| WINNER---Ric
Flair defeats Wahoo McDaniel for the Mid-Atlantic Title on
May 24, 1976 in the Charlotte Coliseum.
This was the clear favorite of the Gateway voters. This
match was the winner going away for a couple of reasons. It
was a significant title change as Ric had vowed to regain
the title that Wahoo had taken from him a few weeks earlier.
But perhaps the most enduring feature of this match was how
Flair won it. A ringside table was crushed by the
combatants, allowing Flair to pick up a table leg with an
exposed nail in it and smash Wahoo’s head with it. The
blow caused Wahoo to suffer a tremendous laceration that
required 40 stitches to repair. Flair of course took
advantage of this and pinned the great "Chief" and
took back the Mid-Atlantic title.
This match was the catalyst for a summer’s worth of
"revenge" matches between Ric and Wahoo. Many of
the return bouts were inconclusive, but what action! These
hot bouts made the summer of 1976 seem cold by comparison.
The Gateway voters made themselves very clear in this
category. The fans in Charlotte on May 24, 1976 saw the
Mid-Atlantic area’s greatest match in 1976!
RUNNER’S-UP (TIE)---Blackjack Mulligan defeats Paul
Jones for the United States Title on March 13, 1976 in the
Greensboro Coliseum.
This bout captured a tie for runner’s- up honors on the
strength of it being the match that gave Blackjack Mulligan
his first United States Title reign. And what a reign
Mulligan would go on to have! Additionally, many forget that
Paul Jones was in the midst of a strong run as U.S. Champion
when Mulligan upended him in what was really an upset at the
time.
RUNNER’S-UP (TIE)---Paul Jones defeats Blackjack
Mulligan for the United States Title on October 16, 1976 in
the Greensboro Coliseum.
Turn about is fair play! Paul Jones pulled a shocker in
this match by defeating Mulligan, who had completely
controlled the U.S. Title picture since defeating Jones on
March 13, 1976. Interestingly enough, Jones had not been a
major threat to Mulligan in the weeks before this match;
instead he was embroiled in a feud over the TV Title with
Angelo Mosca. A dramatic, and unexpected victory for Paul
Jones!
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
-
Dino
Bravo and Mr. Wrestling defeat Gene and Ole Anderson for
the NWA World’s Tag Team Titles on May 8, 1976 at the
WRAL TV studios in Raleigh, N.C.
-
Wahoo
McDaniel defeats Ric Flair for the Mid-Atlantic Title on
December 27, 1976 in the Richmond Coliseum
-
Wahoo
McDaniel wins the one night tournament for a 1976 El
Dorado Cadillac on March 19, 1976 in the Richmond
Coliseum
-
Wahoo
McDaniel vs. Ric Flair (no date or location given)
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