| WINNER---BLACKJACK
MULLIGAN
The big man from Eagle Pass, Texas scored a solid victory in
this most important category. Mulligan was a consistently strong
performer for the whole year of 1976. Blackjack held the
prestigious United States Title cumulatively for eight months of
the year and turned back top challenger after top challenger
during 1976. Mulligan’s run from March 13, 1976 when he won the
U.S. Title from Paul Jones for the first time through October 16,
1976 where he dropped the belt back briefly to Jones, may have
been the single most dominating reign of any champion who ever
held this title.
Voters did not seem to hold Mulligan’s loss to Paul Jones in
October against him, nor the controversial manner in which
Blackjack regained the belt in December of 1976 after having
dropped it to Paul Jones again. Filing a protest to NWA President
Eddie Graham over a technicality where Jones pinned him with his
foot under the ropes seemed to be out of character for the brutal
Texan, who had run over everybody like a stampede during the
majority of 1976.
Despite the tremendous number of outstanding wrestlers in the
Mid-Atlantic area in 1976, the voters of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway
overwhelmingly hailed Blackjack Mulligan as the best of the best……..Wrestler
of the Year 1976!
RUNNER-UP---RIC FLAIR
The "Nature Boy" made a solid second place showing
for the top prize. After coming back from the horrific plane crash
early in 1976, Ric battled with Wahoo McDaniel in a memorable feud
through the year where these two traded the Mid-Atlantic
Heavyweight Title several times between them. By the end of the
year, Flair became a World Champion for the first time, teaming
with Greg Valentine to defeat Gene and Ole Anderson for the NWA
World’s Tag Team Championship on December 26, 1976. 1976 was
certainly the breakout year for Ric Flair, with his star rising
steadily throughout the year.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Wahoo McDaniel, Paul Jones.
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