Ricky Steamboat Returns to Norfolk (2015)

Ricky Steamboat made a return to Norfolk, VA recently in an appearance for Big Time Wrestling at the Norfolk Scope.

Prior to the event Eric Stace and Eddie Cheslock met Ricky in front of the famous Scope Coliseum, site of so many great Mid-Atlantic Wrestling events over the years, including yearly cards on Thanksgiving night in the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. They took some photographs of the former NWA world champion with a replica of the belt he wore in 1989.

Thanks to those guys for allowing us to post this great photograph here on the Gateway. Thanks also to promoter Tony Hunter who helped make all that possible.

Ricky Steamboat with the book
"United States Championship"

George Pantas interviewed Ricky Steamboat for the Norfolk Navy Flagship in advance of his appearance in Norfolk. You can find links to that interview (which contains lots of Mid-Atlantic discussion) here.

Also, our buddy George South had a chance to spend some time with Ricky before the Norfolk event and show him our new book on the United States Championship. He posted some comments about that on his website. George reports that Ricky loved the book and asked for a copy, which you just better believe is on the way soon. (You kidding me?)

George wrote:

We spent 30 minutes talking about the U.S. belt! He remembered that "heavyweight" was misspelled on the belt and loved seeing all those photos of it again. He marked out a little remembering working with Buddy Rogers in one of the U.S. tournaments. And got mad that Slaughter put new leather on the black belt! haha

Steamboat held the U.S. championship on several occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, trading the title with the likes of Ric Flair, Blackjack Mulligan, Wahoo McDaniel, and Dick Slater.

For more information on the book about Jim Crockett's United States Championship and the five belts that represented it, click here.

Originally published  in November 2015 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Flair & Steamboat: A Look Back When Hell Frooze 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

Blooper! Steamboat Wrestles Steamboat! (1980)

 

Hampton, VA  April 20, 1980

Holy cow! Not sure if this counts as a blooper or if this is the result of a late-night desk editor's acid trip.

Check out these results in the Newport News Daily Press from an April 1980 card at the Hampton Coliseum.

We always knew Paul Jones was really the devil; the Daily Press just confirmed it for us. Plus, he lost a "fench" match - - whatever the heck that is.

And it is no mean feat to wrestle yourself - - and get disqualified against yourself - - as was apparently accomplished by Ricky Steamboat.

Ray Stevens was actually Steamboat's scheduled opponent that night in Hampton. Perhaps he no-showed and Steamboat put himself in a choke hold and failed to break by the count of five.

And having nothing to do with these bloopers, but could there have possibly been a slower moving tag team in 1980 than Ox Baker and Brute Bernard? I actually kind of dig that combination. Slow, yes, but don't let them catch you!

Thanks to Mark Eastridge for the clipping and Mike Cline for the line about Steamboat. You can view more classic newspaper bloopers by clicking here.

Originally published February 2017 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Flair and the Andersons: Blood is Thicker Than Water

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

It is one of the great chapters in Anderson family history and a high point in the up-and-down relationship between Ric Flair and his cousins the Anderson Brothers.

July 16, 1978. Ric Flair defends the United States Heavyweight championship against Ricky Steamboat. The special referee appointed by the NWA is Gene Anderson. 

It was on this night that Gene Anderson reunited the family after an 18-month bloody war with cousin Ric Flair and Flair's partner Greg Valentine over the NWA World Tag Team titles.

The family split up in late 1976 when Flair fell out with Gene and Ole over wanting a shot at the Anderson's NWA World Tag Team titles. The Andersons had taken the titles to Georgia in the fall of 1976 and Flair and Valentine intended on bringing them back to the Mid-Atlantic area. Add to add to that, Ric Flair badly wanted to step out of the shadow of his cousins. Over the next year and a half, they traded the titles back and forth. Both Andersons wound up in the hospital at various points in the feud, resulting in major bad blood between the two teams. With Gene out of action in late 1977, Ole Anderson even enlisted the aid of rival Wahoo McDaniel to battle Flair and Valentine in the late months of 1977.

In 1978 things began to cool down with Gene out of action and Ole focusing on the Georgia tag team titles with the other Anderson brother, Lars Anderson. When Gene finally returned to action in the Mid-Atlantic in the April of 1978, he worked a restricted schedule, teaming with Sgt. Jacques Goulet.

Meanwhile, Ric Flair was fending off the challenge of Ricky Steamboat in the middle of a white-hot feud over the United States championship. NWA referees Tommy Young, Sonny Fargo, and Stu Schwartz were unable to control the action in the ring between the two as most of their matches were ending in double disqualifications. Flair was champion, so he continued to maintain the title as the championship couldn't change hands on a DQ. The NWA needed a special referee who could physically handle the two in the ring, and give Steamboat a fair shot at the title. But they also needed someone who would remain impartial. They chose Gene Anderson.

On the surface, Gene Anderson seemed like the perfect choice. Currently working out of the "bad guy" locker room, he had no love for Ricky Steamboat, and given the bloody history with his cousin Ric Flair, he would welcome the opportunity to keep Flair in line in his title defense against Steamboat.

The match was set for the Greensboro Coliseum on July 16, 1978. Believing Gene Anderson's antipathy towards his young cousin was stronger than that for Steamboat, many fans were hopeful to see the U.S. title change hands that night.

But as the old proverb goes, blood proved thicker than water, and in the closing moments of the match, Gene Anderson interfered to aid Flair in retaining the title. The shocking turn of events went down like this:

The battle had been back and forth and Anderson had basically called the match right down the middle. On several occasions Flair tried to physically intimidate Anderson to no avail. Had it been one of the regular referees, another disqualification might have occurred. But as the match approached the twenty minute mark, it appeared that the NWA had made an excellent choice in their special referee.

But as the match wore on, there were subtle signs that Gene Anderson had his own designs on a final outcome. Flair now found himself in trouble, as Steamboat gained momentum. Steamboat had Flair pinned on several occasions, but Anderson's count seemed slow. With Flair reeling from a flurry of offense from Steamboat, the "Hawaiian Punch"climbed to the top of the turnbuckle and prepared to deliver his familiar flying body press which would likely give him the championship.

Special referee Gene Anderson shoves Ric Flair out of the way as
Ricky Steamboat dives from the top rope.

But just as Steamboat leapt from the ropes, Gene Anderson shoved Flair out of the way and Steamboat came crashing to the mat. Flair quickly covered him and Gene Anderson made a very fast three count.

Flair rose to his feet, momentarily trying to process what had just happened. He looked incredulously at his cousin who stood expressionless facing him. As Anderson raised Flair's hand it suddenly became clear to Flair what had just happened.

He leapt into Gene's arms and the two embraced in a long hug as the furious Greensboro crowd began to riot. Angry fans were swarming at ringside, pressing against the ring and the ropes. Flair kicked at the ropes to try to get fans to back off, which only seemed to exacerbate the situation. Soft drink cups and popcorn boxes began flying into the ring. Anderson handed Flair the U.S. title and Flair defiantly raised it high above his head as things continued to deteriorate at ringside. Timekeeper Wally Dusek was nearly knocked over by the mob as police moved in to try and calm things down, mostly to no avail.

U.S. Champion Ric Flair and cousin Gene Anderson embrace after Anderson aided
Flair in retaining the title as a special referee in the title match.

Flair and Anderson soon made their way down the ring steps and began walking the aisle toward the dressing rooms.  This was back in the day before there were barriers of any kind separating the crowd from the wrestlers going to and from the ring. Angry fans began taking swings at the two and Flair and Anderson had to literally fight their way to the back. 

For the last year and a half, fans had seen the feud between Flair and the Andersons become so heated and so bloody, that I don't think it ever crossed their minds that the two could reconcile on this night. Gene Anderson's actions certainly seemed to surprise Flair, and it appeared that this was not a conspiracy between the two. For Gene Anderson, it was a matter of family, and family trumped on this night. Ric Flair was firmly back in the Anderson fold. 

Things remained tight in the family for the next year or so as all three were going their separate ways. Ole was working full time in Georgia, Flair had turned "good guy" in the late spring of 1979, and Gene Anderson transitioned into his managerial career, buying the contracts of wrestlers under the guidance of Buddy Rogers, one of which was U.S. Champion Jimmy Snuka, who, as fate would have it, was in the middle of a feud with Ric Flair. Anderson's management of Snuka resulted in another split within "the family." The situation worsened when Ole returned to the area in 1981, and the bloody family feud escalated to new heights of violence. The family wouldn't fully reunite again until the formation of the Four Horsemen some four years later.


THE REST OF THE CARD

• Blackjack Mulligan was also chasing Ric Flair's United States championship during this time, although with Blackjack it wasn't so much about the belt as it was a personal thing because of the way Flair had turned on him months earlier in what has become known as the famous "Hat and Robe" angle. Flair didn't want any part of Mulligan and placed a $10,000 bounty on his head, and on this night in Greensboro, the Masked Superstar was trying to collect that bounty in a match fought in Texas Death Match rules. Mulligan survived, but the beatings he was taking in these bounty matches were taking their toll.
• Paul Jones battled Ken Patera in a match where both men's single titles were on the line (the NWA TV title and the Mid-Atlantic title respectively.) Both retained as the match ended in a double count out.
• Fans loved the pairing of popular stars Johnny Weaver and Mr. Wrestling (Tim Woods) as they defeated the tough veteran tandem of Cyclone Negro and Sgt. Jacques Goulet.
• A young Jerry Stubbs was on this card. He would later become the masked Mr. Olympia and headline in the Mid-South and Southeastern areas. Another "young lion" named Richard Blood (which oddly was the real name of Ricky Steamboat) worked early in this card, too. He would later become Tito Santana in the WWF.  

But this card will always be remembered for one defining moment in the long story of the Andersons and Ric Flair: Gene Anderson's shove that kept the United States title in "the family."

Originally published in August of 2018 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Battle of the Dream Teams: Flair and Steamboat vs. Piper and Valentine

by Jody Shifflett, Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster is from 1981 at the historic Greensboro Coliseum. Four of the best ever in professional wrestling squared off against each other. 

The dynamic duo of Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat against the dirty tough duo of Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine. I could not find the results of this match but with George Scott as special guest referee I’m sure steamboat and Flair took the win. 

A great undercard featuring two rough tough Texans, Blackjack Mulligan against Bobby Duncan in a Texas Street Fight. Matches between big guys like this usually did not go a great distance time-wise, but they were brutal and usually bloody. 

Another great match featured Ivan Koloff against the Iron Sheik. This match had to of been exciting with two of the best bad guys in the business back in the day. 

The poster has a great layout being in light blue and bold red lettering for all of the main eventers. And as always an 8:15 start time!

NO. 10 IN THE SHIFFLETT POSTER SERIES

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

Dream Team: Flair and Steamboat Go For the Gold

July 21, 1979,Charlotte Coliseum

Charlotte, North Carolina

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

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

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

 

Originally published July 2015 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Poster: Flair and Valentine Battle the Andersons in Greensboro

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster promotes another fantastic night of professional wrestling at the historic Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday, October 30th, 1977 with a loaded card top to bottom. 

 
The main event was a "Hair vs. Belts" match as Ric Flair and Greg Valentine put up their long blond manes against Gene and Ole Anderson's NWA World Tag Team belts. Fortunately for Flair and Valentine they left Greensboro with both the belts and their hair to begin their second and last reign as world tag champs. They would hold onto the belts until being stripped by Jim Crockett Jr. and the NWA in April of 1978. 

In the semi, Paul Jones was seeking revenge against the Masked Superstar  who had knocked him silly and cut his hair only three weeks earlier in Greensboro. On this night Jones would leave the ring victorious via disqualification. 

To the fans' delight, the popular duo of Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods and Ricky Steamboat topped Blackjack Mulligan and Baron Von Raschke in the upper mid card tag match, while three more exciting matches got the crowd warmed up. 

Six great wrestler images on the sides, the familiar "Wrestling" splash in the upper left corner, and black and red print over a two tone yellow and pink background make for a very eye- catching poster. I seem to recall Flair putting his hair on the line in several important matches throughout his career and I can assume it's safe to say he never lost one, at least not in that era.

NO 42 IN THE BEASLEY POSTER SERIES

The Briscos Turn Heel in 1983

Visit the 106 N Albany YouTube website.

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Poster: Night of Champions in Norfolk

by Jody Shifflett
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster is from 1984 and showcases the best matchup that professional wrestling has or ever will see with Ric Flair versus Ricky Steamboat. It is also the largest Mid-Atlantic wrestling poster that I know to exist being 42 x 29 inches. 

This match ended in a draw and I’m assuming it had a 60-minute time limit. It featured a great undercard with the Road Warriors, Freebirds,  Wahoo McDaniel, etc. The other famous Night of Champions event was at the Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey a couple of weeks earlier and this was shortly after Steamboat came out of his brief retirement. 

Places like Norfolk, Hampton, Richmond, Roanoke, Charlottesville and Lynchburg were truly a hotbed for Mid-Atlantic wrestling back in the day. Virginia was historic for Mid-Atlantic wrestling back in the day just as much as the other states in the territory. 

It’s not a flashy poster at all but boasts the famous 8:15 start time!

NO. 8 IN THE SHIFFLET POSTER SERIES

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MID-ATLANTIC GATEWAY NOTES
by Dick Bourne, Mid-Atlantic Gateway

What a unique line-up for this Night of Champions show in Norfolk, VA. As Jody mentioned above, this followed the historic Night of Champions card at the Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey, smack dab in the middle of WWF territory, and was JCP's first major response to the WWF's encroachment on their territory as McMahon began to expand nationally. 

In addition to Norfolk, JCP promoted a string of Night of Champions events in the weeks that followed including in Richmond VA and Raleigh NC (featuring Flair vs. Harley Race) and Greenville, SC (featuring Flair vs. future Horsemen partner Tully Blanchard). 

But none of those other cards featured a line-up quite as diverse as this one in Norfolk.  Early June saw JCP book several stars in from other territories such as King Kong Bundy, the Fabulous Freebirds, the Road Warriors, Stan Hansen, Kamala, Junkyard Dog, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, and others. Several of these would jump quickly to the WWF soon after, appearing for only a week or two on Mid-Atlantic TV. Race would give up in Kansas City and St. Louis a year or so later and also go north. Rhodes would soon come to JCP as booker and pop the territory in a big way. The Road Warriors opted to stay with JCP and were top stars for them throughout the last four years of the company. Stan Hansen would continue to work regularly in Japan, with a short run as AWA World champion to boot.

Other historical context: This was during the time when, behind the scenes, the WWF was close to taking control of Georgia Championship Wrestling - -Black Saturday was just 5 weeks away. 

Also, as Jody mentioned, Ricky Steamboat was just out of his "retirement" at this point (having gotten his gym business up and going in there meantime), and Ric Flair had just won the NWA World Heavyweight title back weeks earlier in Japan, regaining it from Kerry Von Erich.

June was a wild and unusual month in Jim Crockett Promotions! 

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

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

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

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

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

No. 40 in the Beasley Poster Collection Series

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

Ricky Steamboat's Health Club

Image provided by Mike Cline

 

Years after his gym business in Charlotte, Ricky Steamboat opened a full-blown health club in Mooresville, NC, near Lake Norman. 

Poster: Six Man Main Event at University Hall

by Jody Shifflett
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This is one of my favorite posters from my collection. This was from November 3, 1978, a great 6-man card featuring six of the greatest wrestlers to grace the sport of professional wrestling: Greg Valentine, John Studd and Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Snuka, and Paul Jones.

It happened at University Hall in Charlottesville, VA, which was not a regular stop like Richmond or Roanoke but with more frequent stops than just a spot show. University Hall was built during the same era as the Hampton Coliseum and Norfolk Scope and it had a very unique roof that resembled a clam-shell and was definitely a landmark in Charlottesville until it was torn down in 2019.  

This poster has terrific rainbow coloring and was one of many great cards to take place in this historic building.

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Mid-Atlantic Gateway Notes
by David Chappell

This was Jimmy Snuka's first main event match in Jim Crockett Promotions. He and Paul Orndorf, who wrestled Gene Anderson on the semi-main, would team up soon and eventually win the NWA World Tag Team Championships!

NO. 1 IN THE SHIFFLETT POSTER SERIES

Poster: Huge Triple Main Event in Greensboro (1977)

HARLEY RACE vs. WAHOO MCDANIEL
RIC FLAIR vs. RICKY STEAMBOAT
BLACKJACK MULLIGAN vs. DUSTY RHODES & GEORGE SCOTT

By Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

I chose to highlight this particular poster primarily due to the number of Mid Atlantic Wrestling legends it features. By my count, no less than 14. It promotes a card held on Sunday night, August 14th, 1977 at the famed Greensboro Coliseum headlined by an NWA World Heavyweight title match with Harley Race defending against Wahoo McDaniel. 

In one of the most revered rivalries in the history of professional wrestling, Ric Flair defended his United States title against TV champ Ricky Steamboat while Blackjack Mulligan took the challenge of a handicap match against the team of Dusty Rhodes and George Scott.

Fans didn't have to wait until the main events for great action as the undercard consisted of stars such as Paul Jones, Mr. Wrestling, the Masked Superstar, Kim Duk, Johnny Weaver, Danny Miller, Abe Jacobs, and a young Tully Blanchard. 

Other than the main event names in high impact red (and in a smaller font than normally seen due to space constraints), the poster has black print over a bright pink background and images of Race, Flair, Dusty, Wahoo, Steamboat, and Duk on the sides. 

Signatures by Ricky Steamboat and the Superstar add a nice touch to this representation of a great era in Jim Crockett Promotions, and professional wrestling as a whole. 

NO. 30 IN A SERIES

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MID-ATLANTIC GATEWAY NOTES
by Dick Bourne

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling's hottest feud of the decade, Flair vs. Steamboat, and one of Harley Race's toughest contenders in our territory and others includiong Florida, Georgia, and Houston, Whaoo McDaniel, topped this amazing card in Greensboro.

But the match that fans might have anticipated the most due its unusual nature and the story leading up to it, was the handicap match between Blackjack Mulligan and George Scott, with Scott's partner that night Dusty Rhodes. Mulligan had roughed up Scott a bit on a TV interview, and although retired from the ring at this point (and the booker of the territory behind the scenes), Scott wanted in the ring one more time with Mullgian. Mulligan was so sure he could whip the retired Scott under any circumstances, allowed Scott to pick a partner and he would face them in a handicap situation. 

This set up a series of matches around the territory where Scott picked various opponents around the horn including Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods, and even his own brother, the semi-retired Sandy Scott. The latter reformed the famous 60s tag team of the "Flying Scotts."

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

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NO. 25 IN A SERIES

Poster: All Three Mid-Atlantic Singles Titles On the Line in Charlotte

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

A sensational triple main event was on tap for wrestling fans at the old Charlotte Coliseum on Saturday night, October 15th, 1977 as all three Mid Atlantic singles titles were up for grabs. 

Ric Flair defended his United States title against Dusty Rhodes, Greg Valentine defended his Mid-Atlantic title against Paul Jones, while Baron Von Raschke's TV title was on the line for the first 15 minutes in a rematch with Ricky Steamboat, whom the Baron had just defeated for the belt at a television taping a few days prior.

The mid card match was an interesting 6-man tag with Dick Murdock, Mr. X #1, and Mr. X #2 versus Roberto Soto, Tiger Conway Jr., and Johnny Weaver, while the undercard featured familiar Mid-Atlantic grapplers such as the Missouri Mauler, Charlie Fulton, Abe Jacobs, and Danny Miller.

There were seven matches in all but unfortunately for most fans in Charlotte this particular night. all three heel champions managed to retain their respective championships against the babyfaces, although I imagine Rhodes, Jones, and Steamboat gave the reigning champs a run for their money.

The poster itself has a horizontal layout with black print on a two tone pink over yellow background while the date and six main-event participants really stand in high impact red.

There are also great images of Flair, Rhodes, Jones, Valentine, Steamboat, and Soto along each side and it's neat how they put "The American Dream" under Rhodes' name opposite "Champion" under Flair's.

* * * * * * * * * *

Mid-Atlantic Gateway Notes: The American Dream Dusty Rhodes
As was often the case in the mid-to-late 1970s, and on this night, Dusty Rhodes made sporadic short-term appearances in the area, usually over a weekend. Rhodes was a special draw all over the country in those days, and for all three major organizations: WWWF, AWA, and many of the NWA territories, particularly Mid-Atlantic, Georgia, and Florida.) Much like Andre the Giant or the NWA Champion coming to town for a small number of dates, Dusty would hit lots of different promotions in any given week. In this case, Rhodes was only in for Saturday (for this card in Charlotte vs. Flair) and Sunday in Asheville NC (matinee show vs. Valentine for the Mid-Atlantic title) and Savannah GA (then a Mid-Atlantic town, for a second shot at Flair's U.S. title.)

Also of note related to Rhodes, it is worth pointing out that the Friday night before this Charlotte card, Rhodes and partner Dick Slater lost the NWA World Tag Team titles back to Gene and Ole Anderson in Atlanta, bringing an end to their short one-month reign. In the prior two weeks, Rhodes had also challenged Harley Race for the NWA title in a couple of matches in Florida, and Superstar Billy Graham for the WWWF title in Madison Square Garden. Yes indeed, the American Dream was on quite a roll.

NO. 24 IN A SERIES

Red Cross and a Greyhound Bus: Steamboat's Award Annoys Paul Jones

 A “Bloody” TV Encounter Between Paul Jones and Ricky Steamboat
by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

When former tag team partners Paul Jones and Ricky Steamboat split in the aftermath of a wild two ring battle royal on December 3, 1978 in the Charlotte Coliseum, the bad blood between these ex-friends was palpable over the next year or so. The extent of the bad feelings between the two was showcased several months after the break-up in two segments on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television.

Ricky Steamboat

At the outset of the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling TV show that was taped on March 28, 1979, Ricky Steamboat was brought out to the set to accept a plaque from the American Red Cross for his participation in a Christmas 1978 blood drive. Bill Huey from the Winston-Salem, North Carolina chapter of the American Red Cross told the viewing audience that due to Ricky’s participation in the drive, “The result of that was a better than fifty percent increase in our total blood collection and Ricky has given tremendous support to Red Cross blood services and we’d like to take the opportunity to present this award…the award is the blood drive ‘Big Drop’ award for outstanding participation in the blood drive at Christmas and also to express our appreciation to Ricky for what he has done not only for Winston-Salem but for the entire Red Cross blood services area. So, Ricky, with our very deep appreciation, sir.”

When Huey handed Ricky the ‘Big Drop’ plaque an emotional Steamboat responded, “Hey, thank you very, very much. You know, everybody realizes that I have a busy schedule but on something like this I do like to take time out and just a little bit of my effort and if my appearances there, or just to say a few words on behalf of the drive such as this, which is to bring the people out to come and to donate for this type of organization or anything that would benefit the life of another human being in some way, form or matter. I tell you what, if I had a lot more time I would be doing much more…but that one special thought and that I want to thank you very, very much.” Announcer Bob Caudle then commented, “And that’s a very nice honor for a fine young man and really an outstanding citizen, Rick Steamboat.”

No. 1 Paul Jones

Later in the show, “Number One” Paul Jones appeared on the set with Caudle and was none too pleased with Steamboat’s new accolades. “I saw Steamboat receive that plaque out here,” Jones fumed. Caudle responded, “Shows what a fine citizen he is.” Paul instantly retorted, “Well let me tell you somethin’, everything’s going Steamboat’s way. Let me tell you somethin’…that plaque…I gave blood one time and all I got was a cup of Kool-Aid and a cookie! And Steamboat gets a plaque!! Well let me tell you somethin’…Steamboat’s gonna need the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and a Greyhound bus when I finish with him!”

The rift between these two former partners had grown so wide by March of 1979 that the two couldn’t even see eye-to-eye on giving blood! Jones’ response to Steamboat’s charitable endeavors, along with being one of the best one liners I can ever remember, foreshadowed what would be occurring for the rest of 1979 between these now bitter rivals...‘big drops’ of blood being spilled in the wrestling ring between these two and their respective tag team partners, with the Red Cross nowhere in sight.

 

Originally published July 2017 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Poster: Flair and Valentine Battle for the U.S. Title in Greensboro

What better way to end a long July 4th holiday weekend than a spectacular night of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling in the Greensboro Coliseum? 

This poster promotes an event held on Sunday July 6, 1980 and it's beautiful red, white, and blue layout reflects the Independence Day theme. The blue print stands against a solid white background with the date and 4 main event participants in high impact red. 

In the main event U.S. Champion Ric Flair continued his bloody feud with former ally Greg Valentine. Although Valentine fell short in his title quest on this night, he would finally capture the U.S. belt from Flair three weeks later in Charlotte, NC, to commence his first reign as US champ.

The semi was a good ol' Texas Street Fight between Blackjack Mulligan and Enforcer Luciano while Ricky Steamboat tied up with Ray Stevens.

Andre the Giant headlined a 14 man $7,500 Battle Royal which also included Jimmy Snuka, the Iron Sheik, Sweet Ebony Diamond, Johnny Weaver, Ox Baker, and Pedro Morales, amongst others. As it says at the bottom of the poster there were seven big matches in all.

 Not surprisingly Andre would win the Battle Royal and while $7,500 doesn't really sound like a huge amount, it computes to roughly $25,000 in today's money, not too bad for a night's work. 

NO. 17 IN A SERIES

Ricky Steamboat Returns to Norfolk (2015)

Ricky Steamboat made a return to Norfolk, VA recently in an appearance for Big Time Wrestling at the Norfolk Scope.

Prior to the event Eric Stace and Eddie Cheslock met Ricky in front of the famous Scope Coliseum, site of so many great Mid-Atlantic Wrestling events over the years, including yearly cards on Thanksgiving night in the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. They took some photographs of the former NWA world champion with a replica of the belt he wore in 1989.

Thanks to those guys for allowing us to post this great photograph here on the Gateway. Thanks also to promoter Tony Hunter who helped make all that possible.

Ricky Steamboat with the book
"United States Championship"

George Pantas interviewed Ricky Steamboat for the Norfolk Navy Flagship in advance of his appearance in Norfolk. You can find links to that interview (which contains lots of Mid-Atlantic discussion) here.

Also, our buddy George South had a chance to spend some time with Ricky before the Norfolk event and show him our new book on the United States Championship. He posted some comments about that on his website. George reports that Ricky loved the book and asked for a copy, which you just better believe is on the way soon. (You kidding me?)

George wrote:

We spent 30 minutes talking about the U.S. belt! He remembered that "heavyweight" was misspelled on the belt and loved seeing all those photos of it again. He marked out a little remembering working with Buddy Rogers in one of the U.S. tournaments. And got mad that Slaughter put new leather on the black belt! haha

Steamboat held the U.S. championship on several occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, trading the title with the likes of Ric Flair, Blackjack Mulligan, Wahoo McDaniel, and Dick Slater.

For more information on the book about Jim Crockett's United States Championship and the five belts that represented it, click here.

Originally published  in November 2015 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Poster: Flair and Steamboat battle in "Mt. Pilot"

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

I spent most of my early years in Pilot Mountain, NC. It's a quaint little town at the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains referred to as "Mt. Pilot" on The Andy Griffith Show. This spot show took place on Saturday night April 8th, 1978 in the East Surry High School gym in Pilot Mountain and featured one of the greatest rivalries, if not the greatest, in the history of professional wrestling - Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat.

Many say that one-on-one in their prime, nobody did it better. Despite attending this show, I have very little recollection of the details of this match or who even won but hey - - I was only 10 years old.

Nevertheless, on the very next day, Flair would defeat Tim "Mr. Wrestling" Woods for the United States Heavyweight title in Charlotte, NC, beginning his second reign as U.S. champ. Johnny Weaver and Baron Von Raschke continued to battle for the TV title belt and the mid-card tag team match featured Crusher Blackwell and Bill White vs. Swede Hanson and Don Kernodle.

The poster has a vertical layout with all black print on a bright orange background which works well with the images of Flair, Steamboat, and Weaver along with "Sponsored by the Pilot Mountain Jaycees" and the local businesses that sold tickets at the top, typically seen on spot show posters.

Nowadays Pilot Mountain is known for it's summertime classic car cruise-ins but in the 1970s the Jaycees brought the stars of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling to town on a fairly regular basis.

NO. 13 IN A SERIES