Poster: Funk vs. Brisco in Greensboro (1972)

By Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster takes us way back to early 1972, February 17th to be exact, and promotes a card held at the Greensboro War Memorial Coliseum.

The NWA World Heavyweight Championship was up for grabs as champion Dory Funk, Jr. defended against perennial foe Jack Brisco. Funk retained his title as this classic match-up ended in a one hour draw and I have no doubt these two men put on a professional wrestling clinic for the fans in Greensboro. 

Johnny Weaver and Art Nelson topped Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson (managed by Gary Hart) in the semi while the undercard featured familiar names like Missouri Mauler, Brute Bernard, Sandy Scott, Jerry Brisco, Jim Dillon, and The Kentuckian Luke Brown.

The poster features a horizontal layout with the two main events listed side by side, black and red print over a two-tone pink and yellow background, and six great wrestler images adorning the sides.

 NO. 46 IN THE BEASLEY POSTER SERIES

Weaver and Landrum on World Wide Wrestling

By Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Many of today's fans associate Johnny Weaver's broadcasting career with the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and NWA Pro Wrestling shows that aired in the 1980s, primarily as a result of Johnny's national exposure on NWA Pro when it was syndicated to markets all around the United States as Jim Crockett Promotions began to expand nationwide. 

But long time fans in the territory might best remember him with his first broadcast partner, the host of World Wide Wrestling from 1978-1982, Rich Landrum. 

Landrum worked in Richmond VA as the ring announcer for Jim Crockett Promotions/Murnick Promotions shows in Richmond and the surrounding area going back to the late 1960s. He took over television host duties for the re-vamped World Wide Wrestling in 1978. Landrum made the weekly trek each Wednesday from Richmond to WRAL TV studios in Raleigh NC. He originally hosted the show solo with occasional guest co-hosts, and then took on Weaver as a regular partner in late 1979, even though Weaver continued wrestling a near full time schedule through 1981. 

They became a very popular broadcasting duo over the next four years, and are still remembered today, especially for one of their signature spots where Johnny would offer his rendition of "Turn Out The Lights, The Party's Over" at the end of a match each week, as Landrum then reviewed the match's finish on instant replay. 

 In 2007, Landrum appeared on a Burlington, NC, wrestling event and briefly reunited with Weaver to introduce the finals of the Johnny Weaver Cup Tag Team Tournament. (Landrum wrote about that reunion here.) Johnny passed away just six months later, and in November of 2008, Landrum made a second appearance at a tribute show for Johnny Weaver in Rocky Mount, VA, along with Johnny's daughter Wendi. The show also featured wrestling legend Jim Nelson/Boris Zhukov in action, who was one of Johnny's last tag partners during the last years of his career in the ring in 1983.

Special thanks to Wendi Weaver for providing the photograph above from her father's personal collection.

Related feature: WRAL Studio Wrestling
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Interviews with Rich Landrum | Johnny Weaver

This post was edited from an original post on the Johnny Weaver Blog in January 2009.

A Look Back at Big Swede Hanson's Defining Moment

Swede Hanson

by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

My earliest professional wrestling memories came about from watching All-Star Wrestling, the precursor to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, on television in the late 1960s. Two of the most noteworthy stars of that time were Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson, the dastardly duo that ran roughshod in Jim Crockett Promotions through the 60’s into the early 1970’s. These two villains were almost inseparable, with Rip being sly and sneaky with the gift of gab, while Swede was the silent partner, and a big brutish enforcer.

By late 1973, the winds of change were blowing in the Carolinas territory which was by then called Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. Rip Hawk exited the area for about a three month period in December of 1973. While the “Ripper” was gone, Swede had his contract purchased by none other than the notorious Super Destroyer! The Super D. “managed” and had Swede in tow as his enforcer, and big Swede’s first major target was Johnny Weaver, as Hanson interfered in a huge match between Weaver and the Destroyer on December 28, 1973 at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. Swede saved the Destroyer from losing his mask in that bout, with his antics giving Weaver an unsatisfying disqualification victory.

In January of 1974, Swede Hanson and the Super Destroyer formed an imposing tag team combination, dispatching such high-end “good guy” tag teams as Johnny Weaver and Art Nelson, and Nelson Royal and Sandy Scott during that month. In early February, Swede took to wearing a hood as “Mr. X” when teaming with the Destroyer. This chicanery came to an end after a couple of tag team bouts, when Mr. X was unceremoniously unmasked by Danny Miller and Johnny Weaver as being big Swede Hanson under the hood.

The unholy alliance between Swede Hanson and the Super Destroyer began showing cracks almost as quickly as it began. For the many years that Swede teamed up with Rip Hawk, the Ripper did not always treat Hanson with a boatload of respect. But Swede was the “good soldier,” never really challenging Rip even when Hawk was condescending to him. However, when the Super Destroyer started talking down to Swede and chastising him for supposed inadequacies in the ring, the big 300 pounder from Newark, New Jersey didn’t care for that treatment in the least. The slights mounted, and an inner rage started to build in the big Swede. A defining moment in the career of Swede Hanson was about to happen!

On February 13, 1974 at the television tapings for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Swede Hanson reached his breaking point. During a televised bout the Destroyer not only berated the big Swede verbally, but had the audacity to SLAP him in front of the TV studio audience and all the thousands of fans watching at home! Swede Hanson finally had enough! After being content to stay in the background and take the snide insults for many years, Swede decided to control his own destiny. His defining moment in Jim Crockett Promotions had arrived!

Announcer Elliot Murnick said, “I’m up at the ring now and Swede Hanson is pacing around here.” Hanson interrupted, “Let me tell you something Murnick. You don’t pull something like that with me. I’m not a whipping dog for these people! If this guy thinks I’m a whipping dog for him he’s out of his mind! I don’t know what’s the matter with this character. He’s not gonna get away with it with me. I’ve had enough of this stuff. For years, I’ve had enough of garbage like him!”

Poster: Flair-Jones, Rashke-Weaver Battle in Farmville

By Jody Shifflett
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

Ric Flair takes over Farmville, VA, in 1978. This is another of my favorites. It boasts great colors and what I really like is that it says "Nature Boy". I have never seen another that has Nature Boy printed on it.

Flair and Paul Jones had many great battles and I’m sure this was another. Undercard featured a great rivalry between the Baron Von Raschke and Johnny Weaver, and with Weaver you were always going to be entertained with his wrestling style. 

There was a newcomer on this card named Jan Nelson. Other great stars including Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell, Don Kernodle. Plus, the classic 8:15 Bell Time!

NO. 11 IN THE SHIFFLETT POSTER SERIES

Poster: Christmas Night in Charlotte (1975)

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

Imagine going back to Christmas Day, 1975. After time spent with family and friends, a big holiday dinner, and perhaps a visit from Santa. And if you lived in the Charlotte, NC area you could stroll down to the Park Center for an exciting night of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling. What a great way to wind up a special day.

 

This poster promotes the Christmas card at the Park Center where The Anderson Brothers, Gene and Ole, defended their NWA World Tag Team titles against fan favorites Tim Woods and Johnny Weaver.

Tiger Conway Jr. collided with Spoiler #1 (Doug Gilbert under the hood) in the semi while a rarely seen mixed tag team match had Little Tokyo and Leilani Kai versus The Haiti Kid and Vicky Williams. The undercard included Steve Keirn, Jerry Blackwell, Greg Peterson, and Joe Soto.

The horizontal layout of this poster really pops with all black print (except for the main event names in high impact red) on a two tone blue and yellow background along with the "Wrestling" oval in upper left corner. 

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Gateway Notes:

Christmas night was always a "return to work" night after the 10-day Christmas break for Jim Crockett Promotions. Christmas 1975 was a challenging time for the company, reeling from the loss of their two top heels following the Wilmington plane crash in October (Ric Flair temporarily, Johnny Valentine permanently) and in a promotional war with the rival IWA. 

There were three different shows taking place on Christmas night in 1975, this one in Charlotte, plus Greenville SC (headlined by Paul Jones and newcomer Blackjack Mulligan) and Norfolk VA (headlined by Wahoo McDaniel vs. Professor Boris Malenko in a Russian Chain Match.)

For more on Christmas Night memories through many years, visit Mid-Atlantic Wrestling on Christmas Day.  

NO. 21 IN SERIES.  ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON THE MID-ATLANTIC GATEWAY IN DECEMBER 2021.

The Infernos and The Loaded Boot (1967)

JULY 1, 1967 - "THE LOADED BOOT"
By Carroll Hall, All-Star Championship Wrestling

My two brothers and I were really wanting to go to the wrestling matches on that Saturday night in Winston-Salem. It didn't look too promising early in the week leading up to the card because Dad wouldn't be getting off work until 10:00 p.m. that night and I was not
quite old enough to drive yet.

By mid week we got lucky and worked out a deal with Jimmy, a close friend of the family. My brothers and I would help Jimmy chop the weeds out of his tobacco field in exchange for him driving us down to the Coliseum. He loved wrestling too.

My mom had never learned to drive at this point but she had made up her mind to do so. She had just bought a 1957 Dodge with the big fins on the back for $200. She let Jimmy drive that old Dodge to wrestling because the only thing that would run on his farm that day was his tractor. Well, Jimmy must never have driven anything so powerful as that old Dodge. He flew past every vehicle we came upon that night between Mt. Airy and Winston-Salem. Just imagine if you will three kids and one nut(just kidding Jimmy) flying down U.S. 52 in a "Batmobile" going to wrestling!

The old Coliseum was hot that night as it was nearly a full house and I don't believe that grand old building ever had air conditioning.

George Becker had made a promise on "Championship Wrestling" the previous week.....

Read the entire story on the All-Star Championship Wrestling website. >>

Don't Miss Wrestling at 5 PM on Channel 3!

 

Summer of 1976. There wasn't much better ever than that hot summer. 

Thanks to Wendi Weaver for this clipping.

Originally published on our Johnny Weaver Blog.

Poster: Valiant/Koloff War Continues in Tag Team Battle (1982)

by Jody Shifflett
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This card was from 1982 and I was actually at this event. It was a great night of wrestling. I was 10 years old and can remember it like it was yesterday. 

Jimmy Valiant back then could really work a crowd and especially the ones at the spot shows. We would get about 3 to 4 events a year and there was nothing like standing out back waiting for the wrestlers to pull up in their cars and sign autographs for us; they were all great!

The main event was a classic from back then with the Ivan Koloff - Jimmy Valiant feud going strong. Throw in Jake Roberts and the Ninja and it was pandemonium. 

The match that really sticks out to me was the Kelly Kiniski and Ali Bey match because a local man jumped in the ring to attack Ali Bey but Kiniski actually punched the man in the mouth and my stepdad, who was a deputy sheriff at the time, stormed the ring with a couple of his other police buddies and took the guy down. It was great! 

Great colors and the classic 8:15 PM bell time!

NO. 9 IN THE SHIFFLETT POSTER SERIES

Poster: Flair & Superstar battle Bobo and Igor in in Winston-Salem

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

Promoting a card held at the Winston-Salem, NC Memorial Coliseum on Saturday June 25th, 1977, this poster features two very interesting tag team matchups.

In the main event, fan favorites Bobo Brazil and the Mighty Igor faced off with Ric Flair and the Masked Superstar while in the semi, Johnny Weaver and Ricky Steamboat took on Kim Duk and Great Malenko. With familiar names on the undercard such as Danny Miller, Big Bill Dromo, Two Ton Harris, and Klondike Bill, it made for quite an exciting night of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling.

The poster has a horizontal layout with both black and high impact red print over a light pink background and five nice wrestler images.

No. 40 in the Beasley Poster Collection Series

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Mid-Atlantic Gateway Note
Interesting to see Malenko on this poster billed as 'Great Melanko.' He was known that way in most southern territories during this era, but in our territory, he was almost always known as Professor Boris Malenko.

Johnny Weaver's Big Angle in 1978: Baron Von Raschke

JOHNNY WEAVER 1975-1984
NOT GOING GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT
A Multi-Part Series
by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Series Introduction
1976 - Greg Valentine (Part One)
1977 - Greg Valentine (Part Two)

1978 - BARON VON RASCHKE
Johnny Weaver’s primary main event angle in the year of 1978 started in February of that year and went on into April of 1978. It really began without any fanfare or buildup, but once it got going it was quite intriguing.

At this point in time, Baron von Raschke was the Mid-Atlantic Television Champion. Any time the TV Champion wrestled a match on television, his belt was at stake for the television time limit of ten minutes. On the February 8, 1978 taping of the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television program, the Baron wrestled Johnny Weaver, with of course the big German’s TV belt at stake.

Raschke had more than his hands full during this televised bout. Johnny controlled most of the match to the delight of the packed studio audience. As the match drew close to the ten-minute time limit mark, Weaver caught the Baron in his patented Sleeper hold. Raschke was flailing around like a fish out of water, gasping for breath and appeared poised to submit or lapse into unconsciousness. But miraculously the Baron held out until the ten-minute time limit expired, and was thus able to retain his TV Title though he was flat out on the mat while Weaver was up jumping around. This strong showing against Raschke emboldened Weaver, who then challenged the Baron to a novel “Sleeper versus Claw” match on TV.

So the following week on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television, Johnny Weaver and Baron von Raschke squared off in a truly unique competition. Each wrestler would have the opportunity to put their signature hold on the other for a maximum of two minutes, and the grappler that lasted the longest in the other’s favorite hold would be declared the winner.

The event started with a coin toss to determine which wrestler would start first. Johnny won the flip of the coin, and everybody figured Weaver would elect to put the Sleeper hold on Raschke to start. However, Johnny surprised everyone by electing to have the Baron put this Claw hold on him first. A surprised announcer Bob Caudle told the fans that what Weaver did was much like a football team winning the coin toss but electing to kick off. Bob said if he was Johnny, he would have chosen to put the Sleeper hold on Raschke first.

Using some great quick thinking and making the ropes several times while in the clutches of the Baron’s fearsome Claw hold, Weaver was able to withstand Raschke’s onslaught for the allotted two minutes without submitting or losing consciousness. Almost immediately after the bell rung at the two-minute mark, Johnny caught the Baron in his vaunted Sleeper hold. Raschke was not so fortunate, and while he protested that Weaver was illegally choking him, he succumbed to Johnny’s favorite hold and went to sleep in just over a minute giving Weaver a clear victory in this most unusual contest.

The Baron was infuriated that Weaver had embarrassed him by using an illegal choking hold in the Claw versus Sleeper Challenge, and clearly put a bullseye squarely on Johnny. To up the stakes, right as the 1978 calendar flipped over to the month of March the National Wrestling Alliance instituted a tournament for all of its TV champions across the country to claim a single NWA TV Champion. Being the Mid-Atlantic Television Champion, Baron von Raschke was the representative for Jim Crockett Promotions in the national tournament, and the Baron prevailed and brought the brand spanking new NWA Television Championship belt to the Mid-Atlantic area.

But before the Baron could even catch his breath as the new NWA Television Champion, he was upset by Johnny Weaver on March 5, 1978 in the Charlotte Coliseum. Johnny would actively defend his new belt for about a month, including numerous successful defenses against Raschke that were especially brutal. During the month of March, Weaver also put up his NWA TV belt against fellow fan favorite Ricky Steamboat and the big man from Eagle Pass, Texas, Blackjack Mulligan.

As March turned into April, the storm clouds that were moving in on NWA TV Champion Johnny Weaver turned into a damaging storm in Greenville, South Carolina on April 3, 1978. That night in the Greenville Memorial Auditorium, Weaver put up his NWA TV Championship against Raschke in a No Disqualification bout with a 60-minute time limit, where the match could only be won by Johnny using his Sleeper or by the Baron by using his Claw. 

To the dismay of the packed house in Greenville, the Baron was able to hit Weaver with a chair and knocked Johnny out in the process, enabling the big German to finish off Weaver with his Claw hold. While Johnny had a number of return TV Title matches with Raschke during the remainder of the month of April, Weaver was unable to recapture the prized belt. But what an eventful three-month main event run it was for Johnny Weaver in 1978!

NEXT UP 1979---Ken Patera, and later a different role for Johnny Weaver!

Bonus: Johnny Weaver's Impact in Maple Leaf Wrestling (by Andrew Calvert)
Bonus: Weaver Still TV Champ after Battle with the Baron (photo by Charles Robinson)

Poster: Flair vs. Anderson at Cincinnati Gardens

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster promotes a card held at the Cincinnati Gardens, a venue rich in professional wrestling history. Held on Friday, October 16th, 1981, both the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the United States title were on the line. 

Ric Flair, still riding high only one month into his first reign with the Ten Pounds of Gold, took the challenge of cousin Ole Anderson, while Sgt. Slaughter would defend his belt against Johnny Weaver. 

The big names didn't stop at the main events as the rest of the lineup included Wahoo McDaniel, Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine, Ivan Koloff, Jay Youngblood, and Bad Leroy Brown. No doubt an exciting night of wrestling for the fans in Cincinnati.

With a horizontal layout, the poster has red and black print over an ultra bright yellow background and great images of Flair, Wahoo, Koloff, and the Andersons. It's especially nice to see the full body image of Flair in my personal favorite Olivia Walker robe.

 NO. 35 IN THE BEASLEY POSTER SERIES

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Mid-Atlantic Gateway Notes
by Dick Bourne

Cincinnati was an interesting town for JCP, as it fell outside their usual territorial footprint at the time. It was really more a Georgia Championship Wrestling town when Georgia had started running Ohio, Michigan, and West Virginia after it had been basically abandoned by the Sheik's Detroit promotion. Their cards were promoted off of Superstation WTBS. But Crockett had a TV outlet there that did pretty well, and booker Ole Anderson, who was booking both Mid-Atlantic and Georgia territories at the time, stacked the Cincinnati cards with more Mid-Atlantic talent than he did Georgia talent for awhile. 

Anderson booked himself as Ric Flair's first regular title challenger in the Mid-Atlantic territory. The Andersons had been in a bitter feud with Flair the entire summer of 1981 before Ric won the NWA title in September, and so Ole made a natural choice as Flair's challenger plus it was a continuation of the on-again / off-again family feud between Flair and his cousins that had been going on since 1976. Flair and Ole headlined cards all over the reach of JCP including Cincinnati, Buffalo, NY, Savannah, GA, and all across the traditional Mid-Atlantic territory.

Wahoo McDaniel and Roddy Piper was the most heated feud in the territory at that point, coming off Piper's hiring of Abdullah the Butcher a month and a half earlier to attack Wahoo on TV which resulted in Wahoo being injured and being stripped of the U.S. title for failing to defend against Piper, even though it was Piper who had hired the Butcher. The U.S. title had been placed in a tournament.

And speaking of that U.S. title tournament, Sgt. Slaughter, a newcomer to Jim Crockett Promotions, was just coming off his big surprise tournament win of the United States Championship less than two weeks earlier. Johnny Weaver was his early opponent in lots of towns across the Mid-Atlantic territory helping to establish Slaughter as a top heel, including this card in Cincinnati.

A great card in the Queen City!

Johnny Weaver Still TV Champ after Battle with the Baron (1978)

Longtime Mid-Atlantic Wrestling fan and current WWE referee (and the best currently in the business) Charles Robinson sent us this photo he took back in 1978 of Johnny Weaver after a bloody battle with Baron Von Raschke for the NWA Television Championship.

Also in the photo legendary NWA referee Tommy Young, holding the NWA TV title belt in his right hand. On the right looks like Ted Oates, and not sure on the left. Can you help us positively identify the wrestlers in this photo who came to Johnny's aide?

Johnny won the TV title on 3/5/78 from Baron Von Raschke in Charlotte. He lost it back to the Baron a month later, 4/3/78, in Greenville, SC.

Photograph by Charles Robinson / Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Originally published in March 2014 on the Johnny Weaver Blog, part of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Johnny Weaver debuts as co-host of World Wide Wrestling (1979)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

One of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling's most beloved color commentators in the 1980s was the "Dean of Professional Wrestling" Johnny Weaver.

Johnny Weaver and Rich Landrum
World Wide Wreslting at WRAL
(Photo courtesy of Wendi Weaver)

Weaver first became the co-host of World Wide Wrestling in late 1979 alongside show host Rich Landrum. The two formed a very popular duo for the next few years. Landrum left the show in 1982 and Weaver continued co-hosting World Wide with new host David Crockett until 1984 when Tony Schiavone stepped in as co-host with Crockett. Weaver then moved over to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling with longtime host Bob Caudle, and the two continued as a team on into the late 1980s, as the show transitioned to the new name of NWA Pro Wrestling. 

Weaver's first show as Landrum's sidekick was on the November 25, 1979 episode of World Wide Wrestling, the first weekend after Thanksgiving. The audio of his introduction can be heard below. Weaver was still active as a wrestler at that point, and would tell Landrum on air that he might not be there every week, but would try to be there most weeks. As it worked out, he was indeed there most weeks and gelled right away with Landrum. 

Weaver even developed his own shtick, paying homage to "Dandy" Don Meridith's bit of singing "Turn Out the Lights, the Party's Over"on Monday Night Football during that era. Usually once a week, Weaver would sing the opening lines of the song just as a popular babyface wrestler was getting the pinfall on World Wide.

"Turn out the lights, the party's over. They say that all good things must end."

Indeed all good things did come to an end, and when the Crockett family sold the company to Ted Turner in late 1988, Weaver was not retained, and one of wrestling's most popular color commentators was heard no more. Wrestling was never as much fun after that.

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Listen to this vintage audio recording of Rich Landrum introducing Johnny Weaver as his co-host on Wide World Wrestling, airing first on November 25, 1979. (Audio from the collection of Gary Wray.)

 

 

Poster: Piper and Steamboat Headline a Spot Show in Concord NC

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

Here is an interesting spot show poster promoting a card held at the Barber Scotia College Gym in Concord, NC on Thursday, February 4th, 1982.

Billed as a triple main event, Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight champ Roddy Piper took on Ricky Steamboat (although the poster does not mention if this was a title defense), Big John Studd collided with young Jack Mulligan Jr. (Barry Windham), and Johnny Weaver took the challenge of Lord Alfred Hayes.

The lone tag team match was Karl Fergie and Eddie Mansfield versus Pork Chop Cash and Terry Taylor while Don Kernodle met Mike Miller in the opener. 

Designed with a vertical layout, all black print on a pastel orange background, and the western style "Wrestling" across the top, it has attributes common to spot show posters such as the local businesses where advance tickets could be purchased and "Sponsored by the Concord Jaycees".

Along with the image of Steamboat, there are great pics of Studd and Taylor, two faces seldom seen on Mid Atlantic posters. 

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Mid-Atlantic Gateway Notes
This was a pretty nice card for a small spot show. The Barber Scotia College Gym was a regular spot venue for JCP in the general Charlotte area, one of many!

Interesting to see 'Jack' Mulligan Jr. on the poster, as Windham would normally always be referred to in a promotional setting as 'Blackjack' Mulligan Jr. It might be the only time I recall seeing or hearing either Mulligan Sr. or Jr. referred to as "Jack" in an official way, although other wrestlers would call them that on promos frequently. Just seems odd on a poster to bill him that way, although it might have simply been a matter of typesetter at the poster company Souther Posters not having enough room to include his whole name given the font size. Studd and Mulligan Jr. were the top program for Flair and Mulligan Sr.'s Knoxville promotion which was closely affiliated with JCP. Knoxville didn't have enough towns running successfully at the time to appropriately pay Studd or Windham, so they brought that match to JCP shows frequently.

Terry Taylor sure was getting a push, on TV anyway, during this time. Bob Caudle and David Crockett would mention he was NWA rookie of the year every chance they got. But nothing really came of it here, he was never given an angle or a breakthrough win on TV or pushed in a semi-main program, despite the fact that he was technically proficient in the ring and fans, and girls in particular, seemed to love him. There was thought to giving him a babyface push on top for Flair and Mulligan's Knoxville promotion in late 1981, Flair put him over big in promos on Knoxville TV, but that didn't pan out either. I always hated that because I liked his stlye, he was one of the great "young lions" as David Crockett was always fond of saying. His big break came a couple of years later for Bill Watts in Mid-South Wrestling where he was North American Champion (their top title) and a top contender for Ric Flair's NWA World title.

Check out more of Brack's great poster collection by clicking our POSTER link and scrolling down through all of the poster-related posts. 

NO. 25 IN A SERIES

Poster: Christmas Night in Charlotte (1975)

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

Imagine going back to Christmas Day, 1975. After time spent with family and friends, a big holiday dinner, and perhaps a visit from Santa. And if you lived in the Charlotte, NC area you could stroll down to the Park Center for an exciting night of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling. What a great way to wind up a special day.

 

This poster promotes the Christmas card at the Park Center where The Anderson Brothers, Gene and Ole, defended their NWA World Tag Team titles against fan favorites Tim Woods and Johnny Weaver.

Tiger Conway Jr. collided with Spoiler #1 (Doug Gilbert under the hood) in the semi while a rarely seen mixed tag team match had Little Tokyo and Leilani Kai versus The Haiti Kid and Vicky Williams. The undercard included Steve Keirn, Jerry Blackwell, Greg Peterson, and Joe Soto.

The horizontal layout of this poster really pops with all black print (except for the main event names in high impact red) on a two tone blue and yellow background along with the "Wrestling" oval in upper left corner. 

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Gateway Notes:

Christmas night was always a "return to work" night after the 10-day Christmas break for Jim Crockett Promotions. Christmas 1975 was a challenging time for the company, reeling from the loss of their two top heels following the Wilmington plane crash in October (Ric Flair temporarily, Johnny Valentine permanently) and in a promotional war with the rival IWA. 

There were three different shows taking place on Christmas night in 1975, this one in Charlotte, plus Greenville SC (headlined by Paul Jones and newcomer Blackjack Mulligan) and Norfolk VA (headlined by Wahoo McDaniel vs. Professor Boris Malenko in a Russian Chain Match.)

For more on Christmas Night memories through many years, visit Mid-Atlantic Wrestling on Christmas Day.  

NO. 21 IN SERIES

Johnny Weaver's Important Role in Toronto During the Mid-Atlantic Years

by Andrew Calvert
MapleLeafWrestling.com
Special to the Mid-Atlantic Gateway 

Johnny Weaver made his Toronto debut amid a flurry of re-organization for the territory. It was late 1978 and Frank Tunney had left his brief AWA association behind. A new partnership with Jim Crockett Jr. & George Scott was soon to revitalize the area, and Weaver remained a regular through the end days of the NWA in the city. 

He later took over the booking for the twice monthly shows at MLG and often the small circuit, but in the beginning he made his mark as a popular veteran, a man of 1000 holds type. The first time I saw Weaver at MLG he worked circles around his opponent, not an imposing figure but well versed and smooth in the ring. A local newsletter even asked 'why is Johnny Weaver wrestling in prelims?'

One of those early bouts was against Rudy Kay, of the wrestling family 'the Cormiers' out of New Brunswick. Weaver and Rudy and Kay's brothers -wrestling as Terry Kay and Leo Burke- were to be a big part of the scene a few years later. 

In Toronto we saw a good mix of talent from all over the wrestling world and often had rarer teaming's or bouts that you may not find in other cities. Both at MLG and on TV. Weaver, who regularly teamed with Mid Atlantic regulars Tony Atlas & Jay Youngblood, also teamed here with some of our local guys. Dewey Robertson, Tiger Jeet Singh, Dino Bravo, and Terry Yorkston were some of the pairings on the circuit and on TV. Weaver also teamed up on occasion with popular Billy Red Lyons (now full time announcer, mostly) in a great pairing of classic era stars. 

Since he appeared mostly in the openers or mid card we saw Weaver a lot when other wrestlers were needed ringside. A few times he got mixed up in Ric Flair bouts. At the 50th Anniversary show in Nov 1981 he came out to help NWA champ Flair after opponent Harley Race had attacked Flair after being pinned. Weaver, for his trouble, got a face full of the NWA title belt as Race swung it around the ring. After more wrestlers came out to help, a bloody Weaver assisted Flair down the ramp to the dressing rooms. 

At the Return of Champions Exhibition Stadium card in July 1983 Weaver was assigned as a special referee for the main of (now) NWA champ Race vs Flair. Flair came off the ropes all set to hit Race with an elbow but Race leaped out of the way and Flair caught Weaver flush, knocking him down. Flair quickly locked Race in a figure four and had him tied up and thrashing around when Weaver raised his arm. The crowd went wild thinking that Flair had taken back the belt -however, Weaver was signifying that Flair was disqualified for hitting the referee. The crowd wasn't happy, and either was Flair. When Flair argued with him, Weaver hit him hard with his own elbow. Flair went through the ropes and returned with the timekeeper's hammer, and as Weaver started to argue with Race, Flair started chasing Weaver back across the field with the hammer. Keep in mind Flair was a fan favorite here, a huge fan favorite!

On another card Angelo Mosca was attempting to win his Canadian Heavyweight Title back from Big John Studd in a steel cage bout. The bout ended in a melee with Mosca winning, but on the receiving end of a Studd beatdown inside the cage. Out came Weaver, running into the ring to save our beloved new champ, and WHOMP. Studd flattened him. Mosca soon regained his wits and he and Weaver gained the upper hand. Weaver had been in his own cage bout earlier vs Lord Alfred Hayes and was already bandaged up as he carried Mosca down the ramp. 

In mid 1982 Weaver entered into a long series with Leo Burke. The two had a bit of a history already, They had been tag team partners in the early 70's in Mid-Atlantic, where Leo had wrestled as Bobby Kay. In 1972 Weaver went on a tour of Leo's home turf on the East coast teaming with Leo against Freddie Sweetan, Mike Dubois, and others. Weaver returned again in 1975. They tried it again in Toronto only to have Burke quickly turn against Weaver. Burke was now also the North American champion, adopted in from Calgary (but not explained). The two started a long feud over the title, trading it back and forth, also involving Rudy & Terry Kay, Leo's brothers. 

By this time Weaver was handling the booking of the cards. He was well respected by his peers and was said to always 'have a dip of Skoal' in his lip. Along with his long feuds vs Hayes and Burke, Weaver also teamed with some up and comers. Kelly Kiniski, Keith Larsen, and Buddy Hart (Bret) were regular partners in good veteran-rookie type teams a 'la Weaver & Youngblood. That team too was very popular. In the 1982 Cadillac Tournament Weaver & Youngblood drew each other as seeds for the first round matchup, and went on to have an exciting scientific type bout. As Norm Kimber announced 30 seconds left in the bout, Weaver trapped Youngblood in his sleeper. Time would run out and referee Tommy Young gave a referee's decision to Weaver. The two shook hands, to the delight of the fans. It was a great way to kick off the tournament and one of my favorite matchups of the era.

Andrew Calvert's "The Canadian Heavyweight Title: The Complete History 1978-1984" is proudly featured in the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Book Store

Johnny Weaver's Big Angle in 1977: Greg Valentine (Part 2)

JOHNNY WEAVER 1975-1984
NOT GOING GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT
A Multi-Part Series
by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Series Introduction
1976 - Greg Valentine (Part One)


1977 - GREG VALENTINE (PART 2)
Johnny Weaver’s big angle of 1977 was a natural continuation of his being put out of wresting by Greg Valentine in the fall of 1976. After an extended absence, Johnny returned to action in the Mid-Atlantic area in late February of 1977 and he had but one thing on his mind…and that was to exact revenge on Valentine!

While being absent from Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling during the autumn and winter of 1976 until mid-February of 1977, Johnny had a successful stint in the Amarillo territory winning the NWA International Title and even battling old Crockett foes Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson in tag team competition. When Johnny returned to the Carolina’s, his immediate goal was to get revenge on Valentine as Greg was on top of the mountain as one half of the NWA World Tag Team Champions.

The Johnny Weaver revenge tour began almost immediately upon Johnny’s return to the Crockett territory. Initially, it began with Weaver and Valentine being on opposing tag teams. On March 7, 1977 in Charlotte, Ric Flair and Valentine defeated Weaver and Paul Jones, and the following night in Columbia, South Carolina Johnny and Greg faced off as part of six-man tag team competition. 

The singles battles between Weaver and Valentine started soon thereafter, with the first such singles confrontation being in Gastonia, North Carolina on March 10th. The following night in Richmond, Virginia saw Johnny and Greg square off in their most brutal match to date!

The promos leading up the match at the Richmond Arena on March 11, 1977 showed the intensity of both combatants leading up to that Richmond encounter. Announcer Les Thatcher began, “In main event number two, Johnny Weaver returns to battle Greg Valentine.” 

Valentine began, “You know Lester, I’ve got to admit it to you and I’ve got to admit it to the fans…that Johnny Weaver has got a lot of guts. The man has been out for four or five months now, and the first thing he wants to do is get back in the ring with the man that put him out of action for over five months.” 

Greg continued, “Well look at me Johnny Weaver, I’m a World Champion now! I’m one-half of the World Tag Team Champions! And when I come to that Richmond Arena, Johnny Weaver, I’m gonna teach you some respect and I’m gonna teach all those fans some respect. I’m gonna use you as another example, Johnny Weaver. Don’t forget about the elbow, don’t forget about the man that jumped off the top rope on your throat! This time I’m not gonna do it just once Weaver, I’ll do it two, maybe three times, and then you’re gonna take a long, long vacation!”

On the same Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television show that was taped on March 2, 1977, Weaver came out and confronted Valentine before Greg’s TV match with Danny Miller. Weaver called out Valentine, “We’re here in front of the television audience and I don’t want no excuses or hem hawing around about it, I want what’s left of you after this match and if you’re as man as you say you are you’ll put your name on that contract.”

Valentine’s tag team partner, Ric Flair, was with Greg and weighed into this situation. Flair yelled out, “Weaver, my partner right here has a $1000 match coming up, but I’m going to tell you something and I want everybody out there that thinks Johnny Weaver is a heck of a dude, a big man, to hear what I’ve got to say. When we think you’re worth 1000 bucks, then we’ll wrestle you! That’s me, him or anybody else.”

Flair finished up, “When we think you’re worth 1000 bucks. And let me tell you something else, the day we think you’re worth 1000 bucks you’ll be in a lot of trouble. You better get back in the mothballs where you belong, brother!”

Les Thatcher then returned for promos and spoke with Weaver saying, “In main event number two, Johnny Weaver returns to battle Greg Valentine. Johnny, welcome back and I know revenge is certainly on your mind.”

Weaver began, “It certainly is, and you know one thing about Greg Valentine…he put me out of wrestling for four or five months. People all know that, they witnessed how he did it. He got the job done, but it wasn’t too professional. But it’s not over, and I’m back!”

Johnny continued, “And I’ve been hurt before in wrestling, I’ve been hurt by guys…I’ve had every joint in my body hurt and dislocated. I’ve been busted in my head, you can see all the scars, I was even burnt once by fire! But not one of them guys that hurt me before is still around here to wrestle. Not one of them will come around and show their face Valentine, they’ve all been beaten, humiliated and gone, and you’re the last one.”

Weaver concluded, “And I’m not gonna let a half tough punk come in here and run Johnny Weaver over because the fans here have been behind me for a long time, and they know that I’m not gonna get on here and say anything that I don’t think I can do. I’m back, and I’m a 100 percent. You said something about using me, well if you think you’re gonna use me as a steppingstone, you’re gonna find out that it’s still a little slippery! And you talk about a fan’s Dream Match, well this is gonna be a Dream Match because you installed something in me that I had almost lost in this wrestling business…and that’s when I get you down not let you up. Just stomp and kick you when you’re down, because you’re gonna do it when I get up!”

The Richmond bout was a wild affair that saw Valentine completely lose control, giving Johnny the victory by disqualification. The same result occurred in Charlotte three days later. And on March 15th in Raleigh, North Carolina, Johnny teamed with Rufus R, Jones, losing to Greg and Ric Flair in a thrilling contest.

The end of the month of March 1977 had lots of action for Johnny as he battled Valentine tooth-and-nail as Weaver’s revenge tour continued to barrel ahead. On March 17th at the Augusta Expo in Fishersville, Virginia Weaver and Valentine met again in singles competition in a bloody contest. The Weaver/Valentine feud closed the month of March out as on March 21st in Greenville, South Carolina, Johnny and Rufus dropped a spirited challenge to Ric Flair and Greg Valentine. The last match for Johnny and Greg for the month of March was in Raleigh the next night where the two had a stellar bout with lots of blood that saw both participants disqualified for being totally uncontrollable!

Johnny’s main event revenge contests with Valentine continued to be competitive bouts, with Greg slowly gaining the upper hand as spring turned to summer. On April 3rd in Greensboro, Johnny was the one who couldn’t keep his composure, leading to Greg being declared the victor by DQ. The following evening in Greenville, South Carolina saw Greg get the dukes, while the night after in Columbia, South Carolina Johnny prevailed by disqualification when Greg ran afoul of the referee!

The following week in April saw Johnny team with Rufus R. Jones, Wahoo McDaniel and Thunderbolt Patterson against Valentine and Flair with the bad guys coming out on top on each occasion. In the middle of the month of April, Weaver and Valentine went back to singles matches in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Fayetteville, North Carolina, Anderson, South Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina. While the bouts were competitive, Valentine was continuing to be more dominant.

May of 1977 saw the Weaver revenge tour essentially come to an end. On May 3rd Flair and Valentine prevailed against Weaver and Bobo Brazil in Columbia, South Carolina. The remainder of the month of May saw Greg defeat Johnny in Texas Death Matches in Columbia, Greensboro and Greenville. The final confrontation in this program occurred on June 24th back in Richmond, where Flair and Valentine defeated Weaver and Wahoo in dominant fashion. 

Johnny Weaver battled Greg Valentine for approximately three months in Johnny’s main event angle for 1977 in a spirited quest for revenge for Greg’s injuring him in 1976. After the program ran its course, Weaver settled into a solid mid-card role for the rest of 1977. But it didn’t take long when the calendar flipped over to 1978 for Johnny to rise back into the main event ranks against a world-renowned newcomer to the Mid-Atlantic area!

UP NEXT---Johnny Weaver’s 1978 main event angles with Baron von Raschke!

Johnny Weaver Debuts for Jim Crockett Promotions (1962)

Johnny Weaver made his debut for Crockett Promotions on February 5, 1962 at the Charlotte Park Center. His scheduled opponent was Eddie Auger, but Weaver wound up wrestling Swede Hanson instead, which Weaver discussed in his conversation with the Mid-Atlantic Gateway in November 2007:

"My first match for Crockett was in February, 1962. First opponent was Swede Hansen and I didn’t know him from Adam. We got in the ring – I think it was a one fall, 20 minute match. We got in the ring, locked up and I pulled him back to the corner and I’m going to be the, you know, the nice guy and I said OK man, and I laid one in. (laughs) He popped me back, and I mean he popped me, and then he said, “huh-huh-huh” (laughs). I had a cold, but he knocked it out the other side. (laughter). No one hit harder than Swede, and he was letting me know... "

 
Here are the other clippings from the Charlotte newspaper regarding that show:

      

Special thanks to Mark Eastridge for the newspaper clippings.
Originally published on the Johnny Weaver Blog on Feb 5, 2010.

Memories of a Lincoln Continental Tournament in Roanoke VA (1977)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

When working on formatting Brack Beasley's recent poster entry about the Lincoln Continental Tournament in Roanoke in 1977, I emailed Mid-Atlantic Gateway contributor Thom Brewer who grew up going to wrestling matches in Roanoke. Ric Flair defeated Wahoo McDaniel in the finals of that tournament to win the car. I wanted to know if Thom was at that show show and if he had any specific memories about the tournament and the match-ups. 

BRACK BEASLEY COLLECTION

Thom was indeed there that night. I received this email back with Thom's detailed memories.

If you missed it, check out Brack's post about that big tournament card in Roanoke and some of the context of the times. Then come back and read Thom's note below. 

* * * * * * * *

Email from Thom Brewer
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

I was actually there [in Roanoke] that night and the strap match two weeks later.  I didn't keep notes, but I remember a few things because it was a big night in my personal history.  

I had gotten a Kodak XL55 movie camera for Christmas.  I was 12 years old and it cost over $100, which is about $500 in today's money.  That was a LOT of money to us back then.  It was one of the best gifts I had ever gotten and it literally got my career as a photographer started.  I shot this tournament and a few other Mid-Atlantic Wrestling events.  And quite honestly the films were stunning. Unfortunately my parents moved a lot while I was in college and the films got lost.  

Anyway I remember some details very well.  I remember that car like it was yesterday. It was a bright, shiny maroon Lincoln Continental.  It was long and beautiful.  It was set up on one end of the floor near the ring and was roped off to protect it from the fans.  You could get close enough to get a good look, but not close enough to touch it.  It was IMPRESSIVE to a 12 year old.

I'm sketchy about the early matches featuring the enhancement guys.  I think Greg Valentine eliminated Johnny Weaver.  Wahoo eliminated Greg Valentine, I believe, to get to the finals with Flair.

Because I watched the movie a hundred times, I know for a fact that Ric Flair eliminated Dino Bravo, but it was pretty creative.  Bravo tossed Flair around for much of the match, which was okay with me because I wanted him to win the car. At one part of the match, the referee got thrown out of the ring.  I'm pretty sure it was Tommy Young.  While he is sitting on the floor, Flair is on the opposite side in the ring.  Bravo was not near him, but Flair runs across the ring, dives over the top rope, and lands right in front of the referee.  Tommy Young immediately disqualifies Bravo, thinking he threw Flair over the top rope.  The crowd was livid.  

That leaves Flair and Wahoo in the final match for the car.  I don't exactly remember how it ended.  I think Flair rolled Wahoo up and used the ropes for leverage for the pin.  I do remember that they chopped the heck out of each other.  The batteries in my camera were dying and because of it, it "undercranked" the film.  It made the action look twice as fast.  When I got my film back about a week later, those chops were coming hard and REALLY fast. It made Wahoo and Flair look like wrestling's version of the Keystone Kops.

Just about everyone in the pretty large crowd was mad that Flair had won the car.

Man, I would love to have those films today. I'd probably be an accountant or a short order cook without that camera. It set me on a path to being a journalist.

* * * * * * * *

Thom Brewer works for WDBJ-TV channel 7 in Roanoke VA, where local promoter  Pete Apostolou once staged live television wrestling matches from the channel-7 studios there. Thom provided some amazing photographs to us from his research about those studio TV tapings in the 1960s. They are featured in our page on WDBJ studio wrestling on the old Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archive site. 

Les Thatcher: Auto Racing and Pro Wrestlers

Wrestler's Eye View: Auto Racing Wrestlers
by Les Thatcher

originally published in Wrestling News Magazine, Summer 1974

 

I had a great Sunday afternoon, just a couple of weeks back. I went out to Charlotte Motor Speedway to watch the International Hot Rod Association Southern Nationals. The sun was hot, I got the smell of burning rubber and nitro fuel in my nostrils, my mouth was dry, my hands itched to grab a steering wheel, and I loved it!

These are the feelings of an ex-race driver. There are several in the ranks of professional wrestling. Along with myself, the ones I know of are Johnny Walker, Johnny Weaver, Tim Woods and Mike Graham. The only one who is active now is Mike. I ran into him last winter in Atlanta and at that time, he was in the process of putting together a Corvette to run in Class C modified production at the drags.

Once you have felt the power of a race car under you, then you're addicted. You'll find any one of this bunch, on any given Sunday, wide-eyed at some track around the country, wishing it were they, not someone else, driving those cars on the track.

Johnny Weaver drove stock cars on the roundy-round tracks of the Midwest before turning to pro wrestling as a way of life. That's been over 14 years ago, but don't think for a minute he has let it slip his mind. Johnny makes four or five of the NASCAR big races every summer around the Southeast, watches the rest on television, and never misses an article in the newspaper about racing. When we both sit down in some dressing room, within five minutes the talk turns to racing.

 
 

Tim Woods hasn't handled a race car in about five years, but he had one of the fastest 442 Oldsmobiles, running the eighth mile drags in the Carolinas, and was very close to the national record in his class. A funny sideline to Tim's racing career was when he was beaten by a girl running a Chevy digger in his class in Shuffletown, North Carolina. It was a long time before the other wrestlers would let him live that one down. The story still comes up once in a while.

Johnny Walker drove stock cars for some years and was a top handler in his field. In 1969, they were holding wrestling matches at the speedway in Bowling Green, KY. John's ability was questioned by another wrestler who thought that he could outdrive him. Well, they were loaned two stock cars by local drivers and went at it for ten laps. After about three laps, Walker was so far ahead that he backed off to give the other wrestler a chance. Then finally before the finish, he lapped the surprised challenger. John hadn't lost his touch.

The first time I met Mike Graham, he was sixteen and, along with a buddy, had built a '55 Chevy to drag race. He has gone through a few cars since then and each one has excelled in its class throughout the Sunshine State of Florida. Graham's current "Vette" should be on the track by now, and I'm sure it will do well, also. 

 

I started my drag racing at age fifteen, and during my racing days handled Fords, Chevys, Pontiacs and Plymouths. I was lucky enough to win a N.H.R.A. division title and to race several times at the National Hot Rod Association Nationals in Indianapolis. Like it's been for me in wrestling, it's been the same for me in racing. I just couldn't win that big one. I think I speak for all of the above when I say that racing was a great time in our lives and we are all still drivers at heart.

From the Summer 1974 issue of the Wrestling News magazine. We found these clippings posted on the Kayfabe Memories wrestling message board, posted by "Mr. Ambivalent" in the Southeastern Wrestling forum. Thanks to Peggy Lathan for transcription services.

Originally published September 9, 2008 on the Johnny Weaver Blog by the Mid-Atlantic Gateway