Let's Take Time ...

      The Mid-Atlantic Gateway is on a publishing hiatus.

The Gateway Goes on Hiatus

The Mid-Atlantic Gateway will be on hiatus for a few weeks. We look forward to seeing you on our return!

Please check out the books in our bookstore, including recently added hardcover versions of two of our most popular books, Crown Jewel and Four Horsemen.

 

And while we're out of the office so to speak, check out any previous posts you might have missed. Everything from 2015 forward is linked in the column on the left - - over 1,500 posts!And sall of the material from 2000 - 2015 is available on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archive site.

Here is everything from this past month of August: 

• The Pride of the Carolinas, Don Kernodle: The Last...
• The Tony Schiavone Interview
• Mid-Atlantic TV Report: October 29, 1983
• Poster: Andersons battle Keirn and Conway on Plane...
• Abe Jacobs Returns to County Hall in Charleston
• Matt Striker Always Makes Us Smile
• Don Kernodle Tribute Part Two
• Mid-Atlantic TV Report: October 22, 1983
• Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson return to County Hall in...
• Poster: Wahoo and Andre challenge Flair and Valent...
• Crockett Cup 85: The Texas Outlaws vs. The Fabulou...
• Remembering Peggy Lathan: The First Lady of Mid-At...
• The Archives: Peggy Lathan on the Mid-Atlantic Gat...
• Mid-Atlantic TV Report: October 15, 1983
• Ole Anderson Returns to Charleston's County Hall
• My Sweetest Memory of Bobby Eaton
• Poster: Wahoo battles Flair in Patrick County, VA
• Johnny Weaver's Big Angle in 1977: Greg Valentine ...
• The Voice of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling
• Johnny Valentine Returns to County Hall
• Big Gold: Wrestling's Most Celebrated Championship...
• A Look Back at July on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Back soon. So long for now!

Bob Caudle & Recent Website Updates

Relaxing at his home in Raleigh, NC, Bob Caudle reads one of his favorite books!

Recent Updates on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway:

• TV Guide Memories: Wrestling in North Carolina in October 1975
• Classic Poster Friday: All Star Tag Team Match
• WRAL Wednesday: Another Look at Valentine and Flair (and the U.S. belt)
• A Look Back at Tony Schiavone calling Baseball in Charlotte
• Bob Caudle and Nick Pond in WRAL News Team Ad from 1975

Recent Domed Globe / Studio Wrestling Site Updates

Legendary Champions Reunite
A great photo of former NWA World champions Harley Race and Terry Funk together at Fanfest in 2005. Race defeated Funk for the NWA title in February of 1977 in Toronto.




Bob Caudle and Nick Pond in WRAL News Team ad from 1975
A cool TV Guide ad from October of 1975 featuring the Action 5 news team at WRAL in Raleigh, NC. Included are the two main faces and voices of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling during the 1960s and 1970s, Nick Pond and Bob Caudle.

HIATUS (July 29, 2018) 
We're taking a short break from publishing on the Gateway, but will be back soon. In the meantime, catch up on some of the recent posts and series that you may have missed.

See you again soon!

THE BETRAYAL OF CHIEF WAHOO McDANIEL
Part One: The Roddy Piper Conspiracy
Part Two: The Sgt. Slaughter Conspiracy
Part Three: The Final Betrayal

THE ANDERSON BROTHERS' GREATEST YEAR
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Ric Flair: The All Around Cowboy (Classic Audio!)
Classic Wrestling Posters
Magazine Memories: Official Ratings from 1977
Magazine Memories: The Superstar Grapevine

THE 1982 NWA WORLD TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT
PART ONE: Introduction
PART TWO: Greensboro
PART THREE: Charlotte
PART FOUR: Richmond
PART FIVE: Atlanta
PART SIX: Fayetteville
PART SEVEN: St. Petersburg
PART EIGHT: The Lost Tournaments
PART NINE: Wahoo & Muraco Win the West
PART TEN: Anderson & Hansen Win the East
PART ELEVEN: Wahoo & Muraco Split as a Team
PART TWELVE: The Sad Final Chapter
BONUS: What if Toronto?

There is so much to enjoy here. Thousands of pages of memories, photographs, posters, newspaper clippings, vintage audio, results, stories, historical narratives, and so much more. We hope you will enjoy!

Studio Wrestling Website Updates

Studio Wrestling Update
Be sure not to miss our posts on the Studio Wrestling website. Here are links to some recent posts:

Studio Wrestling at WNOK-19 in Columbia SC
 Rarely discussed site for TV tapings in 1962

Studio Wrestling in Nashville
A look at WNGE in Nashville in 1977

Apostolou Acquires Starland Arena
The famous Roanoke promoter finds a home fo his cards in 1965

"All Star Wrestling" Memories at WDBJ
A blogger offers memories of WDBJ Roanoke wrestling

All-Star Wrestling with Bill Kersten
A peek inside the TV studio for Kansas City wrestling

Rich Landrum and Ric Flair
A video clip of the "World Wide Wrestling" host with the Nature Boy!

Thursday Updates

David Chappell of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway talks Starrcade history with Jim Valley on "Wrestling Road Stories" on the PWTorch Livecast. The show is part of a huge line-up of live and archived podcasts that are part of the PWTorch media group that is an industry leader in pro-wrestling and MMA news.

You can become a PWTorch VIP member by surfing over to PWTorch.com and checking out all the benefits of that program. They occasionally offer free trials and other promotions. And, of course, there's Bruce Mitchell, so hey - - what more needs to be said?

Jim Valley and David Chappell are up on the PWTorch Livecast site now at PWTorchLiveCast.com.

Over at our sister-website "Studio Wrestling" check out Dick Bourne's latest article "No Antenna? You're Missing A Lot. Especially Wrestling." featuring a 1960 newspaper advertisement for WRAL TV touting their popular pro wrestling program hosted by legendary sportscaster Ray Reeve. It's part of our ongoing effort to document the great voices of pro-wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions and Mid-Atlantic Wrestling throughout its history.


UPCOMING!
Don't miss our weekly feature ACTION FIGURES FRIDAY tomorrow featuring Mike Simmerman's look at the Road Warriors.

Plus this Sunday, David Chappell looks back at Rufus R. Jones cornering Blackjack Mulligan in a "Cotton Field Match," complete with audio, photos and newspaper clippings.

And next week, it's Thanksgiving and of course that means our annual look back at Jim Crockett Promotions' annual Thanksgiving traditions, one of which was STARRCADE.

 

Our well-received series on Mid-Atlantic Wrestling's "Texas Connections" continues with three installments so far and more coming next week. These include great newspaper clippings and vintage audio clips. History lives on the Gateway!
PART ONE   Hailing form the Great State of Texas
PART TWO  Crockett's Texas Connections with Joe Blanchard's Southwest Wrestling (1978)
PART THREE Crockett TV in Texas in 1977-1978 (including US Champ Ric Flair in Amarillo)
PART FOUR (Coming Next Tuesday) Terry Funk takes Crockett's U.S. Championship back to Texas

Did you know you can buy the FOUR HORSEMEN book directly from James J. Dillon wherever he is making appearances? Get all the details here and check out JJ's appearance schedule here. And don't miss the popular J.J. Dillon Show podcast dropping each Thursday on the MLW Radio Network.

Get Well, Nature Boy

We join the rest of the wrestling world in sending our prayers and best wishes for the speedy recovery of the greatest wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots - - "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

Ric is recovering from surgery that took place on Monday 8/14 and is dealing with a number of various health issues at the moment.

Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, and friends during this tough time. Get well soon, Naitch!

Weaver Cup Quarter Finals, JJ DIllon Phone Call, more!

WIN A COPY OF FOUR HORSEMEN AND RECEIVE A PHONE CALL FROM JAMES J. DILLON!


Click this link for further details!













2017 WEAVER CUP CONTINUES
AT THE MID-ATLANTIC SPORTATORIUM ON SAT AUG 12 

The 2017 Johnny Weaver Cup Tournament, now in its fourteenth amazing year, is underway at CWF Mid-Atlantic Wrestling.

On Saturday, August 12 the Mid-Atlantic bracket and Worldwide bracket collide to see who reaches the illustrious Final Four! The matches take palce at  the Mid-Atlantic Sportatorium in Gibsonville, NC.  All roads lead to the final four of the tournament which will take place Saturday, 8/26.

For more information on this tradition-rich event, check out the CWF Mid-Atlantic Website or look back at the thirteen previous tournaments on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.



TULLY BLANCHARD AND JAMES J. DILLON ANNOUNCED FOR CLASSIC PRO WRESTLING'S ANNIVERSARY SHOW
Tully Blanchard Enterprises in the house! Two charter members of the original Four Horsemen, Tully Blanchard and James J. Dillon, will be on hand to help Classic Pro Wrestling celebrate their one year anniversary at their Anniversary Spectacular. The event will be held October 7 at West Point High School in West Point, Virginia. For more details, keep your eye on Classic Pro Wrestling's social media pages. (facebook.com/classicprowrestlin/, @cpwrasslin)



BE SURE TO CHECK OUT SOME OF OUR FAVORITE PODCASTS!
What Happened When with Tony Schiavone and Conrad Thompson
The J.J. Dillon Show with James. J. Dillon and Rich Bocchini
Go Get Over Podcast with Chris and Joey
Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling with Chad and Poz



DON'T MISS "ACTION FIGURES FRIDAY" ON THE MID-ATLANTIC GATEWAY
As always, we thank you for your ongoing support of our website.

News & Events Updates

LAST CHANCE TO WIN THE TWO MAN POWER TRIP / MID-ATLANTIC
GATEWAY PRIZE PACKAGE!

To enter by Friday 7/28, go to the Two Man Power Trip Facebook page, "like" their page, and be sure to "share" the give-away graphic in their feed. You will then be automatically entered to win "Four Horsemen", "Big Gold", "Ten Pounds of Gold", and some cool Four Horsemen goodies to boot!



JOHNNY WEAVER MEMORIAL CUP SUMMER LONG TOURNAMENT ROLLS ON AT CWF MID-ATLANTIC WRESTLING

The 2017 Johnny Weaver Cup Tournament, now in its fourteenth amazing year, is underway at CWF Mid-Atlantic Wrestling. The second rounds take place this weekend (Saturday 7/29) at the Mid-Atlantic Sportatorium in Gibsonville, NC at their "No Excuses" event. All roads lead to the final four of the tournament which will take place Saturday, 8/26.

For more information on this tradition-rich event, check out the CWF Mid-Atlantic Website or look back at the thirteen previous tournaments on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.



TULLY BLANCHARD AND JAMES J. DILLON ANNOUNCED FOR CLASSIC PRO WRESTLING'S ANNIVERSARY SHOW
Tully Blanchard Enterprises in the house! Two charter members of the original Four Horsemen, Tully Blanchard and James J. Dillon, will be on hand to help Classic Pro Wrestling celebrate their one year anniversary at their Anniversary Spectacular. The event will be held October 7 at West Point High School in West Point, Virginia. For more details, keep your eye on Classic Pro Wrestling's social media pages. (facebook.com/classicprowrestlin/, @cpwrasslin)



BE SURE TO CHECK OUT SOME OF OUR FAVORITE PODCASTS!
What Happened When with Tony Schiavone and Conrad Thompson
The J.J. Dillon Show with James. J. Dillon and Rich Bocchini
Go Get Over Podcast with Chris and Joey
Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling with Chad and Poz



DON'T MISS "ACTION FIGURES FRIDAY" ON THE MID-ATLANTIC GATEWAY
As always, we thank you for your ongoing support of our website.

Catch Up on Recent Updates

Coming soon! New interview with the Masked Superstar Bill Eadie!

Crockett Foundation Releases Second Book
Focus is on Ricky Steamboat, Magnum T.A., and the Rock & Roll Express

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Almanac for June 1980
featuring Matt Borne & Buzz Sawyer, Enforcer Luciano, Blackjack Mulligan, Ric Flair, Greg Valentine, and many others.

Chris Taylor's Mid-Atlantic Cup of Coffee
A look back at one of America's Olympics heroes in the pro wrestling ranks and his appearance in the Mid-Atlantic area.

United States Wrestling Club Newsletter for July/August of 1981
featuring car restoration buff #1 Paul Jones

Ric Flair's Silent Interview
That doesn't sound right, does it?

Blackjack Mulligan Returns
The big cowboy from Eagle Pass, Texas was back!

Recently on the Gateway

We appreciate all the recent feedback on the Thanksgiving features and the ongoing Jim Brunzell interview. If you've missed any of that over the last couple of weeks, we've gathered the links for you below.

Also, we've recently collected one of the rarest pieces of theme music for the Crockett TV shows ever, and will be posting that tomorrow. If you loved the territory TV show themes of the 1970s and 1980s, this will make a nice piece to add to your collection. Saturday is a good day for wrestling, so check out that post tomorrow.

Thanks as always for your support of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.


The Gateway Interview: Jim Brunzell
Part 1   |  Part 2
Part three coming this Monday.

Thanksgiving Flashbacks
Last week we had several posts focusing on Starrcade memories and Thanksgiving wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions in general:

Thanksgiving Night Meant Wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions
http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/2016/11/thanksgiving-night-wrestling.html

Starrcade Memories on the "Go Get Over" Podcast with guest David Chappell
http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/2016/11/starrcade-memories-part1-go-get-over.html

NWA World Champions on Thanksgiving for Jim Crockett Promotions
http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/2016/11/nwa-title-defenses-thanksgiving.html

32 Years Ago: Starrcade '84
http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/2016/11/32-years-ago-today-starrcade-84.html

Best of the Gateway: The Early Lead-up to Starrcade '85
http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/2016/11/best-of-starrcade-85-retro.html

29 Years Ago: Starrcade '87
http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/2016/11/29-years-ago-today-starrcade-87.html


Big Events coming in 2017

Wrestle Expo in Richmond VA May 2017
Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Fanfest in Charlotte NC August 2017
And we're pretty sure our friend Tony Hunter has some special things up his sleeve!

Weekend Update

Here is a summary of recent updates on the site. Thanks for your support of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway!

Thanksgiving Night for Jim Crockett Promotions 1967-1987
A look back at the annual SuperCards including Starrcade!

Podcast: "Go Get over" WRALSportsFan.com 
with guest David Chappell of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway
with your hosts Chris Morris and Joey Powell

Podcast: "Saturday Morning Wrestling" on the PWTorch Livecast
with guest David Chappell of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway
with your host Jim Valley

Jimmy Snuka - Nice Guy No More
A look back at the Superfly's heel turn in 1979

Saturday TV: Greg Valentine Coming to Atlanta
One of the Mid-Atlantic's top stars heads to Atlanta to enter the tournament for the vacant Georgia Heavyweight Championship in 1981.

Updates

Saturday Wrestling - December 1973
(Studio Wrestling)
Take a look at the great line-up of 1-hour wrestling programs (remember them?) airing on local stations across the Mid-Atlantic area in December of 1973.

All-Star Wrestling with Ric Stewart (Kansas City)
(Studio Wrestling) 
A look at Harley Race and Bruiser Brody on the set of "All-Star Wrestling" with host Ric Stewart in the mid-1980s.

Man Behind the Mike: Jim Carlisle (Georgia)
(Studio Wrestling) 
The great series from Wrestling Revue magazine continues with a look at the host of wrestling on TV in Macon and Columbus GA in the 1960s and 1970s.

Great Champions
(Domed Globe)
Great shots of great champions with the "ten pounds of gold"  including Dusty Rhodes as well as a Japanese poster collage featuring Harley Race, Jack Brisco, Giant Baba, and Ric Flair.

Opposites Attract: Masked Superstar vs. Mighty Igor
(Mid-Atlantic Gateway)
Part 1  |  Part 2
Stay Tuned for Part 3 of the re-telling of the Masked Superstar/Might Igor saga which will be up on Wednesday May 18!

Highspots.com Hosts Shoot for ESPN's "30 for 30" on Ric Flair

ESPN's "30 for 30" series shot several interviews for use on their upcoming feature on the life and career of Ric Flair. George South and Magnum T.A. and others were interviewed by ESPN's producers on a makeshift set in the Highspots.com warehouse in Charlotte, NC.

The episode is scheduled to air in late 2016.
Several more photos on George's website at GeorgeSouth.com.

Recent Updates

In case you've been away for awhile, here is a summary of some of the recent posts to the Mid-Atlantic Gateway over the last couple of weeks.

Wrestling: The Gospel to its Fans
A look back at a local event in Harrisonburg, VA in 1977.

The Tournament
A 5-Part series looking back at one of the most important nights in Mid-Altlantic Wrestling history.

The Eagle Pass Biographies & Blackjack's BBQ

A three-part look at the crazy characters from the the 1970s promos and imagination of Blackjack Mulligan.

How Johnny Valentine's 1000 Silver Dollars Doubled
A two-part story looking back at perhaps the TV match of the year in 1974.


You can quickly review all of our posts by checking out  the "All Previous Posts" section on the left side of every page. It's organized by month, and contains links to every post.


And coming next week...

A series of features on the 30th anniversary of Starrcade '85 and the 40th anniversary of a big Thanksgiving night for Jim Crockett Promotions in 1975.





Lastly, we wanted to point out that our new book on the United States Heavyweight Championship for Jim Crockett Promotions can now be purchased on Amazon.com.


We hope you enjoy the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. Thanks for your support!

Recent Updates

Teams That Never Held the Mid-Atlantic Tag Titles (But Should Have) - #1
The countdown ends with the #1 team we felt should have had a run as Mid-Atlantic tag team champs but never got the chance.

Mooneyham writes great review of "United States Championship" Book
A terrific review for our latest book from one of wrestling's most respected journalists Mike Mooneyham at the Charleston Post & Courier.

Eagle Pass Biographies (Part Two)
Blackjack Mulligan looks at some of the great West Texas characters that populated his promos and imagination in the 1970s and 1980s. Don't miss Part One, either.

The Mid-Atlantic / Georgia Championship Wrestling Talent Exchange
Stars from each of the territories made several visits across territorial lines. A fascinating look at Augusta, GA in 1977, as well as Charlotte and other towns in the Mid-Atlantic area that were involved. Currently a six part series with more to come.

Locally filmed pro wrestling footage to air on WWE Network
George Pantas discusses 8mm film footage he shot in the Norfolk area in the 1970s that is now popping up on the WWE Network.


Coming Soon!
● How Johnny Valentine's 1000 Silver Dollars Doubled! With CLASSIC audio clips.
● Close Encounters with the Ten Pounds of Gold
● At the Ranch (And in the Mud!)

New Audio Clips added to "Hot August Night"

We've added three new audio clips to David Chappell's story "Hot August Night" about a great card in Richmond in 1980 - - - 35 years ago today!

These feature Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood, Blackjack Mulligan, and Enforcer Luciano!

Follow the link below to get to the original page, and then scroll to the bottom of that page for the new audio clips. Look for our "Sound Bytes" logo.

Click here:
Hot August Night by David Chappell

Buddy Landel Passes Away

"Nature Boy" Buddy Landel in 1985
(Eddie Cheslock Photo)

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Buddy Landel passed away today.

Their report is here: Wrestling Observer

Our condolences to the family and friends of Buddy Landel, who was just 53 years old.


Update:
Greg Oliver at SLAM! Wrestling has an excellent obit on his website.

Buddy Landel Dead at Age 53

Sister-Website Updates

Here are links to a few items recently posted to some of our affiliated websites:

The Jerry Lawler Postcard
http://studiowrestling.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-jerry-lawler-show-postcard.html

Les Thatcher Schools Us on WRAL Local Promo Tapings
http://studiowrestling.blogspot.com/2015/06/les-thatcher-wral-promo-tapings.html

A Classic Newspaper Ad from Florida (1975)
Brisco, Funks, Race, Grahams, Backlund, others.
http://tenpoundsofgold.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-classic-newspaper-ad-from-florida-1975.html

Coming up later today on the Gateway:
A look back at one of our most popular articles: "My Secret Charlotte".

Blackjack Mulligan Update

Lots of rumors swirling around the health of Blackjack Mulligan. I spoke with him this afternoon. He's ailing for sure, but many of the reports of the heart issues are greatly exaggerated. The decision was made not to operate to alleviate problems related to blood clots in his brain due to the associated risks. He's back home and resting and seemed in good spirits over-all.

We somehow got to talking about Nelson Royal's ranch and all the various photo-shoots and film-shoots they did there in the 1970s when he was working for Jim Crockett Promotions. He was happy to hear that Nelson's western store in Mooresville was still there, and I told him that not only was it still there, but they have added on to it in the last year and their business seems to be thriving. That seemed to make him happy, and nostalgic for the old Mid-Atlantic days. He loved Nelson.

Keep Blackjack in your prayers.  -DB