Argentino Apollo Arrives in JCP (1970)

THE AUDIO TAPE LIBRARY: AN OLDIE BUT GOODIE
By David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Argentina Apollo

While November 14, 1970 predates the time period that encompassed Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (by name), that date nevertheless carries some significance for me. It is the Saturday afternoon program of “Championship Wrestling” taped at the Channel 5 studios in Raleigh, North Carolina that represents the oldest program in my Jim Crockett Promotions audio collection. This program is also important to me as it introduced a newcomer to the Carolinas that I have many fond memories of.

In what was the second bout of that show, TV ring announcer Joe Murnick told the studio audience, “Now ladies and gentlemen, the second bout is also one fall and a 15-minute time limit, for the first time for our viewers, at 222 pounds from the Argentine, Buenos Aires, here is the sensational jumping jack of the ring, Argentina Apollo…Apollo!

Apollo, quick as greased lightning and wrestling barefooted, made quick work of the journeyman Joe Soto in the show’s second match with a rapid-fire backbreaker, and he received a strong and favorable reception from the studio audience in attendance. Soon after the bout concluded Apollo came out to the interview area and chatted with play-by-play announcer Nick Pond.

Pond began, “At ringside once again, it’s our distinct pleasure to have with us our winner of this afternoon’s second bout here on Championship Wrestling, a newcomer to our show, Argentina Apollo. You’re like a jumping jack Apollo!” The muscular newcomer responded, “Well, it’s like everything, you’re supposed to be in good shape to do things in the ring.” Pond interjected, “Tell us about that hold that you finished off Joe Soto with, it looked like a backbreaker of some kind.” Apollo explained, “Yeah, I call it Argentina backbreaker. It’s my hold. It’s not too easy to do, you need to be in very good shape to do a hold like that.”

The announcer continued and marveled at the acrobatic abilities of the area’s newest grappler. Nick gushed, “You did some moves up there we hadn’t seen, in fact we’d never seen before! You jump around a lot, and it looked like you kind of befuddle and mix up your opponent some.” Apollo agreed and noted, “Well, that’s why I say to be a wrestler you need to train very, very hard like I do. I get up early every morning and I train very, very much. I eat well; but I try to stay in good shape.”

Apollo then chuckled, “I’m in the best country in the world, and eat good, and try to keep in better shape even when I eat good! Of course, it’s very important for everybody, mostly the young generation, to train like I do and be in better shape than I do.”

Pond then segued to Apollo’s first arena bout in the territory saying, “Alright Argentina, you’re going to go against a tag team Tuesday night here in Raleigh, you’re going to be teamed with a great wrestler, the U.S. Negro Heavyweight Champion Luther Lindsey and you’re going to meet Chris Markoff and Bronco Lubich, two tough guys from Yugoslavia.” Apollo answered, “Well, it will be my first time over here in Raleigh, and I’m very proud and happy to be over here and I have in mind to be here a long, long time. As I told you these two men are very tough men Chris Markov and the other man, I’ll do my best to beat these men.”

Argentina Apollo's debut in Raleigh for Jim Crockett Promotions

 Apollo concluded, “I want to tell all of you people over here in the South, I’m very proud to be over here. I have never seen so many friendly people like I see over here in the few days I’ve been over here. I say ‘Thanks’ very much and I will repay you people the best I can and do everything I can to beat these men.” 

The November 17, 1970, card at the Dorton Arena in Raleigh saw Apollo’s career in the area’s arenas get off to a flying start as he and Luther Lindsey polished off Markoff and Chris Tolos, who was subbing for Bronco Lubich. Despite the constant interference by the bad guys’ manager Mr. George “Two Ton” Harris, Apollo and Lindsey got the dukes when Lubich and Tolos were disqualified in the third and decisive fall. 

The high-flying Argentina Apollo was off to the races and would have a strong year and a half run in Jim Crockett Promotions after these initial days in Raleigh that are memorialized on my oldest “oldie but goodie” wrestling tape!

Promoter Joe Murnick Was Key to Crockett TV Business

By Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

In an article about wrestling promoter Joe Murnick in the Raleigh papers in the early-1980s, Murnick explained how it came to pass he wound up in the wrestling business and shed light on the origins of TV wrestling in Raleigh which would become the center of the TV aspect of Crockett's business.

Promoter Joe Murnick

"I worked in Norfolk after serving there in the Navy, and later moved to Charlotte, where I bought a paint store," he said. "Jim Crockett was promoting wrestling matches in Charlotte and I used to go watch them every Monday night." 

Murnick stayed in Charlotte for the decade of the 1950s and became very active in the community and in civic life. It was there that he also formed a friendship with - - and became a business ally of - - the biggest event promoter in the Southeast, Jim Crockett, Sr.

"I loved wrestling, and I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship that developed between Crockett and me," he continued. "This was in the early 1950s when pro-wrestling was just beginning to be on television. Jim knew I had friends in the media in Raleigh and he suggested that I might get a television package for wrestling there. That's how I got into it."

Later in 1961 following the death of eastern Virginia/North Carolina promoter (and Crockett business partner) Bill Lewis, Crockett sent Murnick to Raleigh to take over Lewis's part of the vast Crockett wrestling empire, a territory which stretched from Raleigh eastward to the coast of North Carolina, and included eastern Virginia and the key cities of Richmond, Norfolk, Hampton and that area. Murnick became a huge promoter in Raleigh, not only of wrestling but, like Crockett, of concerts and other events.

Crockett was also able to establish local television wrestling in Charlotte and the Greensboro/High Point market in the 1960s, but it was Murnick's early arrangement with WRAL television in Raleigh that would make Raleigh the TV hub for the organization. 

"We'd go to a city that had television and supply the Raleigh tape [to the local station]," Murnick recalled. "The station would use it to collect the advertising." The barter arrangement allowed the Crocketts to significantly grow their business through the exposure of the growing TV industry. By the mid-1970s, all of Jim Crockett's TV production was merged into the weekly Wednesday night TV tapings at WRAL. The shows were syndicated to TV markets blanketing North and South Carolina, Virginia and also selected markets in West Virginia, Georgia, Florida and even Texas.

It was just another example of how Joe Murnick was a pioneer in the wrestling business for Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1950s until his death in 1985.

Ricky Steamboat Returns to Dorton Arena

Shared by Chuck Coates

 

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Sunday, November 24, 2022. Three days after Thanksgiving. Ricky Steamboat prepares to step inside the squared circle one more time at the age of 69. 

That night he'd team with FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) to battle "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal,  former NWA champion of the modern era Nick Aldis, and Brock Anderson, son of the legendary Arn Anderson. Arn Anderson was a rival of Steamboat's during the Dangerous Alliance era of the early 1990s. 

The match takes place at one of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling's most fabled and historic venues, Dorton Arena. The building has hosted wrestling since it was built in the early 1950s on the site of the annual North Carolina State Fair.  It is famous for its distinctive design, in the shape of a big saddle, with huge windows wrapping the entire circumference of the venue. 

But hours before stepping back between the ropes, Steamboat spent time in the upper deck that afternoon, soaking in the memories of his many battles at the old building. He fought all the major stars of the era there including Harley Race, Roddy Piper, Ernie Ladd, Greg Valentine, Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle, Ivan Koloff, Jimmy Snuka and of course his greatest rival Ric Flair. 

What a wonderful photo of the legendary Steamboat, shared unattributed by Chuck Coates on Facebook. Of all the photos from that night, this was our favorite. 

The "Big Time Wrestling" promotion billed it as Night of the Dragon. Steamboat was indeed dressed in his WWF/WCW dragon ring attire. But we prefer to remember Ricky as the Hawaiian Punch, the nickname he had here in the 1970s and early 1980s.  At 69, he appeared to be as smooth as ever, even deliverying his trademark floating arm-drag, defying gravity all these years later. 

The Hawaiian Punch woke up the echoes again at Dorton Arena.

Steamboat Armdrag!#ReturnOfTheDragon pic.twitter.com/BEP7Oxckre

— JJ Williams (@JJWilliamsWON) November 27, 2022

Flair and Valentine at WRAL

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Photographs from the Bleachers at WRAL by Ric Carter



We've been featuring a series of rare photographs taken by photographer Ric Carter from the bleachers of the studio during an hour of "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" in July of 1975.

Now we take a second look at the team of Johnny Valentine and Ric Flair in a great photograph in the moments after their victory over Kevin Sullivan and Bob Bruggers. (See more photos from that match here.)

At left, Sullivan kneels over his partner who had just taken a vicious suplex and elbow drop from "The Champ" Johnny Valentine.  Referee Johnny Heidmann checks up on the losing team as well.

Johnny Valentine had taken Flair under his wing somewhat during this time and the two teamed frequently on TV. Valentine was the reigning United States Heavyweight champion and Ric Flair held the Mid-Atlantic Television title.

In another great photo from the bleachers, Ric Cater grabbed a shot of the new United States Heavyweight title belt as it lay on the ring apron before the match, just moments before ring attendant scooped it up. You can see the ring attendant in the background, just placing Flair's TV belt over his left arm. This was the first time the new U.S. title belt, with its sparkling gold plated cast plates and shiny red crocodile leather, had been seen on T.V.

 

The story on every title change and every belt from the Crockett Promotions years.

As mentioned in our earlier post on this match, it was Johnny Valentine's first TV appearance as United States Heavyweight champion. He had just defeated Harley Race six days earlier for that title in Greensboro. During Valentine's TV match, Les Thatcher told fans that they would be reviewing tape of the title change from Greensboro on next week's show.

Champions At This Time:
NWA World Champion: Jack Brisco
World Tag Team Champions: Gene and Ole Anderson
United States Champion: Johnny Valentine
Mid-Atlantic Champion: Wahoo McDaniel
TV Champion: Ric Flair

This show was taped Wednesday, 7/9/75 and aired on Saturday, 7/12/75. Other matches on this show included Chief Wahoo McDaniel vs. The Blue Scorpion, "No. 1" Paul Jones and Rufus R. "Freight Train" Jones vs. "Crusher" Jerry Blackwell and George "Two Ton" Harris, plus Ole Anderson vs. Bob Burns.

This is the fifth and final installment in our series of photos from WRAL studio in 1975. 

1975 Photo Feature Summary
1. Wahoo McDaniel vs. The Blue Scorpion (Part 1)
2. Wahoo McDaniel vs. The Blue Scorpion (Part 2) 
3. Johnny Valentine & Ric Flair vs. Sullivan & Bruggers (Part 1)
4. Paul Jones & Rufus R. Jones vs. Blackwell and Harris 
5. Johnny Valentine & Ric Flair vs. Sullivan & Bruggers (Part 2) (This post)

All photographs in this series by Ric Carter, © CartersRXd.net. Used with permission.

Vintage audio provided by Gary Wray.

Edited from an original post in August 2018.

The Origins of Wahoo McDaniel vs. Ric Flair (1975)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway 

“That’s a good friend of mine laying there. You say you want some competition, well you’ve got some competition right here, right now!”
- Wahoo McDaniel

Bill Janosik Photo

Things were so simple back in the day. You didn’t have to set anyone on fire to start a feud with them. It could be something as simple as coming to the aid of a friend.

I’ve been listening to old audio tapes of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling from 1975, and I think I’ve found the very beginning of the classic feud between Wahoo McDaniel and Ric Flair.

On the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling show taped July 23, 1975, Ric Flair, the Mid-Atlantic TV champ at that time, is wrestling Bob Bruggers. Les Thatcher is doing commentary and is giving Bruggers' athletic background, talking about how he played football at the University of Minnesota and played NFL football for the Miami Dolphins. He roomed with Wahoo McDaniel while in Miami.

Flair and Bruggers have a pretty even and competitive match, but at the end Flair gains the upper hand, wins the match, and then relentlessly goes after Bruggers after the match, screaming for someone to bring him some competition. Wahoo McDaniel, currently the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight champ having defeated Johnny Valentine less than a month earlier, hits the ring for the save.

Wahoo gets the microphone and tells Flair “That’s a good friend of mine laying there. You say you want some competition, well you’ve got some competition right here, right now!” and they launch into a wild brawl, with Flair finally bailing out after a series of Wahoo’s chops.

Here is about 2:30 of that vintage audio. The sound quality is a little muffled, but you can make most of the key points mentioned above. Your host is Les Thatcher, with color commentary by NWA Rookie of the Year Steve Keirn. The audio picks up with about a minute left in the match.

The feud between Wahoo and Flair lasted for over 11 years, and included battles over the Mid-Atlantic, United States, and NWA World Heavyweight titles. But it all started over Wahoo coming to the aid of a friend, his old NFL roommate. That was enough is get things started. It made sense to everyone watching. We all bought into it because we all would have done the same in that position.

Flair beats Wahoo
for the Mid-Atlantic Title

Flair would soon lose the TV title to Paul Jones and mount a challenge for Wahoo’s Mid-Atlantic title. The two would battle over the next couple of months until Flair finally beat Wahoo for the title on September 20, 1975 in Hampton, VA in a title-vs.-hair match; if Flair lost, he would have to shave his head.

A few weeks later in early October, the private airplane Flair was on with Bob Bruggers, Johnny Valentine, Tim Woods, and David Crockett crashed near Wilmington NC. Despite suffering a broken back in the crash, Flair was back in action by late January 1976 and defending the Mid-Atlantic title against the former champion Wahoo McDaniel.

The two would trade the title several times over the entire year of 1976, with Wahoo eventually getting the title back for good in December 1976. Flair and new partner Greg Valentine began a family battle with Flair’s cousins the Anderson Brothers for the World Tag titles. Wahoo moved on to a feud with Greg Valentine in 1977 that eventually cost Wahoo a broken leg. But the paths of Wahoo McDaniel and Ric Flair would cross again and again over the coming years.

Thanks to David Chappell's vintage audio, you've just listened to those paths crossing to begin their feud on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling TV taped in Raleigh, NC, July 23, 1975.

Read about all of these great events and much more in the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling 1975 Yearbook, on sale now.


(The story above is edited and expanded from an original story published on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway titled "A Simpler Time" in July of 2006.)

Originally published July 2015 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Blackjack Mulligan Attacks Rufus R. Jones!

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

One of the hottest feuds in Mid-Atlantic Wrestling in 1976 was between Rufus R. "Freight Train" Jones and the then reigning United States champion Blackjack Mulligan. It didn't last long, but it was white-hot while it did.

There were several issues leading to the brutal battles between the two:

First there was the fact that Blackjack had put Rufus's cousin Burrhead Jones in the hospital by leaping off the top turnbuckle onto the neck of the prone wrestler several times.

Secondly, Blackjack had performed a similar maneuver onto the crown that was one of Rufus's most prized possessions. It was, after all, given to him by his fans on TV; they had proclaimed him "the King of Wrestling!"

Left: "The King of Wrestling" Rufus R. Jones
Right: Rufus's crown after Blackjack trashed it in the ring.

Blackjack even attacked Rufus after a match on television when the Freight Train's back was turned. Mulligan jumped him from behind, but Rufus got the upper-hand in this confrontation when he not only whipped up on the big Texan, but stripped off his shirt as well. Color commentator Tom Miller got so excited he exclaimed "Have mercy, Mama!" as Rufus was having his way with Blackjack. It is to this day one of my favorite TV moments in my years watching Mid-Atlantic Wrestling. And it is preserved forever thanks to David Chappell's audio tape.

Check out this audio clip featuring the call of the Mulligan/Jones brawl by Bob Caudle and Tom Miller (with a transcript below):

Transcript of audio:

Bob Caudle: Here's Blackjack Mulligan! Blackjack Mulligan diving into the ring, trying to get Rufus R. Jones from behind. And Rufus is going to now lift him high into the air! Blackjack's got his street clothes on, his t-shirt and his pants. Rufus is going to tear that t-shirt off of him...

Tom Miller: I don't believe it!

Bob Caudle: ....his cowboy boots on .....

Tom Miller: I don't believe it, he's ripping his clothes to shreds! HAVE MERCY, MAMA!

Bob Caudle: Mulligan with his cowboy boots.....

Tom Miller: Boy! Look at that!.....

 Bob Caudle: .... and his street clothes....he's going to get out of the ring, he's trying to get out.....

Tom Miller: Rufus is getting his revenge now!

Bob Caudle: ...and Rufus R. Jones is just going to whip him to death! Mulligan out of the ring, down on the floor.....Well, Blackjack Mulligan was going to try and hurt Rufus Jones, and it's Blackjack that really winds up in trouble as he not only got a few licks from Rufus, but he lost his shirt in the deal.

End Transcript

All of the events described above happened over the course of 1976 and led to several main event matches between Blackjack and Rufus for Mulligan's U.S. title. One of the epic battles between the two took place in Wilson, NC at venerable Fleming Stadium. Wilson Times sports editor Paul Durham wrote nostalgically about that match in an article published Friday 7/24/15 in advance of the premier of the documentary film "Mid-Atlantic Memories" at the Mid-Atlantic Legends Fanfest in Charlotte. (Be sure to check out Paul's great article here: Those Mid-Atlantic Memories Still Vivid.)

It was Durham's article that got me to thinking about this feud for Main Event Memories.

Rufus Jones battles Blackjack Mulligan

I don't have the newspaper clipping for that match in Wilson, so I thought I'd include one from around the same time in nearby Raleigh, NC at Dorton Arena.

Blackjack told the Mid-Atlantic Gateway in an interview several years ago that he suggested to booker George Scott and promoter Jim Crockett that they put the title on Rufus for a short period of time because of how hot the feud had become. Scott, regrettably, declined the suggestion. But can you imagine the celebration in the arena where that might have taken place?

* * * * *

PS - A couple of notes about the undercard in Raleigh:

Sgt. Jacques Goulet and Mike "The Judge" Dubois were one of my favorite tag teams that year. Not only were they an excellent combination, I loved the way Joe Murnick would introduce them on television. I'll have to find one of those introductions for a future installment of "Sound Bytes."

Also of note on this card was Burrhead Jones, the aforementioned cousin of Rufus Jones. And the opener featured a young kid from Japan named Dr. Fujiani. His real name was Tatsumi Fujinami, the future Japanese legend who would go on to have multiple reigns as IWGP champion in Japan, and even a short run as NWA world champion, defeating Ric Flair in the Tokyo Dome in 1991. Fujinami was recently inducted in to the WWE Hall of Fame.

Originally published in August of 2015 on the mid-Atlantic Gateway.

More "Main Event Memories"

Bob Caudle: The Voice of Weather at WRAL TV in Raleigh

Bob Caudle reviews information on the AP (Associated Press) wire station
at WRAL TV Studios in Raleigh.
Photo from the CBC History website. (LINK)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Bob Caudle's "day job" (before stepping into a phone booth and changing into our favorite Mid-Atlantic wrestling announcer superhero) was as a newscaster and weatherman for WRAL-TV 5 in Raleigh NC. Bob is seen in this archival CBC photo reviewing information from the AP wire.

Bob hosted wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions for the better part of three decades, first at WRAL TV-5 studio-A beginning in the early 1960s. His show was called All-Star Wrestling and was syndicated to several TV markets all across the "Charlotte territory" which included cities in the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Ironically, Bob wasn't actually seen in the Raleigh market hosting wrestling until around 1973. Prior to that, the Raleigh-onlyshow version of the show, which was a shared-simulcast with the syndicated show, was hosted by Nick Pond and then briefly by Elliot Murnick, a son of Raleigh area promoter Joe Murnick. When the Charlotte (WBTV) and High Point (WGHP) TV tapings were consolidated into the Raleigh taping in 1973, WRAL began taping two separate hours of wrestling, both titled Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling at that point in time. One was hosted by Les Thatcher, the other by Caudle. It wasn't until then that Bob's wrestling broadcast (the "A" show) was seen as the main show in the Raleigh market. The "B" show hosted by Thatcher then became the secondary show that aired in some of the larger territory TV markets alongside the "A" show. Parenthetically, Thatcher was learning his chops as a TV announcer at this time, and would later become the legendary voice of Southeastern Championship Wrestling for promoter Ron Fuller in Knoxville, TN.

In 1981, Jim Crockett Promotions moved their TV tapings to the studios of WPCQ-36 in Charlotte, and in that same year Bob Caudle left WRAL to work full time in the constituency office of U.S. Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina. But he continued as Jim Crockett's lead play-by-play announcer for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling until the company was sold to Turner Broadcasting in 1988. He transitioned to Turner Broadcasting and continued to host NWA Pro Wrestling for the company until leaving in 1992. He was co-host of several Turner/WCW pay-per-view events and Clash of Champions specials on WTBS.

For more posts about Bob Caudle at WRAL, click his link in the "Crockett On-Air Talent" section on the upper-right side of this webpage.

And so long for now!

The Mid-Atlantic Trifecta: AEW Tours the old Crockett Territory

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

A few weeks ago I wrote about David Crockett's special appearance in Greensboro on All Elite Wrestling (AEW) television that aired on Christmas night. It would be the first of three appearances he would make on AEW TV over the next two weeks as AEW toured three of the old Mid-Atlantic territory's great wrestling cities: Greensboro, Charlotte, and Raleigh, NC.

David was introduced at ringside and received a great reception all three nights. The Greensboro and Charlotte shows took place at the fabled Greensboro Coliseum and the former Charlotte Coliseum (now Bojangles Coliseum), both home to some of the biggest events for Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1960s-1980s. Raleigh's event took place at the PNC Arena, a relatively newer venue in the capitol city. Back in the day, Crockett wrestling once took place at Dorton Arena or the Raleigh Civic Center. 

Greensboro. Charlotte. Raleigh. I like to think of it as hitting the Mid-Atlantic trifecta.

In Charlotte, Crockett presented the TNT Championship belt to Sammy Guevara, who had defeated Dustin Rhodes to fill the interim TNT championship while reigning champion Cody Rhodes was briefly out of action. 

David Crockett presents the TNT Championship to Sammy Guevara at AEW's "Battle of the Belts.".

Dustin, son of the legendary "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes who booked the old Mid-Atlantic territory for five years in the 1980s, wrestled a heck of a match with the much younger Guevara, who is one of the true rising superstars in pro-wrestling. Rhodes is now in his mid-50s and had to feel a sense of nostalgia wrestling in the old Charlotte Coliseum again, a building he worked some 30+ years earlier for WCW against the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Bobby Eaton, and Arn Anderson. Ironically, Arn Anderson was in the corner of Rhodes that night in Charlotte.

Actually, it was the fans who hit the trifecta, having David at three AEW shows, all in towns special to old Mid-Atlantic fans and the Crockett family going back several generations. Tony Khan acknowledged this in an address to the fans after the Dynamite live show went off the air in Raleigh. "Thanks to the Crockett family for making it possible to promote professional wrestling in the state of North Carolina," he said. It was an acknowledgment that the Crocketts paved the way for anyone and everyone who now promotes here, from the independents to the major leagues.  

"I want to tell you, from the bottom of my heart, it's meant a lot to me over the last few days," Tony Khan said to David Crockett in Raleigh. "Thank you for being here yet again to represent the Crockett family." 

Khan thanked the fans, too.  "And thanks to all you great people for that wonderful reception. That's meant a lot to a lot of people, to Mr. Crockett and his family."

David Crockett is recognized at ringside in Greensboro.

 
I have a new appreciation and respect for Tony Khan, for bringing in David and for making a concerted effort to acknowledge the old territory, its promoters, and most importantly its longtime fans. Crockett himself made that point to the fans in Greensboro. "Without you fans," David said, "we wouldn't have existed."

The AEW swing through the old Mid-Atlantic territory over the holidays yielded one more special gift: the reuniting in Raleigh of David Crockett and AEW broadcaster Tony Schiavone with the legendary Bob Caudle, who called Mid-Atlantic wrestling matches for over three decades at WRAL TV studios in Raleigh. 

David Crockett, Bob Caudle, and Tony Schiavone in Raleigh, Jan. 12, 2022
(Photograph courtesy of Tony Schiavone.)

David and Tony made the trip across town on the afternoon of the AEW Raleigh show to visit Bob, now in his 90s and who lives in Raleigh with his wife of over 70 years, Jackie. It was a very special moment that made for a very special photo. Lots of fans thought so, too, as the post went viral on Twitter. (More about that here.)

Thanks to Tony Khan and AEW for the gift of two special weeks of shows over the Christmas and New Year holidays for all of us.  

See also: David Crockett Makes Christmas Night Appearance on AEW Wrestling

Crockett, Caudle, and Schiavone reunited in Raleigh

Photo courtesy of Tony Schiavone

What a reunion! David Crockett, Bob Caudle, and Tony Schiavone get together in Raleigh, NC. 

David and Tony made the special effort to visit Bob during the afternoon on January 12, hours before the big All Elite Wrestling (AEW) show that night in Raleigh. Jim Ross had hoped to join them, too, but travel arrangements prevented it. 

Bob and David hosted Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling together in the 1970s. David then moved over to host World Wide Wrestling in 1982, and Tony joined him as co-host in early 1984. Bob continued as host of NWA Pro Wrestling throughout the 1980s. Tony and David also hosted World Championship Wrestling together on Superstation WTBS in the mid-to-late 1980s. All three were part of big national television and pay-per-view specials for Jim Crockett Promotions and later Ted Turner's WCW.

What a special photograph! Thanks to both Tony and David for sharing this great reunion.

* * * * *

Late edit (1/17/22): We posted this same photo on Twitter  as well, and it went viral (at least viral for us), garnering over 139,000 twitter impressions in the days after. A big surge of that occurred after Good Ol' J.R. Jim Ross retweeted it. A lot of fans from the 70s, 80s, and 90s were happy to see Bob again, and delighted to see all three of these guys together in the same special photograph.

Raleigh Memories: David Crockett and Bob Caudle

With @AEW in Raleigh tonight (on @TBSNetwork), I can't help but think back to the two guys who brought Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling into our living rooms every Saturday afternoon in the 1970s from the cozy confines of Raleigh's @WRAL TV studio. Bob Caudle & David Crockett! pic.twitter.com/1flehmXZFh

— Mid-Atlantic Gateway (@magateway) January 12, 2022

Masked Superstar at WRAL: Christmas Greetings!

 

 

The original Masked Superstar (Bill Eadie) is seen here at WRAL Studios, in Raleigh, NC, right around Christmastime in the late 2000s.

WRAL was the TV home of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling from 1959-1981. The studio wrestling shows were taped there.

This photo was taken by Eric Stace and is one of our favorite Christmas season images, a nostalgic look back at a great territory and one of its greatest wrestlers. 

David Chappell and I wish all of you Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings, Peace on Earth, and a very Merry Christmas. Hope to see you in 2018!  -Dick Bourne

Take a look back at Mid-Atlantic Christmas Night wrestling cards in the 1970s

* * * * * *

Studio Wrestling: 1976 Weather Promo Has 5 Wrestling Connections

By Dick Bourne

Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Originally published on Studio Wrestling

WRAL produced a series of satirical promotional spots in early 1976 to announce Bob DeBardelaben as the primary weather host on WRAL newscasts, replacing Bob Caudle who was moving into other responsibilities at WRAL working for Jesse Helms (and continuing his hosting duties of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, of course.)

Brian Rogers recently discovered a compilation of those promotional clips on You Tube. I pulled them off YouTube and edited them down to one single storyline clip and re-posted them.

The immediate interest was of course that Bob Caudle was featured, and there was also a cameo by Blackjack Mulligan in the wrestling ring at WRAL. It was cool that the video featured these two direct wrestling connections, and also a third, since it was the voice of Bob Debardelaben you heard at each of the two breaks for the local wrestling promotional spots during "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" and "Wide World Wrestling":

"Let's take time for this commercial message about the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling events coming up in your area."

A day or so after posting the video clip, Carroll Hall (who publishes the excellent "All Star Championship Wrestling" blog) pointed out to me that there was a fourth wrestling connection in the video I had failed to notice: sportscaster Nick Pond. Pond was host of the Raleigh-only wrestling broadcast "Championship Wrestling" on WRAL throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. 

After writing up that information and watching the video yet again, I suddenly noticed what I thought was the familiar face of Raleigh area promoter Joe Murnick in one short scene where the president of the station is seen at his desk. Mr. Murnick is seen sitting on the couch behind him. I asked Elliot Murnick and he confirmed it was indeed his father. (Elliot also confirmed that the "president" in the video is indeed longtime President and CEO of Capitol broadcasting Jim Goodmon.)

That makes a total of five people in this short video that had direct connections to Mid-Atlantic Wrestling at WRAL-TV:

Bob Caudle

Bob hosted Jim Crockett Promotions' syndicated All Star Wrestling in the 1960s that later became Mid-Atlantic Wrestling in the 1970s and 1980s. He did weather, sports, and news at various times throughout his WRAL career, and worked for Jesse Helms at the station as well. He is seen here receiving the keys to the "executive washroom" after being promoted at WRAL.

Bob DeBardelaben
"The Biggest Name in Weather", DeBardelaben succeeded Bob Caudle as the primary weather host (known then as 'weathermen') in 1976. The promotional spots featured here served to announce and promote that. DeBardelaben is the main star of the vignettes.

Nick Pond
Nick Pond hosted the Raleigh-only broadcast of Championship Wrestling (taped simultaneously alongside Caudle's All Star Wrestling) throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. He was the main sports anchor for WRAL at the time of these promotional spots, and is seen in the video joining others in welcoming DeBardelaben to the team.

Joe Murnick
Murnick was the local promoter for Jim Crockett Promotions in Raleigh (as well as other towns in eastern NC and Virginia.) He ran his own events promotion company as well, staging concerts and other events in addition to wrestling almost every Tuesday night at the Dorton Arena or the Raleigh Civic Center. He is seen here in one scene (at the :59 second mark) sitting on a couch behind the president of the station, Jim Goodmon.

Blackjack Mulligan
One of the main event wrestlers for Jim Crockett and Joe Murnick during this time period, Mulligan was chasing the United States Heavyweight wrestling championship held by Paul Jones. (He would win the title for the first time on March 13 in Greensboro.) He has a cameo role here answering the question "Will Bob (DeBardelaben) quit?" Mully leans through the ropes of the wrestling ring in the TV studio and says "He better not!"

Originally published in February of 2013 on Studio Wrestling,
part of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway family of websites.

Thanks to Brian Rogers, Carroll Hall, and Elliot Murnick.

Link to original unedited WRAL promos: WRAL-TV: "As The Weather Turns" Promos (1976)

Flair & Steamboat: Hell Freezes Over. Again.

MAIN EVENT MEMORIES 
The Anderson Brothers vs. Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat 
August 11, 1981 - Raleigh, NC
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

"The Hawaiian Punch" Ricky Steamboat and
"Nature Boy" Ric Flair

It's hard to imagine now, with 35 years having passed by and so much water under the bridge, that two superstar wrestlers teaming up would be such a big deal. But in 1981, when Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat joined forces to challenge Ric's cousins Gene and Ole Anderson for their NWA world tag team championship, it was a very big deal.

Not as big, perhaps, as in 1979 when Flair had just turned babyface and fans and good-guy wrestlers alike weren't sure if they could trust the Nature Boy. Back then, when Flair asked Ricky Steamboat to be his partner and challenge Paul Jones and Baron Von Raschke for the NWA world tag titles that summer, it did indeed seem like hell had frozen over. The blood feud between Flair and Steamboat that had been going on for two straight years was unlike any other ever seen in the territory.

That was big, but now this seemed just as big to me for different reasons. This story had multiple layers to it now, calling back to family feuds and broken relationships going back some five long years.

Ric Flair's on-again, off-again relationship with his cousins Gene and Ole Anderson had been one of the greatest on-going stories in Mid-Atlantic Wrestling lore:

• 1976: The big break-up as Flair took Greg Valentine as his partner and wrestled the titles from the Andersons in a scenario so unlikely that it actually made the fans cheer for the hated Anderson brothers. The two teams traded the titles back and forth over the next two years.
• 1978: Ric's reunion with the family in 1978 when blood proved thicker than water and special referee Gene Anderson, thought to be impartial in the war between Flair and Steamboat, helped Ric retain the U.S title in the match where fans felt sure Steamboat would regain it. 
• 1979: The family was at odds again when Flair turned good-guy and cousin Gene became the manager of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka who proceeded to take Ric's U.S. title, and his favorite robe to boot.

Now in 1981, with Gene back in action after his managerial stint was over, the Anderson brothers reunited and regained the world titles. Not being able to leave well enough alone, Ole saw to it that the family feud erupted again when he and Gene joined Ivan Koloff in ganging up 3-on-1 on Flair inside a steel cage.

While Flair's current feud with Koloff had seemed more professional (albeit very violent), the family feud with the Andersons was very personal. With the cousins again waging war, Flair made the decision to once again attempt to do what he hadn't been able to do since his days in 1976-1978 with partner Greg Valentine - - take the NWA world tag team championships from the Andersons.

Flair took several different partners early on to tackle the Minnesota Wrecking Crew - - Blackjack Mulligan, Jay Youngblood, Wahoo McDaniel - - but in the end, there was only one man Flair could turn to that had a chance of making that magic happen again. It was his career long rival and now one of his best friends and allies - - the "Hawaiian Punch" Ricky Steamboat.

Like an onion with seemingly endless layers to peel away, this match-up had all of this tangled up history behind it. Flair was once again living out this family feud that had been going on for five years. Steamboat must have remembered back to the bloody wars with Flair in 1977, how Gene Anderson had helped Ric keep the U.S. title in that major battle of 1978. But the two were able to once again put that history behind them and join forces, just as they had shocked the world in doing two years earlier.

I'm convinced that they would have eventually been successful in taking the world tag team titles from the Andersons had it not been for something else happening in the meantime that changed the face of wrestling history: Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes in Kansas City, KS to win the NWA World Heavyweight title. The Anderson's tag titles were safe once again as Ric Flair turned his attention to touring the world in defense of the "ten pounds of gold."

With the world title in the picture, Flair and Steamboat would renew their rivalry several more times over the next 13 years, but for a brief few weeks in the summer of 1981, there was magic in the air again as hell froze over for a second time and Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat formed one of wrestling's most powerful and exciting combinations.

Originally posted October 27, 2016 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Check out other MAIN EVENT MEMORIES on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway:

1. The Anderson Family (1976) The Andersons and their cousin Ric Flair
2. Dusty's Big Championship Weekend (1976) with Flair, Mulligan, and the Andersons
3. Mulligan vs. Flair on a Hot July Night (1978) Worlds Collide!
4. The Origins of Wahoo vs. Flair (1975) with Wahoo McDaniel and Ric Flair
5. Blackjack Mulligan vs. Rufus R. Jones (1976) "Have mercy, Mama!"
6. The Briscos Challenge Flair & Valentine (1978) Jim Crockett makes the match.
7. A Local Boy Gets His Shot (1981) Don Kernodle teams with Ric Flair in his hometown.
8. Bullrope Match: Ole vs. Flair (1981) Dusty prepares Ric for a big match in Charlotte.
9. Ric Flair Wins His First Mid-Atlantic Championship (1975) Hair vs. Title in Hampton!
10. Blackjack Mulligan Regains the U.S. Title (1978) New Year's Night in Richmond
11. The Gathering on Tour (1986) Post Starrcade event in Columbia SC
12. Township Tangle (1978) Flair & Valentine vs. Wahoo & Jones
13. Flair Wins the NWA Title (1981) Historic Win over Dusty Rhodes in Kansas City
14. Brisco, Valentine Defend Titles in Richmond (1974) Huge main events in Richmond

NWA Champion Harley Race meets Ricky Steamboat for the First Time

RALEIGH NC - NOVEMBER 22, 1977
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

The year 1977 was Ricky Steamboat's breakout-year in pro wrestling, upsetting Ric Flair for the NWA TV Championship in the spring of that year. Flair moved on and won the United States Championship from Bobo Brazil that summer, only to have Steamboat take that title from him, too, in October.

That United States title win set Steamboat up as the number one contender for Harley Race's NWA World Heavyweight Championship whenever Race was in the territory. And the week of Thanksgiving, Race would meet the young "Hawaiian Punch" for the first time.

Race's defenses against Steamboat that week included a Tuesday night tilt in Raleigh, a Thanksgiving night clash in Norfolk, a Friday night battle in Charleston, and a Saturday night finale in Spartanburg. 

Race managed to escape this tour through the Mid-Atlantic territory with his title intact, but his first bout with Steamboat woke him to the reality that the young superstar from Hawaii was more than up to the task to hang with the tough veteran champion. The Raleigh match went to the one-hour time limit, leaving Race stunned and exhausted. For most of the rest of the week, he didn't take any chances, often getting disqualified for throwing Steamboat over the top rope.

But Race quickly developed a healthy respect for Steamboat, and the two had classic title matches over the next several years across the Mid-Atlantic territory and in Canada as well.

Race's promo for their first match in Raleigh is classic-Harley, and is included below, a vintage audio recording made on a small cassette tape recorder by Gary Wray. Les Thatcher introduces the taped promo Harley sent in from Kansas City. 






Transcription:

LES THATCHER: Harley Race will put his world title on the line against Ricky Steamoat. Here's some comments from the world's champion.

HARLEY RACE:  Well it looks like the kid has finally moved up in the ranks. The last time I was around the Carolina area, I had no idea in the world that Rick Steamboat was going to be as good as what he has proven himself to be. You beat Flair. You beat everyone around there there is to beat. There's only one left. It's me, right here. When I come to Raleigh, I'm putting ten pounds of pure gold on the line. And let me tell you something kid, when you come for this, you're coming for my livelihood. You're coming for an investment in my life of 18 years, 'pert near as many years as you are old. So when I come, daddy, I'm coming to beat you, and beat you I will. 

Race's voice inflection when he says "I'm putting ten pounds of pure gold on the line." ... his observation that his career has spanned roughly the same time Steamboat had been alive ... there was no one better than the champ, "Handsome" Harley Race.

 c. 2020 Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Joe Murnick Leaves Charlotte for Raleigh (1961)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Joe Murnick had worked for Jim Crockett in Charlotte for several years in the 1950s before moving to Raleigh. He held many roles for Jim Crockett Promotions, including promoting the Raleigh area and central North Carolina back into the late 1950s. But he did so raising his young family in Charlotte.

When longtime Richmond VA promoter Bill Lewis died in March of 1961, Murnick assumed his territory of Eastern Virginia, including Richmond and Norfolk, all under the Crockett umbrella. He relocated his family to Raleigh in the summer of 1961. C&M Promotions was born.

Murnick had been very involved in many civic functions is Charlotte, including the Charlotte Park and Recreation Commission, which oversaw the Park Center and Memorial Stadium.

The following article appeared in the Charlotte News in July of 1961, announcing Murnick leaving Charlotte for Raleigh.

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JOE MURNICK, PARK LEADER, LEAVING TOWN
The Charlotte News, July 17, 1961

The resignation of Joe H. Murnick as vice chairman of the Charlotte Park and Recreation Commission will be acknowledged today at a 4 pm meeting of the park board in Park Center.

Mr Murnick, a prominent sports promoter and member of the board for 10 years, will move to Raleigh Aug 1. His resignation is effective today and City Council will name a successor.

Mr Murnick, best known for his role in salvaging plans to rebuild the burned-out Armory Auditorium, has been promoting wrestling and other sports events in the Raleigh-Durham area. He said he is moving to Raleigh to be closer to his work.

He has served as chairman of the Park Center and Memorial Stadium committees of the commission. After the armory burned in 1954, he and Ernest Sifford, another board member, led the fight to rebuild the controversial structure as Park Center.

"Mr Sifford and I were the only two people in favor of re-building the armory" he recalled. "Many people thought that it would be competitive with the Coliseum, but results have proved otherwise."

The Coliseum handles big attractions and Park Center the smaller ores.

As chairman of the Memorial Stadium Committee, Mr. Murnick was also instrumental in bringing college football here.

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More about Joe Murnick on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

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Joe Murnick: Raleigh Promoter and WRAL Ring Announcer

JOE MURNICK
(Capitol Broadcasting Company Staff Photo)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Joe Murnick was a well known promoter, businessman, and entrepreneur in central and eastern North Carolina and Virginia. Based out of Raleigh, North Carolina, Murnick promoted professional wrestling under the umbrella of Jim Crockett Promotions. His main towns were Raleigh, Fayetteville, and Wilmington in North Carolina, and  Norfolk, Hampton, and Richmond in Virginia, with dozens of smaller semi-regular and spot-show towns in between.

His home base was Raleigh, and he was also the executive producer of the wrestling programs taped at WRAL TV studios. In the 1960s and early 1970s, these programs were "Championship Wrestling" and "All-Star-Wrestling", taped simultaneously with Bob Caudle calling the action for "All-Star Wrestling" seen on stations around the territory, and Nick Pond on the call for the Raleigh-only "Championship Wrestling." Joe was frequently the co-host with Nick Pond for the Raleigh-only broadcast, and was marvelous at hyping up what happened at the last show, and what fans could look for at the next show. (For more see our page on Wrestling at WRAL-5.)

Murnick, along with his two sons Carl and Elliot, also promoted concerts and other entertainment events in the area under the banner of C&M Promotions, which stood for Crockett & Murnick Promotions. They brought a variety of acts to the area in the 1950s through early 1970s including the Rolling Stones, Andy Williams, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, and many others. But their main business was always professional wrestling, featuring the weekly cards every Tuesday night at Raleigh's famed Dorton Arena on the State Fairgrounds, which continued right up until Crockett Promotions sold to Ted Turner in 1988.

Murnick served his country in the Navy in World War II. He was a graduate of the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) where he was the captain of the boxing team and played football as well. He was briefly a sales rep for WRAL. He died in June of 1985.

As far as fans were concerned, though, Murnick was most famous for also being the ring announcer on the WRAL shows in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s. His famous, classic, southern drawl for "one fawwwl, a 10-minute time limit" is remembered fondly by fans of that era. You can hear one of those classic ring introductions here.

My earliest memories of watching wrestling on television include those wonderful ring introductions that Joe did for several years. David Crockett also did some ring announcing at WRAL, and even Jim Crockett a time or two. Joe would eventually turn those duties over to his two sons, Carl and Elliot, but no one came close to the classic old-school delivery of the great Joe Murnick.

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Other Joe Murnick posts over at our sister-website Studio Wrestling:
Joe Murnick introduces Johnny Valentine and Bob Bruggers (1974)
Joe Murnick introduces Wahoo McDaniel and Jim Lancaster (1975)
Joe Murnick introduces Blackjack Mulligan and Big Bill Dromo (1976)

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Luminaries Attend UNC/NCSU Wrestling Meet (1979) 
Wrestling in Raleigh with Joe Murnick (1975)
Sign the Waiver (1975)
1976 WRAL Weather Prom Has Five Wrestling Connections
Video: Paul Boesch, Andre the Giant, Bob Caudle, David Crockett, Joe Murnick

Audio clips from the collection of David Chappell, who not only was smart enough to make audio recordings back in the day, but had the wisdom and foresight to hang on to them.

Wahoo McDaniel Regains the Mid-Atlantic Title (1977)

 

Ric Flair confronts the new champion on the set of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

On Tuesday, August 9, 1977, Wahoo McDaniel regained the Mid-Atlantic heavyweight championship from Greg Valentine at Dorton Arena in Raleigh, NC. Valentine had defeated the Chief earlier that summer in Greensboro.

The next night at the taping of "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling", David Crockett introduced the studio audience at WRAL-TV to the new champion, and the crowd gave Wahoo a huge ovation.

These were always some of my favorite moments - - when a new champion was introduced at the beginning of that week's TV show.

Wahoo's celebration was cut short when he was interrupted by United States Champion Ric Flair, who made it clear that Wahoo had no chance of getting the U.S. title from him.

Wahoo told host Bob Caudle that he was going to make history that week, as he had shots at both the U.S. title held by Flair and the NWA world title held by Harley Race.

"If the man wrestled with his mouth, he'd be unbeatable. But he has to get in there and defend that title, and I'm on a lucky streak right now, I'm gonna take his title and get Harley Race - - I got a chance at the world title. Three belts in one week - - it's never been done." - Wahoo McDaniel

Here are the first 5 minutes of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling that aired on Saturday, August 13, 1977.

Flair and Wahoo left the WRAL TV studio in Raleigh (separately, I'm sure!) and drove to nearby Rocky Mount, NC where Wahoo fought Flair for the U.S. title that same night. He had another shot at Flair two nights later in Richmond. Then on Sunday, he challenged Race for the NWA world title in Greensboro.


WAHOO WEEK IN REVIEW (AUGUST 1977)

• Tuesday, 08/09, Raleigh, NC - Wahoo McDaniel beat Greg Valentine to win NWA Mid Atlantic Title
• Wednesday, 08/10, Raleigh, NC - WRAL TV studio confrontation with Ric Flair
• Wednesday, 08/10, Rocky Mount, NC - Ric Flair beat Wahoo McDaniel (U.S. title match)
• Thursday, 08/11, Lynchburg, VA - Wahoo McDaniel & Mighty Igor beat Blackjack Mulligan & Masked Superstar
• Friday, 08/12, Richmond, VA - Ric Flair beat Wahoo McDaniel (U.S. title match)
• Saturday, 08/13, Spartanburg, SC - Wahoo McDaniel double DQ Greg Valentine (Mid-Atlantic title defense)
• Sunday, 08/14, Greensboro, NC - Harley Race beat Wahoo McDaniel (NWA world title match)

While Wahoo wasn't successful in winning three belts in that week, it was nevertheless quite a successful week at the box office for Jim Crockett Promotions and a number of big pay-days for the Chief!

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 Edited from a post originally published December 4, 2015 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.