Poster: Wahoo chases Flair in Winston-Salem (1976)

By Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster promotes a fantastic card of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling that took place at the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum on Friday, April 23rd, 1976

 

There was a big double main event. Wahoo McDaniel continued his quest for Ric Flair's Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight belt and this match had a special stipulation of two referees (one of which would be NWA official George Scott) in an attempt to keep things in order. Wahoo would emerge victorious on this night but by disqualification, allowing Flair to escape with his title. 

The semi featured big, bad Angelo Mosca attempting to collect the $5,000 bounty placed upon Tim Woods by Blackjack Mulligan. Woods would come out the winner of this contest and Mosca left without a victory or the bounty money. 

In exciting tag team action Geeto and Bolo Mongol topped Ron Garvin and Tony Atlas, while the undercard included Doug Gilbert, Great Malenko, Big Bill Dromo, and Klondike Bill. 

The poster has a beautiful horizontal layout with six wrestler images on the sides, black print (except the main event participants in high impact red) on a bright blue background, and the familiar "Wrestling" oval in the upper left corner.

NO. 44 IN THE BEASLEY POSTER SERIES

Poster: Christmas Night in Charlotte (1975)

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

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

 

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

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

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

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Gateway Notes:

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

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

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

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

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

Poster: Woods and Raschke Battle in Charlotte (1977)

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster takes us to the famous Park Center in Charlotte, NC and promotes a card held on Monday night (as was the norm for the Park Center), November 7th, 1977. 

It boasts an attractive vertical layout with all black print over a tri-colored background and the bowtie "Wrestling" banner along the top. 

In the main event, Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods continued his quest for Baron Von Raschke's NWA Television title while the Mighty Igor challenged Blackjack Mulligan in the semi. 

The undercard included Hartford Love, Rick McGraw, Ted Oates, Bill White, and Charlie Fulton. 

The image of Mr. Wrestling is one not often found on these posters. It is accompanied by a great pic of wrestling star in the making, Rick McGraw.

NO. 36 IN THE BEASLEY POSTER SERIES

 

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MID-ATLANTIC GATEWAY NOTES
by Dick Bourne

The main event on this Charlotte card featured two of the greatest amateur wrestlers to have made successful careers out of professional wrestling.

Tim Woods (George Burrell Woodin) wrestled collegiality for Michigan State University, winning two Big Ten titles in 1958 and 1959. He also finished second in the NCAA tournament in 1958 and 1959, and was a two-time NCAA All American.

Baron Von Raschke (James Donald Raschke) wrestled collegiate for the University of Nebraska from 1960-1962, where he also played football for the Corn Huskers. He won the Big Eight Conference championship as a heavyweight in 1962. He was a bronze medalist in the 1963 World Games and qualified for the 1964 Olympic Games.

Hard to beat such astounding amateur credentials by two different wrestlers in one professional ring.

Poster: Woods and Mosca Square of at Starland (1976)

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

This poster takes us back to the Starland Arena in Roanoke, Va and promotes a card held on Saturday, April 10th, 1976. 

The main event was a Texas Death Match between Angelo Mosca and Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods. These type matches were violent affairs and usually only ended when one of the participants could no longer continue. Woods managed to be the man left standing at the end of this one, but on a television taping that aired exactly one week later, Mosca defeated him in the finals of a tournament to crown a new Mid Atlantic TV champion (although Mosca needed a handful of tights in order to pin Woods).

The semi featured tag team action with Sgt. Jacques Goulet and Mike "The Judge" Dubois versus Emanuel and Roberto Soto while the preliminaries consisted of Klondike Bill versus Doug Gilbert, Angelo Poffo versus Randy Colley, and Greg Peterson versus George McCreery.

The poster's vertical layout has all black print over a colorful two tone bright pink over bright blue background with images of Woods and Roberto Soto. 

NO. 29 IN A SERIES

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MID-ATLANTIC GATEWAY NOTES
This would have been a fun card. Mosca was a terror in the territory at this point, and his big weapon was a big elbow forearm smash, often times with a foreign object in the elbow pad, undetected by the official of course.

Two of our favorite semi-main event tag teams at this time faced off here. We loved the bad guys, Goulet and Dubois, as well as the popular high-flying team of Roberto and Emmanuel Soto. Emmanuel had previously wrestled at Roberto's partner under a mask as El Rayo. He had unmasked to reveal himself to be Roberto's brother.

The Soto brothers introduced the Mid-Atlantic territory to the lucha libre style of wrestling, which they wove into a lot of their matches. That style proved quite popular. We always thought both teams should have had at least a small run as Mid-Atlantic Tag Team champions. The Sotos had upset the Andersons in a non-title bout and had proven themselves worthy of top contendership. Goulet and Dubois would later make it to the finals of a tournament to crown new Mid-Atlantic Tag Team champions, but could never quite get over the hump. 

Poster: Andre the Giant in big Six Man Tag in Salem VA

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor 

This poster takes us back to the Commonwealth of Virginia and promotes a card held on Saturday, November 29th, 1975 at the Salem Civic Center (referred to as the Salem Coliseum here). 

It boasts an attractive horizontal layout with all black print over a two tone orange and bright yellow background. 

Whenever Andre the Giant was scheduled to appear on a card that usually meant a packed arena. I'm confident that was the case in Salem this particular night with a main event six man tag featuring Andre, Tim Woods, and Rufus R. Jones versus the Anderson Brothers, Gene and Ole, and newcomer to the area Steve Strong. 

Other exciting matches included Swede Hanson versus Angelo Mosca (misspelled Moska here), strongman Ken Patera versus Jerry Blackwell, and Mike "The Judge" DuBois and partner Bill White took the challenge of Johnny Weaver and rookie Tony Atlas. Tony Rocca wrestled Don Serrano in the opening bout. 

NO. 28 IN A SERIES

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Mid-Atlantic Gateway Notes
by Dick Bourne

Andre the Giant was in for the big Thanksgiving week for Jim Crockett Promotions, including this six-man tag in Salem VA as seen in the poster above. Here is how Andre's big week shaped up in the Mid-Atlantic area:

• Monday 11/24/75 - Greenville SC - Andre & Tiger Conway, Jr. vs. Gene and Ole Anderson for the NWA World Tag Team championships.
• Tuesday 11/25/75 - Columbia SC - Andre & Rufus R. Jones vs. Gene and Ole Anderson for the NWA World Tag Team championships
• Wednesday 11/26/75 - Raleigh NC - TV Tapings at WRAL-5 Studio
• Thursday 11/27/75 (Thanksgiving) - Norfolk VA - Andre, Rufus R. Jones and Ken Patera vs. Steve Strong and the Anderson Brothers, plus Andre vs. Superstar Billy Graham in an arm wrestling contest.
• Friday 11/28/75 - Richmond, VA - Andre & Paul Jones vs. Blackjack Mulligan and Steve Strong
• Saturday 11/29/75 - Salem VA - Andre, Rufus R. Jones, and Tim Woods vs. Gene and Ole Anderson and Steve Strong (poster seen above)
• Sunday 11/30/75 - Asheville NC - Andre, Tim Woods, and Paul Jones vs. Gene and Ole Anderson and Blackjack Mulligan
• Monday 12/1/75 - Charlotte NC - Andre & Ken Patera vs. Blackjack Mulligan & Steve Strong
  
  

Poster: Mr. Wrestling defends the U.S. Title against Ric Flair

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

For personal reasons this is one of my all time favorite posters. It promotes a card held at the old Winston Salem Memorial Coliseum on Friday, March 31st, 1978. 

First and foremost, I was fortunate enough to be in attendance that night and acquired this poster from the box office where it was taped to the outside of the window. You can see where the tape was removed along both sides. 

Just like most young boys growing up, I had heroes and idols that I aspired to be or be like. First there was Superman, then Batman, but once I saw Mr. Wrestling (Tim Woods under the hood of course) on TV for the first time, he was my new superhero. 

This hero was even better because I could see him in person on occasion, reach out and touch him, and get his autograph. He was indeed real unlike the others before. I wish my memory was better but I do recall going home with my best friend from school that day in Mt. Airy, NC and my father picked us up when he got off work. Then down Highway 52 to Winston-Salem we went. Dad even splurged on the ringside seats, probably all of 4 or 5 dollars each at the time, and a current copy of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Magazine was mandatory for a dollar.

The main event of the evening was a match I had dreamed of seeing as Mr. Wrestling defended his newly won United States Heavyweight Title belt against the Nature Boy Ric Flair. Although the poster doesn't mention it being a title match, Mr. Wrestling won the prized championship from Blackjack Mulligan almost two weeks earlier in Greensboro, NC. 

Ricky Steamboat collided with the always tough Cyclone Negro in the semi while the lone tag team event of the evening had Bobo Brazil and Swede Hanson against Crusher Blackwell and Jan Nelson. The undercard consisted of Byron St. John versus Frank Monte and Mr. Sato versus Steve Musulin.

Much to my delight, and to the delight of the many fans in the Coliseum that night, Mr. Wrestling successfully retained his title. Although I don't remember many details of this match, the sight of Mr. Wrestling pinning Flair in the middle of the ring with his trademark standing head cradle as the crowd erupted has never left my mind. What a celebration it was seeing him get his hand raised in victory and being handed back his U.S. belt. Unfortunately, his U.S. title run was brief as Flair eventually won the belt in Charlotte only nine days later.

The horizontal poster layout features full body images of Mr. Wrestling and Brazil on the left and images of Flair, Steamboat, and Hanson on the right with the "Wrestling" splash in the upper left corner. The two tone bright yellow over pink background is eye-catching as well with the main-eventers, date, and locale in high impact red print.

This wasn't the first time I saw Mr. Wrestling in person, nor was it the last, but it was definitely the most memorable and satisfying. I am thankful to have this poster as it is a memento and reminder of such a great night many years ago. 

NO. 27 IN A SERIES

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See also: The Gateway Museum: Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods

Tim Woods takes credit for costing Buddy Rogers the WWWF Championship

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

"I'm proud to say that I was the man who caused you to get beat
in less than a minute."  - Tim Woods

In the fall of 1979, Tim Woods and Buddy Rogers were involved in a torrid feud. Rogers and his number one charge, U.S. Champion Jimmy Snuka, had badly injured Woods (in storyline) in one of the most dramatic and violent angles ever seen on Mid-Atlantic TV, and throughout the fall, Woods was intent on revenge. He even printed up his own wanted posters to hand out to fans at arenas to generate support in his quest to get even with Snuka and Rogers.

Rogers was now a manager, and occasionally still wrestled, but was most famous for his legacy in wrestling. His world title wins aside, it was his iconic nickname "Nature Boy" from the 1950s that had been bequeathed to Ric Flair back in 1975 by JCP booker George Scott that modern fans may have been more familiar with. Scott was a longtime friend and admirer of Rogers, and the rookie Flair reminded him of the original Nature Boy. It wound up being a wonderful gift that helped shape Flair's career for decades. 

But more significantly, Rogers was at that time the only man to have ever held both the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) world championships. He was also famous for the way he lost that WWWF title to Bruno Sammartino in 1963, submitting to Bruno's over-the-shoulder bearhug in just 43 seconds in Madison Square Garden. As it happens, a young Tim Woods was working the under-card of that very same show.

Behind the scenes, Woods and Rogers developed a lasting friendship during Woods' nine-month stint in the WWF in 1963. During their feud in the Mid-Atlantic area sixteen years later in 1979, the two men occasionally played off the fact that Woods was there when Rogers lost the title to Sammartino.

In an interview with Bob Caudle on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in late October 1979, Rogers would accuse Woods of betraying a secret that would dearly cost him. Rogers called Woods a "rat" for "squealing" his secret. The result, he claimed, cost him over two million dollars in purses that he would have won otherwise.

 
Rogers didn't go into more specifics at that time, but the details could be pieced together in various local promos that Rogers and Woods made in advance of their matches against each other in local areans throughout the territory. The best example might be in promos for their battle in Raleigh's Dorton Arena on November 20, 1979. Woods actually told Rogers how proud he was that he was the reason Rogers lost the WWWF title. "I'm proud to say that I was the man who caused you to get beat in less than a minute," Woods declared. While Bruno Sammartino's name was not specifically mentioned, the implication was clear. And by the sound of it, one could surmise that Woods must have told Sammartino that Rogers was coming into the Madison Square Garden match with a badly injured back, something Bruno would quickly exploit only seconds into their famous bout.


Buddy Rogers and Tim Woods Promos - 11/20/79 Raleigh NC

There of course was no such storyline in 1963, at least not involving Woods, who was working low on the WWWF cards at that time very early in his career. But how cool is it that Woods and Rogers would play off that historic match 16 years later, in a totally different territory, knowing they were both in the same building the night it took place? I'm guessing all of that was lost on most of the people who heard these promos in 1979, but it's a small little detail - - a sub-plot if you will - - that makes the memory of the famous Woods/Rogers feud something a little more special to reflect on now more than 40 years later.

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Special thanks to David Chappell and his 12-part Gateway series on the Woods-Rogers feud, to Mark Eastridge for the newspaper clipping, and to Gary Wray for the audio recording of the Woods-Rogers promos for Raleigh.

Poster: Christmas Night in Charlotte (1975)

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

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

 

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

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

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

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Gateway Notes:

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

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

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

NO. 21 IN SERIES

Poster: Woods and Bravo Battle the Andersons at Fire Hall

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster promotes a card held on Tuesday June 29th, 1976 at the Fire Hall in Farmville, VA. The main event was for the NWA World Tag Team title belts as Dino Bravo and Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods collided with Gene and Ole Anderson. Although Bravo and Woods are featured on the poster as the champions here, the Andersons actually regained the belts in Greenville, SC the night before this show.

The two teams would continue to feud throughout the summer of  1976 but the popular Bravo/Woods combo was never able to recapture the straps from the Anderson Brothers. 

It was tag team action in the semi as well with Geeto and Bolo Mongol versus Tony Atlas and Johnny Eagle, and the undercard included Larry Zbyszko, Doug Somers, Two Ton Harris, and Mr. Hayashi.

The poster has a two tone pink and yellow background with all black print, a vertical layout, and great images of the four headliners. I love the interesting details common to spot show posters such as this one like "sponsored by the Volunteer Fire Department" and you can save 50 cents by purchasing your ticket in advance, $3.50 instead of $4.00 at the door. 

NO. 18 IN A SERIES

Poster: Johhny Valentine and Ric Flair Heat Up Lynchburg

by Brack Brasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

Lynchburg, VA was a regular stop on the Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling circuit for so many years and this particular poster promotes a great card held on Saturday, August 23, 1975 in the City Armory.

The tag team main event featured the short lived but formidable team of Johnny Valentine and Ric Flair versus fan favorites Tim Woods and Paul Jones. The Fabulous Moolah also defended her Women's World Championship against Susan Green. It was billed as a "Ladies Title Match" although Moolah was anything but a lady the couple of times I saw her wrestle live in the late 70s.

The midcard match featured Tony Atlas White, as he was promoted at the beginning of his career anytime he wrestled near his hometown of Roanoke, VA.

With a vertical layout the poster has all black print over a light pink background and images of Valentine, Flair, Jones, Green, Moolah with her World title belt, and Danny Miller with the old Eastern States title around his waist. Peter's News Stand would have been your source for advance tickets.

As hot as it must have been on this August night in the Armory, I'm sure it was nothing compared to the heat Valentine, Flair, and Moolah were drawing.  

NO. 14 IN A SERIES

"Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods Returns to Charleston's County Hall

by Andy McDaniel

Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

It is hard to create categories when equal talent surrounds you. Our incredible weekend had men and women with us that legitimately made the word legend mean something. While all brought something to the table, as can be heard in the intro by Bill Murdock, "Mr. Wrestling," Tim Woods was indeed known for his ability to wrestle. It was an honor to have him with us.  

Enjoy this great memory and comment from "Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods.

Previous Videos:
Johnny Valentine
Ole Anderson
Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson
Abe Jacobs

 

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Video produced by Andy McDaniel. Check out Andy's book Reunion at County Hall: The Night the Wrestling Legends Returned to Charleston. Available on Amazon.com.

Les Thatcher: Auto Racing and Pro Wrestlers

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

originally published in Wrestling News Magazine, Summer 1974

 

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

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

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

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

 
 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

Poster: Mulligan vs. Studd Headlines Harrisonburg, VA

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

Back in the day, even if you didn't live in a bigger town or city, you most likely had your favorite Mid-Atlantic stars visit a gym or ballpark somewhere close to you. Here is a poster promoting a great double main event at the high school gym in Harrisonburg, VA, dated January 17, 1980.

These main events could have headlined Greensboro, Charlotte, Roanoke, or any of the other bigger venues in the Mid Atlantic territory. While it must have been a cold winter Thursday night in Harrisonburg, I would bet that things got heated up in that gym.

The feud between my personal favorite Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods and Jimmy Snuka is recounted here on the Gateway in great detail by David Chappell and most likely the chain match between Mulligan and Studd was a brutal affair.

The rainbow colored background on this poster looks great and really stands out against the black print, especially on a vertical poster such as this. 

Previous poster: Andre the Giant's First Night in Greensboro (1974)

NO. 3 IN A SERIES

The Gateway Museum: Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods

"Mr. Wrestling" Tim Wood's ring jacket is displayed with a replica of the United States Heavyweight Championship belt he held in 1978, defeating Blackjack Mulligan and later losing to Ric Flair.

Woods is one of the most remembered stars of Jim Crockett Promotions in the mid-to-late 1970s, and certainly its most technically accomplished. Real name George Burrell Woodin, he was a two time Big Ten Heavyweight Champion at Michigan State University (1958-1959) and twice finished second in the NCAA tournament those same years.

He became a star in professional wrestling in the 1960s in Georgia, was a big name in Florida and Texas, and later became a top main eventer in the Mid-Atlantic territory in the 1970s holding both the NWA World Tag Team and Mid-Atlantic Tag Team championships (with partner Dino Bravo) in 1976 and the United States Heavyweight Championship in 1978.

He wrestled both with and without the mask here. His top feuds in the Mid-Atlantic area were with such stars as Johnny Valentine, Blackjack Mulligan, Gene and Ole Anderson, Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson (with partner Sam Steamboat), Baron Von Raschke, Jimmy Snuka, and Snuka's manager in 1979 "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers.

The iconic white mask of Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods is alongside his ring jacket and a replica of the
United States Championship belt he wore in Jim Crockett Promotions in 1978.

The ring jacket and mask are from the collection of Brack Beasley. The belt is from the collection of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Interesting reading on Wood's amateur career in this article:

Hodge vs. Woodin: Pinning Down Rivalry That Never Was
https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/18382

 

1976 Provided a Leap Year Bonaza

by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway


With leap year only hitting our calendars once every four years, you might think there would be a dearth of dynamic leap day cards during the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling era. But that wasn’t the case, and in fact, on February 29, 1976 there were TWO major cards both of which arguably had historical significance.

Greenville, South Carolina received a special leap day treat, as the Memorial Auditorium hosted an extremely rare Sunday card on February 29, 1976. Monday was Greenville’s regular wrestling day. But on this Sunday star-studded leap day lineup, NWA World Tag Team Champions Gene and Ole Anderson battled to a wild double disqualification result with the charismatic team of the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and Rufus R. “Freight Train” Jones! Dusty was brought in as a special attraction from outside the Mid-Atlantic area for this bout. The fans in Greenville also got to see Geeto and Bolo Mongol dominate Tiger Conway and Swede Hanson, and the Mongol’s manager “Professor” Boris Malenko make an increasingly rare visit into the ring, dispatching the young but talented Larry Zbyszko. Rounding out the leap day card in Greenville, rough and tumble Ronnie Garvin whipped up on the crafty Bill Howard, while the curtain raiser saw Tio Tio draw with “Dynamite” Jack Evans.

The second leap day card in 1976 occurred at none other than the cavernous Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. And it featured a spectacular main event, with NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Terry Funk defending his prized belt against number one contender and reigning United States Heavyweight Champion, Paul Jones!

At this point in time, Paul Jones was at the absolute zenith of his Mid-Atlantic career. Paul had beaten Terry Funk on November 27, 1975 in Greensboro for the U.S. belt, and widely proclaimed to the fans that he had Funk’s number. Jones was defending his U.S. Title impressively against the mammoth Blackjack Mulligan, and Paul’s popularity was through the roof. It appeared to many that Jones would ride his wave of staggering momentum to a World’s Title victory on this night. Alas, it was not to be as Terry Funk disappointed everybody in Greensboro with a pinfall victory.

In my opinion, Paul Jones never recovered from this loss fully, as within two weeks he would drop the U.S. Title to Blackjack Mulligan. Paul was never again the number one contender to the World belt, and as tantalizingly close to the NWA World Title as he was that leap year’s night in Greensboro, though Jones certainly had his fair share of triumphs throughout the remainder of the Mid-Atlantic years.

Despite the bitter disappointment of the Paul Jones defeat, the fans in Greensboro did have a lot to cheer about on this leap day, 1976. In the semi-final, they saw the skillful Tim Woods heap a rare defeat on the brutish Blackjack Mulligan. These two had been battling since around the time of the big U.S. Title Tournament in Greensboro on November 9, 1975, when Woods had cost Mulligan a chance to advance in that epic tournament. Dusty Rhodes continued his leap day “double shot” in the Mid-Atlantic area, dropping a disputed decision to the chicanery of Ric Flair, which of course silenced the fan’s cheers again for a bit. 

The undercard of this Greensboro leap day show was excellent, and was very fan friendly! The high-flying duo of Roberto Soto and El Rayo outlasted the powerhouse duo of Angelo Mosca and Steve Strong. A significant losing streak for Strong was continued by this bout. The impressive new duo of Mike “The Judge” DuBois and “Sergeant” Jacques Goulet battled to an entertaining time limit draw with Johnny Weaver and the powerful Tony Atlas. Ronnie Garvin completed his leap day “double shot” 2-0 with a win over the always obnoxious George “Two Ton” Harris. Klondike Bill opened the festivities with a decision over big Jim Lancaster.

Yes, in 1976, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling was the place to be on leap day! With leap day cards like that, it’s a shame there was a four year wait for the next leap year to roll back around!

Dino Bravo's Memorable Mid-Atlantic TV Debut (Part 3)

by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Be sure to check out PART ONE and PART TWO of this great story from 1976!

PART THREE
Newcomer Dino Bravo had already secured his NWA World's Tag Team Title match with Gene and Ole Anderson on the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling TV taping set for May 12, 1976, but in his second television appearance in the Mid-Atlantic area, Bravo had to contend with rough and tough veteran Bill White. That challenge became immensely more difficult when the Andersons jumped in the ring, clearly trying to take out Dino so he would be in no condition to wrestle the following week. But to the chagrin of Gene and Ole, Tim Woods hit the ring and helped Bravo fend off the assault by the Anderson Brothers.

During the middle of the program, announcer Bob Caudle addressed Woods and said, "Tim, I tell ya, you got in there to help a young fellow out a little bit ago. The Andersons were really beating up on him." Woods answered, "Well I tell ya, I hate to see that. A fine young athlete Dino Bravo, he came here and laid it right on the line, he made no bones about it. He said what he wanted, I understand he got it. He came in there, he wrestled his opponent, he beat him, and then the Andersons with their old tricks come in with the old double whammy...one of them came in and the other finally kneed him from the back."

Woods continued, "He nearly beat the two of them, honestly. He was really fighting. And the Andersons are known, not only for hurting opponents, injuring them, but after that slapping them around like they did to Rufus, and I wasn't about to let that happen to Dino Bravo." Caudle concluded this segment by saying, "Well, I tell you, it was a great gesture on your part."

As the program was about to end, Caudle started a conversation with Ole Anderson saying, "Ole, earlier we saw you in there fighting against a young fella Dino Bravo." Ole snarled, "This Bravo, he's been around, he's got in our hair. He's followed us to a couple of places before, and we thought we were through with him a year ago. I figure anytime we have a team in there and we break one of that member's arms, then the other guy ought to have enough brains to stay away. But Bravo doesn't have enough brains!"

Anderson continued, "He came out here last week and interfered in a match, he gets out here and he thinks he's so big, he thinks he's so tough, he wants to be a white knight, wear a white hat or whatever it happens to be...thinks he's Mr. Good Guy! He's gonna come out and he's gonna avenge all the wrongdoings that we've done. Anytime we've been in the ring, anytime we've hurt anybody, it was because they deserved it. Now this little pipsqueak loud mouth good lookin' boy, fair haired, everybody thinks he's the savior of the race. He's gonna come out here and he's gonna make everything right by getting rid of the Anderson Brothers."

Ole added, "Well let me tell you something, it's not gonna happen! You know as well as I do that these belts mean more to us than anything else, we've given up our family and friends and everything because of these belts." At this point, Bravo comes onto the set with Woods right behind him. A furious Ole screams, "You come out here again I'm gonna take this belt...you're gonna see this belt up close!" Woods interjects, "Shut your big yap Anderson!" Ole shouts back, "I'll shut my yap when I feel like it!"

Woods then reasoned to Ole, "All you know is how to hurt people. You call yourself the World Champion? You're supposed to be wrestlers, you're supposed to represent wrestling. You call that wrestling?" Ole then questioned Tim, "What do you have to do out here? What are you, Mr. Good Guy too? You guys think you're pretty tough."

A smiling Bravo then announced, "Thank you very much for finding a partner for me, Mr. Anderson. If I had to choose one, there's the man right here I would have chosen. And next week, you won't hurt me like all these young wrestlers throughout this country, and I'll make sure next week, Ole Anderson and Gene Anderson, it won't happen like a year ago in California...this time we'll beat you."

An infuriated Ole countered, "You're gonna get a partner and come back and try and beat us? The only way you guys are gonna see this belt is when I jam it right down your throats! And you better be ready because we're gonna break a lot of arms and they're gonna be your arms!" As the Andersons departed the set, a disgusted Wood said, "Go ahead, I tell you what, I've watched these Andersons slap people around, hurt people...I'm telling you I'm SOOO happy to see a man like Dino Bravo that gets up and says what's on his mind."

Tim went on to tell the fans, "He's got the match, he's picked me as his partner and believe you me, next week, right here for the world's heavyweight championship, we're talking about the championship of the world, Dino Bravo and I will wrestle these Anderson Brothers. Believe me, we're gonna have a little conference between now and then." Bravo added, "I got the match, and I'm not gonna blow it and I got the best man with me right here and we'll walk away with those belts next week believe me."

Caudle wound down this heated segment by noting, "Well Dino, I tell you, he came in there and he sort of helped you out against the Andersons earlier tonight...I guess you said to yourself then, here's the man I want, we can beat them." Bravo concurred, " That was quite a surprise, but believe me, if I had to choose a partner this would be the man right here, Tim Woods." Bob responded, " Well you're both great wrestlers and I think your styles are gonna compliment each other;  I think the Andersons are worried. I think Ole's upset, I really think he is!"

Woods reflected, "Dino Bravo had the two men going in here by himself...now here's a man who is not afraid of them, not afraid of their reputation, not afraid to get in there and fight 'em, wrestle 'em, do whatever it takes. And I guarantee you Dino, I'm not either." Bob then questioned Bravo, "And you've got a score to settle with them, right?" Dino answered, "I've seen them hurt a lot of people, and this is the end of it. Tim, we're gonna do it together baby!" Woods agreed saying, "Okay, I'll be with you all the way and that's a promise so help me God." Caudle concluded the show saying, "It's gonna be next week, and it's gonna be a great one!"

It absolutely turned out to be a great one, as Dino Bravo and "Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods upset the Andersons the following week to become the World's Tag Team Champions and ushered in a program that lasted throughout the summer of 1976. Dino Bravo's debut on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television was indeed memorable...and then some!

Rickard's U.S. Title Tournament Continues: Roddy Piper vs. Mr. Wrestling Tim Woods

Mike Rickard's "Greatest U.S. Champion of All Time" Tournament continues on the Canadian Bulldog's World website with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. Mr. Wrestling (Tim Woods)


A tough battle is figured between these two, as no one was more of a technician (legit) than Tim Woods. Both guys were tough as nails, so it will be fun to see where this one goes.

Who you got?

The Match: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. Mr. Wrestling (Tim Woods)

EARLIER FIRST ROUND MATCH-UPS AFTER THE JUMP.

WFBC-4 TV Wrestling Ads from Greenville SC (1976)

Fake News: Greensboro's Incredibly Bad Newspaper Results (1976)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

We enjoy wrestling clippings, and we include many of them in our posts here on the Gateway. But this one had us laughing a little bit. 

Greensboro NC 10/16/76

The actual winners of the three main events are correct. But it's like someone on the late shift at the sports desk decided that alone wasn't  sufficient; they felt the need to make up how they won. Fake news!

This clipping is notable for two reasons. First, it is from a historic show at the Greensboro Coliseum (October 16, 1976) where the three top championships in the territory changed hands on one night. This was very rare in those days, and I guess very rare for any era.

But it is also memorable for how the reported finishes were clearly made-up from whole cloth by whomever wrote this little blurb for the sports section.

At least the actual winners were correct.

Risking his hair against Wahoo McDaniel's Mid-Atlantic championship belt, Ric Flair took the belt with a double wristlock and head scissors in 21 minutes.

He had the stipulations right, he had the right title on the line. He had the winner right. He may have even had the time right. So why make up the finish?

Paul Jones dethroned Blackjack Mulligan for the U.S. Heavyweight championship with a double bar toehold in 39 minutes.

Sorry, dude. Blackjack Mulligan ain't tapping out to no "double bar toehold." (I doubt they went 39 minutes, either.)

Tim Woods took the Mid-Atlantic TV championship from Angelo Mosca, winning on a half-nelson, leg hold and cradle in 10:35.

Bizarre!

It should be noted that these made up finishes stand in stark contrast to the nice reporting in the first paragraph of how wrestling outdrew other recent sporting events at the coliseum. Plus, he did get the actual results right. I guess someone called those in, because this guy clearly wasn't at the show. And goofy stuff like this wasn't that uncommon for the Greensboro paper during this time.

Newspaper clippings for old wrestling shows are always interesting to us, just sometimes for odd reasons!

(Newspaper clipping from the collection of Mark Eastridge.)