of the Richmond Coliseum, still a sparkling new building in 1975, Blackjack Mulligan barreled to the ring with fire in his eyes as the great Indian Wahoo McDaniel awaited. All of the pent-up rage from Mulligan’s Indian Strap Match drubbing in May in the Richmond Arena drove the Cowboy to several near wins in his Texas Death Match as Wahoo was only able to answer referee Angelo Martinelli’s count a fraction of a second before he hit 10.

Frustration grew on Blackjack’s part as Wahoo would not succumb, and the Indian slowly took control as the near sellout crowd roared its approval. After the combination of McDaniel’s chops and suplexes over and over again took a brutal toll on Mulligan, the Cowboy stumbled and barely made it to his feet but a millisecond after Martinelli hit his count of 10.

The Richmond faithful were joyous, Wahoo appeared relieved, but Blackjack’s reaction to the result was the memorable one. Mulligan stood by himself in the middle of the ring, alternating between his head being bowed and then gazing at the top of the cavernous building as he shook his head in disbelief. It seemed to be double dejection for Blackjack…not only failing to get revenge against Wahoo, but it being his last scheduled match wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions. Mulligan faced Wahoo’s Indian Strap in the spring of 1975, and it ultimately led to his Mid-Atlantic demise in the summer of 1975. 

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 5 (The Finale)…
The dramatic and totally unexpected return of Blackjack Mulligan to the Mid-Atlantic area in October of 1975!
 
http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/p/yearbooks.html

Friday, March 27, 2020

Action Figures Friday: U.S. Champion Jimmy Snuka!



Very cool customization of "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka with a custom U.S. title belt, presented by our friends at @wrestlerweekly.

Snuka was United States champion in 1979 and 1980 and had a memorable, long, bloody feud with "Nature Boy" Ric Flair over that title belt. You can read all about Snuka's run as United States champion (as well as the entire history of that championship) in our full-color book "Jim Crockett Promotions' United States Championship", available on Amazon and via the Mid-Atlantic Gateway bookstore.  

Republished in September of 2022 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1517463386/

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Championship Podcast: March 20, 1982

https://midatlanticpod.com/
The new episode of the "Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast" has dropped and features a look at the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling episode from March 20, 1982.

First off, thanks for the very kind words directed at the Mid-Atlantic Gateway from host Mike Sempervive on this episode of the podcast:"There would not be a Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast," Mike said, "if it were not for the Mid-Atlantic Gateway." What a nice thing to say (and for us to hear.) We appreciate that Mike!

This episode features a great look at the March 20 show, which as Mike and Roman Gomez point out, was a good one, the show almost stolen my the great promos and match with Sgt. Slaughter. Sgt. Slaughter does a great interview on the opening of the show making it clear her was ready for the challenge of Wahoo McDaniel or Ricky Steamboat and even from NWA World Champion Ric Flair. Sarge also has a more competitive than usual TV match with "young lion" Ron Ritchie.

We loved Mike's rant about how the over-dubbed music WWE places over the original music on these shows. We know why they do it, but we were cheering on Mike as he lamented the loss of one of the special things about these shows.

Regarding the podcast, if you're still unfamiliar (and if you are a Mid-Atlantic fan, you should be checking this great podcast out every week), Mike Sempervive and Roman Gomez  review another episode form the series that is currently available in the In-Ring/Territories section of the WWE Network. The podcast 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.)

We continue to enjoy this weekly deep dive into each of these Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling episodes and encourage you to check it out if you haven't already done so.

Also available from the podcast is a special "Prelude Episode" that set the stage for the year 1982 and things to come, as well as two "bonus" episodes, one looking back at Starrcade '84, the other a special bio/profile of the patriarch of the Crockett promotional empire Jim Crockett, Sr. Both of these bonus shows are excellent!

Previous Episodes of the podcast can be found on their website as well as linked from our TV and Podcast Summary Index. David Taub's summary of this show, with match results for the week, can be found here.

* * * * *

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

Big Bill Ward

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 March 20, 1982, featuring:
  • US Champion Sergeant Slaughter takes out his frustrations with Ric Flair on a surprisingly game Ron Ritchie. 
  • A Murderer’s Row of promos on the show, including Flair, Slaughter, Piper, Stevens, Idol, Anderson, Hansen, Koloff and Valiant.
  • Roddy Piper once again dominates the commentary, and also shows a heart for the retarded children coming to the Crockett Park BBQ.
  • Valuable bumper stickers and C-Band satellite dishes.
  • Plus a tribute to Lance Russell’s Nose, top results from around the loop, and much more on another exciting edition of the Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast!

Also, 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.


http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/p/origins-of-mid-atlantic-title.html

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Mid-Atlantic TV Report: July 2, 1983

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: 7/02/83*
(taped 6/29/83* at WPCQ-TV studios in Charlotte)
(*WWE Network Date. Original broadcast date may be one week earlier.) 
WWE Network feed.  [How to watch this show on the WWE Network.]
WWE Network Direct Link to this show: Mid-Atlantic 7/02/83 
Mid-Atlantic Gateway story on this show.

Sometime in 1983, the listed dates of the Mid-Atlantic TV shows on the WWE Network begin to be off by one week. At that point moving forward, the dates listed by WWE network are one week later than the correct date of the original broadcast.

Note: After nearly 30 years, this is the final studio version of Jim Crockett Promotions.

Match 1
Non-title match: Greg Valentine [United States Champion] d. John Bonello
The match is joined in progress. Stu Schwartz in stripes is the referee. Mike Rotundo joins Bob Caudle on commentary. Valentine dominates, winning with a half-crab submission.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: The Brisco Brothers
Jerry insults Rotundo’s suit. Caudle informs him this is not the Briscos’ interview time. They don’t care. Jerry keeps mocking Rotundo. They finally walk off, as Caudle apologizes. Rotundo says they have no class.

[Break]

Match 2
Non-title match: Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco [NWA World Tag Champs]
d. Keith Larson & Rick McCord
Larson & McCord look like twins. Jerry is riding Larson. Aggressive mat wrestling by the champs. Jack suplexes McCord, and just drops him. He tags in Jerry who makes the easy pin.
The Briscos return to the announcer desk, where Jerry just keeps ripping on Rotundo.

[Break]

-Clip of Wahoo McDaniel vs. Magic Dragon (w/Gary Hart)
Caudle & Rotundo narrate a clip from an unnamed arena. A chop fest eventually won by Wahoo, who makes the in pin after a big chop.

[Break]

-Comments from Ric Flair and Roddy Piper
We are in front of the blue NWA set. Flair says Harley Race is coming in. He says he won’t get away with a controversial St. Louis decision in the Mid-Atlantic. Piper says he’s made friends with Mr. T. As in Mr. Tire Iron. Piper threatens the heels in the area.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Mike Rotundo
This is in lieu of local promos. Rotundo is disappointed in the Briscos. He goes on about how a champion should behave.

[Break]
Match 3
Jimmy Valiant & Bob Orton Jr. d. Bill Howard & Joel Deaton

Talk about contrasting styles. This is Deaton’s first TV appearance. Rotundo still with Caudle at the announcer’s desk. They talk about Valiant’s war with Kabuki. Valiant pins Howard with the elbow.

[Break]

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Rick Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
The Briscos interrupt. Jerry is on fire with the insults, calling Steamboat & Youngblood ex-champs and has beens. Steamboat is upset, but not too fired up. Jerry says this is the Brisco Brothers hour. Finally, Steamboat had enough and chops Jerry down and knocks him out.

[Break]

Match 4
Dick Slater d. Vinnie Valentino

Slater is outwrestling Valentino. Meanwhile, Caudle & Rotundo keep talking about Steamboat & Youngblood. In fact, Steamboat joins the announcer’s desk still angry at the Briscos. He leaves just as soon as he entered. Slater getting more aggressive. Caudle says the Assassins are coming in, and one of them may be the son of The Great Bolo. Slater executes a running Samoan drop, and a knuckle to the side of Valentino’s temple which earns the submission!

-Comments from Harley Race
Harley is again in front of the orange NWA set. He calls Flair a fluke. Harley has dominated wrestling for 10 years. It will remain that way until he hangs it up. He won’t give Flair any more opportunities.

[Break]

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Dick Slater
Slater targets his comments towards Dusty Rhodes. He’s been known as the Midnight Rider, but not Errol Flynn?!? He talks about men carrying around crowbars (i.e. Roddy Piper). Slater says he’s also targeting Flair. He wants to be a winner, and to do that is to be as vicious as he can be.

[Break]

Match 5
Dory Funk Jr. & Jake Roberts (w/Paul Jones) d. Brett Hart & Mike Davis

Hart engages in chain wrestling with Dory. Davis gets a flurry of offense, before Roberts takes control. Jones joins the announcers, and can’t wait to award his Dream Contest poster to Rhonda Manning. Funk forces Hart to submit with the spinning toe hold.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Brisco Brothers
Jerry is still dazed, so Jack does the talking. He complains about Steamboat’s karate, but he’s never seen a karate man who can take on a wrestler.

-Paul Jones Dream Contest Award presentation
Another segment that was widely tape traded. Rhonda Manning of Florida is in the audience and emerges to accept the giant Paul Jones poster. She’s a looker. She hugs and kisses Jones, who is offended. He starts yelling at her. She’s nearly crying. Caudle is trying to get him to calm down. Paul asks her if she would sell it for $5,000. She said she would try to. That offends Jones as well. Rufus R. Jones comes out and tells her not to talk to a lady like that. Jones tells him to get out of her. Paul slaps Rufus, then hides behind the woman. Rufus gets to him anyway. The action spills into the ring. Funk and Roberts come out and tear his clothes off. Paul starts pounding away. A triple-team beating. Bob Orton makes the save. Rotundo goes at it with them to.

Caudle’s “so long for now” gets cut off by the Network overdub of the closing credits.


* * * * * * * * * * * *

Results for the week, 6/28/83-7/03/83
(source: Clawmaster’s Archive via Sports and Wrestling blog posted by David Baker; “Wrestling” newsletter by Joe Shedlock)

Mon., 6/27/83 Greenville, SC; Memorial Auditorium
Gene Anderson beat Jacques Goulet
Keith Larson beat Rick McCord
Kelly Kiniski beat John Bonello
Bob Orton, Jr. beat Magic Dragon
Rufus R. Jones beat Bill White
Ric Flair beat Dory Funk, Jr.
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco beat Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood

Tue., 6/28/83 Columbia, SC; Township Auditorium
Masa Fuchi d. John Bonello
Rick McCord d. Jerry Grey
Brett Hart d. Bill Howard
Magic Dragon d. Johnny Weaver
Great Kabuki d. Jos LeDuc
Ric Flair & Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine & Dory Funk, Jr.

Wed., 6/29/83 Charlotte, NC; WPCQ-TV studio
MACW:
Greg Valentine beat John Bonello
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco beat Rick McCord & Keith Larson
Jimmy Valiant & Bob Orton, Jr. beat Joel Deaton & Bill Howard
Dick Slater beat Vinnie Valentino
Jake Roberts & Dory Funk, Jr. beat Brett Hart & Mike Davis
WWW:
Bob Orton, Jr. beat Bill Howard
One Man Gang & Kelly Kiniski beat Rick McCord & Keith Larson
Dick Slater & Greg Valentine beat Jerry Grey & Masa Fuchi
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco beat Mike Davis & Brett Hart
Jos LeDuc d. Joel Deaton
Dory Funk, Jr. & Jake Roberts d. John Bonello & Vinnie Valentino
Note:  6/29/83 was the final television taping at WPCQ in Charlotte, NC  Starting on 7/6/83, the taping were mobile at different locations, the first being in Greenville, SC on 7/4/83

Fri., 7/01/83 Charleston SC; County Hall
Ric Flair & Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine & One Man Gang
Mike Rotundo beat Kelly Kiniski
Johnny Weaver beat Bill White
Mark Fleming beat Bill Howard
Mike Davis beat Red Dog Lane

Fri., 7/01/83 Lovington, VA
Cy Jernigan beat Joel Deaton
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco
Princess Victoria & Susan Starr beat Terry Shane & Leilani Kai
Keith Larsen beat Vinnie Valentino
Ric McCord beat Masa Fuchi

Sat., 7/02/83 Greensboro, NC; Greensboro Coliseum
NWA World Champion Harley Race beat Ric Flair by DQ
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco beat Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
Roddy Piper & Wahoo McDaniel no contest with Greg Valentine & Dory Funk, Jr.
Cage match: Jimmy Valiant & Rufus R. Jones d. Gary Hart & Great Kabuki; Sonny Fargo
Dick Slater beat John Bonello
Susan Starr beat Leilani Kai
Gene Anderson beat Joel Deaton

Sun., 7/03/83 Wilmington, NC
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco vs. Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
Jimmy Valiant vs. Great Kabuki
Jake Roberts vs. Mike Rotundo
Bob Orton, Jr. vs. Kelly Kiniski
Masa Fuchi vs. Vinnie Valentino
Mark Fleming vs. Jerry Grey

Sun., 7/03/83 Savannah, GA; Savannah Civic Center
NWA World Champion Harley Race beat Ric Flair by DQ
Wahoo McDaniel & Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine & Dory Funk, Jr.
One Man Gang beat Jos Leduc
Dick Slater beat Johnny Weaver
Keith Larson & Ric McCord beat Jacques Goulet & Bill White
John Bonello beat Bill Howard

Monday, March 23, 2020

Georgia Learns of New World Tag Champions ... Before The Titles Actually Change Hands

PART FOUR
by Dick Bourne and Mark Eastridge
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

It is certainly one of the most fascinating cases of a kayfabe violation in the territory wrestling days that you can imagine.

Our ongoing series about the 1977 Mid-Atlantic Wrestling/Georgia Wrestling talent exchange continues with this look at a big card of wrestling at the Bell Auditorium in Augusta, GA on May 9, 1977.

As we've described earlier in this series, Augusta was ground zero for some of the most interesting "mixed cards" of Mid-Atlantic and Georgia Championship Wrestling. The week before on the May 2nd card, all of the challengers for all three Georgia championships were from the Mid-Atlantic territory. So a week later, Augusta gets another treat: Mid-Atlantic area championships go on the line against Georgia challengers in Augusta.


UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH: 
BLACKJACK MULLIGAN vs. MR. WRESTLING II

Blackjack Mulligan brought his United States Heavyweight championship to Georgia for this one night to defend against Mr. Wrestling II, one of the most popular stars ever in the Georgia territory. As we discussed earlier in Part Two of this series, Mulligan was a big part of the talent exchange in defending the U.S. title on several occasions against Georgia's Thunderbolt Patterson when T-bolt made several visits to the Mid-Atlantic area over the spring of 1977.


NWA WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: 
GENE AND OLE ANDERSON vs. DINO BRAVO AND "MR. WRESTLING" TIM WOODS

The other main event that night saw the new NWA world tag team champions Gene and Ole Anderson, bringing those tag team titles back to Georgia from the Mid-Atlantic area, and defending their newly won belts against the mixed Mid-Atlantic/Georgia combination of visiting Dino Bravo and "Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods.

There was only one problem: when the Augusta Chronicle newspaper ad announcing the new champions ran in the Sunday morning newspaper, the Anderson Brothers hadn't won the titles yet.

The Andersons would defeat Ric Flair and Greg Valentine for the NWA world tag titles that Sunday night, May, 8, 1977 in Charlotte, NC in a cage match with special referee Wahoo McDaniel. But the Augusta newspaper ad announcing the Andersons as new champs ran that Sunday morning.

If you believe in historical conspiracies, this ranks right up there with newspapers in the far east reporting Lyndon Johnson sworn in as president after John Kennedy's assassination before it happened. And they say wrestling is fixed. But I digress.

This was a relatively rare occurrence in wrestling, but sometimes the office inadvertently gave away results. But usually the mistake was made within the same territory. Rarely did one territory give away another territory's major title change.

It didn't really matter as no one in Augusta would have known that the Andersons were scheduled to face Flair and Valentine that Sunday night in Charlotte, unless they had just spent the weekend in the Charlotte area and might have seen local Charlotte TV wrestling. Who knows. It's an interesting little twist, though.

Bravo and Woods reunited their former championship combination that Monday night in Augusta. The two defeated the Andersons on television in 1976 for the world titles. It was on that night that Tim Woods put the white mask back on to become "Mr. Wrestling" once again. Bravo was in Georgia for only this one night to team with Woods, and was back in the Mid-Atlantic the next night in Columbia, SC challenging Blackjack Mulligan for the U.S. Title. However, Bravo, would move to Georgia full-time in another month or so.


Other tidbits:

● The Richard Blood in the opening match of the Augusta card was not Ricky Steamboat. It was Merced Solis, the wrestler later to be known to fans as Tito Santana. Solis wrestled under the ring name Richard Blood in both the Mid-Altlantic and Georgia areas in 1977 and 1978. Steamboat was in the middle of making history by upsetting Ric Flair during this general timeframe for the Mid-Atlantic TV title.

● The NWA world tag team titles themselves were in a way a part of a broader long-term exchange between the two territories. The title was created in early 1975 and the first champions were the Anderson Brothers. They left with the titles to work Georgia full-time in the fall of 1976, and during the balance of 1976, all of 1977, and early 1978 were engaged with Ric Flair and Greg Valentine back in the Mid-Atlantic area, and the two teams traded the titles back and forth. The Andersons put a little Georgia history on those belts, however, when Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater won the belts for roughly a month in 1977.

● Quick recovery: In the Mid-Atlantic storyline, Ole Anderson is badly injured after the 5/8/77 Charlotte cage match when he is "stuff pile-drived" by Greg Valentine and Ric Flair. Ole sells the injury big time, having to be stretchered out of the ring, and the injury is used to explain why the Andersons aren't seen in the area for awhile. But of course, the next night, Ole is fully recovered in Augusta for the title defense against Mr. Wrestling and Dino Bravo. Ahh, you have to love the territory wrestling days.


In Part Five of this series, we'll take a look at #1 Paul Jones and his role in the Mid-Atlantic/Georgia talent exchange, which was taking place right at the same time of these Augusta shows. See you next time, and until then, so long for now.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

SUMMARY

Part One: 
Paul Jones and the Hollywood Blondes (Jerry Brown and Buddy Roberts) visit Augusta, GA on Valentine's Day night. It is the first in a series of Augusta cards to feature Mid-Atlantic talent in the coming months. 

Part Two: 
T-bolt travels from Georgia Championship Wrestling to make several challenges for the U.S. title and the NWA world tag team titles in the Mid-Atlantic area over several months.

Part Three: 
The Masked Superstar, Johnny Weaver, Tiger Conway, Jr. and "Professor" Boris Malenko come to Augusta to challenge all the Georgia title holders.

Part Four:
Georgia Learns of New World Tag Champs before the Titles Change Hands (5/9/77)
Augusta, Georgia fans learn that Gene and Ole Anderson are the new world tag team champions...before it happens! Blackjack Mulligan and Dino Bravo are also in for one night only. 

Part Five:
Paul Jones surprises Charlotte During Mid-Atlantic/Georgia Title Exchange (5/8 and 5/16/77)
While a regular in Georgia for the spring and summer of 1977, Paul Jones makes a surprise appearance in Charlotte on a historic night.

Part Six:
Wahoo McDaniel returns a favor to Thunderbolt Patterson in Augusta (5/16/77)
After Thunderbolt came to the Mid-Atlantic area to team with Wahoo against Flair and Valentine, Wahoo returned the favor to help T-blot battle the Andersons.

Part Seven:
Ric Flair Comes to Georgia (July - December 1977)
Ric Flair made nearly a dozen appearances in Georgia in 1977 while a Mid-Atlantic regular. He often times would bring the United States championship with him.

Part Eight:
Rhodes and Slater Defend the World Tag Team Titles in the Mid-Atlantic Area - - Almost (10/30/77)
Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater were scheduled to defend their NWA World Tag Team Championships in Greensboro after having defeated the Andersons for the titles in Atlanta. But the Andersons had other ideas.

BONUS SECTIONS: 1981 AND 1982

OLE ANDERSON BOOKING BOTH TERRITORIES
In the fall of 1981 through the spring of 1982, Ole Anderson served as booker for both Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling. Check out this complete Georgia wrestling program from November 14, 1981 featuring a large amount of talent appearing on Superstation TBS from the Mid-Atlantic area.

TOMMY RICH IN 1981
In 1981, Georgia Championship Wrestling's Tommy Rich made several appearances in the Mid-Atlantic territory, including this one in Columbia SC where local promoter Henry Marcus made clear that one of cable TV's top stars was on his Township Auditorium card.

1982 NWA WORLD TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT
The 1982 Atlanta Regional in the NWA World Tag Team Tournament
The tournament played out in the Mid-Atlantic and Georgia territories, and included Florida as well.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Championship Podcast: March 13, 1982

https://midatlanticpod.com/
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

The new episode of the "Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast" has dropped and features a look at the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling episode from March 13, 1982.

I loved the choice of photo they've used on the webpage for this show (also seen below) of Austin Idol filming Stan Hansen with an 8mm movie camera at ringside. This was something Idol was doing at the time to "scout" teams that were entered into the NWA World Tag Team Tournament going on at that time. I always thought this was unintentionally hilarious because I figured if a 20-year-old kid like myself had a VCR, why couldn't a big time wrestler like Austin Idol? To be fair, VHS video recording machines were just barely entering the mainstream at that time and were frightfully expensive, averaging $800 - $1200 (in 1982 dollars!) with just a single tuner and no remote control! (And full disclosure, that VCR I was bragging about having at that time was my family's VCR, not mine!)

Another interesting tidbit, Ole Anderson took a shot at Memphis wrestling (or perhaps "Tennessee wrestling" in general) with this comment during the closing interview of the show:

"Valiant's a big kid now, making a big name for himself, first time I guess he's ever been in the big-time where people can see him."

While likely a bit of a rib on Valiant (Ole clearly saw value in him as Valiant was was being pushed like crazy), we could actually make a list of all the shots Ole took at other promoters and promotions over the years on TV. Good ol' Ole Anderson, always stirring the pot with somebody.


Regarding the podcast, if you're still unfamiliar (and if you are a Mid-Atlantic fan, you should be checking this great podcast out every week), Mike Sempervive and Roman Gomez  review another episode form the series that is currently available in the In-Ring/Territories section of the WWE Network. The podcast 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.)

We continue to enjoy this weekly deep dive into each of these Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling episodes and encourage you to check it out if you haven't already done so.

Also available from the podcast is a special "Prelude Episode" that set the stage for the year 1982 and things to come, as well as two "bonus" episodes, one looking back at Starrcade '84, the other a special bio/profile of the patriarch of the Crockett promotional empire Jim Crockett, Sr. Both of these bonus shows are excellent!

Previous Episodes of the podcast can be found on their website as well as linked from our TV and Podcast Summary Index.

* * * * *

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 March 13, 1982, featuring:


  • US Champion Sergeant Slaughter once again becomes a focal point of the program, and has picked up a new rival along the way.
  • An intense Ivan Koloff defends his Mid-Atlantic Television Championship against up Ron Ritchie.
  • The Boogie Woogie Man Jimmy Valiant continues to make his presence in the area well-known.
  • Ole Anderson’s double-dip, as Roddy Piper and Ray Stevens hype the Georgia contingent debuting in Lansing.

Plus top results from around the loop, great promos, and much more on another exciting edition of the Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast!

Also, 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.


http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/p/origins-of-mid-atlantic-title.html

Friday, March 20, 2020

Studio Wrestling: 1976 Weather Promo has Five Wrestling Connections

 
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Originally Published on the Studio Wrestling site


WRAL produced a series of satirical promotional spots in early 1976 to announce Bob DeBardelaben as the primary weather host on WRAL newscasts, replacing Bob Caudle who was moving into other responsibilities at WRAL working for Jesse Helms (and continuing his hosting duties of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, of course.)

Brian Rogers recently discovered a compilation of those promotional clips on You Tube. I pulled them off YouTube and edited them down to one single storyline clip and re-posted them.

The immediate interest was of course that Bob Caudle was featured, and there was also a cameo by Blackjack Mulligan in the wrestling ring at WRAL. It was cool that the video featured these two direct wrestling connections, and also a third, since it was the voice of Bob Debardelaben you heard at each of the two breaks for the local wrestling promotional spots during "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" and "Wide World Wrestling":

"Let's take time for this commercial message about the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling events coming up in your area."

A day or so after posting the video clip, Carroll Hall (who publishes the excellent "All Star Championship Wrestling" blog) pointed out to me that there was a fourth wrestling connection in the video I had failed to notice: sportscaster Nick Pond. Pond was host of the Raleigh-only wrestling broadcast "Championship Wrestling" on WRAL throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. 

After writing up that information and watching the video yet again, I suddenly noticed what I thought was the familiar face of Raleigh area promoter Joe Murnick in one short scene where the president of the station is seen at his desk. Mr. Murnick is seen sitting on the couch behind him. I asked Elliot Murnick and he confirmed it was indeed his father. (Elliot also confirmed that the "president" in the video is indeed longtime President and CEO of Capitol broadcasting Jim Goodmon.)

That makes a total of five people in this short video that had direct connections to Mid-Atlantic Wrestling at WRAL-TV:



Bob Caudle
Bob hosted the syndicated "All Star Wrestling" in the 1960s that later became "Mid-Atlantic Wrestling" in the 1970s and 1980s. He did weather, sports, and news at various times throughout his WRAL career, and worked for Jesse Helms as well. He is seen here receiving the keys to the "executive washroom" after being promoted at WRAL.



Bob DeBardelaben
"The Biggest Name in Weather", DeBardelaben succeeded Bob Caudle as the primary weather host (known then as 'weathermen') in 1976. The promotional spots featured here served to announce and promote that. DeBardelaben is the main star of the vignettes. It was "DeBardelaben's voice that introduced the local promo segments each week on the wrestling shows taped at WRAL. ("Let's take time for this commercial message about the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling events coming up in your area.")



Nick Pond
Nick Pond hosted the Raleigh-only broadcast of "Championship Wrestling" (taped simultaneously alongside Caudle's "All Star Wrestling") throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. He was the main sports anchor for WRAL at the time of these promotional spots, and is seen in the video joining others in welcoming DeBardelaben to the team.




Joe Murnick
Murnick was the local promoter for Jim Crockett Promotions in Raleigh (as well as other towns in eastern NC and Virginia.) He ran his own events promotion company as well, staging concerts and other events in addition to wrestling almost every Tuesday night at the Dorton Arena or the Raleigh Civic Center. He is seen here in one scene (at the :59 second mark) sitting on a couch behind the president of the station, Jim Goodmon. His son Elliot Murnick confirmed for us that was indeed his dad!



Blackjack Mulligan
One of the main event wrestlers for Jim Crockett and Raleigh promoter Joe Murnick during this time period, Mulligan was chasing the United States wrestling championship held by Paul Jones at that time. (He would win the title for the first time on March 13 in Greensboro.) He has a cameo role here answering the question "Will Bob (DeBardelaben) quit?" Mully leans through the ropes of the wrestling ring in the TV studio and says "He better not!"

Learn more about Studio Wrestling at WRAL-5 in Raleigh on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.
Visit the Studio Wrestling website, one of the sister sites to the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Thanks to Brian Rogers, Carroll Hall, and Elliot Murnick.
Link to original unedited WRAL promos: WRAL-TV: "As The Weather Turns" Promos (1976)
Link to original article on the Studio Wrestling Website

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Gene Gordon Letter to "Wrestling Guide" (1973)

by Carroll Hall
Publisher of the All Star Championship Wrestling website


* * * * * * * * * * *
Carroll Hall publishes the excellent All Star Championship Wrestling blog that looks back at wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions, primarily in the 1960s. From time to time we like to republish some of his posts here, with his permission of course, and we consider Carroll a friend of the Gateway as well as a Gateway Contributor.
Check out all of the wonderful nostalgia on Carroll Hall's All Star Championship Wrestling.
* * * * * * * * * * *

Gene Gordon in Wrestling Guide Magazine
Longtime JCP photographer, the late Gene Gordon, wrote this letter to editor Tommy Kay. At that time Mr. Kay worked for Wrestling Guide, Official Wrestling, Big Book of Wrestling, Complete Wrestling Round-Up and several other sports publications.

Note: Swede Hanson was out of action from the end of July 1973 until early November 1973. Bobby Shane came in to team with Rip Hawk while Swede was out of action. They were managed by General Homer O'Dell.



Originally published11/16/19 on All Star Championship Wrestling.
Original Story Link

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

The Ever Thoughtful J.C. Dykes


From the Charlotte paper, July 14, 1970 - - a quote from the legendary manager of the Infernos J.C. Dykes.

Thanks to Mark Eastridge for passing this along to us.

Monday, March 16, 2020

Mid-Atlantic TV Report: July 24, 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: 7/24/82
(taped 7/21/82 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 7/24/82


-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Leroy Brown & Sir Oliver Humperdink
What is Bad, Bad Leroy Brown doing back, and with Humperdinck? M-O-N-E-Y. Humperdink promises this is the last time you’ll see Brown in ratty clothes. He promises to make Brown the first black NWA World Heavyweight champion. Caudle refers to this stable as the House of Humperdink

[Break]

Match 1
Leroy Brown (w/Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. Keith Larson
Stu Schwartz is the referee for the hour. Larson has a red-white-blue French flag tights. Brown nails Larson with the big elbow drop. He picks him up at two, then pins him. Brown continues the pounding. Steamboat tries to make the save, and Brown seems to get the better of him. Steamboat just gets out of the way of a big splash. Jack Brisco and Wahoo McDaniel come out and Brown and Humperdink takes a powder.

[Break]

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Sir Oliver Humperdink
We go to the same VTR from last week’s World Wide of Piper & Muraco vs. Larson & Abe Jacobs. After, Humperdink talks more about classing up Leroy Brown.

[Break]

Match 2
Jimmy Valiant d. Jeff Sword
WWE Network edit brings out Valiant. Ivan Koloff comes to ringside, saying he is proud to be Russian, and rants about Valiant. Dave Hebner is the referee for this match. Come to think of it, this is the same match the 1/09/82 episode. Valiant wins with the elbow drop.

-Comments from Ivan Koloff and Sir Oliver Humperdink
Humperdink is by himself in front of a mic stand. He says he can’t get more TV time, so he had to buy this. Not sure if this is supposed to be local promo time. Koloff has the boxing head gear and a shovel. The pair rant about rock and roll music, and fence matches. They are sick of Valiant. The WWE Network edit music plays. We see a garbage can fly through the screen. In comes Valiant, as Humperdink and Koloff run. The edited music drowns out most of what Valiant has to say. He pulls out a small chain and wants a New York street fight.

[Break]

Match 3
Non-Title Match: Sgt. Slaughter [U.S. Champion) d. Tim Horner
Caudle is still talking about Leroy Brown joining the House of Humperdink. Slaughter picks up the win after the leaping clothesline.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Sgt. Slaughter
Slaughter says there is a conspiracy. He says he was supposed to face Abe Jacobs, but instead gets Horner. He blames Wahoo McDaniel. As Slaughter is ranting, Wahoo attacks him from behind with an Indian strap. Slaughter retreats to the ring. He refers to getting hit in the belt last week with the Marine belt. Must have been on World Wide. Wahoo talks about a series of Canadian lumberjack matches versus Slaughter.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: David Patterson & Ken Timbs
If it is Patterson, it must be in lieu of local promos. Same promo as always. They are confident in their next TV match. Patterson lays in some Spanish. Caudle asks for a translation. Pretty much, Patterson is ready for Steamboat & Brisco.

Match 4:
Jack Brisco & Rick Steamboat d. David Patterson & Ken Timbs
Brisco gets Timbs in the figure four early, but Patterson breaks it up. After some brief offense by the heels, the babyfaces take over and toy with Timbs. Despite that, Timbs is actually kicking out of suplexes and the heels just can’t put him away. Not a chop, not a suplex, not a knee to the head, not an Oklahoma roll. Caudle mentions that Patterson already used his save. Double shoulder block sends Timbs and Brisco to the mat. What? A competitive match? Finally, Brisco holds Timbs as Steamboat comes off the top with a splash for the pin.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Rick Steamboat & Jack Brisco
Steamboat has a starter’s beard for the record. Both men are blown up. Steamboat talks about Leroy Brown. Brisco wants Piper or Muraco in a Texas Death match. Jerry Brisco is coming back.
Not even the “So Long for Now.” It appears cut off. Also unusual as the WWE Network is playing its version of the out theme, it plays the opening notes not heard before.

 * * * * * * * * * * *

Results for the week, 7/19/82-7/25/82
(source: Clawmaster’s Archive via Sports and Wrestling blog posted by David Baker; “Wrestling” newsletter by Joe Shedlock

Mon., 7/19/82 Greenville, SC
Mike Davis beat Ali Bey
Mike Rotundo beat Ken Timbs
Kelly Kiniski draw David Patterson
Matt Borne beat Johnny Weaver
Angelo Mosca, Masked Superstar & Ivan Koloff beat Jimmy Valiant, Jack Brisco & Ricky Steamboat

Tue., 7/20/82 Columbia, SC— Township Auditorium
Johnny Weaver beat David Patterson
Kelly Kiniski beat Bill White
Sgt. Slaughter beat Wahoo McDaniel
Mike Davis beat Ken Timbs
Tim Horner beat Juan Reynosa
Ricky Steamboat & Jack Brisco beat Angelo Mosca & Gene Anderson

Tue., 7/20/82 Raleigh, NC — Raleigh Civic Center
Keith Larson d. Ali Bey
Ron Ritchie d. The Monk
Mike Rotundo d. Jim Dalton
Jay Youngblood d. Matt Borne
Pvt. Nelson & Pvt. Kernodle d. Paul Jones & Jake Roberts
Leroy Brown d. The Ninja
Cage match: Jimmy Valiant d. Ivan Koloff

Fri., 7/23/82 Charleston, SC — Charleston County Hall
Jimmy Valiant beat Ivan Koloff in a steel cage match
Pvt. Nelson & Pvt. Kernodle beat Jay Youngblood & Jake Roberts
Leroy Brown beat The Ninja
Gene Anderson beat Porkchop Cash
Mike Rotundo beat David Patterson
Tim Horner beat Bill White

Fri., 7/23/82 Richmond, VA — Richmond Coliseum
King Parsons d. Juan Reynoso
Paul Jones d. Matt Borne
Johnny Weaver d. Jim Dalton
Rick Steamboat -draw- Magnificent Muraco
Jack Brisco d. Roddy Piper by CO
Canadian lumberjack match: Sgt. Slaughter d. Wahoo McDaniel

Sat., 7/24/82 Charlotte, NC — Charlotte Coliseum
Wahoo McDaniel beat Sgt. Slaughter in a lumberjack match
Jimmy Valiant beat Ivan Koloff in a New York street fight
Jack & Jerry Brisco beat Roddy Piper & Don Muraco in a Texas death match
Paul Jones & Jake Roberts beat Pvt. Nelson & Pvt. Kernodle
Mike Rotundo beat Bill White
Tim Horner draw David Patterson

Sun., 7/25/82 Toronto, ON — Maple Leaf Gardens (Maple Leaf Wrestling)
The Destroyer beat Nick DeCarlo
Tony Parisi beat Tim Gerrard
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Pvt. Nelson & Pvt. Kernodle
Jimmy Snuka beat WWF World Champion Bob Backlund by countout
The Ninja beat Johnny Weaver
Andre The Giant beat John Studd by DQ
Angelo Mosca beat Gene Kiniski in a lumberjack match

Sun., 7/25/82 Asheville, NC
Jack Brisco & Wahoo McDaniel beat Roddy Piper & Sgt. Slaughter
Jimmy Valiant beat Ivan Koloff
Jake Roberts beat Matt Borne
Paul Jones beat Gene Anderson
Kelly Kiniski draw David Patterson
Ron Ritchie beat Juan Reynosa
Mike Rotundo beat Jim Dalton

Friday, March 13, 2020

Blackjack Mulligan Faces The Indian Strap (Part 3)

by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Before reading this,
catch up on PART ONE and PART TWO of this series.

* * * * * * * 
PART THREE
Jim Crockett Promotions wrestling fans tuning into the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television program on Saturday July 12, 1975 were quite taken aback when announcer David Crockett appeared on an inserted in-your-area promo with none other than big Blackjack Mulligan at his side! The last time the Richmond fans had seen the big man from Eagle Pass, Texas, Mulligan had been soundly defeated in an Indian Strap Match in the Richmond Arena back in May, and Blackjack had not been seen or heard from in the Richmond area since. That lack of contact from Blackjack Mulligan was about to change in a very big way.

Blackjack Mulligan battles Wahoo McDaniel in
in an Indian Strap Match in Richmond

(Photo by Bill Janosik)
A highly emotional Blackjack Mulligan appeared alongside David Crockett on the interview set. The massive Texan began addressing the Richmond fans by saying, “Everyone remembers exactly what happened between myself and the Indian in the Indian Strap Match. I’ll never forget it! Since that match I’ve been travelling and wrestling the best in the world all over the country. Here’s a letter that caught up with me in Boston, here’s one in New York, another one in San Francisco…on and on and on it goes!”

Mulligan’s face reddened as he reminisced, “I dream about it at night Indian, I dream about that strap being lashed across my face! I dream about looking at you, but never for a minute were you standing over me! Now we’re gonna do some soul searching because I have every minute since the thing happened. I wasn’t beaten, I was standing there strong and tall like a man, and the referee said the match was over! I never gave up! On any given night I can beat you anywhere Indian!”

Blackjack then revealed his plans to even the score with Wahoo back in Richmond. Snarling, he advised Wahoo and the fans, “I tell you what I’m gonna do…I can’t stand the thought of letters catching up with me across the world that I was defeated in an Indian Strap Match! I had no idea what I was doing. But I’ll tell you something Wahoo McDaniel, if you got guts enough, if you’re man enough, I’m gonna give you another chance!”

Mully continued, “Because I know what I’m doing, I got it right here! Here’s the contract, all you gotta do is put your lousy yellow name on the bottom of it and wrestle me in a Texas Death Match. Not some Indian Strap Match that a savage thought up, but a Texas Death Match to the finish where only one man is standing and it’s one man alone…there will be a decisive winner! MY kind of match, this is the match YOU won’t know what’s happenin’, YOU won’t know what’s goin’ on! ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH, HAVE YOU GOT GUTS ENOUGH TO SIGN IT? SIGN IT AND I’LL FINISH YOU!”

Wahoo McDaniel did indeed have guts enough to sign Blackjack’s contract, and the revenge match to end all revenge matches was set for the Richmond Coliseum on July 18, 1975 under Texas Death Match rules. But before the bout commenced, Wahoo and Mulligan’s friend Ric Flair weighed in on this upcoming mega Cowboy versus Indian match!


CONTINUED IN PART 4
Wahoo and Ric Flair opine on the Texas Death Match in Richmond set for July 18, 1975!

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Grapplin' Greats: Bolo Brutality

by Mike Cline
Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats

* * * * * * * * * * *
Mike Cline publishes the excellent Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats blog that regularly looks back at wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1960s and early 1970s. From time to time we like to republish some of his posts here, with his permission of course, and we consider Mike a friend of the Gateway as well as a Gateway Contributor.

Check out all of the wonderful nostalgia on Mike Cline's Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats.
* * * * * * * * * * *

BOLO BRUTALITY

We don't hear much talk anymore about JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS wrestling as far back as the late 1950s. Many of the adult fans (and wrestlers) of that era have passed away. But there are a few of us who were just youngsters at that time who remember many of the stars of sixty years ago.

Good guy-wise, there were GEORGE BECKER, 'Irish' MIKE CLANCY, DICK STEINBORN and RED BASTEIN, to name a few. On the other side of right and wrong were guys like THE SMITH BROTHERS, DUKE KEOMUKA and MR. MOTO. But many fans of today, even though they don't remember them or weren't around to see them, have heard of THE BOLOS.

JCP wrestling fans still talk about THE BOLOS.

Graphic by Mike Cline / Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats


There were probably as many guys at my elementary school who tried to make a BOLO mask out of one of their Mom's discarded pillow cases who wore bath towels as Superman capes.Making a BOLO mask wasn't easy. I found that out.

First, in the late 1950s, there was THE GREAT BOLO (Tom Renesto). Then, in the early 1960s, the masked man added an identical-looking partner, BOLO (Jody Hamilton). THE GREAT BOLO and/or BOLO were the top heels in JCP for close to six years, before heading further south, eventually changing their names to THE ASSASSINS.

Fans all over the MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING territory bought many a ticket to the matches to see THE BOLOS not only lose, but be unmasked. Hero grapplers such as THE KENTUCKIANS, BECKER, WEAVER, THE SCOTTS, CHIEF BIG HEART, BILLY TWO RIVERS, HAYSTACK CALHOUN and MIKE CLANCY all tried over and over to expose the identities of the hooded hoodlums, but, alas, it never happened. Occasionally, THE BOLOS lost a match and even a mask here and there, but they always escaped protecting their identities.

Not until years later in Georgia, when Tom Renesto retired from active wrestling and voluntarily removed his mask on television, did the public ever know the identity of either of these men.


Originally published 2/28/20 on Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats.
Original Story Link

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Mid-Atlantic TV Report: July 17, 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: 7/17/82
(taped 7/14/82 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 7/17/82

Bob Caudle opens the show and is joined by Jack Brisco. A very low key Jack talks about losing to Piper last week. We see a brief clip of Piper nailing Brisco with a roll of coins from last week. Jack isn’t sure what Piper had but vows to get his belt back.
[Break]

Match 1:
Jake Roberts & Jimmy Valiant d. Jim Dalton & Juan Reynoso
The WWE Network edit of Valiant’s music plays. As he’s dancing around ringside, Roberts is already starting the match. The blue-romper wearing Sonny Fargo is the referee for the hour. It’s tag team day on MACW. Valiant wrestling more aggressive than normal. He finishes Reynoso with the elbow drop.

[Break]

Match 2:
Non-Title Match: Pvt. Jim Nelson & Pvt. Don Kernodle [Mid-A Tag Champs] d. Mike Davis & Porkchop Cash
Still no mention of when The Privates regained the Mid-Atlantic tag championship. The Privates are wearing matching singlet instead of the camouflage pants/black shirt garb. Kernodle finished off a groggy Davis with the clothelsine off the middle rope.

-Int. w/Caudle: Nelson & Kernodle
A lot of smack talk from The Privates. They say they want to go after the world tag team title. At least someone wants to go after it.

[Break]

Match 3:
Sgt. Slaughter & Matt Borne & Ivan Koloff (w/Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. Ron Ritchie & King Parsons & Abe Jacobs
Some good back and forth, with Parsons looking strong. Jacobs does a lot of wrestling. He gets a small package for a two on Slaughter. Sarge returns with a clothesline and gets the pin.

[Break]

-Int. w/Caudle: Sgt. Slaughter; Koloff and Humperdink
Slaughter wants Wahoo in any match, including a Indian strap match. Slaughter admits he is so beat up, even the barracks, his wife, his gardener and his dog don’t recognize him.  Pardon the pun, but it’s going to be a slaughter when he faces Wahoo. Ivan has boxing head gear, a shovel, and still the TV title belt. Koloff is incomprehensible. Lots of talk about Jimmy Valiant. Humperdink says Piper and Muraco are ready for the Brisco Brothers.

Caudle introduces the next match via blue screen. From Texas, The Monk?

[Break]

Match 4
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood d. Bill White & The Monk
Humperdink sticks on commentator. Caudle asks why he was in the corner in the last match. Strength in numbers. Commentary revolves around Piper vs. Brisco. Steamboat pins The Monk after a Samoan drop.

-Int. w/Caudle: David Patterson & Ben Alexander
This is in lieu of a local promo.  Patterson says Alexander tells him Wahoo chops like a butterfly. Caudle has his doubts. Alexander can handle Wahoo. Patterson is confident in his team.

[Break]

-Int. w/Caudle: Jack Brisco, Ricky Steamboat
Brisco talks about Piper. We go to a VTR from World Wide of Piper & Muraco vs. Keith Larson & Abe Jacobs. Brisco narrates the clip. Steamboat chimes in on Piper, and says both Briscos will be going after him. They play another VTR (with no sound) from World Wide of David Crockett talking with Slaugther, Mosca and Piper. Piper has dollar bills pinned all over his short. For some reason he pours champagne into a trash can.

Match 5:
Wahoo McDaniel & Jack Brisco d. David Patterson & Ben Alexander
Caudle references Patterson and Alexander’s remarks from before, so maybe those weren’t in lieu of local proms. Of course we see lots of Wahoo chops. A cool finishing sequence sees a Wahoo chop knock Alexander down, prone to a Brisco figure four for the submission.

-Int. w/Caudle: McDaniel & Brisco
Brisco says his brother Jerry is ready to come back. Watch out Piper and Muraco. Wahoo doesn’t have much sympathy for Slaughter. He wants the United States championship back.

“So long for now!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Results for the week, 7/12/82-7/18/82
(source: Clawmaster’s Archive via Sports and Wrestling blog posted by David Baker; “Wrestling” newsletter by Joe Shedlock)

Mon., 7/12/82 Greenville, SC
Jimmy Valiant beat Ivan Koloff in a New York street fight
Ricky Steamboat beat Angelo Mosca
Jake Roberts beat The Ninja
Evelyn Stevens beat Winona Little Heart
Mike Davis beat Ben Alexander
Kelly Kiniski beat Ken Timbs
Mike Rotundo beat Bill White

Tue., 7/13/82 Columbia, SC — Township Auditorium
Mike Davis beat Ken Timbs
Jimmy Valiant beat Ivan Koloff by DQ in a New York street fight
Paul Jones beat Matt Borne by DQ
Pvt. Nelson & Pvt. Kernodle beat Porkchop Cash & King Parsons
Mike Rotundo beat Ali Bey

Sat., 7/17/82 Greensboro, NC —Greensboro Coliseum
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco beat Don Muraco & Roddy Piper
Sgt. Slaughter beat Wahoo McDaniel by DQ
Paul Jones beat Angelo Mosca
Winona Little Heart beat Evelyn Stevens
Pvt. Nelson & Pvt. Kernodle beat King Parsons & Porkchop Cash
Gene Anderson beat Johnny Weaver
Mike Rotundo beat Juan Reynosa
Ron Ritchie beat The Monk

Sat., 7/17/82 Wilmington, NC — Legion Stadium
Jimmy Valiant vs. Ivan Koloff in a steel cage match
Leroy Brown vs. The Ninja
Jake Roberts vs. Matt Borne
Johnny Weaver vs. David Patterson
Kelly Kiniski vs. Jim Dalton
Tim Horner vs. Steve Sybert
Keith Larson vs. Ken Timbs
Mike Davis vs. Ali Bey

Sun., 7/18/82 Kingsport, TN
Wahoo McDaniel beat Sgt. Slaughter
Jimmy Valiant beat Ivan Koloff
Ricky Steamboat beat Gene Anderson
Tim Horner beat The Monk
Keith Larson beat Bill White
Jay Youngblood & Jake Roberts beat Pvt. Nelson & Pvt. Kernodle by DQ

Sun., 7/18/82 (8 p.m.) Roanoke, VA — Roanoke Civic Center
Leroy Brown vs. Ninja (w/Sir Oliver Humperdink)
Chain match: Jimmy Valiant vs. Ivan Koloff
U.S. Heavyweight championship: Sgt. Slaughter vs. Wahoo McDaniel

Saturday, March 07, 2020

JCP Promotion Kit

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Vintage documents provided by Les Thatcher

A substantial percentage of revenue generated by Jim Crockett Promotions back in the territory days (and most all other territorial promotions of that era) was made through partnerships with local organizations in medium to small size towns. These sponsor organizations would provide local resources to promote the "spot show" and in turn would share in the profits from the event. It was a way for local schools and civic organizations (for example) to raise funds for their various projects, charities, or their operating budgets.


In the mid-1970s, Les Thatcher, who was working in the front office of Jim Crockett Promotions at that point, put together a packet that the company could provide to those various local organizations to help them properly prepare for the wrestling event to ensure its success and thereby be profitable for both. The package was called a Promotion Kit and contained several documents helpful to those on the ground with the local organization responsible for helping put on the event.

Les recently came across a complete Promotion Kit in some of the memorabilia he has kept over the years. Knowing of our interest in this sort of thing, he graciously sent it to us so that we could share it here for all of you to enjoy.

"This all came about as a result of conversations with Sandy Scott and Danny Miller, who set up many of these spot shows, and worked with the sponsors," Les told me. "The idea in making this kit up was that most sponsors were not knowledgeable about promoting. Often they would miss getting the word out as well as they should and this kit would help on that end."

Scott and Miller, wrestling legends in the territory who were now retired from the ring and working for the JCP office as well, would frequently have Les write up press releases or ads to pass along to their sponsors. Promoter Jim Crockett, Jr. quickly saw the need to provide Scott and Miller with helpful material that they could then provide to the organizations they were working with in the local communities.

"Jimmy mentioned that we need some sort of guide for those folks," Les said. "So Francis Crockett, Don Swofford (Advertising and Business Manager), and I put our heads together and came up with this."

Promotional Kit - Folder Cover

The kit included several documents and pieces of information that would prove to be helpful to the local sponsor. These included a letter from Jim Crockett, Jr., a checklist of everything that needed to be done, advertising information (radio, newspapers, posters), a typical seating diagram, a sample newspaper ad, and a template to help the sponsor and their newspaper's art department create a suitable ad for their show.

I've included images of each of these documents below.


Letter from Jim Crockett, Jr.



Sponsor Checklist
You'll notice the type-font at the top of some of these documents was the same as the type-font used in headers and titles in the old Mid-Atlantic Wrestling magazines sold b JCP in those years. Les produced those, too.

Advertising Information

The sponsor was responsible for radio, newspaper, and poster advertising. The Crockett office provided the posters, but it was the sponsor's responsibility to get them placed in the local area where the show was taking place.

TV advertising was provide by Jim Crockett Promotions. The date, time, and location of the local spot show would be included in the television programs airing in the markets that covered the spot show town. "The shows were plugged on the TV outlet nearest them during those 2:20 second spots," Les told me. These were the local promo spots where wrestlers would have a chance to do interviews hyping up cards coming to that area. "If the sponsor was able to get interview spots locally, then they would contact the office or Danny or Sandy to line up one of the wrestlers for it." 


Seating Diagram



I loved seeing these ad templates in the kit. They are in a style that is immediately recognizable to fans from that era. The sponsor would work with the local newspaper, providing this template so that an ad could be created listing the matches. The Crockett office would provide photos of the stars appearing on the card that could be used in the ad.

A sample ad was also provided in the kit.


"Danny and Sandy would touch base with the sponsors from time to time leading up to the event," Les said, "to see if they needed any help and to remind them to be sure the posters were out and advance ticket outlet or outlets were set up."

The kit proved to be an effective way to help ensure the success of the sponsored shows for both the local organization and for Jim Crockett Promotions.

My special thanks to Les Thatcher for sharing this unique piece of memorabilia from the territory days with us and all our visitors to the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

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