Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater Defend the World Tag Team Titles in the Mid-Atlantic Area - - Almost (1977)

PART EIGHT

PART EIGHT

by Dick Bourne and Mark Eastridge
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
includes Vintage Classic Audio


As we've discussed in 7 earlier installments in this series, full time wrestlers from both the Mid-Atlantic territory and the Georgia territory made special appearances in each other's areas for one-night events.

While Augusta Georgia was "ground zero" for Georgia Championship Wrestling in this exchange, Georgia stars appeared in many different Mid-Atlantic towns during this time period including Richmond, Charlotte, and Greensboro, and others.

In September of 1976, reigning NWA world tag team champions the Anderson brothers left the Mid-Atlantic territory to go to Georgia, and they took their NWA world tag team title belts with them. A year later, they lost those belts to the unlikely pairing of Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater on 9/23/77 in Atlanta.

Rhodes and Slater were scheduled to come to the Mid-Atlantic territory to defend their newly won titles on October 30 in Greensboro, and actually had sent in video taped interviews to promote the match to be aired in the local Greensboro TV market. Newspaper ads ran advertising Rhodes and Slater bringing their titles to Greensboro to face former champions Ric Flair and Greg Valentine.

 
But before Rhodes and Slater made it here with the belts for the 10/30 show, they lost them back to the Andersons on 10/14/77 in Atlanta. Greensboro newspaper ads, seen above, were revised to reflect the Andersons as new champions.

"Dusty Rhodes, you may call yourself  'the American Dream' but you're going up against the Dream Team!"  - Greg Valentine 

Here is rare vintage audio of Valentine and Flair welcoming Rhodes and Slater to town:

Vintage Audio: Greg Valentine and Ric Flair promote their scheduled match with Rhodes and Slater

 
I've always hated that Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater never made it here with the tag team belts. It would have been an interesting match-up between them and Flair and Valentine - - to say the very least!

And it's nice to hear Greg Valentine use the term "Dream Team" - - that's the name of David Chappell's ongoing 8-part series about Mid-Atlantic Wrestling's "dream team" of the 1970s, Ric Flair and Greg Valentine.

See the earlier posts in this series. 

 Originally published August 24, 2016 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

It's Luger vs. Slater as "The Greatest U.S. Champion of All Time Tournament " Continues

 

Mike Rickard's latest entry in his "Greatest U.S. Champion of All Time" tournament features "The Total Package" Lex Luger vs. "Mr. Unpredictable" Dick Slater as the first round of the tournament continues. 

Who you got? Find out the way Mike Rickard sees things going here:
ROUND ONE (PART SIX): LEX LUGER vs. DICK SLATER

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Go back and review how this all got started here: Introduction and List of Competitors

EARLIER FIRST ROUND MATCH-UPS

Gateway Interview: "Mr. Unpredicatable" Dick Slater (2010) Part Three

In 2010, David Chappell had the opportunity to interview the legendary Dick Slater for the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. The lengthy interview covered a wide range of topics spanning Slater's entire career.

This is the final PART THREE. If you missed the earlier installments, visit them here:

PART ONE   |   PART TWO

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PART THREE

Chappell: When the shift came later to WCW, you were there weren’t you? Isn’t that where you started getting hurt?

Slater: I got hurt in ’96. I got hurt in Gainesville, Georgia. It was a TV match, and I blew a disc out…L four and five.

Chappell: That sort of started all of your injury problems?

Slater: That started it. Then I had one operation…the guy was supposed to be a good surgeon, but he did a real bad job. Then I had another operation done by a surgeon who was supposed to be a real good surgeon…and he did a pretty bad job. There’s actually no back surgery that’s 100% successful. It’s the hardest part of the body to operate on. My last surgery was the latest technology. But you never know what can happen. It could put you in a wheelchair forever.

Chappell: I thought that all the problems with your back started in that late WCW time frame.

Slater: I never had one bad injury until I had that.

Chappell: Going back a little earlier in your WCW years, you were reunited with your good friend Dick Murdock as the tag team of the ‘Hardliners.’ Tell us about Murdock.

Slater: Oh yeah, Dickie was a great friend of mine. Him and I went to Japan together, on his last trip over there. I stopped on the way home in Amarillo, Texas, and was at Terry Funk’s there for about three days. We talked to Dickie’s girlfriend, and he had gone to a rodeo and when he got home, the next day, he sat on the couch, said he wasn’t feeling well, and he passed away on the couch from a heart attack. I mean, I was just with him two days before that. You know David, that was a real bad blow to me.

Chappell: It had to be…I know how close you were to him.


Slater: We had just had a great time together in Japan for a couple of weeks. I was a real big shock. Same thing with Wahoo, you know? A lot of people are gone now. Look at all the people that are gone. Ray (Hercules) Hernandez, a good friend of mine, he’s gone. Road Warrior Hawk, Mike Hegstrand, is gone. There has been quite a few of us that have checked out.

Chappell: And many at such early, premature ages.

Slater: (pauses) Yeah…I know.

Chappell: Well, Dick, after you finished wrestling in the ring in the mid-90s, you sort of faded from view. And then, about a year ago, your name surfaced again in a very unfavorable light---you were charged with attempted murder, for allegedly stabbing your ex-girlfriend repeatedly. What was going on with you after your in-ring career ended?

Slater: Funny thing David…last month I had like 350,000 hits on the Internet, you know? Everybody’s asking a lot of questions about me, what I’m doing. I haven’t answered them yet, and I really haven’t said anything at all. Now I’m doing your interview, and I’m writing a book. Everybody’s concerned about, you know, what’s happened to Dick Slater and what’s he doing.

Chappell: We’re very happy you’ve chosen the Gateway to talk about some of these things…

Gateway Interview: "Mr. Unpredicatable" Dick Slater (2010) Part Two

In 2010, David Chappell had the opportunity to interview the legendary Dick Slater for the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. The lengthy interview covered a wide range of topics spanning Slater's entire career.

This PART TWO.
If you missed PART ONE, check it out here.

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PART TWO

Chappell: That Mid-South promotion was terrific. I actually moved out to that area in late 1984 for a while, and got to see that promotion up close.

Slater: You were out there the same time I was!

Chappell: Yep, pretty much…that was a heck of a promotion! And I want to talk some more about Mid-South in a little bit…and especially ‘Dark Journey’!

Slater: (laughs)

Chappell: I guess Dark Journey was really a ‘valet’ and not a manager, but I’d like your thoughts on your use of managers over your years in the business. Did you feel that they added a lot to the equation?  I know you had Gary Hart as your manager before you came into the Mid-Atlantic area, and for a while when you first came into the Crockett territory.

Slater: Actually, I’m pretty sure when I first went up to Jimmy Crockett’s territory, I’m pretty sure Gary Hart was working there…or came in soon after.

Chappell: That’s right…I believe Gary was focusing on Kabuki and the Magic Dragon for the most part then. But I remember you and Gary working together some in the Mid-Atlantic area.

Slater: I never really needed a manager to do the talking for me, but depending on the situation, managers could really add a lot…and generate heat. Gary was great…he managed Bobby Orton, Jr. and I in Georgia…before we ended up together in the Carolinas.  Gary was a talented manager…one of the best managers in wrestling.

Chappell: Since we’re still really talking about your pre Mid-Atlantic stuff, something that always comes up when the subject is Dick Slater…is the incident when Wahoo McDaniel shot you.

Slater: Well, Wahoo McDaniel, me, Tommy Rich and Andre the Giant were at a lounge in downtown Tampa that we always hung around down there. Andre, Wahoo and I were sittin’ at the bar, and somebody said something about Tommy Rich’s wife that got Wahoo real mad. Tommy went outside, this was about at closing time, and what I remember was that Wahoo got in an argument with this guy, and the guy went to the car, and gets his knife out, right?  So, Wahoo saw that, and I guess he went to the car and got a gun out.

Chappell: Oh boy…

Gateway Interview: "Mr. Unpredicatable" Dick Slater (2010) Part One

In 2010, David Chappell had the opportunity to interview the legendary Dick Slater for the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. The lengthy interview covered a wide range of topics spanning Slater's entire career.

We thought it would be special to run that interview again on the Gateway in light of Dick's passing last week. It will be presented in three parts.

One of the all-time great characters and performers in the pro wrestling business, he will be sorely missed by friends and fans.

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Some have called him “Mr. Unpredictable.” Others have referred to him as “Mr. Excitement.” Still others just call him “Dirty.”

Dick Slater lives up to all those nicknames, and a whole lot more.

When Dick Slater entered Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in January of 1983, he had already established himself as a major star in the wrestling business. His battles in the ring as part of Jim Crockett Promotions only added to the lofty reputation he brought to Charlotte with him. Whether it was watching him go toe to toe with Greg Valentine, or conspire with Bob Orton, Jr. to injure Ric Flair and pave the way for the mega-card of Starrcade 1983, or seeing him bring out his own NWA World Heavyweight Title belt and declare himself the World Champ in early 1984, Dick Slater always gave the wrestling fans everything they were hoping to see…and usually a surprise or two on top of that!

Dick Slater has lived his life to the fullest, both in and out of the ring. Many of his highs have been very high, and some of his lows have been very low. In this enlightening interview, Dick not only talks about his battles inside the squared circle throughout his illustrious wrestling career, but candidly talks about his recent life’s battles. Slater has many fascinating things to say, and much more will be revealed soon in a book he’s working on, aptly entitled "A Thousand Lives." For now, the Mid-Atlantic Gateway is happy to provide you a small sample of the story Dick Slater has to tell us all.

The Gateway would like to express our thanks to Lisa Lostraglio for her efforts in linking us up with “Mr. Unpredictable” Dick Slater. Without Lisa, this interview would not have happened. The Gateway’s friend, Peggy Lathan, also played a large role in Dick Slater’s visit to the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Dick Slater has not spoken out since his recent legal issues. The Gateway is proud that Dick chose the Mid-Atlantic Gateway to again talk about his career in wrestling, and the more recent unfortunate events that his name has been linked to.

Much like his wrestling days in the Mid-Atlantic area, when you read some of the things Dick has to say in this interview, you may like him or you may dislike him. There never was much of a middle ground with Dick Slater. One thing I’m surer of is, after reading this, you’ll likely agree that Dick Slater’s reputation for being a fighter and a tough guy is well deserved. And not only in the ring…but in the game of life. 

- David Chappell
October 2010

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PART ONE

David Chappell: Dick, I’m really delighted to have you talk with the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. I appreciate your taking the time to chat a little bit tonight.

Dick Slater: I’ve been looking forward to it, David.

Chappell: Same here! Well, to start, please tell us about your beginnings in wrestling if you would.

Slater: I actually started wrestling, Mike Graham and myself, in 1968. I started with Eddie Graham at Robinson High School.

Chappell: We’re talking about the Tampa, Florida area, right?

Slater: That’s right. There had never been a high school wrestling program in the state of Florida. What happened, is that Eddie Graham, who was a promoter here for Florida Championship Wrestling and Don Curtis, who was the promoter in Jacksonville, bought a wrestling mat for Robinson High School and actually started the high school wrestling program.

Chappell: I know you played football and wrestled for the University of Tampa, so obviously we now know you got into wrestling before your college days!

Slater: This was all before I went to the University of Tampa. What happened, is I was wrestling for what was called AAU---which was a wrestling organization that trained people to go from, say, college to the Olympics…

Mooneyham Memorializes Slater, Jonathan

Mike Mooneyham

As always, Mike Mooneyham puts the lives and careers of wrestling legends in such great perspective. His recent column in the Charleston Post and Courier deals with the recent deaths of pro wrestlers Dick Slater and Don Leo Jonathan.

Follow the link below to read Mike's excellent piece on both.

Especially poignant to us at the Gateway is the material on Slater, who was an important part of the championship scene here in the 1980s, and had memorable feuds with Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, and others.

Pro wrestling says goodbye to Dick Slater, Don Leo Jonathan
By Mike Mooneyham 
Special to The Post and Courier, Oct 20, 2018

Two wrestlers from two different generations. Top stars with different styles who both made their mark on the profession.

The wrestling community said goodbye last week to Dick Slater and Don Leo Jonathan.

From the 1950s through the ’70s, Jonathan was a box-office attraction across the globe, earning a well-deserved reputation as being one of the greatest big men to ever grace a wrestling ring.

Aptly given the nickname “Mr. Unpredictable” by longtime promoter Jim Barnett, Slater boasted a different type of reputation, that of a gun-slinging, tough-as-nails competitor whose slew of titles in a variety of territories validated his standing in the business.

The passing of both represent another page turned in the final chapter of pro wrestling’s revered and fondly remembered territorial system, a time when wrestlers lived out of a suitcase and spent more than 300 days a year on the road.

It was a profession that was much different than it is today.........

--> Read the full article on the Charleston Post & Courier website.


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Don't miss David Chappell's 3-part interview Dick Slater from 2010 that will run throughout this coming week on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway:

"I was close to both Briscos for years. Terry Funk is a great friend. Greg Valentine is another. All the guys that are in my era and that worked with me, that you know, that when I got in the ring with these people it was something to see. All them guys are all part of my life. And all them guys helped me through the years…for many years. And I can’t really single out just one or two people easily, because there are so many people that I owe a lot to. Really…I owe everything to everybody."

- Dick Slater

Interview with the Mid-Atlantic Gateway, 2010

Rhodes and Slater defend the World Tag Team Titles in the Mid-Atlantic Area - - Almost

PART EIGHT

PART EIGHT

by Dick Bourne and Mark Eastridge
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
includes Vintage Classic Audio

As we've discussed in 7 earlier installments in this series, full time wrestlers from both the Mid-Atlantic territory and the Georgia territory made special appearances in each other's areas for one-night events.

While Augusta Georgia was "ground zero" for Georgia Championship Wrestling in this exchange, Georgia stars appeared in many different Mid-Atlantic towns during this time period including Richmond, Charlotte, and Greensboro, and others.

In September of 1976, reigning NWA world tag team champions the Anderson brothers left the Mid-Atlantic territory to go to Georgia, and they took their NWA world tag team title belts with them. A year later, they lost those belts to the unlikely pairing of Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater on 9/23/77 in Atlanta.

Rhodes and Slater were scheduled to come to the Mid-Atlantic territory to defend their newly won titles on October 30 in Greensboro, and actually had sent in video taped interviews to promote the match to be aired in the local Greensboro TV market. Newspaper ads ran advertising Rhodes and Slater bringing their titles to Greensboro to face former champions Ric Flair and Greg Valentine.

 
But before Rhodes and Slater made it here with the belts for the 10/30 show, they lost them back to the Andersons on 10/14/77 in Atlanta. Greensboro newspaper ads, seen above, were revised to reflect the Andersons as new champions.

"Dusty Rhodes, you may call yourself  'the American Dream' but you're going up against the Dream Team!"  - Greg Valentine 

Here is rare vintage audio of Valentine and Flair welcoming Rhodes and Slater to town:

Vintage Audio: Greg Valentine and Ric Flair promote their scheduled match with Rhodes and Slater

 
I've always hated that Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater never made it here with the tag team belts. It would have been an interesting match-up between them and Flair and Valentine - - to say the very least!

And it's nice to hear Greg Valentine use the term "Dream Team" - - that's the name of David Chappell's ongoing 8-part series about Mid-Atlantic Wrestling's "dream team" of the 1970s, Ric Flair and Greg Valentine.

More of the Mid-Atlantic/Georgia Wrestling partnership to come!

Dick Slater wins U.S. Title from Greg Valentine

It was only weeks after Starrcade '83 and a matter of months before Greg Valentine would eventually leave Jim Crockett Promotions for good for the WWF - -

32 years ago today -- December 14, 1983 -- Dick Slater defeated Greg Valentine for the United States heavyweight championship at a television taping in Shelby, NC. The title change wouldn't air right away. The taping took place in advance of the annual Jim Crockett Promotions Christmas break and the company would not run shows again after that weekend until Christmas night.

Details of the angle between Slater and Valentine that played out over that entire December 1983 TV taping that eventually resulted in the babyface turn of Greg Valentine can be found in the detailed account of the history of the United States title found in the full-color book "Jim Crockett Promotions' United States Championship", on sale now on Amazon.com.

Valentine and Slater are both featured in the collage of championship photos at the bottom of this post. All of those photos are included in the book (along with dozens of others), full color, and many full page.