The Domed Globe

Check out one of our sister-blogs which focuses on everything related to the domed-globe NWA world heavyweight championship belt 1973-1986, better known as "the ten pounds of gold."

The Domed Globe
http://tenpoundsofgold.blogspot.com

The blog focuses on the eight men who wore and defended the domed-globe version of the belt that was in service from 1973-1986: Harley Race, Jack Brisco, Giant Baba, Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes, Tommy Rich, Ric Flair, and Kerry Von Erich.

There are video clips, photographs, memorabilia, etc. Check it out and help celebrate the most respected world title belt of all time.

Almanac History - March 1980

David Chappell's

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling History

Many fans started their wrestling month of March 1980 in front of their TV sets on Saturday March 1st, watching Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling hosted by Bob Caudle. This show was action packed from beginning to end. It started with Gene Anderson telling the viewing audience that the debut of the Iron Sheik would be delayed for about three weeks, as Gene was sending the Sheik to Japan to become more proficient in the martial arts.

This Mid-Atlantic show that aired in many markets on March 1st had two terrific matches in the NWA Television Title tournament. In the first, popular veteran Johnny Weaver battled “Number One” Paul Jones. In an entertaining bout, Jones was caught striking Weaver in the throat with a karate thrust, leading to a disqualification and sending Weaver on to the next round. The second Tournament bout was a wild encounter between Blackjack Mulligan and big Ox Baker.

To complicate matters for Blackjack, Superstars #1 and #2 were sitting at ringside cheering Baker on. Prior to the bout, Ox was promised $2,500 by the Superstars if he could put Mulligan out of wrestling during the Tournament match. Using his famed “heart punch,” Baker had Mulligan beat but at the urging of the Superstars let the big Texan up! Mulligan quickly turned the tables on Ox, and pulled out an improbable win!

The final segment of the March 1st Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling TV show had Ray Stevens and Greg Valentine out at ringside watching NWA World Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood wrestle Doug Somers and Frankie Lane. After the bout, Stevens and Valentine interrupted the Champions’ interview, with Valentine calling them “punks” among other unflattering things. This led to physical retaliation by Steamboat and Youngblood, with the champs getting the better of the altercation. Steven and Valentine were furious, saying they were “sucker punched,” and that they couldn’t fire back because they were hamstrung by being on probation by the NWA.

Almanac - Roster - March 1980

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Roster - March 1980

Compiled by David Chappell for the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

(N) = newcomer to area  (D) = departure from area  (R) = returnee to area

MAIN EVENT
BABYFACES	HEELS
Jim Brunzell Ric Flair Rufus R. Jones Blackjack Mulligan Ricky Steamboat Jay Youngblood	Paul Jones (D) Jimmy Snuka Ray Stevens Superstar #1 Superstar #2 Greg Valentine Baron von Raschke (D)
MID-CARD
BABYFACES	HEELS
Matt Bourne Tony Garea Special Delivery Jones Rick McGraw Pedro Morales Johnny Weaver	Ox Baker Brute Bernard Gene Lewis (R) Swede Hanson Dewey Robertson
LOWER CARD
BABYFACES	HEELS
Joe Furr Abe Jacobs Don Kernodle Klondike Bill (D) Coco Samoa Bob Marcus Scott McGee Ronnie Sexton	Frankie Lane David Patterson Tony Russo Scorpion Billy Starr Doug Somers Mr. X #1 (D)
GUEST SHOTS	MANAGERS
None	Gene Anderson
WOMEN	MIDGET WRESTLERS
None	None
REFEREES	TV ANNOUNCERS
Sonny Fargo Stu Schwartz Tommy Young	Bob Caudle David Crockett Miss Julie Rich Landrum
TV PROMO ANNOUNCERS	TV RING ANNOUNCERS*
David Crockett Rich Landrum	*Starting in February of 1979, wrestler introductions were no longer made from the ring, but instead were made from the announcer’s desk by hosts Bob Caudle and Rich Landrum.
CUMULATIVE RATINGS
SINGLES	TAG TEAMS
1. Jimmy Snuka (1) 2. Jim Brunzell (2) 3. Blackjack Mulligan (4) 4. Ric Flair (3) 5. Superstar #1 (5) 6. Greg Valentine (10) 7. Rufus R. Jones (6) 8. Ricky Steamboat (NR) 9. Superstar # 2 (NR) 10. Paul Jones (9)	1. Ray Stevens and Greg Valentine (2) 2. Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood (1) 3. Superstars #1 and #2 (3) 4. Blackjack Mulligan and Rufus R. Jones (4) 5. Swede Hanson and Dewey Robertson (5)
Copyright © 2015 David Chappell • Mid-Atlantic Gateway Posted 05/10/2015

Almanac History - February 1980

David Chappell's

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling History

The month of February 1980 in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling began with the conclusion of a short program that featured “Nature Boy” Ric Flair against his cousin, “The Crippler” Gene Anderson. This unique series pitted these two in 30 minute time limit bouts, where Ric had to win within the 30 minutes by using the figure four leg lock, or the Nature Boy would lose his hair! These stipulations clearly favored Anderson to the max!

On February 1st, Ric and Gene hooked up at County Hall in Charleston, South Carolina with Ric coming perilously close to having his famous “golden mane” being shaved off! After that brutal contest, Flair and Anderson had to travel all the way up to Hampton, Virginia, for a “rematch” the following evening. In the promos leading up to the Hampton bout, Gene chuckled about Ric becoming bald, while Flair told the tidewater Virginia fans that Anderson would have to kill him to ever take his hair. In the end, Ric was correct as he survived the Hampton bout with his hair intact, and this short Anderson/Flair program had run its course.

On the World Wide Wrestling television program that aired around much of the territory on Saturday March 2nd, an intriguing new tag team debuted. Newcomer Ox Baker with his dreaded “heart punch” teamed with the returning big Swede Hanson! Announcers Rich Landrum and Johnny Weaver referenced that the big Swede had just returned from a very successful tour of the northeastern states, where he had wrestled main events in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The duo of Baker and Hanson whipped the tag team of Bob Marcus and Don Kernodle with ease on the March 2nd TV show.

This “World Wide” show also featured a one minute film clip where Ric Flair described how Jimmy Snuka put 36 stitches in his head. Additionally, Jim Crockett made a very rare television appearance, telling the fans that when he informed Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood that he was suspending Greg Valentine and Ray Stevens for cutting Jay’s hair, he was threatened with a lawsuit from “Steamer” and Jay! The good guys desperately wanted Stevens and Valentine in the ring. Crockett said he relented in the face of a lawsuit, and that Stevens and Valentine instead were being fined and put on probation.

Roster - February 1980

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Roster - February 1980

Compiled by David Chappell for the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

(N) = newcomer to area  (D) = departure from area  (R) = returnee to area

MAIN EVENT
BABYFACES	HEELS
Jim Brunzell Ric Flair Rufus R. Jones Blackjack Mulligan Ricky Steamboat Jay Youngblood	Paul Jones Baron von Raschke Jimmy Snuka Ray Stevens John Studd (D) Superstar #1(N) Superstar #2 (N) Greg Valentine
MID-CARD
BABYFACES	HEELS
Matt Borne (N) Tony Garea Special Delivery Jones Pedro Morales Johnny Weaver Tim Woods (D)	Ox Baker (N) Brute Bernard Swede Hanson “Cowboy” Frankie Lane Dutch Mantell (N) Dewey Robertson

Almanac History - January 1980

David Chappell's
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling History

During the Christmas/New Year’s holiday season, an unholy alliance was forged between two tough grapplers that would have major ramifications for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling for the first half of 1980. Ray “The Crippler” Stevens and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine joined forces, with the express intent of capturing the NWA World Tag Team Titles from the current titleholders Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood.

Gene Anderson

However, before the New Year got too far along, Greg Valentine had several more matches against his former best friend, Ric Flair. This series of matches, which most fans believed they would never see, started in late December when Flair spurned Valentine’s offer to reform their dynamic tag team combination. These two squared off on three consecutive nights, on January 6th in Savannah, Georgia, January 7th in Greenville, South Carolina and in Raleigh, North Carolina on January 8th, with Ric dominating these contests to the delight of the fans.

On the first television show of the New Year, the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling show taped at the WRAL TV studios in Raleigh, North Carolina on January 2nd, Ray Stevens and Greg Valentine came out and quickly challenged the tag team champs Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood. There could be no doubt that Ricky and Jay were the primary targets of Valentine and Stevens, but the bad guys also issued challenges to the top tier teams of Blackjack Mulligan and Ric Flair, and Jim Brunzell and Rufus R. Jones.

While Stevens and Valentine would continually challenge Steamboat and Youngblood during the month, the two teams only wrestled once for the Titles during the month of January. That bout saw Ricky and Jay score an impressive victory over Stevens and Valentine in Spartanburg, South Carolina on January 12th. The next night in Greensboro, North Carolina, the champs won a scientific matchup with Jack and Jerry Brisco, who were flown in to challenge for the World Tag Team Titles. Other than those two nights, Steamboat and Youngblood had a full month of January Title defenses, staving off the last gasp challenge of Paul Jones and Baron von Raschke.

Roster - January 1980

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Roster - March 1980

Compiled by David Chappell for the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

(N) = newcomer to area  (D) = departure from area  (R) = returnee to area

MAIN EVENT
BABYFACES	HEELS
Jim Brunzell Ric Flair Rufus R. Jones Blackjack Mulligan Ricky Steamboat “Mr. Wrestling,” Tim Woods Jay Youngblood	Paul Jones Baron von Raschke Jimmy Snuka Ray Stevens John Studd Greg Valentine
MID-CARD
BABYFACES	HEELS
Tony Garea Special Delivery Jones Rick McGraw Pedro Morales (R) Johnny Weaver	Gene Anderson Brute Bernard Crusher Blackwell (D) Sgt. Jacques Goulet (D) Swede Hanson (R) Dewey Robertson

Mid-Atlantic Gateway Moving Here

In late June, the Mid-Atlantic Gateway website at www.midatlanticgateway.com will be transitioning to a blog website. All of the material (now over 1200 pages) on the old website will be archived for access at some point, although it may be a few weeks before that material is available.

The Mid-Atlantic Gateway domain name (midatlanticgateway.com) will point to this blog site. Official transition date to be announced.

If you have questions, please contact us via e-mail at midatlanticgateway @ gmail dot com.


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Check out the newest memorabilia and history book from the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. A complete look at the historic year of 1975.

Visit this page for more information:
http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/yearbooks.htm

The detailed, written history of a pivotal year in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling history. Includes a huge collection of newspaper ads, newspaper articles, event posters, memorabilia, and a massive collection of match listings and results for every city in the territory. Comprehensive rosters of all wrestlers, announcers, and managers for the entire year broken down by their position on the card. The book also includes reproductions of the four major event publications sold at the arenas throughout that year. Plus special features on the historic U.S. title tournament following the infamous Wilmington plane crash.

It was year full of unforgettable action and major angles featuring The Anderson Brothers, Johnny Valentine, Blackjack Mulligan, Wahoo McDaniel, Ric Flair, Rufus R. "Freight Train" Jones, Paul Jones, "Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods, Terry Funk, Jack Brisco, Harley Race, Superstar Billy Graham, The Super Destroyer (Don Jardine), Ivan Koloff, The Avenger (Reggie Parks), Prof. Boris Malenko, Andre the Giant, and many more.

Under Construction

This new version of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway website is under construction. In late June, it will become the new home of the Gateway. We are transitioning to a blog-format website.

All of the old material on the Gateway (some 15 years worth of articles, stories, interviews, and memorabilia) will be archived at a new address www.midatlanticwrestling.net.  

Coming Soon! A new book about the history of Jim Crockett's United States Championship and the belts that represented it. Keep an eye out here for details.