Road Jackets for Jim Crockett Promotions (1985)

It would be pretty cool to have a complete collection of these satin jackets today. They were sold by Jim Crockett Promotions in 1985 and 1986, primarily through mail order out of their in-house magazine.

The jackets feature some of the earliest designs for JCP as they worked to get merchandising off the ground in those years.

The wrestlers featured included a team jacket for "America's Team" Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A., as well as individual logos for each of them. Also featured were Ric Flair, Manny Fernandez, and the Rock and Roll Express.

The jackets sold for a whopping $50, which was a lot of money back in the mid-1980s. I'm guessing not a whole lot of them were sold. However, those same logos appeared on caps and t-shirts as well, which likely sold better, especially at the arenas.

My personal favorite, strictly from a design standpoint, was the logo for Dusty Rhodes, which had a great western look and evoked an image that just said "TEXAS" with the star in the center of the letter "O" in Rhodes. The Ric Flair design is great looking, too, and a variation was used in the famous "I Do It With Flair" t-shirt of the same era.

Magnum T.A. and the Myth of Starrcade '86

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

The story has been told so many times over the last three decades that it's accepted by many today as fact. "Magnum T.A. was going to win the NWA title at Starrcade '86." 

Yes, Magnum was a sure bet to eventually wear the ten pounds of gold, but it wasn't going to happen at Starrcade '86.  That's nothing but romanticized wishful thinking by fans over the years out of love and respect for a guy whose career was cut short by the tragic automobile accident of October 1986, just over six weeks away from Starrcade.

A sure bet to be champion? Magnum T.A. leaves the ring with the Ten Pounds of Gold
after a confrontation with champion Ric Flair on the nationally televised
"World Championship Wrestling" program in June of 1985.

There is no doubt Magnum T.A. would have been a top choice for the NWA title, especially once it basically became a Jim Crockett Promotions company-title by 1986, and especially with Dusty Rhodes in charge. Magnum was Dusty's guy, and he had proven himself to be a big box office draw for the company.

Magnum T.A. was perfect in the role of challenger. He was brilliant in it, in fact, and had already proven to be so three times over in his relatively short main event career.

Let's take a look at each of those three cases, all which drew very well at the gate:

1. MAGNUM T.A. VS. WAHOO McDANIEL - After arriving in Jim Crockett Promotions in late 1984, Magnum chased Wahoo McDaniel for the U.S. title for roughly three months and beat him cleanly in front of a crazy Charlotte crowd in March of 1985. The message was clear - Magnum had defeated a bona fide wrestling legend in McDaniel, and it immediately propelled him into the upper tier of babyfaces in the promotion, second only to Rhodes.
2. MAGNUM T.A. vs. TULLY BLANCHARD - Then in the summer and fall 1985, Magnum chased Tully Blanchard for the same title. These two guys were opposite sides of the same coin. This feud was a bit different than the shorter program with Wahoo. It was a long hard five month chase that culminated in one of the most memorable, brutal Starrcade matches of them all - the 1985 "I Quit" match in Greensboro.
3. MAGNUM T.A. vs. NIKITA KOLOFF - Finally, after having the U.S. title stripped from him by an overly-legislative NWA president Bob Geigle, Magnum would chase the title again in a legendary best-of-seven series with the "Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff in 1986. This was made to order during the era of the cold war: the Great American Hero vs. the hated Communist Russian. Magnum found himself down 0-3 in the series before heroically battling back to tie the series 3-3 in what was the best match of the series in Asheville, NC. But then the unthinkable happened. Koloff won the title in match #7 in Charlotte, once again setting up Magnum as the classic babyface challenger chasing the title. Except this time it wasn't a regional battle against venerable aging legend in Wahoo McDaniel. It wasn't a national battle on the Superstation against the man on the other side of the mirror in Tully Blanchard. No, this battle now seemed world wide in scope - - the U.S.A. vs. Russia. And there can be little doubt that this program, which started way back at the beginning of 1986 would culminate in Magnum's greatest triumph ever up to that point, at Starrcade '86. It was one of the greatest wrestling stories ever told, except sadly we never got to see the finish.

The story with Nikita pretty much shatters any Magnum-wins-the-NWA-title-at-Starrcade-'86 theories, because Magnum was always going to regain the U.S. title from Nikita at Starrcade. Dusty had spent the entire year of 1986 setting that up. And consider these facts: Magnum's accident was on 10/12/86 which was only six weeks before Starrcade. There was NOTHING at that moment in time that even hinted at a Flair-Magnum match-up at Starrcade '86. In fact, all of Magnum's interviews that were taped in some cases mere hours before the accident were focused on a program with Jimmy Garvin. It was a program to run a few short weeks to keep Magnum out of the ring with Nikita at house shows in the weeks leading up to Starrcade. Magnum was going to face Nikita Koloff at Starrcade to get his U.S. title belt back, a match Dusty had meticulously booked toward since February of that year. Six weeks out from Starrcade, he wasn't going to suddenly put Magnum with Flair and abandon his entire year-long Magnum/Nikita program he had worked so hard to create.

And it doesn't even matter if Dusty or Jim Crockett or Ric Flair or anyone else - - some 30 years later through the fog of time - - ever said that it would have happened at Starrcade '86. I'll never be convinced that it was going to happen. Never. Not ever. To assert otherwise is an insult to the memory of the booking acumen, prowess, and style of Dusty Rhodes, especially during the hottest booking year of his entire career.  Everything about Dusty's booking in Jim Crockett Promotions up until that point during that era was gold. And everything about the Magnum-Nikita story that had been told for the entire year of 1986 pointed to a giant Starrcade finale.

If Magnum were to eventually win the NWA title from Flair after Starrcade '86, my guess for his earliest opportunity would be after a six-month build at the Great American Bash '87 or, much more likely, at Starrcade '87. Nothing can be really known for sure. Keep in mind that during Flair's title era with Jim Crockett Promotions in the the 1980s, guys like Barry Windham and Lex Luger that were also "certain" to win the NWA title from Flair never got the strap in that era, either. And they were both Dusty's boys just like Magnum.

A sure bet to be champion? One can certainly envision Magnum eventually carrying the Ten Pounds of Gold. Just not then. But the photo above lets us actually see what it might have looked like. Magnum knew how to carry a belt.

Still, though, the best story to my way of thinking would have always been Magnum chasing the belt. And Dusty Rhodes was really good at writing those great stories.

* * * * *

Edited and expanded from an original post titled "A Sure Bet to Be Champion?" in 2012 on the Domed-Globe website.

Classic Windbreakers for Jim Crockett Promotions (1985)

It would be pretty cool to have a complete collection of these satin jackets today. They were sold by Jim Crockett Promotions in 1985 and 1986, primarily through mail order out of their in-house magazine.

The jackets feature some of the earliest designs for JCP as they worked to get merchandising off the ground in those years.

The wrestlers featured included a team jacket for "America's Team" Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A., as well as individual logos for each of them. Also featured were Ric Flair, Manny Fernandez, and the Rock and Roll Express.

The jackets sold for a whopping $50, which was a lot of money back in the mid-1980s. I'm guessing not a whole lot of them were sold. However, those same logos appeared on caps and t-shirts as well, which likely sold better, especially at the arenas.

My personal favorite, strictly from a design standpoint, was the logo for Dusty Rhodes, which had a great western look and evoked an image that just said "TEXAS" with the star in the center of the letter "O" in Rhodes. The Ric Flair design is great looking, too, and a variation was used in the famous "I Do It With Flair" t-shirt of the same era.

Originally posted February 15, 2017 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Action Figures Friday: Magnum and Dusty in Fur Coats!

Who can forget Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A. walking out on Superstation WTBS to interview with Tony Schiavone wearing those big fur coats? It was on World Championship Wrestling back on December 14, 1985, and that nutty moment is still talked about today (and lives on the WWE Network.) 

"I don't believe there is any explanation for this right here," Dusty said to Schiavone. "We was on the JCP private sports plane...I mean, you can go all over the world and not see nuthin' as bad as this."

From the creative mind of Jeff Jewett comes this action figures staging of America's Team with custom made min-furs. Excellent job, and great memories!

The entire 12/14/85 show is available on the WWE Network.  

Here is the interview on YouTube:

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * 

"Action Figures Friday" makes random appearances here on the Gateway. It all began with Mike Simmerman's amazing collection of custom figures staged in an even more amazing custom mini-studio based on WRAL in Raleigh in the 1970s and early 1980s. There have been other contributors including Jeff Jewett, Scottie Richardson, Matty Montcalm, Barry Hatchet, and others. 

You can filter posts with the Action Figures tag and see all the previous posts for Action Figures Friday.

A Sign of the Times

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Back in the early 2000s, the Mid-Atlantic Gateway briefly hosted a second website (now defunct) called "The Glory Days." It focused primarily on NWA wrestling on Superstation WTBS in 1985-1986. There were show summaries and lots of video clips that we embedded from our linked YouTube site called GloryDays TV. (Most, although not all, of those videos are still up and can be found here.)

Without commentary here one way or the other, it's interesting to note the letter I received from YouTube regarding one of these video clips from a 1985 episode of "World Wide Wrestling" featuring David Crockett, Magnum T.A., Baby Doll, and Tully Blanchard.

Nicknamed "She likes it!!", here is the infamous clip:

Here is an excerpt from the YouTube letter I received:

As you may know, our Community Guidelines describe which content we allow – and don’t allow – on YouTube. Your video GloryDaysTV - Magnum & Babydoll Kiss was flagged to us for review. Upon review, we’ve determined that it may not be suitable for all viewers and it has been placed behind an age restriction.

This clip is indeed one of the more controversial clips from those old wrestling shows. Even in 1985 it was controversial for David Crockett's reaction (not to mention the reaction of the crowd.) So in 2019, I'm surprised YouTube hasn't pulled it down completely. They've left it up, just with the new age restriction.

One wrestling note: I've always thought Tully Blanchard came across as the real babyface in this angle, vociferously coming to the defense of his "Perfect 10." 

For what it's worth, our old website address for The Glory Days website was theglorydays.net which now apparently forwards to a Japanese gambling website. Go figure. (And no connection to us whatsoever!)

Action Figures Friday: Magnum T.A.

From our friends at Wrestler Weekly!

Great American Bash 1986

Behind the Scenes at The Great American Bash 1986

Memorial Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

 All Photographs © Eddie Cheslock

Originally posted July 3, 2015 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway 

Late Edit: The WWE Network has just added this complete show from 7/5/86 to the Hidden Gems section of the Vault, as well as the complete Greensboro show from 7/26/86.

Action Figures Friday: America's Team & The LOD

The Road Warriors with Gordon Solie on Georgia's
"World Championship Wrestling"
__________________________________

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Photographs by Donald Joyner

More than the actual figures themselves submitted by some of our collector friends, I've been most impressed with the backdrops used folks have created to present their figures. From the Crockett-era replica belts used by Jeff Jewett to the replica locations of "Make Believe Gardens" from Barry Hatchet and the incredible scale reproduction of the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling set and WTBS mid-80s set by Mike Simmerman that got this whole series started, it's what's seen in the background that makes these photos really work for me. (I love the custom little belts, too!)

So I was particularly impressed with Donald Joyner's recent submission of two photos that feature the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling set from 1983-1986 and the World Championship Wrestling (Georgia Wrestling on WTBS) set from 1982-1984.

Donald told us Mike Simmerman's work recently featured on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway inspired him to create his own backdrops for his figures.

Featured above right are the infamous Road Warriors, wearing their National Tag Team championship belts, on the set of "World Championship Wrestling" with Gordon Solie.

Below, we see "America's Team" of Magnum T.A. Dusty Rhodes with Bob Caudle on the set of "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling."

Magnum T.A., Bob Caudle, and Dusty Rhodes on the set of "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling"

Thanks to Mike Simmerman, Jeff Jewett, Barry Hatchet (by way of Andrew Calvert), and Donald Joyner for all of the great photos that have been part of Action Figures Friday over the past ten months.

Crockett Night at Charlotte's BB&T Ballpark Sunday 9/3

BaseballParks.com    

On Sunday, September 3, it's Crockett Night at the ol' ballgame.

This coming Labor Day weekend, make your plans to head out to BB&T Ballpark, home of the Charlotte Knights baseball team, for a great evening of baseball and to visit with some of the great legends of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions.

It's the 2017 Crockett Foundation Night at the ballpark, part of the final weekend of the regular season for the triple-A Charlotte Knights.The event is organized by the Crockett Foundation, the charitable organization run now by Jim Crockett, Sr.'s granddaughter Debbie Ringley.

Crockett Foundation

DATE: Sunday evening, September 3, 2017
WHERE: BB&T Park, 324 South Mint Street Charlotte, NC (Parking & Directions)
TIME: Gates open at 6:00 PM, First Pitch at 7:05 PM (Wrestlers available before the game)
SPECIAL EVENTS: NWA Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends plus Fireworks after the game!

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

INTERVIEW WITH DEBBIE RINGLEY

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Debbie about what's planned for Crockett Night this year.
  
Dick Bourne: How did "Crockett Night” at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte come about?

Debbie Ringley: It came about as a way to celebrate the 85th anniversary of Jim Crockett Promotions, both baseball and wrestling, last year. I had to come up with a way to put what Granddaddy created and the things that came after his death. Hosting wrestlers at a baseball game seemed to be the perfect way of bringing the two together. Last year’s event went so well that the Knights asked us back and we are going to make it a staple of both the Foundations and Knights events schedule each year.

Bourne: So the purpose for the event is to help raise awareness for the Foundation?

Ringley: It is to raise awareness. The wrestlers will not charge for their picture or autograph but they will be asking fans to throw some money in a jug towards a donation.

Bourne: You guys have some very cool wrestling-related merchandise that you sell on the Crockett Foundation website. Will some of that be available for fans to purchase at this event?

Ringley: We will have shirts, including our new "TBS 6:05" shirt, for sale and we will also have both of our wrestling books.

Bourne: I've seen the new "TBS 6:05" shirt - - very cool, it immediately conjures up memories of so many Saturday evenings where I wouldn't miss "World Championship Wrestling" out of Atlanta with David Crockett and Tony Schiavone.

Crockett Foundation / Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Ringley: The back of the shirt is awesome, too, with our Crockett Foundation logo and signatures of many of the wrestling personalities that are "tag team partners" of the Crockett Foundation.

Ringley: Jackie will be there to autograph his ["When Wrestling Was Wrestling"] and our second book contains stories about three of the wrestlers that will be there that night so it would be a great opportunity for a fan to get the books autographed by the subjects in the books. Both the books and the shirts will be on sale for $15.00

Bourne: Nice to have Jackie Crockett there to sign his book of photographs. He took some really amazing photos in the late 1970s and early 1980s. That is a wonderful collection.

Ringley: Both the books and the shirts will be on sale for $15.00

Bourne: What wrestling celebrities will be there?

Ringley: Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson of the Rock n Roll Express, Magnum T.A., J.J. Dillon, Baby Doll, Tommy Young, and Jackie Crockett.

Bourne: Wow, that's a great line-up and a small "who's who" of some of the big names of Jim Crockett Promotions in the hot period of the mid 1980s.

Ringley: It is, and since there was no [Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends] Fanfest this year, it may be the only gathering of this type in the Charlotte area this year. I don’t know of any opportunity like this around.

Bourne: I always enjoy seeing these guys get recognized and for fans to be able to show their appreciation for all they gave to the wrestling business. Will there be a special introduction of your special wrestling guests that evening at the game?

Ringley: All of the attendees will be introduced on the field prior to the game and just like last year Baby Doll will arrive on her Harley. I will be throwing out the first pitch but don’t expect much from that!

Bourne: Excellent! No pressure there, right?

Ringley: No, not at all!

Bourne: How will fans be able to interact with your special guests that night?

Ringley: They will be signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. All they will ask is a donation of some kind. Or a swag purchase from our merchandise table will get them pictures and autographs.

Bourne: Will Frances be there? Your mom [Frances Crockett] is such an important part of both the family history and baseball history in Charlotte.

Ringley: Yes, she should be. I think one of my sisters is bringing her. I have my hands full with all the others!

Bourne: I'll bet! Debbie, thanks for filling us in on Crockett Foundation Night 2017. I know both wrestling fans and baseball fans will have a blast.

Ringley: Thanks! Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

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

DATE: Sunday evening, September 3, 2017
WHERE: BB&T Ballpark, 324 South Mint Street Charlotte, NC (Parking & Directions)
TIME: Gates open at 6:00 PM, First Pitch at 7:05 PM


If you are in the Charlotte area over Labor Day weekend, come out and support the Crockett Foundation and Charlotte Knights baseball. Buy some peanuts and some Cracker Jack and spend some time with the great legends of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling.

Saturday TV: World Wide Wrestling (5/10/86)

The James Boys Strike in Spartanburg!

Road Jackets for Jim Crockett Promotions (1985)

It would be pretty cool to have a complete collection of these satin jackets today. They were sold by Jim Crockett Promotions in 1985 and 1986, primarily through mail order out of their in-house magazine.

The jackets feature some of the earliest designs for JCP as they worked to get merchandising off the ground in those years.

The wrestlers featured included a team jacket for "America's Team" Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A., as well as individual logos for each of them. Also featured were Ric Flair, Manny Fernandez, and the Rock and Roll Express.

The jackets sold for a whopping $50, which was a lot of money back in the mid-1980s. I'm guessing not a whole lot of them were sold. However, those same logos appeared on caps and t-shirts as well, which likely sold better, especially at the arenas.

My personal favorite, strictly from a design standpoint, was the logo for Dusty Rhodes, which had a great western look and evoked an image that just said "TEXAS" with the star in the center of the letter "O" in Rhodes. The Ric Flair design is great looking, too, and a variation was used in the famous "I Do It With Flair" t-shirt of the same era.

Saturday TV: Tully beats Dusty for the National Championship

World Wide Wrestling 3/15/86 - Complete Show

This is one of my favorite World Wide shows of that era for a number of reasons, mostly having to do with the main event and the interview that followed.

The main event of Dusty Rhodes (with Babydoll) defending the National Heavyweight Championship against Tully Blanchard (with James J. Dillon) was actually not taped at the same time as the rest of the show. It took place a week earlier as a special match that followed a normal Mid-Atlantic/World Wide TV taping in Spartanburg, SC and was the main event of that local show, but not a part of the those TV tapings.

They had Ric Flair come out and do color commentary with Tony Schiavone and David Crockett which foreshadowed Flair's involvement in the finish. The crowd was insanely hot for this match, and the audio level of the commentary is such that the crowd pops often times drown out the commentators.

The finish is perfectly executed, and the after match where the Horsemen are holding Baby Doll for Flair to jump on her from the top rope is one of the craziest, most heated moments you will ever see. This was during a wonderful era where a lot of people still believed, and they were totally buying into this. And even if you knew better, it was easy to suspend your disbelief and get totally caught up in what was happening. This was also before the time where men typically got physical with women on TV wrestling, and so it made the prospects of Flair actually jumping on Baby Doll from the top rope more shocking.

The real payoff is the interview that follows the match, where host David Crockett is at his (wonderful) obnoxious best losing his mind with Tully Blanchard and Tully just totally puts him in his place, followed by a funny jab from J.J. Dillon, too. An absolute, not-to-be-missed classic.

Also on this show, tremendous promos from Ivan and Nikita Koloff and Magnum T.A. as that feud was just getting rolling, setting the stage for the eventual best-of-7 series between Nikita and Magnum that was still four months away.

What a great era to be a wrestling fan.

U.S. Title Match: Magnum T.A. vs Nikita Koloff

If you want to know what heat in general felt like back in the 1980s, when there was still real heat, then watch this match. There is more heat in this one match than in a year of Raw all added together.

Not sure of the date of this match, but it was sometime after March 8, 1986 (when this version of the U.S. belt made its debut) and when Magnum was stripped of the title in early June of 1986.

I think this is Greensboro, but there again, not completely sure. But that looks like Wally Dusek at ringside with Tony Schiavone so I'm thinking Greensboro. However, Tom Miller was usually ring announcer for Greensboro, so this may be Charlotte. Who knows? Who cares? It's awesome.

"I Never Quit" - Magnum's Story Told Like Never Before

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Highspots.com recently released another in a series of excellent documentaries directed by Michael Elliot. Following on the footsteps of such acclaimed features as "The Funks" and "Jim Crockett Promotions: The Good Old Days" comes the telling of one of pro-wrestling's most inspirational stories, "I Never Quit: The Magnum T.A. Story."

I'm guessing you've heard the story before, but you've never quite heard it told this way.

Elliot takes Magnum back to the very spot of his tragic automobile accident that ended the meteoric rise of his relatively short wrestling career. Literally. Magnum sits on his Segway on the sidewalk on Sardis road, looking at the very spot where his career ended and he almost lost his life. He then begins to layout the whole story of his wrestling career that all led that spot on that road. It's a remarkable story of how he became one of the most popular and remembered pro-wrestlers of his generation. And it also bears witness to the physical struggle he's gone through every day of his life since that tragic day in October of 1986, and the rewarding professional and personal life he's built in its aftermath.

Think about it like this: Magnum only wrestled for Jim Crockett Promotions for 22 months. But his major feuds during those 22 months - with Wahoo McDaniel, Tully Blanchard, and Nikita Koloff -- all of which were fought over the United States Heavyweight Championship -- are still talked about to this day, some 30 years after Magnum's wrestling career came to that tragic end.

His classic matches are so fondly remembered that 30 years after the famous "I Quit" match at Starrcade '85, fans gathered in a huge ballroom at the NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest in Charlotte in 2015 to hear Magnum and Tully Blanchard just sit there and talk about it. That's pretty remarkable when you think about it.

The documentary starts at the scene of the accident, but then shifts to the story of how a young Terry Allen broke into the wrestling business, including (literally) a road map through all the territories where he cut his teeth. These include never before seen footage of Magnum early in his career. (See the official trailer video, embedded below.)

One of my favorite segments was a scene where Magnum is sitting in his office watching old video footage of a TV match he had with AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkle. It was relatively early in his career. He remembered it, but he had never seen it before. It was a special little moment.

Another favorite segment was with Magnum's mother, Marion, remembering back to the day in 1986 sitting around a conference room table where Nikita Koloff trash-talked her and an enraged Magnum jumped across the table and a brawl ensued. It was part of the great angle that led to the famous "best-of-seven" match series between Magnum and Nikita. The interesting thing was Magnum had never "smartened up" his Mom, and the incident unfolding in front of her was very real to her. It's great hearing them both tell this.

While his wrestling experience in all the different territories where he worked is covered, my favorite of course is the in-depth discussion of the three major feuds in the Mid-Atlantic area, and nationally for the NWA on WTBS, especially the "I Quit" match with Blanchard which I remember more for the brilliantly executed finish than even the match itself (which is a bonafide classic.)

This isn't a stereo-typical "shoot interview." This is a full blown documentary with supporting photographs and video and commentary from folks like Jim Crockett, Jr., Tully Blanchard, Nikita Koloff, Jimmy Valiant, Baby Doll, Ricky Morton, Dusty Rhodes, George South, and many others, as well as perspective from wrestling journalists Dave Meltzer and Bruce Mitchell. If you've seen other work by Michael Elliot, you know the professional polish he puts on his projects.

For his part, Magnum's performance is excellent as well. His narration is warm and inviting and every bit of that part of his personality comes right through. It's amazing (and inspiring) to see someone who was dealt a pretty tough hand seem so comfortable in his own skin.

"I Never Quit: The Magnum T.A. Story" is available on DVD for $14.99 from Highspots.com, or an autographed copy of the DVD is available for $19.99.  A digital download is available for $9.99 from the Highspots Wrestling Network.

Related Links:
The Gateway Interview: Magnum T.A.
Great American Bash Tour 1986 
U.S. Title Memories: Harley Race challenges Magnum T.A.
Nikita Koloff Wins the Best-Of-7 Series and the U.S. Championship
Former U.S. Champions from the Title's Golden Age appearing in Charlotte at Fanfest
1980s Dusty Booking Era Babyface Reunion

Amazing New Documentary on Magnum T.A. Coming Soon

Michael Elliot at Highspots.com has produced what looks to be another winner of a documentary on pro-wrestling. "I Never Quit: The Magnum T.A. Story" is set to be released on October 14, the 30th anniversary of Magnum's tragic automobile accident that cut short his burgeoning career.

He only wrestled for Jim Crockett Promotions for 22 months (December 1984 - October 1986), yet Magnum's feuds and matches over the United States title with Wahoo McDaniel, Tully Blanchard, and Nikita Koloff are some of the most remembered and talked about from that era. Can't wait for this documentary.

We had a chance recently to talk with Magnum T.A. in advance of his inducting Dusty Rhodes posthumously into the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Hall of Heroes (NWALegends.com) in Charlotte this past summer. You can read that interview here.

More details on this documentary as they are available.

Nikita Koloff Wins the Best of 7 Series and the U.S. Championship

Full Color! Amazing photographs of the champions and the belts!

Buy on Amazon.com

Les Thatcher Talks About His Mid-Atlantic Wrestling History and the Crockett Foundation

Mike Johnson (of PWInsider.com) conducted a wonderful in-depth interview with Les Thatcher about his days working for Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1960s and 1970s, his memories of Jim Crockett, Sr., the good work of the Crockett Foundation and much more. (And yes, we know that's Terry Taylor in the photo - but it's an interview with Les, we promise.) If for some reason the embedded audio doesn't work or show up above, the interview is on the Crockett Foundation's SoundCloud page or on the Crockett Foundation website.

For more information on the Crockett Foundation, visit their website at CrockettFoundation.com.

And don't miss David Chappell's three recent interviews with some of Crockett Promotions' biggest names of the 1980s as they prepare to be inducted into the Hall of Heroes in Charlotte.

THE GATEWAY INTERVIEW

"Precious" Paul Ellering

"The Perfect 10" Baby Doll

"The Boss" Magnum T.A.

 

We are honored to have the voice of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (and one of our heroes) Bob Caudle introduce us at the Hall of Heroes banquet this Friday night 8/5 as part of the big NWALegends.com Fanfest weekend in Charlotte. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

 

The Gateway Interview - Magnum T.A.

CharlotteMagazine.com

When professional wrestling in Jim Crockett Promotions caught fire in the mid 1980’s, a man that was right in the middle of that explosion was a gifted performer hailing from Chesapeake, Virginia named Terry Allen, better known as Magnum T.A. In December of 1984, Magnum took the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling area by storm, with his ruggedly handsome features and his lightening fast wins with the use of his patented belly-to-belly suplex. Memorable United States Heavyweight Championship programs with Wahoo McDaniel and Tully Blanchard in 1985, and with Nikita Koloff in 1986, keep Magnum’s many fans talking about his accomplishments with pride right up to this day.

Magnum’s best friend during those amazing Crockett years, the incomparable “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, will be inducted posthumously into the NWALegends.com Hall of Heroes “Class of 2016” during Fanfest weekend in Charlotte on August 4-7, 2016. The Mid-Atlantic Gateway was fortunate to catch up with “The Boss” recently, and we discussed Magnum being the presenter for Dusty’s Hall of Heroes honor and his close relationship with the “Dream,” his relatively short in-ring career that was tall on superlatives and assorted other tidbits that make Magnum T.A. an inspiration to anyone he crosses paths with.

David Chappell: Magnum, it’s so good to finally have you here on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. You mean so much to so many wrestling fans all over the world, but probably no place more than the Carolinas. You now call Charlotte home, and you’re going to be “home” for the NWALegends.com Fanfest event in about a week, and you will be presenting your mentor, the late Dusty Rhodes, for induction into the Hall of Heroes, Class of 2016. First off, please tell us about Dusty.

Magnum T.A.: Sure, well, I mean, Dusty was more than a mentor, he was my best friend. He was a comrade in the business, we were partners, I was involved with so many elements, and so many things because of his and my relationship. And his involvement, of course, in all the creative things that took place in our relationship…it started back in like, 1982.

Chappell: Wow, it goes back that far, huh?

Magnum: Yeah, goes back that far. I met him when I came to work for Eddie Graham, for Championship Wrestling from Florida. When I came in Eddie was the booker, and he was a booker for the first six months that I was there, and then Dusty came in to cover the book. We met, and Barry Windham had come in about a couple of months before Dusty did, and so Barry and I had formed this real strong friendship. Dusty, Barry, Blackjack and I soon became very close.

Chappell: How did Dusty size you up in the beginning?

Magnum: When I first came in I was kind of a fish out of water, because he didn't know me, I was new. I had been in the business about a year, and it was Barry that actually kind of broke the ice, got he and I together, and we traveled on a trip together and just had so many things in common. So many of the same desires, and dreams, and goals, and things that were just mind-boggling even though he was, you know, over ten years older than me. He became more like a big brother, and you know, was the best friend in my career.

Chappell: That’s very insightful. I didn’t realize your friendship with Dusty started that early.

Magnum: Well, it's really way more in depth than I'll ever be able to go into during his induction, but when I got the call to come to Mid-South, and when the Magnum T.A. character launched, Dusty gave me his blessing to go do it, because he had been really grooming me there in Florida to help me learn as much as I possibly could. He had me booked in tag matches with Brad Armstrong, and Scott McGee, and we were going out there for forty-five minute broadways every night with the Royal Kangaroos, and it was education I was getting, and of course I was around Eddie Graham.

Chappell: I’m sure just hanging around Eddie Graham was an education unto itself.

Magnum: Eddie was Dusty's mentor, so it was just this big old educational thing going on, and these strong, strong bonds being formed. I had only been in Mid-South for about six months, and back then Ernie Ladd was kind of booking things, and Ernie wasn't the most insightful guy as far as new creative things…he recognized talent, but didn't know what he was going to do with them. He was kind of like in a lull, not knowing exactly what to do with me, and I wasn't really happy with the direction things were going, so I was getting ready to come back to Florida with Dusty, with the Magnum character, in a whole different genre, and Bill [Watts] saw me and said, "You're not going anywhere! I've got plans for you."

prowresblog.blogspot.com

Chappell: Yeah, Bill Watts had an eagle-eye for talent, and for sure had ideas for you.

Magnum: Bill hadn't been really involved to that point, either. Bill came in and the rest is history. But when Dusty then made his move to the Carolina's, and worked for the Crockett's, he always had these big dreams of this superstar. He was dreaming about what became WrestleMania way before that ever happened, and that of course being the Starrcades were the beginning of all that. But when I was getting ready to come into Mid-Atlantic, they didn't have any injection of new blood. Barry Windham had come in with him as his top baby face, and it was…

Chappell: Barry left about as soon as he came, didn’t he?

Magnum: Well, he did because he was getting three, four hundred dollar paychecks, and he couldn't live on it.

Chappell: Whew, the territory was down that much then?

Magnum: He couldn't afford to eat, and so I was at a place that was on fire, and I was making over two grand a week in Mid-South, in 1984, that was big money. Dusty and Jimmy Crockett called me in the middle of the night, and Jimmy gets on the phone with me and said, "Look, I can't match what you're making there, but I promise if you come you won't make less than x amount of dollars that was respectable, and I would give you the biggest push anybody could ever get."

The Gateway Interview - "Precious" Paul Ellering

"Precious" Paul Ellering

One of the most dynamic tag teams in the history of professional wrestling was the Legion of Doom, the Road Warriors. Animal and Hawk, along with their cerebral manager “Precious” Paul Ellering, wreaked havoc in a number of wrestling promotions and territories from the early 1980’s until Hawk’s untimely death in 2003. But one of the greatest runs for the Road Warriors was in Jim Crockett Promotions and the National Wrestling Alliance during stretches from 1984 until 1990. It is principally for their excellence during that latter time frame that the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering are being inducted into the Hall of Heroes “Class of 2016” as part of the NWALegends.com Fanfest in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 4-7, 2016. The Mid-Atlantic Gateway caught up with Paul Ellering recently, and “oh what a rush” it was to chat with this wrestling legend!

David Chappell: Paul, thank you for taking the time to speak with the Mid-Atlantic Gateway today. My website partner, Dick Bourne, told me that he hoped you weren’t reading your Wall Street Journal when I called, and that I wouldn’t be interrupting your reading time with what used to be your favorite newspaper! With smart phones and other electronic substitutes, I don’t even know if there’s a Wall Street Journal paper out there anymore.

Paul Ellering: Believe it or not, I still get the Wall Street Journal! Basically, it's so obsolete because of, like you say, the cell phone. Recently I've been back at NXT, and they said, "Yeah, nothing out of the '80s or '90s. No Wall Street Journals, no sunglasses, no nothing."

Chappell: I don’t doubt it at all; the world has really changed. Skipping ahead a little bit, since you brought up NXT!  I follow the current product at WWE, and actually I went up to the Battleground event in Washington recently. But for whatever reason, I haven't gotten into NXT much, just because I guess there are only so many hours in the day. I'd heard great things about NXT, but I actually watched, probably for the first time, one of their entire special events, NXT TakeOver: The End of the Beginning, and I had no idea you were going to be there. When you came out with the Authors of Pain, I became an instant NXT fan!

Ellering: Well, they've got a great product. They have a great facility, with the performance center, and my gosh, they've got an abundance of talent.

Chappell: Absolutely, for sure.

Ellering: NXT itself has gotten to a point where they're self funding their whole deal. They don't do a lot of shows, but the ones they do, they do really good. There is one coming up in Brooklyn next month, and that was sold out in 4 hours!

Chappell: NXT has a kind of old school feel to it for me!

Ellering: Well, going back to the '70s and '80s, we always did TV in basically small venues. Now, with Raw and Smackdown, they do them in big arenas and stuff, but with NXT, it's like old school TV. It's not huge, and it fills up, and the crowd's really into it. In that respect, it's a throwback.

Chappell: I agree. Paul, you have been previously inducted into several prestigious Halls of Fame, but the 2016 Hall of Heroes in Charlotte is principally recognizing you and the Road Warriors for your accomplishments during your Crockett/NWA run in the mid and late 1980’s. I'm curious how the stint with the NWA compares to all the other successes you and the Warriors had in other parts of the country and world.

The Legion of Doom, The Road Warriors Hawk and Animal with "Precious" Paul Ellering

Ellering: Well, one has to look at the history of things, and that was a tremendously exciting period for wrestling because of the wrestling wars and the companies that wanted to sign talent up, and it was really good for the boys, and people in wrestling. Everybody was competing. It was the WWF at that time against Crockett and Turner, so it was really exciting in that respect, because everybody'd go check the ratings and see who was doing good and who wasn't, and of course, we were part of it.

Chappell: A huge part of it!

Ellering: We came along in the first revolution of wrestling, which was the beginning of the '80s, when cable TV started to spread across the country. Then people, there were so many, many territories across the United States, could finally compare their local products to a national product. Then along came the Road Warriors, and wrestling changed from the old school wrestling to the new era at that time.

Chappell: That's right, you all were really front and center during that switch over period.

Ellering: Oh yeah, we were just huge, and it was non stop action, and very visual. The guys were super strong, and then along came the paint and the haircuts and the entrance music, and it was really exciting in that respect.


Chappell: At that time, nobody had seen anything like the Road Warriors. I remember when you all came briefly into the Mid-Atlantic area in the summer of 1984. Of course everybody had heard about the Warriors and had seen you all in the Apter magazines, but when you all appeared on our local TV program it was quite an awakening. You all really were at the forefront of that change. Change is good a lot of times, and I think in this case, it really was.

Ellering: Yeah, and then at that time, I think we worked up until '84 or '85 for TBS there, Turner. Well, actually, Ole was the booker at that time.

Chappell: Yes…

Ellering: Then we basically went independent, because we had our deal with Japan. Japan always came first, and then we did a deal with Verne, up in the AWA, so we could move back home, and then we also kept working for Crockett. Basically, we worked for everybody, but we called our own shots. I saw it, at the time, because I saw how they promoted Andre as just an attraction, where you bring him in and he's in for a month, and then he's gone.

Chappell: Interesting…

Ellering: The guys were over, so strong, I thought to myself, "Boy, we can do the same thing.” We can just be an attraction, not even stay in a territory, and just hot shot the whole country, the whole world, for that matter, and just hot shot it. Go in, go out, and they see us, and then the fans are always left with, "We want to see more." You always had another place to come in, and it worked really good because we didn't get over exposed, and so it was very exciting that we had that many territories that we could work with.

Chappell: What a great set-up for you all! You were of course managing the Road Warriors on TV, but you actually did a lot behind the scenes to set them up to be these touring free agents, so to speak.

Ellering: I am, to this day, the last shooting manager, because I was a manager. I set up the travel. I set up how we were going to get paid, and we'd just sit down with the calendar, a month ahead, and I'd just say, "Okay, what days don't we want to work, because if you leave it open, I'm going to fill it up."

Chappell: It wasn't just the TV role for you as a manager, you did it all!

Ellering: Oh, yeah! It was fun, though. It was fun. We got to be really close, and were a special family unto ourselves.

Chappell: It’s interesting that the Road Warriors were close behind the scenes, in addition to their obvious on-screen camaraderie. With that being said, you must be excited to be reunited with Animal at Fanfest in Charlotte.

Ellering: Well, it's always great to see him. I saw him a couple months ago. We did a show, well, it was in Dallas I believe. It's always good to see him, see how his family's doing, because all their kids and my kids, we all grew up together and they're family. There's always a special place in my heart for Animal, and him for me, too, I'm sure.


Chappell: Is it a bit bittersweet that when you and Animal get together now, Hawk’s not here to complete the team? I’m sure fond memories of that big man must come flooding back to you.

Ellering: Well, always, because any time you sit around, some memory of Hawk just comes up. Somebody will come up and say, "Remember this? Remember that?" We just go into the memory banks and enjoy those moments.

Chappell: Hawk was a memorable guy, there's no doubt about it. In a lot of respects!

Ellering: Yeah, they only made one Hawk!

Chappell: That's right. They broke the mold, without a question.

Ellering: Yep!

Chappell: You and the Warriors are being inducted into the 2016 class of the Hall of Heroes with several people that were important in making that mid 1980s Crockett/NWA time frame so special. One is the late great Dusty Rhodes, of course, who is being inducted by his close friend Magnum TA. What are your thoughts on those two legends?

Ellering: Well, I really miss Dusty. He was just, he was just one of a kind, and it'll be really good to see Magnum. I haven't seen him since the '80s.

Chappell: Wow, really?

Ellering: Yeah. I think it's really a tremendous satisfaction as far as me and the fans, that Magnum gets to talk about Dusty, because they were very close.

Chappell: Very much so.

Ellering: Well, they all were at that time. Yeah, so I think it's tremendous.

30th Anniversary of Dusty's Final World Title Win

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

The list of men who have held the NWA World Championship during the territory era is relatively short. Few of wrestling's legends can claim the honor. Even fewer can claim to have held it more than once. Dusty Rhodes did it three times.

NWA World Champion Dusty Rhodes

It's hard to imagine that it has been 30 years, but this indeed is the 30th anniversary of Dusty Rhodes defeating Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the Great American Bash event in Greensboro, NC.

It was a hot Saturday night, July 26, 1986. The Greensboro Coliseum was packed and Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes met inside a steel cage with the NWA world title on the line. It was near the end of a string of Great American Bash shows that had stretched the month of July, and it was near the end of a series of NWA title defenses all during that famous Bash series.

Flair had successfully defended against Road Warrior Hawk, Ricky Morton, Wahoo McDaniel, Nikita Koloff, Ron Garvin and others. The Bash had played in places like Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, RFK Stadium in Washington, the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, and Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.

Flair had even successfully defended against Rhodes twice already during the Bash - - in Washington, DC and in Jacksonville, FL.

But the third time proved to be the charm for the "American Dream", winning the prestigious championship for a third and final time, taking the Big Gold belt in "Crockett country" at the historic Greensboro Coliseum.

It was a jubilant scene as Rhodes stood on the second turnbuckle, hugging the Big Gold belt as tears streamed down his face. Wrestlers flooded the ring, along with Baby Doll and country singer David Allen Coe, as Tom Miller made the dramatic announcement...

"...the winner and new world heavyweight champion, the American Dream Dusty Rhodes!"

(See also: American Dreams Come True: for the first time since Dusty Rhodes won the Big Gold in 1986, the nameplate finally goes on the original belt.)

MAGNUM T.A. TO HONOR DUSTY RHODES AT HALL OF HEROES

Dusty Rhodes with his daughter Teil around the same period as
when Dusty won the "Big Gold" belt in Greensboro. Teil
will be in Charlotte on July 5th to help honor her Dad
at the Hall of Heroes. (Eddie Cheslock Photo)

One of the men celebrating with Rhodes that night was his protege, Magnum T.A. Magnum was embroiled in a bitter series of matches of his own, a best-of-seven series for the vacant U.S. championship with Nikita Koloff. That same night, Magnum captured his first victory in that series, preventing Koloff from sweeping him. Magnum now trailed 1-3, and would go on to get wins #2 and #3 in Atlanta and Asheville before losing match #7 in Charlotte in mid-August.

Magnum's big victory that night in Greensboro, along with Dusty's historic 3rd NWA title win, made Greensboro the best night in that amazing string of shows that was the Great American Bash thirty years ago this month.

And now all these years later, Magnum T.A. will pay tribute to his mentor and friend Dusty Rhodes at the annual Hall of Heroes dinner banquet Friday, August 5, during the NWALegends.com Fanfest weekend in Charlotte. Dusty's wife Michelle and his daughter Teil will be there to see Dusty honored and inducted into the Hall of Heroes Class of 2016.

It is bound to be an emotional evening, and one you will want to be a part of. Complete details on Fanfest and the Hall of Heroes dinner banquet can be found at NWALegends.com.