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.

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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!