The Gateway Interview: Don Kernodle (2009)

 

Back in July of 2009, we had the chance to interview Don Kernodle while getting together with him and his brother Wally (aka Rocky Kernodle) with mutual friends  Peggy Lathan, Wendi Weaver, and others. It was on the eve of that year's Johnny Weaver Cup tournament for CWF Mid-Atlantic based out of Burlington, NC, where Don would be honored on that night. 

David Chappell led the discussion with Don as we both had a blast covering all sorts of topics in an epic 8-part interview that first appeared on the old (rather archaic) Mid-Atlantic Gateway website, and is still archived at that old web address.

You can click the graphic above to go to PART ONE or navigate to the other installments using the list below. It's one of the best interviews we did in those early years of this website, and that was largely due to Don himself, who gave fascinating insights into how he broke into the business and many other topics.

THE GATEWAY INTERVIEW: DON KERNODLE (JULY 2009)

PART ONE  |  PART TWO  |  PART THREE  |  PART FOUR

PART FIVE  |  PART SIX  |  PART SEVEN  |  PART EIGHT

 
We were very sad to learn the news of Don's passing. He was a warm, fun loving guy we enjoyed getting to know over the past 12 years or so, and always looked forward to seeing him and Wally, whether for fried chicken and BBQ at Smithfield's in Mebane or crossing paths with them at the Mid-Atlantic Legends Fanfest events. He always greeted you with that familiar "Hey, ol' buddy!"

Don Kernodle was honored at the 2009 Johnny Weaver Cup
tournament for CWF Mid-Atlantic Wrestling in Burlington, NC.

The interview contains lots of photos taken by Eddie Cheslock (including that one in the header), Peggy Lathan, and some from the private collection of Don's partner Jim Nelson (Boris Zhukov). The two were Mid-Atlantic Tag Team champions back in 1982.  

Don't miss Peggy Lathan's farewell to Don posted earlier on our site:
A Friend Says Goodbye to Don Kernodle

And Mike Mooneyham's most recent column for the Charleston Post & Courier remembering Don is excellent.

And look for a special episode of Mike Sempervive's Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast on the life and times of Don Kernodle with a detailed examination of one of the territory's biggest events ever, "The Final Conflict." Coming soon to midatlanticpod.com.

The Mid-Atlantic Championship's Complete History

 

Book Page on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Book Store  |  Buy on Amazon.com

Please Note: Wahoo McDaniel did not kill Ric Flair!

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Wrestling was different back in the day. Many fans believed. And that led to some wild rumors circulating through the territory.

Some of those rumors took root such that the local promoter had to go public and dispel them. 

Such was the case in early 1977 with a particularly nasty rumor following what must have been such a brutal match between Ric Flair and Wahoo McDaniel that it left fans thinking Wahoo had actually killed Flair! Pete Apostolou, Jim Crockett's promoter on the ground in Roanoke and Lynchburg and other towns in southwest Virginia, had to call in to the local Lynchburg newspaper and ask them to publish a short missive letting fans know that Ric Flair actually wasn't dead.

Despite dispelling the rumor that Flair had died after the match with Wahoo, Aposolou - ever the promoter - still let fans believe Wahoo had put Flair in the hospital. Something about that I really love in a twisted way.

The real story: Flair actually missed a little over a month of action due to abdominal surgery, reported as an emergency appendectomy or gallbladder surgery, depending on the source. Flair's first missed card was on 1/28/77 in Spartanburg, SC where he and tag team partner Greg Valentine were to defend their NWA tag team titles. During the month of February, Valentine teamed with various "mystery partners" filling in for Flair. 

Photograph by Bill Janosik

 
Flair was a part of a heavily hyped singles cage-match main event in Greensboro on 2/6/77 against "cousin" Ole Anderson, growing out of their feud over the NWA tag team titles. Jim Crockett brought in Superstar Billy Graham from the WWWF as his replacement for that one night, and was able to promote him in time for the big Greensboro Coliseum card.  Graham was a nice fill-in as he had become a big deal nationally in the wrestling magazines and was only a couple of months away from winning the WWWF Heavyweight Championship from Bruno Sammartino. 

Flair returned to action on 3/05/77 for promoter Apostolou in Roanoke VA, teaming with Valentine to defend the tag titles against the Jones boys - - No. 1 Paul Jones and the "Freight Train", Rufus R. Jones.

The little note in the Lynchburg paper, though, shows how real wrestling was to some fans back in those days. It's also a testament to the brutality that Wahoo McDaniel and Ric Flair showed in their matches that had fans feeling that way. Wrestling was better then.

Thanks to Mark Eastridge for the great clipping.

The Anderson Family Tree: How Ric Flair and Rip Hawk were all Part of Wrestling's Greatest Family

We've joked over the years that if Flair was Rip Hawk's nephew and he was also Gene and Ole Anderson's cousin, then that must have meant that Rip Hawk and the Anderson Brothers were somehow related.

THE ANDERSON FAMILY TREE
(aka, All in the Family)
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

It's probably fair to say that in the storybook world of pro-wrestling, especially back in the territory days, worked family connections were just as common as bonafide family relationships.

For all the Funks, Briscos, and Von Erichs there were just as many Valiants, Fargos, and Andersons.

Ric Flair and Rip Hawk
Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Champions

Sometimes wrestling would even take an actual truthful family relationship (like father and son Johnny and Greg Valentine) and create a worked relationship (Johnny and Greg Valentine as brothers in the mid-1970s when Greg first arrived in the Mid-Atlantic.)

But then there is the special case of the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Flair would, for a very short time, be a member of two different wrestling families soon after arriving to Jim Crockett Promotions.

RIP HAWK'S NEPHEW
Flair arrived in Charlotte in May of 1974, debuting for Jim Crockett Promotions against Abe Jacobs at the Charlotte Coliseum on Monday night, May 13.

Within two weeks, booker George Scott was toying around with different ways to align Flair to begin his slow push. There were two family relationships that sprung up almost at the same time.

Ric was first said to be the nephew of Rip Hawk, the "blond bomber" who had a notorious reputation in the area going back more than a decade. George Scott teamed Hawk and Flair up early, only a few weeks after Flair arrived, and the two would soon win the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team championship from Paul Jones and Bob Bruggers on the Fourth of July in Greensboro. Flair's star was quickly on the rise.


COUSIN TO THE ANDERSON BROTHERS
But during this same time, the story was also floated on TV and in newspaper event ads that Flair was a cousin of Gene and Ole Anderson, playing off the fact they were all three from Minnesota.

A newspaper article written in advance of a 5/24/74 show in Burlington, NC, listed the matches for the upcoming card, and included this little new factoid:

"Singles action has Ric Flair, a relative of the Anderson Brothers, facing Billy Ashe."

Three days later on 5/27 in Greenville, SC -- exactly two weeks after his debut - - Flair and Rip Hawk teamed for the first time, getting an upset win of sorts over area veterans Nelson Royal and Danny Miller. Flair's push was on.  Less than seven weeks later, they won the Mid-Atlantic tag team titles.

We've joked over the years that if Flair was Rip Hawk's nephew and he was also Gene and Ole Anderson's cousin, then that must have meant that Rip Hawk and the Anderson Brothers were somehow related. Maybe Flair wasn't a member of two different wrestling families - - maybe both were all one big happy family.

Now, go ahead and try to figure out that family tree. I dare you.


THE ANDERSON FAMILY TREE (WE PROMISE)
Extensive research (really) has unearthed the following genealogical information. This is our story and we are stickin' to it:

1. There was a family of Andersons that immigrated to Minnesota from Sweden in the late 1800s. The patriarch was Noah Anderson. He and his wife Alma had four children, two boys and two girls.
2. Their first son, Nils Anderson, married and had four sons of his own: Gene, Lars, Nils Jr., and Ole. All became pro wrestlers.
3. Their first daughter, Alma Anderson, married a Minnesota physician named Morgan Flair. They had a son named Richard "Ric" Flair who also became a pro-wrestler. (This makes Ric a first cousin to the four Anderson brothers by blood.)
4. The second daughter, Catherine Anderson, married a pro wrestler named Harvey "Rip" Hawk. (This makes Rip an uncle by marriage to Ric Flair and, as an aside, an uncle by marriage to the four Anderson brothers, too. Apparently Rip never wanted to publicly acknowledge them.)
5. Unrelated to this article, but to finish out the family tree, Noah and Alma's second son, Liam Anderson, had a son named Arn, which makes Arn blood cousin to the four Anderson brothers and Ric Flair, and as it works out, also a nephew by marriage to Rip Hawk. Liam and his wife Lesa moved to Georgia when Arn was just a baby, which would explain Arn's south-Georgia accent (as well his penchant for uttering classic southern phrases like "If I tell you a grasshopper can pull a freight train, hook him up!")
   
   

Mythical Anderson Family Tree (Click image to enlarge.)

Confused? Don't worry. As Ole Anderson would say, this is all horsesh*t. And it may go quite the way of making the argument that I had too much free time on my hands when writing this.

This article was originally published May of 2018 on the mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Mid-Atlantic TV Report: August 13, 1983

The WWE Network is no longer available
in the United States.

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
TV Summaries & Reviews
by David Taub
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This is a review of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling as it once 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 as well as links to the Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast, visit our TV Summary Index.

Please note: The WWE Network ceased operation in the United States on April 4, 2021. Their press release stated that their entire archive of material (which would include the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling shows) would be transitioned to NBC's Peacock streaming service by the end of the summer 2021. We'll update as we know more.

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Original broadcast: 08/13/83
Taped 07/31/83 in Savannah GA - Savannah Civic Center
Review is from the now defunct WWE Network (U.S.) feed. 

Match 1
Jimmy Valiant d. Bill Howard
Tommy Young is the referee for the hour. Valiant dances and shakes hands on the way to the ring. He has his “Kiss My” tights on. An easy Valiant win with the elbow drop.

[VTR] Harley Race (Kansas City Studio)
Comments from Harley Race
We go to taped comments from Harley Race. Not taped in the Mid-Atlantic set. Race namedrops heels like Big John Studd, Brisco, Paul Jones, Gary Hart and more. Race is disappointed no one has collected on his $25,000 bounty on Flair.

[Break]

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Ric Flair
Flair responds to Race’s comments and the bounty. Flair says Race fears him. Slater tried, and left a mark on his forehead. Funk, Roberts, the Briscos have also tried. Flair doesn’t mind paying the price. You will find out what Ric Flair is made of. 

[CLIP] Mid-Atlantic Wrestling 7/30/83 - Briscos injure Jay Youngblood.
Briscos vs. Steamboat & Youngblood.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Ric Flair (Continued)
Back to Flair. Youngblood is sitting home with four broken ribs. Flair warns the Briscos. Back to Race and the bounty hunters. “You Jack & Gerlad Brisco will be - WOOO! - on the losing end.”

[Break]

Match 2
Jake Roberts (w/Paul Jones) d. Tracy Stoher
Roberts is mat wrestling more than normal. One-sided match with Roberts winning with the DDT. Still no name for the hold, which Caudle calls a “bulldog.”

Match 3
Dick Slater d. Keith Larson
We head right back to the ring. No Paul Jones with Slater. Slater could have finished Larson off at any time, and finally does with the Samoan drop using the ropes for some extra leverage.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Paul Jones
This is in lieu of local interviews. Jones, in a beige tuxedo, is still complaining about Rufus R. Jones ruining his Dream Contest. He says his men would love to go after the bounty.

[Break] 

Match 4
Mike Rotundo & Rufus R. Jones d. Golden Boy Grey & Bob Brown
This Bob Brown is the man who I believe became Lt. James Earl Wright of the State Patrol of WCW fame. In the background, you can hear a ring announcer talk, but can’t make out what he was saying. Maybe some headlights were left on in the parking lot. Brown takes the pin after a Rufus headbutt.

[Break]

Match 5
The Assassin d. Mike Davis
This Assassin is the future Hercules. I guess the prior interview of Hamilton Assassin saying they would go by Sir and Mr. didn’t take. No Hamilton Assassin here this week. Caudle references a Jimmy Valiant interview where he says he got rid of Humperdink & One Man Gang. That apparently got cut. The match initially took place 7/22/83 in Richmond, but also went around the horn. Davis gets in his offensive flurry before Assassin takes control. A minute later, Assassin wins with a power slam.

[Break]

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Gary Hart
Caudle mentions Valiant getting rid of managers, and Gary Hart may be next. Hart is holding the NWA TV title belt. Hart says Humperdink and Gang are one thing, but he is another. It’s not his business what happened to Humperdink, or what could happen to Paul Jones. He’s concerned about himself. Hart calls Valiant a blue-eyed Albino boy. He taunts Valiant to go after him and Kabuki.

[Break]

Match 6
Non-Title: Great Kabuki [TV Champion) (w/Gary Hart) d. Joel Deaton
Now you see it, now you don’t. No TV title belt in the ring. Deaton has moments of offense, but Kabuki comes off the top and applies the head claw. He takes Deaton down for the pin. 

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Dick Slater; Paul Jones, Jake Roberts & Dory Funk Jr.
Slater says he kicked Flair’s face in once, and he will do it again. Jones talks about Rufus R. Jones cheating, so he won’t get the $100,000. He says his boys will happily go after the bounty. 

“So long for now!” 

 * * * * * * * * * * * *

Results for the week, 8/08/83-8/14/83
(source: Clawmaster’s Archive via Sports and Wrestling blog posted by David Baker; “Wrestling” newsletter by Joe Shedlock)

Mon., 8/08/83 Greenville, SC; Memorial Auditorium
Cy Jernigan d. Bill Howard
Gene Anderson d. Vinnie Valentino
Steve Musulin d. Joel Deaton
Jake Roberts d. Bob Orton Jr.
Greg Valentine d. Roddy Piper
Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat d. Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco by DQ

Mon., 8/08/83 Myrtle Beach, SC
Rick McCord d. Tom Lentz
Keith Larson d. Golden Boy Grey
Dick Salter d. Mike Davis
Rufus R. Jones d. Dory Funk Jr.
Jimmy Valiant & Bugsy McGraw d. Great Kabuki & Gary Hart 

Tue., 8/09/83 Columbia, SC; Township Auditorium
Mark Fleming d. Ben Alexander
Gene Anderson & Sgt. Jacques Goulet d. Rick McCord & Keith Larson
Assassin 2 d. Steve Musulin
Rufus R. Jones d. Dory Funk Jr.
Roddy Piper d. Greg Valentine by DQ

Tue., 8/09/83 Raleigh, NC
Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco by DQ
Bob Orton, Jr. beat Jake Roberts
Dick Slater beat Mike Rotundo
Bret Hart beat Joel Deaton
Bill Howard beat Cy Jernigan
Vinnie Valentino beat Jerry Grey

Thu., 8/11/83 Fredericksburg, VA; Stafford High School
Mike Davis beat Golden Boy Grey
The Assassin beat Mike Davis
Jacques Goulet beat Mark Fleming
Bugsy McGraw beat One Man Gang
Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco

Fri., 8/12/83 Charleston, SC; County Hall
Gene Anderson beat Brett Hart
Keith Larson beat Rick McCord (sub for Rick McCord & Keith Larson vs. Bill Howard & Tom Lentz)
Princess Victoria beat Peggy Lee
Bob Orton, Jr. beat Jake Roberts
Non-United States championship: Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine

Fri., 8/12/83 Hampton, VA; Hampton Coliseum (8:15p)
Cy Jerigan d. Brett Hart
Sgt. Jacques Goulet d. Mark Flaming
Mike Rotundo d. Assassin 1
Rufus R. Jones d. Dory Funk Jr.
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco d. Wahoo McDaniel & Ricky Steamboat
Ric Flair beat Dick Slater by CO

Sat., 8/13/83 Roanoke, VA; Roanoke Civic Center (8:15p)
Mike Davis d. Kelly Kiniski
Sgt. Jacques Goulet d. Mark Fleming
The Assassins d. Johnny Weaver & Mike Routndo
Non-United States Heavyweight championship: Roddy Piper d. Greg Valentine [ch.]
World tag team championship: Ric Flair & Rick Steamboat d. Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco [ch.] by DQ

Sun., 8/14/83 Columbia, SC; Township Auditorium
The Assassins d. Jimmy Valiant & Rufus R. Jones
Jake Roberts d. Bob Orton Jr.
Ric Flair d. Dick Slater
Wahoo McDaniel & Rick Steamboat d. Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco by DQ

A Friend Says Goodbye to Don Kernodle

by Peggy Lathan
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

I was shocked to hear about Don Kernodle's passing. He was one of my best friends and had been for almost 50 years. I have so many good memories of Don, most of them including Johnny Weaver.

I first began going to the matches with my mother and grandmother in Greenville, SC in 1968. Johnny Weaver was one of the first wrestlers I met, talking to him as he stood by the back wall watching matches.  Back then, the wrestlers would stand in the back and sign autographs and pose for pictures. Johnny was my favorite and while chatting, I told him about our three generations attending the matches. 

DON KERNODLE (circa 1976)

One night in 1973, Johnny told Don about the three of us, and Don wanted to meet my family. He was fascinated about three generations all attending the matches together, the same seats, every week. That was the beginning of a long-time friendship. 

Don hit it off with my grandmother. Nannie loved Don, she would cheer for him and was his biggest supporter. Don would make her so happy. I remember several times, the bad guy would throw Don out on the floor and he would land right at my grandmother's feet. I'm sure Don would plan it that way. He would look up from the floor and plead, "Help me Nannie, help me! Don't let them hurt me, Nannie." She would reach down and pat him on the back or the shoulder, and as the bad guy approached she would ball up that fist and threaten to whip them if they got near Don. "Oh, thank, you Nannie, thank you," Don would say.

Don and I had many good times together. We went to the beach several times with Johnny Weaver, Don's brother Wally, and other friends. We attended races, had cookouts at Johnny's house, attended matches and just enjoyed being together doing fun things. I'm really going to miss those times and all of the phone calls and cards. 

Rest in Peace, my friend.  I will always love you.  'Till we meet again. 

  - Peggy Lathan             

* * * * * * * *
For more on my Nannie, see:
Every Wrestling Crowd Had One: The Little Old Lady Ringside

* * * * * * *
Other posts by Peggy Lathan:
Ric Flair Shuts Down The Pantry
Ole Anderson: Good Sammaritan
Gene Anderson was No Help at All!
Ronnie Garvin: AirPlanes and Rear View Mirrors
Meeting Baby Doll

Crockett Cup '85: The Road to the Quarter Finals

ROUND FOUR PREVIEW:
THE QUARTER FINALS

by Mike Rickard
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor 

UPDATED BRACKETS

The 1985 Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament is underway. Wait, did you just say 1985? It’s time to take a look at one of wrestling’s biggest events from the mid-80s and see what it might have been like with a few historical alterations. What if Jim Crockett Promotions hosted its tag team tournament the Crockett Cup in 1985 and included teams from promotions outside the National Wrestling Alliance (“NWA”) including the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), All Japan Pro Wrestling, and more? In this case, you’d have 48 of the greatest tag teams in the world battling in a winner take all tournament for $1,000,000 and the prestigious Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Trophy. 

The first round saw 32 teams competing to advance to round two with 16 teams making it in. Round two followed as these 16 teams battled the 16 top-seeded tag teams that received a first-round bye. Round three continued with the remaining 16 teams slugging it out with eight making their way to round four. As round four begins, let’s take a look at what to expect with “The Elite Eight.”

Fourth Round Rules:
Here are the rules for round four of our tournament. A pool of referees from the NWA, AWA, and WWF have been appointed for the tournament and randomly selected for each match. The fourth-round matches have a sixty-minute time limit and are sanctioned under NWA rules (throwing an opponent over the top rope is an automatic disqualification). The matches are one fall with a win obtained by a pinfall, submission, count-out, or disqualification. 

The fourth-round matches are being held at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The four matches will take place on Friday April 26. Your commentators for the matches are Bob Caudle and David Crockett, but as always, you never know when a special guest will show up. 

Welcome to the Quarter-Finals
Bob Caudle and David Crockett welcome the fans to round four. Bob Caudle says it’s been a wild ride so far, but unfortunately, things got out of hand during the third round match between the team of Bruiser Brody/Stan Hansen and the Road Warriors. Bob recalls how Brody and Hansen won the match, injuring Road Warrior Animal in the process. However, that was only the beginning as Brody and Hansen attacked Hawk and manager “Precious” Paul Ellering afterwards, along with a number of wrestlers who tried to stop the ambush. David says “That’s right and the National Wrestling Alliance convened a special meeting to discuss Brody and Hansen’s actions.” 

National Wrestling Alliance President Jim Crockett Jr. appears in a videotaped message that airs at the Superdome. Mr. Crockett announces that “The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament was marred by an unfortunate incident involving competitors Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen. Sadly, this is not the first time a team competing has engaged in activity unbecoming to the good name of professional wrestling. What happens in the ring is one thing, but violent attacks outside the ring will not be tolerated. After a careful review of the circumstances, the NWA has decided to fine Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen $50,000 each. Furthermore, the team will post $100,000 each that will be forfeit if they are sanctioned again. If Mr. Brody and Mr. Hansen do not consent to this decision, they will be disqualified from the tournament and the Oklahoma Cowboys will received a bye to round five. After what I hope was careful consideration, the team decided to pay their fines and post the bond.”

David Crockett tells “Looks like Brody and Hansen are confident enough that they’ll win the tournament that they’re willing to pay that fine and post the bond. Bob Caudle adds that rumor has it that the NWA’s various members hinted that Brody and Hansen would be suspended for a year if they failed to pay. Whatever the case, the matches are set and the fans are in for a real treat as eight of the world’s top teams are ready for round four. 

Coming Up Next:
Join us next time as round four begins with “The Rock-n-Roll Express” (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) taking on the Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Arn and Ole Anderson). Which team will advance to round five in the quest for tag team glory and some serious cash?

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

PREVIOUS POSTS IN THE CROCKETT CUP '85 FANTASY SERIES

Original Tournament Announcement (May 2020)
Seedings and First Round Pairings Announced

FOURTH ROUND MATCHES (QUARTER FINALS)
[ Preview ] [ Brackets ]

Fourth Round: Match 1 (Tournament Match #41)
     The Rock & Roll Express vs. Ole and Arn Anderson

THIRD ROUND MATCHES
[ Scouting Report ] [ Brackets ]

Third Round: Match 1 (Tournament Match #33)
     The Rock & Roll Express vs. The Russians
Third Round: Match 2 (Tournament Match #34)
     Ole & Arn Anderson vs. Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi
Third Round: Match 3 (Tournament Match #35)
     Midnight Express vs. High Flyers
Third Round: Match 4 (Tournament Match #36)
     Kevin and Mike Von Erich vs. The British Bulldogs
Third Round: Match 5 (Tournament Match #37)
     Road Warriors vs. Brody and Hansen
Third Round: Match 6 (Tournament Match #38)
     Funk Brothers vs. Oklahoma Cowboys
Third Round: match #7 (Tournament Match #39)
    Texas Outlaws vs. Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff
Third Round: match #8 (Tournament Match #40)
    Fantastics vs. Freebirds

SECOND ROUND MATCHES
Second Round: Matches 1 & 2 (Tournament 17 & 18)
     Mulligan/McDaniel vs. The Russians
    Rock & Roll Express vs. Maharishi/Nagasaki
Second Round: Matches 3 & 4 (Tournament 19 & 20)
    Brown/Jannetty vs. Inoki & Sakaguchi
    Ole & Arn Anderson vs. Windham/Rotunda)
Second Round: Matches 5 & 6 (Tournament 21 & 22)
    Midnight Express vs. Hart Foundation
    PYT Express vs. High Flyers
Second Round: Matches 7 & 8 (Tournament 23 & 24) 
    Rude/Barr (with Percy Pringle III) vs. Kevin and Mike Von Erich
    Fujinami/Kimura vs. British Bulldogs
Second Round: Matches 9 & 10 (Tournament 25 & 26)
    Brody/Hansen vs. Williams/DiBiase
    Road Warriros vs. Lawler/Dundee
Second Round: Matches 11 & 12 (Tournament 27 & 28)
    Piper & Orton vs. The Oklahoma Cowboys
    The Funk Brothers vs. The Younglood Brothers
Second Round: Matches 13 & 14 (Tournament 29 & 30)
    Rhodes/Murdoch vs. Adams/Hernandez
    Sheik/Volkoff vs. Steamboat/Snuka
Second Round: Matches 15 & 16 (Tournament 31 & 32)
    Fantastics vs. Fabulous Ones
    Sheepherders vs. Freebirds

FIRST ROUND MATCHES
First Round: Matches 1 & 2
    Hennig/Blackwell vs. Mulligan/McDaniel
    Tyler/Whatley vs. Maharishi/Nagasaki
First Round: Matches 3 & 4
    Windham/Rotunda vs. Bockwinkel/Saito
    Rougeaus vs. Inoki/Sakaguchi
First Round: Matches 5 &6
    Barbarian/Graham vs. Hart Foundation (Hart/Neidhart)
    High Flyers (Brunzell/Gagne) vs. Savage/Poffo
First Round: Matches 7 & 8:
    The Von Erich vs. Blanchard/Abdullah the Butcher
    Tenryu/Tsuruta vs. The British Bulldogs
First Round: Matches 9 & 10:
    Graham/Blair vs. DiBiase/Williams
    Valiant/McGraw vs. Lawler/Dundee
First Round: Matches 11 & 12:
    Piper/Orton vs. Patterson/Fernandez
    Rock & Roll RPMs vs. Youngblood Brothers
First Round: Matches 13 and 14:
    Dynamic Duo (Gino & Chris) vs. American Starship
    Sawyer Bros. vs. Steamboat/Snuka
First Round: Matches 15 and 16
    Batten Twins vs. Fabulous Ones
    Weaver/Houston vs. Sheepherders

Poster: Flair and Sweet Ebony Diamond challenge Valentine and Superstar at Ernie Shore Field

 

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

Ernie Shore Field in Winston-Salem, NC opened in 1956 and was home to the Winston-Salem minor league baseball team. On occasion this baseball stadium would host concerts as well as professional wrestling, both Mid Atlantic and IWA.

This poster takes us back to the summer of 1980 and promotes a card held on July 25th with the main event being a tag team matchup pitting the Masked Superstar and Greg Valentine against Ric Flair and Sweet Ebony Diamond.

Rocky Johnson entered the Mid Atlantic territory under a mask as Sweet Ebony Diamond and was a superb performer, but probably best known today as father of "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson. 

Dewey Robertson was also on this card, having lost the Canadian Heavyweight Championship to the Iron Sheik a couple of months earlier. Sheik was on a roll, having also won the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship from Jim Brunzell two weeks before this card at Ernie Shore.

I'm confident it was an exciting Friday night under the stadium lights for wrestling fans with an undercard also featuring Mid-Atlantic greats Johnny Weaver and Don Kernodle. 

The poster design itself really draws your attention with black print on a bright yellow background and the date and main event in bold high impact red. It would definitely be hard to miss sitting in the front window of a local business as you're passing by.

NO. 5 IN A SERIES

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

Gateway Notes:

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling was also being held that Friday night in Charleston SC and Lynchburg, VA. Charleston was headlined by Blackjack Mulligan vs. Enforcer Luciano in a Texas Street Fight. Lynchburg's main event saw Jim Brunzell trying to reclaim his Mid-Atlantic title from the Iron Sheik.

A Story Well Told: Florida's Role in the Race/Funk NWA Title Change in Toronto (1977)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

We're always appreciative of newspapers that do a good job of presenting wrestling in a journalistic fashion. This is a particularly good article in the Tampa Tribune promoting an upcoming card for Championship Wrestling from Florida on February 8, 1977, just two nights after Harley Race defeated Terry Funk with an Indian deathlock to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. 

Who knows who wrote the piece. It doesn't really sound like it came from the office, but it sounds way too informed to be written by the a staff sports writer either.

The article captures all the complete twists and turns in the wonderful story leading up to this night at the fabled Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. There were actually two separate stories being told.

The first story cemented former champion Jack Brisco as Florida's top contender for the NWA title. Many of the fans coming to the Hesterly Armory that Tuesday night had witnessed Brisco cleanly beat Harley Race, also a former champion, that past Saturday in St. Petersburg. Surely Brisco could beat Race again, this time with his newly won NWA World championship at stake in Tampa.

The second story told answered a question many might have had following the finish to the title change match in Toronto. As a teenage fan watching wrestling in 1977, when the film of the match from Toronto was shown on Mid-Atlantic television, it seemed strange to me that Race had won by submission with an Indian deathlock. I had only ever seen our local hero Paul Jones win with that hold. In the wrestling magazines, it seemed the reports usually suggested Race typically won with various suplexes or his infamous flying headbutt from the top turnbuckle, resulting in wins by three-count pinfall. Why had Race instead gone for the submission for the win against Funk in Toronto? 

The answer, it turned out, played out the night before in Florida.

The main event of the card in St. Petersburg on Saturday night was Terry Funk defending the NWA title against Dusty Rhodes. As the article above reports, Funk injured his knee in the match against Rhodes, and "against his better judgement" went ahead with the scheduled title defense against Race the next night in Toronto.

The rest, as they say, is history. Race knew what most fans didn't about the night before in the St, Petertsburg Bayfront Arena. Funk was hurt, and Race took advantage. He defeated Funk in 14:10 with an Indian death-lock to capture the gold belt. (I can still hear ring announcer Norm Kimber make the famous call.) It was a hold Race used infrequently (if ever?) and seemed almost out of place as it happened that night in Maple Leaf Gardens.

As the author of the article pointed out. Brisco's victory over Race in St. Petersburg came three days too early. Race got the better of him in Tampa this night to retain.  

• SAT FEB 5, 1977 - St. Petersburg, FL - NWA Champ Terry Funk injures his knee in a successful world title defense against Dusty Rhodes. On the same card, Jack Brisco defeats Harley Race.
• SUN FEB 6, 1977 - Toronto, ON - Harley Race defeats Terry Funk to win the NWA World Title. Race deploys a rarely-used Indian deathlock to win the match, exploiting Funk's hurt knee from the night before in St. Petersburg.
• TUE FEB 8, 1977 - Tampa, FL - New NWA Champion Harley Race defeats Jack Brisco to defend title, the result of the match written about in the article seen above.
  
  

The injury to Funk's knee in St. Petersburg gave Funk an excuse he could bandy about after his loss to Race in Toronto the next night.

The article also colors between the lines nicely, accurately reporting key dates in the NWA title history of Brisco and the Funk Brothers, and even including a reference to an NWA title change in the same building eight years earlier to the week.

It's just an all around amazing piece to be found in a newspaper, and one of my favorite clippings from the history of the NWA title changes during the domed-globe era. And for those curious, it explains one of the mysteries about the historic Toronto finish some fans may have had at the time. 

* * * * * 

Video of Harley Race's win over Funk in Toronto can be found on the Domed-Globe website here.

Late update: See three pages from the Florida program "The Grapevine" for the Feb. 5 show in St. Petersburg that set the stage for Toronto. (Thanks@bobbynorton9115 on Twitter.)  

2/5/77 NWA Champion Terry Funk loses by DQ against Dusty Rhodes at the Bayfront Center. Funk loses the championship belt in his next match against Harley Race 2/8/77 in Toronto. @wrestlerweekly @magateway @ByMikeMooneyham pic.twitter.com/xVRo5lqzlx

— Championship Wrestling from Florida Guy (@bobbynorton9115) May 21, 2021

This article was originally posted on our sister website, The Domed-Globe.

Charting Mid-Atlantic Wrestling: A Statistical look at the Territory

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Working with statistics makes my head hurt. I love reviewing them, but have no patience for compiling them. David Chappell is better at it than I am, and has more patience for it. But nobody can do it better or has taken as much time to process them than Al Getz at his website Charting the Territories.

We were delighted when Al notified us he was working on this project for the Mid-Atlantic area. He was looking for more detailed information regarding placement on cards, etc., and so we asked Mark Eastridge (the greatest newspaper researcher we've ever known or come across) if he would allow us to share his vast newspaper ads & results archives with Al to assist with his statistical analysis. Mark's collection  goes back beyond the 1950s, and he has been building it for decades. He was happy to oblige. After all, we all share the same passion for documenting the history of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. And even though Al credits the Mid-Atlantic Gateway's Almanac as inspiration for this work, it's Mark Eastridge's amazing collection that really makes it possible. 

The result of all that work is the relatively new Mid-Atlantic section of the Charting the Territories website. Al begins his statistical and historical look in 1973, the year that the Crockett territory was fully branded Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. He's going quarter-by-quarter, and has posted the first two quarters of 1973 as of this writing.

Charting the Territories - Mid-Atlantic Wrestling - First Quarter 1973
Charting the Territories - Mid-Atlantic Wrestling - Second Quarter 1973

Al compiles these stats using a system he developed called the SPOT Rating metric. According to his website, the SPOT (Statistical Position Over Time) Rating measures a wrestler’s average position on the cards. The result is a great “depth chart” which, as we see it, provides something like a rating system, sorting the wrestlers at that time by how high they appeared on cards, indicating their relative impact and value to the promotion. It's clear that a lot of time and work went into this.

We are very excited to see this collection of statistics and other information grow. We are linking to it from our Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Almanac page (you'll find the links at the bottom of the right hand column on the main index), supplementing the vast amount of information compiled there by David Chappell that begins in 1974. Once Al gets to 1974, we'll be linking to his pages from our various almanac pages including the historical narratives and rosters. 

This stuff is amazing, so visit Charting the Territories and dive in!

In the Tiger's Den: Paul Jones confronts NWA Champion Terry Funk

Baltimore Jack · NWA Champ Terry Funk confronts U.S. Champ Paul Jones (1976)

"In the Tiger's Den"

On the February 14, 1976 episode of Jim Crockett Promotions' "Wide World Wrestling" television show, host Ed Capral interviews NWA world champion Terry Funk. Funk was frustrated with the fact that Paul Jones held a victory over him which took place only a few weeks before Funk won the NWA title from Jack Brisco.

That victory was on the annual Thanksgiving night show at the Greensboro Coliseum when Jones pinned Funk to win the United States Heavyweight Championship. Jones' win paired with the title made him the undisputed number one contender for Terry Funk's NWA World Championship.

In this vintage audio recording, Funk calls out Paul Jones and a brief confrontation occurs. It takes place during the 2-minute "halftime" interview segment of the program. This is a classic Terry Funk promo during his reign as champion.

Originally published October 2012 on our sister website The Domed Globe.

The Domed Globe  |  www.TenPoundsOfGold.com

Don Kernodle Passes Away

We are very saddened to hear the news of Don Kernodle's passing. He was a true legend of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, and while most remember his ground breaking feud with partner Sgt. Slaughter against Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood, older fans will remember the many years Don toiled away in the mid-card and under-card before finally getting that break. He earned every bit of it. 

 Rest in peace. 

How Firm a Foundation: What Ole Anderson left to Arn Anderson and the Four Horsemen

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

On a recent episode of ARN, the terrific podcast with Conrad Thompson on Cumulus/Westwood One and Ad Free Shows, Arn Anderson spoke about the early days of the Four Horsemen. The context was his early association with Ole Anderson and how that association legitimized Arn early in his career.

During a recent "Ask Arn Anything" episode, a question about Arn's early family relationship with Ole Anderson and Ric Flair (a storyline that dated back to 1974 with Flair and the Anderson family), led Arn down the path of talking about what that "cousin" association with, not only Ric Flair, but with Ole Anderson in particular, meant to his career at that point, but also to the early formation of the Horsemen.  

"Ole was a huge part as far as giving us credibility off the get-go. He gave me credibility off the get-go," Arn told Conrad. "He helped give us a launching pad," Arn said, for what became the legendary force that was the Four Horsemen. 

The Enforcer, "Doube A" Arn Anderson
One-half of the National Tag Team Champions
with Ole Anderson
(Eddie Cheslock Photo)

And it wasn't lost on Arn what replacing a founding member of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew meant either. "It made me credible stepping basically into Gene Anderson's spot, being Ole's partner," he said. He described it as a "pretty stout" situation in those days. 

And while "the Rock" (Ole's longtime nickname, long before that other guy named the Rock came along) served as part of the foundation of the Horsemen for only it's first full year, that foundation he helped build proved firm enough for him to walk away and leave a valuable spot open for younger, perhaps hungrier members to take his place, including Lex Luger in 1987 and Barry Windham in 1988. 

Ole Anderson Returns to Full Time Action
Ole forming the team with Arn in the spring of 1985 meant a return to full time action in the ring. He had been retired from full time wrestling since the summer of 1983 when he devoted all of his energy into booking and promoting Georgia Championship Wrestling, in which was part owner, and later his own Georgia-based promotion after the takeover of the long-standing Georgia NWA office by the WWF that is part of the legend of Black Saturday. He wrestled sporadically in 1984 and early 1985, but more as a special attraction than as a regular part of any program or storyline. But when Jim Crockett, Jr. bought the TV time on the SuperStation in the spring of 1985 and basically absorbed Ole's struggling promotion, Ole committed to returning ot the ring full-time and finishing out the year of 1985, working to recoup some of his lost fortune that he has sunk into his promotion, but also to help develop Arn Anderson as a star for booker Dusty Rhodes. That later blossomed organically into the Four Horsemen with Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard and James J. Dillon. Ole took the late winter and spring of 1986 off to follow his son Bryant's amateur wrestling career. Business was so good for Jim Crockett Promotions that Ole came back for the balance of 1986 full-time as part of an amazing boom period for JCP. That would be his last full-time stint working in the ring, although he did come back for a part-time run, teaming with Arn in Ted Turner's WCW in late 1989 and 1990 as part of a reformation of the Horsemen.

"He was at the end of his career," Arn said on his podcast of his run with Ole in 1985. "He made that pretty clear when he came back (to working a full schedule in 1985). He wasn't going to wrestle for years, but he helped give us a launching pad."

Photo collage courtesy Mike Cline, Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats

 

Arn Anderson's Launching Pad
Ole Anderson providing a launching pad for Arn actually had it's roots two years earlier. Arn has spoken often about Ole launching his career into the big time by making him an Anderson in April of 1983, when Marty Lunde was dubbed Arn Anderson, the nephew of Ole Anderson. Ole (as booker for Georgia) teamed him with second generation wrestler Matt Borne and gave them a push as part of an early version of Paul Ellering's fledgling stable, the Legion of Doom. 

Arn kept the Anderson name after leaving Georgia in Spetember of 1983 for the Southeast Wrestling territory (Alabama and panhandle of Florida) run by Ron Fuller, which was booked then by Bob Armstrong who gave Arn his first break as a main-event status wrestler, forming a team with "Mr. Olympia" Jerry Stubbs. The two were frequent Southeastern tag team champions. He made spot appearances back in Georgia during that time, returning to fight his "uncle" Ole Anderson in a few matches, who at that point was the babyface authority figure for Georgia Championship Wrestling. That additional exposure as a main-eventer on the nationally televised WTBS show gave Arn more recognition as a "top guy." 

When NWA World Champion Ric Flair toured the Southeastern area, he became friends with Arn and subsequently recruited him to join Jim Crockett Promotions in the spring of 1985, where booker Dusty Rhodes quickly teamed him up with returning Ole Anderson to reform a new Minnesota Wrecking Crew, changing the family relationship to cousins. 

The rest is history. How firm a foundation, indeed.

* * * * * *

The episode of the podcast with the discussion about Ole is "Ask Arn Anything #40" which originally aired April 27, 2021 and is available on all podcast platforms as well as the Westwood One website page for Arn's show.

 

Poster: The Anderson Brothers battle the Mongols in Roanoke

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

Here is a poster promoting a great card from the Roanoke, VA Civic Center on May 1, 1976. 

This was a unique double main event with a chain match followed by a cage match. Such a promotion usually meant there would be plenty of bloodshed and I'm confident that was the case this Saturday night in Roanoke.  

The Mongols and the Anderson Brothers continued their famous feud of 1976 locked in a steel cage. I wonder who the fans in Roanoke were pulling for? 

Wahoo McDaniel was known for his strap matches, but on this night he faced the Great Malenko in his specialty, the chain match. This was nothing new for Wahoo and Malenko as they competed in  both types of matches all over the state of Texas in 1970. 

Wahoo would regain the Mid Atlantic title from Ric Flair two nights later on May 3rd in Charlotte, NC. 

The layout on this poster is pretty basic with all black print on a light pink background and words at the top "Roanoke Sports Club Presents," found on Roanoke posters for many years.

NO. 4 IN A SERIES

* * * * * * * * *

Gateway Notes: 

Roanoke was final battle ground for these two teams that had been battling off and on for months by the time of this battle in May 1976. They would have one more battle many months later that also took place in Roanoke.

For more on the legendary matches between the Anderson Brothers and the Mongols (unbilled NWA vs. IWA World Tag Team battles!) check out these earlier posts on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway:

Worlds Collide: The Andersons Battle the Mongols in 1976
Roanoke: The Mongolian Waterloo

All the Andersons/Mongols details in the 1976 Yearbook

Crocket Cup '85: Fantastics vs. Freebirds - - Round Three Concludes!

SIXTEEN TEAMS ENTERED ROUND THREE: WHO IS LEFT?
See the Scouting Report on the remaining teams.

• Updated Brackets
• Links to all previous matches at bottom of page.
• See the Round Three Scouting Report

THIS WEEK'S MATCH
Third Round Match #8
(Tournament Match #40)
The Fantastics vs. The Freebirds 

The 1985 Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament is underway. Wait, did you just say 1985? It’s time to take a look at one of wrestling’s biggest events from the mid-80s and see what it might have been like with a few historical alterations. What if Jim Crockett Promotions hosted its tag team tournament the Crockett Cup in 1985 and included teams from promotions outside the National Wrestling Alliance (“NWA”) including the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), All Japan Pro Wrestling, and more? In this case, you’d have 48 of the greatest tag teams in the world battling in a winner take all tournament for $1,000,000 and the prestigious Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Trophy. 

The first round saw 32 teams competing to advance to round two with 16 teams making it in. Round two followed as these 16 teams battled the 16 top-seeded tag teams that received a first-round bye. Now, round two has finished and just sixteen teams remain as round three continues. 

Third Round Rules: Here are the rules for the round two of our tournament. A pool of referees from the NWA, AWA, and WWF have been appointed for the tournament and randomly selected for each match. The third-round matches have a sixty-minute time limit and are sanctioned under NWA rules (throwing an opponent over the top rope is an automatic disqualification). The matches are one fall with a win obtained by a pinfall, submission, count-out, or disqualification.
The third-round matches are being held over two nights at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia. The first four matches will take place on Friday April 19 while the remaining four will take place on Saturday April 20. Your commentators for the matches will be Bob Caudle and David Crockett, but as always, you never know when a special guest will show up. 

Note: The wrestling world lost one of the giants when Jim Crockett Jr. passed away on March 4, 2021. As someone who cut his wrestling teeth on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, his work means a great deal to me and his contributions to professional wrestling cannot be overstated. 

Round three’s seventh match saw the Texas Outlaws (“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and “Captain Redneck” Dick Murdoch) win a hard-fought victory over the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. Now, round three is about to conclude as the Fantastics (Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton) battle the Fabulous Freebirds.

Pre-Match Interviews
Bob Caudle and David Crockett note it’s been a wild ride so far and tonight’s last match should be no exception. Bob says it’s time to send things back to Tony Schiavone who is backstage with the Fabulous Freebirds. Tony has all three Freebirds with him, Michael “P.S.” Hayes, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy and Buddy Roberts. Michael tells Schiavone it’s great to be back in Hotlanta and he knows all the ladies are waiting for the ‘Birds to knock off the Fantastics so they can hit the clubs. Tony asks Hayes which two Freebirds will be competing tonight thanks to the Freebird Rule which allows them to choose any two of the three members. Gordy laughs and asks Schiavone how many times do you have to ask that question because you’re not going to get an answer. Roberts proclaims it’s time for some Freebird Fantasia as the ‘Birds leave the backstage area. 

Johnny Weaver is backstage with the Fantastics, Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers. Bobby tells Johnny it’s great to be interviewed by “The Dean of Professional Wrestling” and that they’re honored by the cheers they’ve received so far. Tommy adds that they had a tough time with their last opponents, the Fabulous Ones, but that’s nothing compared to the Fabulous Freebirds. Bobby says Grandma is counting on that color television and they know that million-dollar prize could help out a lot of their family members. The Fantastics thank Johnny for his time and promise the fans they’re going to give 110%. 

The Fantastics (Tommy Rodgers and Bobby Fulton)
vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (Buddy Roberts and Michael Hayes)
The Fantastics enter the arena as the fans cheer them loudly. Tommy and Bobby take their time getting into the ring, hugging the ladies and slapping fans’ hands. Bob Caudle notes the Mid-Atlantic fans have taken a liking to this young team and that Rogers and Fulton impressed them with their performance. Music fills the arena as David Crockett asks if that’s the Allman Brothers he hears. Bob gently reminds David that it’s Lynyrd Skynyrd playing the song “Freebird.” The Freebirds enter the arena to considerable applause but it seems like the Fantastics are getting more cheers. WWF referee Danny Davis stands by as the announcer introduces both teams. Buddy Roberts and Michael Hayes will compete tonight while Terry Gordy remains at ringside. Davis checks all four men for foreign objects and any signs of shenanigans before signaling for the bell.

Michael Hayes starts the match against Tommy Rogers and Hayes offers his hand. Rogers goes to shake it but Hayes draws it back and does a smooth moonwalk away, laughing as he does and playing to the fans. Hayes turn around as Rogers dropkicks him, knocking him back. Hayes isn’t laughing now David Crockett says. Rogers grabs Hayes and puts him into a side headlock. Hayes escapes, whipping Rogers into the ropes and going for a shoulderblock, but Rogers knocks him down. Arm drag takedown by Rogers on Michael Hayes. Bob Caudle remarks the Fantastics aren’t joking around. Tag to Bobby Fulton who bounces off the ring ropes and hits a legdrop onto Hayes’ arm. Fulton takes over with an arm twist. Hayes is close enough to the ropes that he is able to force a rope break. Fulton lets go and as he does, the Freebird slugs him. Fulton isn’t about to play punching bag and he unloads on Hayes in the corner as Danny Davis starts a five-count. Buddy Roberts comes in and grabs Fulton, kneeing him in the gut. Tommy Rogers jumps into the ring as Roberts grabs him and whips him into the opposite corner. Hayes unloads on Fulton while Roberts exchanges punches with Rogers. The Freebirds go to whip the Fantastics into each other but Rogers and Fulton reverse it, sending the Freebirds into each other. Each Fantastic delivers an atomic drop to their respective foes. David Crockett shouts “This one looks like it’s going to be over fast!” 

Five minutes have elapsed as the Fantastics do a little dance for the fans as the Freebirds roll out of the ring. Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts pound their hands on the mat apron while Terry Gordy looks concerned. Bobby Fulton lowers a ring rope as Tommy Rogers motions a welcome for the ‘Birds to step back in. After some stalling and a near ten-count from the referee, both Freebirds return to the ring. Hayes locks up with Fulton as both men try to gain control. Knee to the gut by Hayes who drops an elbow to the back of Fulton’s neck. Irish whip by Hayes as Fulton bounces off the ropes, leapfrogging over the Freebird and connecting with a dropkick on the way back. Another arm drag takedown as Bobby tags in Tommy Rogers. Tommy jumps off the top rope as Fulton has the arm bar on Hayes. Big forearm to Hayes’ arm as Bob Caudle observes both men are targeting Hayes’ arm, which could eventually stop him from performing a variety of holds. 

Tommy continues the arm bar until Hayes escapes with an eye rake. Danny Davis warns Hayes about the eye rake as he follows up with a big right hand. Rogers fights back, connecting with his own right hand, knocking Hayes to the mat. Front facelock by Tommy as he wears Michael Hayes down to the mat. Hayes gets up to his feet and somehow manages to leverage Rogers into the ropes, forcing a break. Hayes motions for a clean break then takes a swing at Tommy, only for the Fantastic to block the punch and counter with a punch of his own. Tag to Bobby Fulton as Hayes backs into a neutral corner. Ten minutes in now. Fulton comes in only for Hayes to thumb him in the eye. Hayes kicks Fulton in the gut then hits a snapmare. Bodyslam by Hayes. Fulton crashes down to the mat as Hayes stomps him. Another body slam by Hayes on Fulton. “P.S.” whips Bobby into the Freebirds’ corner where Buddy has a boot outstretched. 

Tag to Buddy Roberts as both Freebirds whip Bobby into the ropes and deliver a double elbow to the chest. Roberts drops a knee across Bobby’s head and covers him, getting a two count. Tag to Hayes who kicks Fulton in the gut while Buddy restrains him. Hayes rams Bobby’s head into the turnbuckle then kicks at him in the corner. Danny Davis tells Hayes to get out of the corner and Hayes starts jawing with him. As he does, Roberts chokes Fulton with the tag rope. David Crockett shouts for the referee to turn around but he doesn’t, instead ordering Tommy Rogers back to his corner as he comes in to make the save. With the referee distracted, Hayes lifts Fulton up for a piledriver as Roberts comes off the second rope and spikes it. Roberts gets the referee as Hayes covers Fulton. However, Tommy Rogers runs in for the save, breaking up what Bob Caudle says would likely have been a three-count. 

Fifteen minutes have elapsed now as Michael Hayes makes the tag and in comes Buddy Roberts. Roberts charges at Fulton, clotheslining him down to the mat. Legdrop on Fulton’s midsection. Roberts bodyslams Bobby and covers him, but Fulton is close enough to the ropes that he somehow gets his leg on the bottom rope. Roberts lifts Bobby up and whips him into the ropes, delivering a big back body drop. Elbow drop on Fulton. Bob Caudle says the Freebirds have kept Fulton away from his corner for too long. Swinging neckbreaker on Fulton as Roberts drags him to a neutral corner. Buddy grabs Fulton and delivers a bulldog, covering him for the pin. 1, 2,…Tommy Rogers runs in and stomps Roberts in the head. Michael Hayes comes in and it’s fist city as he and Rogers trade punches. 

Meanwhile, Buddy whips Fulton into the ropes and goes for another back body drop. However, Fulton counters with a Sunset Flip. 1,2…Roberts kicks out as Bob Caudle speculates Fulton just doesn’t have enough gas left in his tank to keep the Freebird down. The two teams have been fighting for twenty minutes now. Hayes and Rogers are brawling in the Fantastics’ corner and the referee seems oblivious to them. Fulton catches Roberts with a kneelift, knocking him down to the mat. Bobby slowly climbs to the top rope as Terry Gordy watches the referee. David Crockett says Rogers isn’t there to launch Fulton, but it looks like he’s going for a flying bodypress. Fulton dives off the top rope onto Roberts, but Buddy raises his knees. Buddy covers him as Davis counts the 1-2-3.

Winners: The Fabulous Freebirds

Tommy Rogers hears the bell ring and turns around as it’s too late for anything but checking on his fallen partner. The Freebirds celebrate outside the ring as Bob Caudle announces they’re going to round four - the Quarter Finals

NEXT! THE CROCKETT CUP '85 QUARTER FINALS!
Join us next time as our eight remaining teams battle in round four. The pressure is only going to increase as our elite eight battle for tag team glory and some serious cash?

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

PREVIOUS POSTS IN THE CROCKETT CUP '85 FANTASY SERIES

Original Tournament Announcement (May 2020)
Seedings and First Round Pairings Announced

THIRD ROUND MATCHES
[ Scouting Report ] [ Brackets ]

Third Round: Match 1 (Tournament Match #33)
     The Rock & Roll Express vs. The Russians
Third Round: Match 2 (Tournament Match #34)
     Ole & Arn Anderson vs. Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi
Third Round: Match 3 (Tournament Match #35)
     Midnight Express vs. High Flyers
Third Round: Match 4 (Tournament Match #36)
     Kevin and Mike Von Erich vs. The British Bulldogs
Third Round: Match 5 (Tournament Match #37)
     Road Warriors vs. Brody and Hansen
Third Round: Match 6 (Tournament Match #38)
     Funk Brothers vs. Oklahoma Cowboys
Third Round: match #7 (Tournament Match #39)
    Texas Outlaws vs. Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff
Third Round: match #8 (Tournament Match #40)
    Fantastics vs. Freebirds

SECOND ROUND MATCHES
Second Round: Matches 1 & 2 (Tournament 17 & 18)
     Mulligan/McDaniel vs. The Russians
    Rock & Roll Express vs. Maharishi/Nagasaki
Second Round: Matches 3 & 4 (Tournament 19 & 20)
    Brown/Jannetty vs. Inoki & Sakaguchi
    Ole & Arn Anderson vs. Windham/Rotunda)
Second Round: Matches 5 & 6 (Tournament 21 & 22)
    Midnight Express vs. Hart Foundation
    PYT Express vs. High Flyers
Second Round: Matches 7 & 8 (Tournament 23 & 24) 
    Rude/Barr (with Percy Pringle III) vs. Kevin and Mike Von Erich
    Fujinami/Kimura vs. British Bulldogs
Second Round: Matches 9 & 10 (Tournament 25 & 26)
    Brody/Hansen vs. Williams/DiBiase
    Road Warriros vs. Lawler/Dundee
Second Round: Matches 11 & 12 (Tournament 27 & 28)
    Piper & Orton vs. The Oklahoma Cowboys
    The Funk Brothers vs. The Younglood Brothers
Second Round: Matches 13 & 14 (Tournament 29 & 30)
    Rhodes/Murdoch vs. Adams/Hernandez
    Sheik/Volkoff vs. Steamboat/Snuka
Second Round: Matches 15 & 16 (Tournament 31 & 32)
    Fantastics vs. Fabulous Ones
    Sheepherders vs. Freebirds

FIRST ROUND MATCHES
First Round: Matches 1 & 2
    Hennig/Blackwell vs. Mulligan/McDaniel
    Tyler/Whatley vs. Maharishi/Nagasaki
First Round: Matches 3 & 4
    Windham/Rotunda vs. Bockwinkel/Saito
    Rougeaus vs. Inoki/Sakaguchi
First Round: Matches 5 &6
    Barbarian/Graham vs. Hart Foundation (Hart/Neidhart)
    High Flyers (Brunzell/Gagne) vs. Savage/Poffo
First Round: Matches 7 & 8:
    The Von Erich vs. Blanchard/Abdullah the Butcher
    Tenryu/Tsuruta vs. The British Bulldogs
First Round: Matches 9 & 10:
    Graham/Blair vs. DiBiase/Williams
    Valiant/McGraw vs. Lawler/Dundee
First Round: Matches 11 & 12:
    Piper/Orton vs. Patterson/Fernandez
    Rock & Roll RPMs vs. Youngblood Brothers
First Round: Matches 13 and 14:
    Dynamic Duo (Gino & Chris) vs. American Starship
    Sawyer Bros. vs. Steamboat/Snuka
First Round: Matches 15 and 16
    Batten Twins vs. Fabulous Ones
    Weaver/Houston vs. Sheepherders

Mid-Atlantic TV Report: August 6, 1983

The WWE Network is no longer available
in the United States.

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
TV Summaries & Reviews
by David Taub
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This is a review of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling as it once 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 as well as links to the Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast, visit our TV Summary Index.

Please note: The WWE Network ceased operation in the United States on April 4, 2021. Their press release stated that their entire archive of material (which would include the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling shows) would be transitioned to NBC's Peacock streaming service by the end of the summer 2021. We'll update as we know more.

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Original broadcast: 08/06/83
(taped 07/27/83 in Spartanburg, SC - Memorial Auditorium
Review is from the now defunct WWE Network (U.S.) feed.

Match 1
Bob Orton Jr. d. Golden Boy Grey
Stu Schwartz is the referee for the hour as we join with this match already in progress. A running powerslam gets Orton the victory.

 [Break]

[TAPE] From last week’s World Wide Wrestling in Winston-Salem NC
Commentary by David Crockett and Johnny Weaver
Joined in progress: NWA World  Champion Harley Race vs. Ric Flair - First Fall
We join this 2-out-of-3 fall match in progress. Typical hard-hitting battle. Flair gets the submission with a Figure Four in the first fall of the match.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Ric Flair
Flair says it’s just a matter of time before he takes the title.

[Break]

[TAPE] Arena footage of Harley Race vs. Ric Flair
We go to another Race vs. Flair match. Believe this is 7/23/83 in Charlotte, but no arena is identified. Sandy Scott is the guest referee. Flair stays to narrate the match. A chair is involved. Flair is about to finish Race with the Figure Four. Dick Slater comes in for the DQ. Slater stomps on Flair with his cowboy boots. Double-team on Flair. Prelim wrestlers try to help to no avail. Race is bloody, and now so is Flair. Back to the set. Flair peels off his bandage showing a gash in his forehead. Woo!

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Ric Flair (Local Promo Slot)
This is lieu of local promos. Charlotte is his home. He’s not hard to find. The devil is in Ric Flair, and you must deal with that.

[Break]

Match 2
Roddy Piper d. Masa Fuchi
This is Piper’s first TV match back from his ear injury. He has tape on his ear again. All Piper. He wins by applying the abdominal stretch and rolling through.

[Break]

Match 3
Great Kabuki (w/Gary Hart) d. Rick McCord
Still no mention of the TV title. A long abdominal claw but can’t put away McCord. A head claw though, leads to a pin. 

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: The Assassins (Local Promo Slot)
This is in lieu of local promos. Caudle introduces The Assassins, 1 and 2. Assassin (Jody Hamilton) corrects him. He answers to “Mr.”, and Hercules answers to “Sir.” Mr. Assassin says they are dedicated to one another. Injuries may come. 

[Break] 

Match 4
The Assassins d. John Bonello & Brett Hart
All Assassins. Just like their prior TV match, they flash tag in while punishing Hart with alternating hammerlocks and knee drops. The referee calls for the bell. 

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Rick Steamboat & Roddy Piper
Piper places a belt around his neck like a noose. “You try to take my hearing away, I hang you!” He warns kids not to do what he does. “It’s time to draw a line on Valentine!” More Piper ADD. He likes to rhyme a lot in this promo. Steamboat talks about Youngblood’s injury. Piper volunteers to team with Steamboat. Piper & Flair have Steamboat’s back. Who has the Briscos back? Piper is playing with the belt around Caudle’s neck. Caudle gently brushes it away.

“So long for now!”

* * * * *

Results for the week, 8/01/83-8/07/83
(source: Clawmaster’s Archive via Sports and Wrestling blog posted by David Baker; “Wrestling” newsletter by Joe Shedlock)

Mon., 8/01/83 Greenville, SC; Memorial Auditorium
Vinnie Valentino beat Tom Lentz
Gene Anderson beat Mike Davis
Mike Rotundo beat The Assassin (Hercules)
Jake Roberts beat Rufus R. Jones
Non-Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight championship: Bob Orton, Jr. beat Dory Funk, Jr. [ch.]
Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco by DQ

Mon., 8/01/83 Fayetteville, NC; Cumberland County Civic Center
Rick McCord & Keith Larson beat Jacques Goulet & Bill Howard
Kelly Kiniski beat Cy Jernigan
Johnny Weaver & Bugsy McGraw beat Dick Slater & One Man Gang
Great Kabuki beat Jimmy Valiant
Greg Valentine beat Roddy Piper 

Tue., 8/02/83 Columbia, SC; Township Auditorium
Ric Flair & Roddy Piper beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco by DQ
Jimmy Valiant beat Great Kabuki
Gene Anderson & The Assassin beat Mike Davis & Brett Hart
Mike Rotundo beat Magic Dragon
Jacques Goulet beat Vinnie Valentino

Tue., 8/02/83 Raleigh, NC
Keith Larson d. Golden Boy Grey
Kelly Kiniski d. Rick McCord
Dick Slater & One Man Gang d. Bugsy McGraw & Johnny Wevaer
Jake Roberts beat Rufus R. Jones
Non-Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight championship: Bob Orton, Jr. beat Dory Funk, Jr. [ch.]
Greg Valentine DCO Rick Steamboat

Wed., 8/03/83 Spartanburg, SC; Memorial Auditorium (TV)
MACW:
Roddy Piper & Rick Steamboat d. Bill Howard & Joel Deaton; Tommy Young
-Comments from Rick Steamboat [training montage with Jay Youngblood]
Greg Valentine & Dick Slater d. Vinnie Valentino & Mike Davis; Tommy Young
-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Bugsy McGraw
The Assassins d. Brett Hart & Keith Larson; Sonny Fargo
-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Mike Rotundo & Rufus R. Jones
Bob Orton Jr. & Mike Rotundo & Rufus R. Jones d. Magic Dragon (w/Gary Hart) & Tom Lentz & Sgt. Jacques Goulet; Sonny Fargo
WWW:
Bugsy McGraw d. Tom Lentz
Ric Flair & Bob Orton Jr. d. Golden Boy Grey & Bill Howard
The assassins d. Mike Davis & Rick McCord
Dory Funk Jr. & Jake Roberts d. Glenn Lane & Keith Larson
Rufus R. Jones & Mike Rotundo d. Kelly Kiniski & Joel Deaton
Dark
Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat d. Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco by DQ
Greg Valentine d. Roddy Piper
The Great Kabuki d. Jimmy Valaint

Thu., 8/04/83 Sumter, SC; Exhibition Center County of Sumter (Eccos)
Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco by DQ
Mike Rotundo vs. Dick Slater
The Assassin vs. Brett Hart
Rick McCord vs. Jacques Goulet
Keith Larsen vs. Joel Deaton

Thu., 8/04/83 Norfolk, VA
Kelly Kiniski d. Cy Jerigan
The Dragon d. Mike Davis
Johnny Waver d. Gene Anderson
Bugsy McGraw d. One Man Gang
Roddy Piper & Rufus R. Jones d. Dory Funk Jr. & Jake Roberts
Greg Valentine d. Wahoo McDaniel
Jimmy Valiant & Bob Orton Jr. d. Great Kabuki & Gary Hart

Fri., 8/05/83 Charleston, SC; County Hall
Kelly Kiniski d. Joel Deaton
Brett Hart d. Sgt. Jacques Goulet by DQ
The Assassin (Hercules) d. Keith Larson
NWA TV championship: Great Kabuki [ch.] d. Bugsy McGraw
Cage match/handicap/loser leaves town: Jimmy Valiant d. One Man Gang & Sir Oliver Humperdink

Fri., 8/05/83 Richmond, VA; Richmond Coliseum
Wahoo McDaniel & Ricky Steamboat beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco
Greg Valentine beat Roddy Piper
Rufus R. Jones beat Dory Funk, Jr. to win NWA Mid Atlantic Title
Dick Slater beat Mike Rotundo
Johnny Weaver beat Mike Davis
Gene Anderson beat Cy Jernigan

Sat., 8/06/83 Charlotte, NC; Charlotte Coliseum
The Assassin beat Jerry Grey
Gene Anderson beat Vinnie Valentino
One Man Gang & Kelly Kiniski beat Johnny Weaver & Mike Davis
Bob Orton, Jr., Rufus R. Jones & Bugsy McGraw beat Dory Funk, Jr., Paul Jones & Jake Roberts
Wahoo McDaniel beat Dick Slater by countout
Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco by DQ

Sun., 8/07/83 Asheville, NC; Civic Center
Vinnie Valentino beat Tom Lentz
Brett Hart beat Jerry Grey
Joel Deaton beat Cy Jernigan
Ric Flair, Roddy Piper & Ricky Steamboat beat Dick Slater, Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco
NWA World Champion Harley Race beat Wahoo McDaniel by DQ

Sun., 8/07/83 Greensboro, NC; Greensboro Coliseum
Rick McGraw beat Billy Howard
Gene Anderson beat Keith Larson
The Assassin beat Steve Muslin
Jimmy Valiant beat Great Kabuki
Rufus R. Jones & Bugsy McGraw beat Dory Funk, Jr. & Jake Roberts
Roddy Piper & Wahoo McDaniel beat Greg Valentine & Dick Slater in an Indian strap match
NWA World Champion Harley Race beat Bob Orton, Jr.
Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco by DQ

Sun., 8/07/83 Toronto, Ontario; Maple Leaf Gardens (Maple Leaf Wrestling)
Sgt. Slaughter no contest with Angelo Mosca
Andre The Giant beat One Man Gang
Tournament for vacant NWA Canadian Television Title
1st Round
Don Kernodle beat Joe Marcus
Johnny Weaver double countout with Kelly Kiniski
Jacques Goulet beat Nick DeCarlo
Mike Rotundo beat Magic Dragon
Semifinals
Don Kernodle received a bye
Mike Rotundo beat Jacques Goulet
Finals
Mike Rotundo beat Don Kernodle to win vacant NWA Canadian Television Title in tournament final
Little Beaver beat Little Brutus