Dream Team: Flair and Steamboat Go For the Gold

July 21, 1979,Charlotte Coliseum

Charlotte, North Carolina

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling's dream team of Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat battled reigning NWA world tag team champs Paul Jones and Baron Von Raschke in a Lumberjack match at the Coliseum in Charlotte, NC.

Flair had just tuned "good guy" for the first time ever a few months earlier and was mounting a full court press to defeat Paul Jones (his current arch enemy) and the Baron for the world tag team belts. He enlisted the aid of both Ricky Steamboat and Blackjack Mulligan in that quest.

An interesting tag team combination was featured in the semi-main. The legendary "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers took one half of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew Gene Anderson as his partner to battle the team of Jim Brunzell and Rufus R. "Freight Train" Jones. Rogers would become the manager of both Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and John Studd, and following an injury to his ear in late 1979, sold the contracts of his charges to Gene Anderson who became the manager of Snuka and several others to form "Anderson's Army."

 

Originally published July 2015 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Classic Clipping: Six-Man Tag Team Brawl (and Blooper!)

Today we present not only a classic clipping from 36 years ago today, but also the second in our series of newspaper ad bloopers.

If Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair formed a "dream team" early in the month in Charlotte, then adding Blackjack Mulligan made it a double-dream team in Richmond!

The dynamic trio battled Paul Jones, Baron Von Raschke, and "The Big Cat" Ernie Ladd in a huge main event on 8/10/79 in Richmond.

Jones and Von Raschke were the reigning NWA world tag team champions, but little did anyone know then they were only two days away from losing those titles to Flair and Mulligan on 8/12/79 in Greensboro.

The ad above is of the classic style of ads from that era. It also included a classic blooper. Have you found it yet?

There are actually TWO bloopers in this ad - - another "twofer" - - 

The first is Moose Morowski teaming with GONG Anderson! Of course, that's supposed to be Gene Anderson, one half of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew. The two battled Jay Youngblood and former WWWF champion Pedro Morales in the semi-final event.

During this time period Gene's brother Ole Anderson was wrestling in Georgia, while Gene stayed in the Mid-Atlantic. Gene often teamed with Moose in those years, as well as a semi-regular pairing with Sgt. Jaques Goulet, Swede Hanson, and a few others.

The second blooper is Dewey Robertson taking on LOCO Somoa! That, of course, should be Coco Samoa. 

We can understand someone at the Richmond Times-Dispatch thinking Loco Samoa made sense, perhaps thinking all wrestlers are a little bit "loco." But GONG Anderson? How is that mistake even possible? One of the great bloopers ever. Team up GONG Anderson with OLD Anderson (as in our first blooper we posted) and you would have quite a wrecking crew indeed!

 

Thanks to Mark Eastridge for the newspaper clipping.

Classic Clipping: Indian Strap Match

On this day in 1982! Loaded card!

Wahoo McDaniel and U.S. champion Sgt. Slaughter had been embroiled in a bitter feud over Sarge's U.S. title all summer. Things were coming to a head and the two were battling around the territory in a series of Indian Strap matches.

It was a big night for a house show. A loaded 7 match card, special radio sponsorship by WRNL in Richmond, and 1000 fans would receive a free poster. Not sure what that poster was, I'll see if David remembers. But a big night in Richmond for sure.

Bell time 8:15 PM! Good memories.

More Classic Clippings

Classic Clipping: Flair & Steamboat form "Dream Team" in Charlotte

July 21, 1979

Charlotte Coliseum

Charlotte, North Carolina

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling's dream team of Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat battled reigning NWA world tag team champs Paul Jones and Baron Von Raschke in a Lumberjack match at the Coliseum in Charlotte, NC.

Flair had just tuned "good guy" for the first time ever a few months earlier and was mounting a full court press to defeat Paul Jones (his current arch enemy) and the Baron for the world tag team belts. He enlisted the aid of both Ricky Steamboat and Blackjack Mulligan in that quest.

An interesting tag team combination was featured in the semi-main. The legendary "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers took one half of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew Gene Anderson as his partner to battle the team of Jim Brunzell and Rufus R. "Freight Train" Jones. Rogers would become the manager of both Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and John Studd, and following an injury to his ear in late 1979, sold the contracts of his charges to Gene Anderson who became the manager of Snuka and several others to form "Anderson's Army."

Republished in November of 2022 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Classic Clipping: Bobo Brazil Defends the U.S. Title

July 18, 1977  -  37 years ago today!
Cumberland County Memorial Arena
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Bobo Brazil was 11 days into his United States heavyweight title reign for Jim Crockett Promotions in July of 1977 when he put the title on the line in a rematch against former champ Blackjack Mulligan.

An excerpt from the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Almanac for July of 1977:

Blackjack Mulligan ran into difficulty almost immediately as the third quarter of 1977 began. A brief series of United States Heavyweight Title matches against top challenger Bobo Brazil ended in disaster for Mulligan on July 7, 1977 in Norfolk, Virginia when Brazil upended the seemingly unbeatable Texan for the coveted U.S. belt.

Classic Clipping: Winston-Salem NC 7/20/83