Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Monday, December 12, 2016
The Gateway Interview: Jim Brunzell (Part 4)
Interview by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
PART FOUR
(Catch up on the introduction and what you missed in Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3)
Brunzell: A couple of these stories I tell in my book…[George Scott] brought in Buddy Rogers…
Chappell: Oh yeah, I was definitely going to ask you about the original Nature Boy!
Brunzell: (laughs) And Buddy Rogers was going to come in and help George. You know, with the booking. Buddy Rogers had notoriously for YEARS, every territory he’d come into, he’d steal all the heat from all the heels and he’d be the number one guy. Well, Buddy had to be close to 50 years old then…
Chappell: You’d think, at least…
Brunzell: Yeah, and he comes in…and I didn’t trust him at all, because I’d heard so much about him. (laughs) I remember he ended up stealing all the heat from everybody, and he was managing Jimmy Snuka. So, it was Jimmy Snuka, Buddy Rogers against Ricky Steamboat and I. I remember Buddy Rogers putting Band-Aids over his ears…
Chappell: That’s right, I remember he used the bad ear gimmick to feed the crowd reactions at the house shows.
Brunzell: He’d come on the interviews and say, ‘I just can’t stand the noise when people boo me!’
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: So in the match he’s got these doggone Band-Aids on his ears, and it worked out that Steamer gave me a tag and I’m making a comeback on him and I get him in the corner, and I ripped one of the Band-Aids off his ear and he goes crazy and the fans go nuts! Then I ripped the other one off, and the fans go crazier!
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: He also had a big Band-Aid on his chest, and I thought, ‘Oh s#@t, I’ll just rip that one off too!’
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: (laughs) What had happened is that he had burned himself, in one of the very first sun tanning beds that they had then…
Chappell: Okay, now we know how Rogers always had such a good tan!
Brunzell: And he was blistered! So when I pulled that Band-Aid off he screeched like an owl!
Chappell: (laughing)
Brunzell: (laughs) And as I biel tossed him out of the corner he said to me, “I bet if you had five more seconds you’d take my boot off!’ That’s what he said to me, and we never worked again! (laughing)
Chappell: (laughing) That’s hilarious!
Brunzell: You know, he was a character…Oh God!
Chappell: For sure, and speaking of characters, you had an extended program in the Mid-Atlantic area with the strongman Ken Patera over the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title which you won from him on September 14, 1979 in my wrestling hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Please tell us a little about Patera and the Mid-Atlantic belt.
Brunzell: Right, you know Kenny was a good heel and he was so powerful, and a great athlete. He was sort of a natural heel, because that was basically what his personality was too. And I remember George sort of let us flounder around underneath a little bit. Kenny and I had worked this deal, and we had a no disqualification match in Richmond for the championship. And I remember the finish was so unique!
Chappell: Oh yes!
Brunzell: I was making a comeback and he’d stopped me and thrown me outside and he kept knocking me off and running my head into the post and then the turnbuckle and the mat and everything, and then what happened was that the referee was pushing him back, and as he pushed him back Kenny comes whipping around and I had grabbed the top rope and slung myself and jumped and actually hit him with a head-to-head shoulder block tackle and covered him one-two-three. And it got over like a son of a gun!
Chappell: That’s an understatement, Jim!
Brunzell: First of all, it was a great match and the finish just came out of the clear blue sky. You know, because I was still down there selling and Kenny had kicked out and he got up and threw me out of the ring and then they give me the belt and he jumps off and the people go crazy!
Chappell: A magical Richmond Coliseum moment!
Brunzell: You know, we had a good run with that and you know it was fun. Oh God, Richmond was a great wrestling town! Richmond was one of the best big towns that we hit in the Mid-Atlantic. I mean, you know, Raleigh was okay and Norfolk was okay and Charlotte was good, but I tell you Richmond had a beautiful civic center there and it was round and the people were with it…they had great crowds in there!
Chappell: The Richmond Coliseum was the place to be on Friday nights!
Brunzell: I had some really good matches there. Matter of fact, I remember I had a match there with the Iron Sheik, and after the match he grabbed something and started choking me and he choked me so damn hard that I was almost knocked out! And then he threw me out of the ring and I was sort of half conscious, and when I went out of the ring I slammed my head on the concrete and I had 23 stitches in the side of my eyebrow!
Chappell: Whoa!
Brunzell: I’ll never forget that…that was from Richmond! The Iron Sheik, Khosrow, was such a character. In my book I talk about Khosrow and the Mid-Atlantic Title. He had wound up beating me on TV using that loaded boot!
Chappell: I remember that well! It’s interesting that three Mid-Atlantic opponents we have talked about, were in that 1972 training class with Verne!
Brunzell: Yeah, and it’s funny too I remember this match we had in Norfolk. I had beat Khosrow on TV by putting the sleeper on him…
Chappell: Yeah, I think you said Johnny Weaver had helped you perfect the sleeper.
Brunzell: And he was down in the ring…ding, ding, ding. I take off his loaded boot! And I think it was Rich Landrum doing the promos…and I go say to Rich, ‘I’m going to wrestle the Iron Sheik in Norfolk, I’ve got his boot and there’s no way he’s gonna be able to keep the Mid-Atlantic Title.’ So that coming week we had a double shot, an early shot in Norfolk and then we had that night in Charlotte. Sandy Scott is the agent running the town, and Khosrow and I are on last. Sandy comes up to me and says the finish is an hour draw! I said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Sandy, I’ve got the gimmick boot. If I can’t beat Khosrow with the gimmick boot in 60 minutes what the hell does that say about me?’
Chappell: Yeah…
Brunzell: And Sandy says, ‘Well, that’s what George wants.’ I was furious. It was funny, I got home that night and I saw him in Charlotte and I took him aside and I said, ‘George, you might as well have buried me in the middle of the ring in Norfolk, because I’ll never draw another dime there.’ And he just didn’t get it, you know. He was so lucky that the Mid-Atlantic drew so well and had such great talent. Again, I’ll say I like George but his booking was horrible; his finishes were horrible.
Chappell: George did a lot of fantastic angles in the Mid-Atlantic area over the years, but I concede the loaded boot angle wasn’t his best! And he was near the end of his run as Crockett’s booker when you came on the scene. One thing that puzzled me about your booking in Mid-Atlantic was your quick run with the legendary Ray Stevens at the end of 1979. You two had a history in the AWA, traded the Mid-Atlantic Title between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then barely wrestled again after that! Even at that time as a fan, I was thinking, ‘What gives?’
Brunzell: Well, I thought the same thing David. And you know, Ray was one of the greatest of ALL talents.
Chappell: No question.
Brunzell: He was just incredible, and he and Nick Bockwinkel were AWA Tag Team Champions. He was HUGE out in San Francisco in the middle 60s to the early 70s. And Ray was the type of guy, you know, you could go in the ring with him and have a hell of a match, and he might not have slept for two days!
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: He was incredible! And there were very few guys like him. I’ll say Ric was very much like Ray Stevens. Bobby Heenan was exactly the same; these guys were all naturals.
Chappell: I have heard Ric say that he emulated Ray in a lot of things he did.
Brunzell: Unbelievable talent!
Chappell: You worked with so many true legends like Ray Stevens over the course of your career. Were there any legends that you never worked with that you wish you had?
Brunzell: I was so fortunate that I had the opportunity in my early time at the AWA to work with all these great guys. And I did go to Kansas City and I saw Jack Brisco and I saw Terry Funk. And then when I went to Charlotte I worked with Terry Funk in a couple of shots. And when I went to Atlanta I worked with Dory Funk, Jr. But I never did get to work with Jack Brisco, who I REALLY admired! I thought he was one of the great champions.
Chappell: Absolutely.
Brunzell: Just an INCREDIBLE presence in the ring.
To Be Continued in Part 5!
Bonus Video:
Jim Brunzell and Blackjack Mulligan vs. Tank Patton and Gene Lewis
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
PART FOUR
(Catch up on the introduction and what you missed in Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3)
 |
| Jim Brunzell's book is available at Blurb.com |
Brunzell: A couple of these stories I tell in my book…[George Scott] brought in Buddy Rogers…
Chappell: Oh yeah, I was definitely going to ask you about the original Nature Boy!
Brunzell: (laughs) And Buddy Rogers was going to come in and help George. You know, with the booking. Buddy Rogers had notoriously for YEARS, every territory he’d come into, he’d steal all the heat from all the heels and he’d be the number one guy. Well, Buddy had to be close to 50 years old then…
Chappell: You’d think, at least…
Brunzell: Yeah, and he comes in…and I didn’t trust him at all, because I’d heard so much about him. (laughs) I remember he ended up stealing all the heat from everybody, and he was managing Jimmy Snuka. So, it was Jimmy Snuka, Buddy Rogers against Ricky Steamboat and I. I remember Buddy Rogers putting Band-Aids over his ears…
Chappell: That’s right, I remember he used the bad ear gimmick to feed the crowd reactions at the house shows.
Brunzell: He’d come on the interviews and say, ‘I just can’t stand the noise when people boo me!’
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: So in the match he’s got these doggone Band-Aids on his ears, and it worked out that Steamer gave me a tag and I’m making a comeback on him and I get him in the corner, and I ripped one of the Band-Aids off his ear and he goes crazy and the fans go nuts! Then I ripped the other one off, and the fans go crazier!
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: He also had a big Band-Aid on his chest, and I thought, ‘Oh s#@t, I’ll just rip that one off too!’
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: (laughs) What had happened is that he had burned himself, in one of the very first sun tanning beds that they had then…
Chappell: Okay, now we know how Rogers always had such a good tan!
Brunzell: And he was blistered! So when I pulled that Band-Aid off he screeched like an owl!
Chappell: (laughing)
Brunzell: (laughs) And as I biel tossed him out of the corner he said to me, “I bet if you had five more seconds you’d take my boot off!’ That’s what he said to me, and we never worked again! (laughing)
Chappell: (laughing) That’s hilarious!
Brunzell: You know, he was a character…Oh God!
Brunzell: Right, you know Kenny was a good heel and he was so powerful, and a great athlete. He was sort of a natural heel, because that was basically what his personality was too. And I remember George sort of let us flounder around underneath a little bit. Kenny and I had worked this deal, and we had a no disqualification match in Richmond for the championship. And I remember the finish was so unique!
Chappell: Oh yes!
Brunzell: I was making a comeback and he’d stopped me and thrown me outside and he kept knocking me off and running my head into the post and then the turnbuckle and the mat and everything, and then what happened was that the referee was pushing him back, and as he pushed him back Kenny comes whipping around and I had grabbed the top rope and slung myself and jumped and actually hit him with a head-to-head shoulder block tackle and covered him one-two-three. And it got over like a son of a gun!
Chappell: That’s an understatement, Jim!
Brunzell: First of all, it was a great match and the finish just came out of the clear blue sky. You know, because I was still down there selling and Kenny had kicked out and he got up and threw me out of the ring and then they give me the belt and he jumps off and the people go crazy!
Chappell: A magical Richmond Coliseum moment!
Brunzell: You know, we had a good run with that and you know it was fun. Oh God, Richmond was a great wrestling town! Richmond was one of the best big towns that we hit in the Mid-Atlantic. I mean, you know, Raleigh was okay and Norfolk was okay and Charlotte was good, but I tell you Richmond had a beautiful civic center there and it was round and the people were with it…they had great crowds in there!
Chappell: The Richmond Coliseum was the place to be on Friday nights!Brunzell: I had some really good matches there. Matter of fact, I remember I had a match there with the Iron Sheik, and after the match he grabbed something and started choking me and he choked me so damn hard that I was almost knocked out! And then he threw me out of the ring and I was sort of half conscious, and when I went out of the ring I slammed my head on the concrete and I had 23 stitches in the side of my eyebrow!
Chappell: Whoa!
Brunzell: I’ll never forget that…that was from Richmond! The Iron Sheik, Khosrow, was such a character. In my book I talk about Khosrow and the Mid-Atlantic Title. He had wound up beating me on TV using that loaded boot!
Chappell: I remember that well! It’s interesting that three Mid-Atlantic opponents we have talked about, were in that 1972 training class with Verne!
Brunzell: Yeah, and it’s funny too I remember this match we had in Norfolk. I had beat Khosrow on TV by putting the sleeper on him…
Chappell: Yeah, I think you said Johnny Weaver had helped you perfect the sleeper.
Brunzell: And he was down in the ring…ding, ding, ding. I take off his loaded boot! And I think it was Rich Landrum doing the promos…and I go say to Rich, ‘I’m going to wrestle the Iron Sheik in Norfolk, I’ve got his boot and there’s no way he’s gonna be able to keep the Mid-Atlantic Title.’ So that coming week we had a double shot, an early shot in Norfolk and then we had that night in Charlotte. Sandy Scott is the agent running the town, and Khosrow and I are on last. Sandy comes up to me and says the finish is an hour draw! I said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Sandy, I’ve got the gimmick boot. If I can’t beat Khosrow with the gimmick boot in 60 minutes what the hell does that say about me?’
Chappell: Yeah…
Brunzell: And Sandy says, ‘Well, that’s what George wants.’ I was furious. It was funny, I got home that night and I saw him in Charlotte and I took him aside and I said, ‘George, you might as well have buried me in the middle of the ring in Norfolk, because I’ll never draw another dime there.’ And he just didn’t get it, you know. He was so lucky that the Mid-Atlantic drew so well and had such great talent. Again, I’ll say I like George but his booking was horrible; his finishes were horrible.
Chappell: George did a lot of fantastic angles in the Mid-Atlantic area over the years, but I concede the loaded boot angle wasn’t his best! And he was near the end of his run as Crockett’s booker when you came on the scene. One thing that puzzled me about your booking in Mid-Atlantic was your quick run with the legendary Ray Stevens at the end of 1979. You two had a history in the AWA, traded the Mid-Atlantic Title between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then barely wrestled again after that! Even at that time as a fan, I was thinking, ‘What gives?’
Brunzell: Well, I thought the same thing David. And you know, Ray was one of the greatest of ALL talents.
Chappell: No question.
Brunzell: He was just incredible, and he and Nick Bockwinkel were AWA Tag Team Champions. He was HUGE out in San Francisco in the middle 60s to the early 70s. And Ray was the type of guy, you know, you could go in the ring with him and have a hell of a match, and he might not have slept for two days!
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: He was incredible! And there were very few guys like him. I’ll say Ric was very much like Ray Stevens. Bobby Heenan was exactly the same; these guys were all naturals.
Chappell: I have heard Ric say that he emulated Ray in a lot of things he did.
Brunzell: Unbelievable talent!
Chappell: You worked with so many true legends like Ray Stevens over the course of your career. Were there any legends that you never worked with that you wish you had?
Brunzell: I was so fortunate that I had the opportunity in my early time at the AWA to work with all these great guys. And I did go to Kansas City and I saw Jack Brisco and I saw Terry Funk. And then when I went to Charlotte I worked with Terry Funk in a couple of shots. And when I went to Atlanta I worked with Dory Funk, Jr. But I never did get to work with Jack Brisco, who I REALLY admired! I thought he was one of the great champions.
Chappell: Absolutely.
Brunzell: Just an INCREDIBLE presence in the ring.
To Be Continued in Part 5!
Bonus Video:
Jim Brunzell and Blackjack Mulligan vs. Tank Patton and Gene Lewis
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Paul Jones manages Tully Blanchard to his first Crockett Championship
SATURDAY WRESTLING
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
When you think of Tully Blanchard in the Mid-Atlantic area, several things usually come immediately to mind:
And when you think of someone accompanying Tully Blanchard to the ring, you immediately think of his "Perfect 10" Baby Doll in 1985, and James J. Dillon with Tully Blanchard Enterprises and the Four Horsemen in 1986.
What seems to be largely forgotten in the lore of Tully Blanchard is his first manager in 1984 that led him to his first championship for Jim Crockett Promotions.
Not long after Tully arrived in the Mid-Atlantic area in 1984, he took on Paul Jones as manager. Jones had a legendary career as a wrestler in the territory going back to the 1960s, and had retired in 1983 as an active competitor to take up the role as manager of champions. He guided Dory Funk Jr. to the Mid-Atlantic Championship in 1983 and would later guide Manny Fernandez and Rick Rude to the NWA world tag team championship in 1986.
But in 1984, he managed Tully Blanchard as Blanchard defeated Mark Youngblood for the NWA Television Championship. In fact, Jones was very instrumental in Tully's win, as you will see in the video below.
This video shows the finish to the match where Tully won the TV title from Youngbllod. The referee is Stu Shwartz and the match takes place on "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" hosted by Bob Caudle. Also seen in this video are some local promos from a Greensboro card featuring Blanchard, Ernie Ladd, Don Kernodle and Ivan Koloff.
Thanks to my friend Brian Rogers who forwarded this link to me which reminded me of Paul Jones' key role in the early career of Tully Blanchard for Jim Crockett Promotions.
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
When you think of Tully Blanchard in the Mid-Atlantic area, several things usually come immediately to mind:
(1) his feuds with Dusty Rhodes over the NWA TV title and the National heavyweight title
(2) his great tag team combinations with Wahoo McDaniel (the "Awesome Twosome") and Arn Anderson (in the Four Horsemen)
(3) the "I Quit" match and bloody feud over the United States title with magnum T.A.
And when you think of someone accompanying Tully Blanchard to the ring, you immediately think of his "Perfect 10" Baby Doll in 1985, and James J. Dillon with Tully Blanchard Enterprises and the Four Horsemen in 1986.
What seems to be largely forgotten in the lore of Tully Blanchard is his first manager in 1984 that led him to his first championship for Jim Crockett Promotions.
Not long after Tully arrived in the Mid-Atlantic area in 1984, he took on Paul Jones as manager. Jones had a legendary career as a wrestler in the territory going back to the 1960s, and had retired in 1983 as an active competitor to take up the role as manager of champions. He guided Dory Funk Jr. to the Mid-Atlantic Championship in 1983 and would later guide Manny Fernandez and Rick Rude to the NWA world tag team championship in 1986.
But in 1984, he managed Tully Blanchard as Blanchard defeated Mark Youngblood for the NWA Television Championship. In fact, Jones was very instrumental in Tully's win, as you will see in the video below.
This video shows the finish to the match where Tully won the TV title from Youngbllod. The referee is Stu Shwartz and the match takes place on "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" hosted by Bob Caudle. Also seen in this video are some local promos from a Greensboro card featuring Blanchard, Ernie Ladd, Don Kernodle and Ivan Koloff.
Thanks to my friend Brian Rogers who forwarded this link to me which reminded me of Paul Jones' key role in the early career of Tully Blanchard for Jim Crockett Promotions.
Friday, December 09, 2016
"Big Time Wrestling" Returning to the Mid-Atlantic Area
Dorton Arena in Raleigh, NC, and the Memorial Auditorium in Spartanburg, SC, will host huge events for the company again coming off big crowds in both cities for appearances featuring Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat back in September. This time it will be Sting headlining what is sure to be a loaded card of legends and the younger stars of today as well.
The shows are scheduled for the following dates:
- Friday 2/10/17 Dorton Arena, Raleigh, NC
- Saturday 2/11/17 Memorial Auditorium, Spartanburg, SC
For more information, including ticket availability, check out their website: Big Time Wrestling.
Bogni & Lubich vs. The Infernos
TWO LOCOMOTIVES HIT HEAD ON
by Mike Cline
from Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats 4/17/16
The other day, I realized I have (for no particular reason) slighted one of the top tag teams to ever wrestle for JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS. Today, I shall correct my mistake.
The team I refer to is the duo of BRONCO LUBICH and ALDO BOGNI. These guys wrestled on top in MID-ATLANTIC WRESTLING for much of the 1960s.
Now, I should point out that this duo was not adored by JCP fans, by any means. In fact, they were at the top of the territory's 'hate list'. LUBICH and BOGNI were ruffians who had no regard for the rulebook, and to make matters worse, the two were always accompanied to the ring by their manager, MR. HOMER O'DELL, without question, the decade's most fan-hated man on the CROCKETT payroll.
WBTV's wrestling commentator, 'Big' BILL WARD, often stated on the air that HOMER O'DELL was 'so low he would have to walk on stilts to look a snake in the eye.'
O'DELL, when managing, always wore a tuxedo and carried his legendary cane, and believe me when I say, this cane was responsible for putting lumps on many an opponent's noggin' in JCP wrestling rings.
Through the years, I witnessed many BOGNI and LUBICH and O'DELL matches, both on television and in Charlotte's Coliseum and Park Center.
But one match I recall was unique in that the fans actually cheered and pulled for these three rulebreakers the night at the Charlotte Coliseum when, in a Six Man Tag Team Match, BOGNI, LUBICH and O'DELL faced J.C. DYKES and THE INFERNOS. Both managers donned wrestling attire and joined their men as wrestlers.
This match was equivalent to a pair of locomotives hitting head-on. Referee Angelo Martinelli certainly earned his payday on this night.
The first fall went to O'DELL's team when BOGNI put one of the masked men out cold with his patented 'corkscrew' hold. The fans went wild. I was stunned. Cheers for HOMER O'DELL! I thought, 'what's next...a man on the moon?"
DYKES was able to revive his men and rally his troops in the second fall, which ended with LUBICH on the receiving end of a 'loaded boot' kick to the head, putting him into dreamland.
With the match even at this point, the third fall quickly became an all-out brawl. It must have been a NO DISQUALIFICATION match (I can't recall), but had it not been, referee Martinelli would have had to toss it out due to the rulebraking and brutality. Both O'DELL and DYKES were lacerated, and one INFERNO was also dripping blood from a much-torn mask.
Then, out of seemingly nowhere, was a huge flash! BOGNI was screaming and down, rolling around the ring in agony.
LUBICH and O'DELL grabbed their scorched partner, and bolted for the dressing room.
ANGELO MARTINELLI made the twenty-count, and raised the hands of DYKES and THE INFERNOS.
On Charlotte TV the next week, ironically, HOMER O'DELL claimed that 'DYKES and THE INFERNOS were the most brutal forms of humanity and a disgrace to the wrestling business and should be barred from the profession.' Odd that statement coming from him.
DYKES denied that he had thrown fire at anyone. 'Whether it's O'DELL, BOGNI, LUBICH, or any wrestling fans who say so must have been hopped up on LSD or something. The marks on BOGNI's ugly face are mat burns, where me and my men ground his mug into the wrestling mat. If he can't take it, he should find another way to make a living.'
These guys could really make me believe...
Link to story on "Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats"
Re-published on the Gateway with the author's permission.
by Mike Cline
from Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats 4/17/16
The other day, I realized I have (for no particular reason) slighted one of the top tag teams to ever wrestle for JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS. Today, I shall correct my mistake.
 |
| Bronko Lubitch (far left) and Aldo Bogni (far right) with broadcaster Charlie Harville and manager Homer O'Dell (Mid-Atlantic Gateway) |
Now, I should point out that this duo was not adored by JCP fans, by any means. In fact, they were at the top of the territory's 'hate list'. LUBICH and BOGNI were ruffians who had no regard for the rulebook, and to make matters worse, the two were always accompanied to the ring by their manager, MR. HOMER O'DELL, without question, the decade's most fan-hated man on the CROCKETT payroll.
WBTV's wrestling commentator, 'Big' BILL WARD, often stated on the air that HOMER O'DELL was 'so low he would have to walk on stilts to look a snake in the eye.'
O'DELL, when managing, always wore a tuxedo and carried his legendary cane, and believe me when I say, this cane was responsible for putting lumps on many an opponent's noggin' in JCP wrestling rings.
Through the years, I witnessed many BOGNI and LUBICH and O'DELL matches, both on television and in Charlotte's Coliseum and Park Center.
 |
| Aldo Bogni's "corkscrew" takes its toll (Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats) |
This match was equivalent to a pair of locomotives hitting head-on. Referee Angelo Martinelli certainly earned his payday on this night.
The first fall went to O'DELL's team when BOGNI put one of the masked men out cold with his patented 'corkscrew' hold. The fans went wild. I was stunned. Cheers for HOMER O'DELL! I thought, 'what's next...a man on the moon?"
DYKES was able to revive his men and rally his troops in the second fall, which ended with LUBICH on the receiving end of a 'loaded boot' kick to the head, putting him into dreamland.
With the match even at this point, the third fall quickly became an all-out brawl. It must have been a NO DISQUALIFICATION match (I can't recall), but had it not been, referee Martinelli would have had to toss it out due to the rulebraking and brutality. Both O'DELL and DYKES were lacerated, and one INFERNO was also dripping blood from a much-torn mask.
Then, out of seemingly nowhere, was a huge flash! BOGNI was screaming and down, rolling around the ring in agony.
LUBICH and O'DELL grabbed their scorched partner, and bolted for the dressing room.
ANGELO MARTINELLI made the twenty-count, and raised the hands of DYKES and THE INFERNOS.
On Charlotte TV the next week, ironically, HOMER O'DELL claimed that 'DYKES and THE INFERNOS were the most brutal forms of humanity and a disgrace to the wrestling business and should be barred from the profession.' Odd that statement coming from him.
DYKES denied that he had thrown fire at anyone. 'Whether it's O'DELL, BOGNI, LUBICH, or any wrestling fans who say so must have been hopped up on LSD or something. The marks on BOGNI's ugly face are mat burns, where me and my men ground his mug into the wrestling mat. If he can't take it, he should find another way to make a living.'
These guys could really make me believe...
Link to story on "Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats"
Re-published on the Gateway with the author's permission.
Wednesday, December 07, 2016
A Letter from Jim Crockett Sr. in 1950
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Historian Matt Farmer recently posted on his twitter account (@mattfarmer93) a letter from Jim Crockett, Sr. to Jack Phefer, a famous (and sometimes infamous) pioneer promoter of pro-wrestling from the 1920s to the 1960s.
The letter was written in July of 1950 and is seeking advice from the veteran promoter Pfefer, who at various times promoted or booked wrestling in New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Masachusetts, and Illinois.
We're particularly interested in the restaurant Mr. Crockett mentions in the second paragraph in the letter, in relation to a framed photograph he thought to be stolen.
It has been reported in many places that Jim Crockett ran his businesses in an office in the back of a small restaurant in Charlotte, but have never know further details. Charlotte Observer columnist Tom Sorensen wrote in a 1987 column:
As always, we're hoping to eventually learn more and will report back here at that time. I love these little bits if history about Mr. Crockett and Jim Crockett Promotions.
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Historian Matt Farmer recently posted on his twitter account (@mattfarmer93) a letter from Jim Crockett, Sr. to Jack Phefer, a famous (and sometimes infamous) pioneer promoter of pro-wrestling from the 1920s to the 1960s.
The letter was written in July of 1950 and is seeking advice from the veteran promoter Pfefer, who at various times promoted or booked wrestling in New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Masachusetts, and Illinois.
We're particularly interested in the restaurant Mr. Crockett mentions in the second paragraph in the letter, in relation to a framed photograph he thought to be stolen.
It has been reported in many places that Jim Crockett ran his businesses in an office in the back of a small restaurant in Charlotte, but have never know further details. Charlotte Observer columnist Tom Sorensen wrote in a 1987 column:
"Crockett first worked out of his home. Then he owned a series of restaurants - the Queen's Soda & Grill, a predecessor to the Town House on Providence Road; the Ringside Soda Grill in Elizabeth; Wesley Heights Grill; Jim & Jake's. The restaurants were his office."
As always, we're hoping to eventually learn more and will report back here at that time. I love these little bits if history about Mr. Crockett and Jim Crockett Promotions.
From Friends to Foes: The Bloody War between Ivan Koloff and the Iron Sheik
by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
When the autumn of 1980 arrived in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling “Hossein the Arab,” the Iron Sheik, was riding high in the territory. The Sheik was the reigning Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion, and he also held the Canadian Heavyweight Championship. If holding all that hardware wasn’t enough, the Sheik was set to form a tag team that had the potential to shake up Jim Crockett Promotions in a very big way.
The Iron Sheik came out on the World Wide Wrestling television show that was taped on September 24, 1980 and made a major announcement to the Mid-Atlantic fans. The Sheik told announcer Rich Landrum, “I have new news for Mid-Atlantic area. The newcomer, gonna be my partner, one of the toughest, roughest rugged wrestlers in the world, from up north my country Russia, and they call him Russian Bear…Ivan Koloff. You guys so lucky! You are so lucky American people to see the toughest, roughest man from old country to America. And we’re gonna show to you American people, what is wrestling about…what you people can see about wrestling. And you punks, young students, you should come see Ivan Koloff, the great Sheik, the best wrestler in the world.”
Absent from the Mid-Atlantic area since early 1975, Ivan Koloff made his return to Jim Crockett Promotions in early October of 1980. And while the Russian Bear did team at times with his friend the Iron Sheik in the early days after his return, Koloff initially got embroiled in a feud with the masked Sweet Ebony Diamond. At that same time, the Sheik was in a heated battle with Ricky Steamboat over the Mid-Atlantic Title. In November, when the Sheik lost the Mid-Atlantic belt to Steamboat and Ivan’s feud with Ebony Diamond began to fizzle out, Koloff and the Sheik started to team more frequently. The result of that increased teaming was surprising, to say the least!
Stunningly, issues between Koloff and the Sheik came out in the open as the holiday season of 1980 commenced, specifically during TV programming that was taped on November 26, 1980. On that World Wide Wrestling show when the two “friends” were being interviewed by announcer Rich Landrum after an easy victory over Special Delivery Jones and Jerry Caldwell, both the Sheik and Koloff were espousing the superiority of their respective home nations, Iran and Russia.
During the interview, the Sheik moved in front of Ivan as the Russian Bear was talking, and ended up cutting Ivan off and talking himself, laughing in the process. When Koloff got the microphone back he commented that, “Sheik is a great wrestler, but he is becoming a little hoggish of the [TV] time.”
But by far the biggest blowup between the Sheik and Koloff occurred on the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling TV show taping on that same November 26, 1980 date. Ivan and Hossien the Arab won another tag match, but there was some confusion at the end of the bout. Koloff appeared to be telling the Sheik to work on the opponent’s midsection, but the Sheik instead used a salto leading to the pin, with the Sheik’s foot grazing Koloff’s head in the process and leading to some heated words between the two in the ring. Announcer Bob Caudle commented, “Koloff and the Sheik are having a dispute, and they’re about to have a fight right in the center of the ring. I don’t know what caused that!”
When Caudle interviewed the two after the bout, he said, “Ivan, you and your partner, the Sheik right here, you guys are partners! Why are you all having a disagreement and a fuss in the ring?” The Sheik jumped in and was extolling his virtues and that of his home country, Iran, before Koloff could get a word in. Ivan then blurted out, “I think this interview was for both of us out here.” Koloff then went on to argue the superiority of the Russian athlete and their dominance in the Olympics. When the Sheik interrupted Koloff at this juncture, things started to get heated.
Agitatedly, the Sheik said, “Mr. Koloff, listen, I have a lot of respect for you, and I want to tell you something Mr. Koloff, you are older than me…I don’t want to INSULT you! You don’t know NOTHING about Olympics; everybody knows Iran is the oldest country. Maybe Russia gets a lot of medals, but not for wrestling! Russia gets the medals for swimming, for basketball, for hockey, for boxing Mr. Koloff…not for wrestling!” Ivan was none too pleased with that comment saying, “Don’t be stupid Sheik! Everybody know, and I know, what the record book says, that the Russian athlete excels in every sport…” Caudle then interjects, “This must be over national pride, Koloff? Is this what this is about?”
Ivan then takes this issue to a more personal level saying to the Great Hossein, “Another thing, this was no accident in the ring right now! I see on the monitor, on the instant replay, you do this intentionally. Is this not true?” The Sheik responded, “Mr. Koloff, you wrestling for many years, you must know, anything sometimes come by accident; probably was accidently. You know I didn’t do purpose…HA HA!” The Sheik went on to exclaim to Koloff, “I’m better than you; I’m better than lot of people!”
Ivan countered that the Sheik was in the Olympics at some point, but that didn’t mean he was good at the present time. Koloff continued, “I tell you in the ring to work on the stomach, to go after his weak point. The man’s stomach was weak on him, and you’re too STUPID to listen to me! You already say I’m more intelligent than you, that I’m older than you…only by a few months. Why can’t you respect the fact then that I am smarter? If it wasn’t for Russia, Iran wouldn’t even exist! You know this; the world wouldn’t exist without Russia!”
Sheik struck back saying, “Mr. Koloff, this is the last word I’ll tell you. I don’t want to tell you that you’re stupid, but you don’t know that much! Iran is older than Russia, Iran is older than America and Iran was always best for wrestling! You better know, and then talk on the national TV! Always people know, old country is Iran…Iran is the best, and still is the best!”
Koloff, raising a shovel he had been carrying around for some time to “bury” Sweet Ebony Diamond, retorted, “It just goes to show you Sheik that you’re not too smart. If you were smart, you’d listen to me! If you were smart, you wouldn’t lose your head. You wouldn’t go doing stupid things like you did in the ring!” The Sheik fired back, “I don’t have to listen to you; I don’t have to listen to nobody!” The two started to entangle physically and Caudle exclaimed, “I’m gonna get out of the way; I’m really gonna get out of the way of that shovel!” Ivan then excitedly added, “It looks like he needs a few more scars on his head to teach him a lesson. The man is not only an idiot, he is STUPID! And he’s going to find out, one way or another, who the boss is…who the smart man is, who is managing this team. If I have to slap some sense into him, I’ll do it!”
A flabbergasted Caudle blurted out, “All right fans, you heard ‘em and you saw ‘em! And I’ll tell you, I don’t recall ever seeing an argument among partners break out like that, and be as rough on each other as they really were…Ivan Koloff and of course the Iron Sheik!”
The next week at the December 3, 1980 taping of the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television show there was a match between Koloff and Sweet Ebony Diamond. Ivan was still trying to “bury” the masked man with that same shovel he carried around with him, seeking revenge for Diamond previously running him out of the west coast in a Loser Leaves Town match. The Iron Sheik joined Bob Caudle and David Crockett on television commentary, and he told the fans that he didn’t like either Diamond or Koloff but admitted they both were tough wrestlers.
As for Ivan, the Sheik said, “That Russian Bear, he’s older than me and has a lot of experience, don’t get me wrong, but you know and Mr. Crockett knows Iran is long, long, long time ago and the toughest wrestler in the world is from Iran. That’s because I’m here… Russian man come over here, he thinks he is the best; he think he’s the greatest at everything. Maybe the Russian man is the best compared to American wrestler. But still never ever compares to Iranian wrestler….the Sheik is always the best!”
The Sheik soon after that comment came from the announcer’s area into the ring with his street shoes on, and he began stomping on Diamond! After throwing Diamond out of the ring, Caudle commented, “And now [Sheik] has a chair, and he’s gonna go in the ring and go after Koloff with the chair!” David Crockett yelled, “OH MY WORD!! He nailed him with that chair!” Caudle added, “He put a dent in that chair that just won’t quit!”
After the Sheik smashed Koloff in the head again with the chair and attempted a third time, the Russian Bear got the steel chair away from the crazy Iranian. Caudle excitedly said, “Now Koloff has got it, and he conks the Sheik with the chair, and now across the back!” As the Sheik dove out of the ring, Koloff hit him again with the chair and then the two fought on the floor at ringside, with referee Sonny Fargo unable to restore order for quite some time!
Koloff and the Sheik then began their “Battle of the Bullies” program in earnest in the territory’s arenas around Christmas-time, with a particularly brutal battle between the two bad guys occurring at County Hall in Charleston, South Carolina on December 26th. The two former friends then traveled several hundred miles north to Lynchburg, Virginia on December 28th to close out the wrestling year on an extremely bloody note.
And on the last Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling TV show that aired in most markets just before New Year’s, on December 27, 1980, Koloff told announcer Bob Caudle, “You see the Sheik in there wrestling just a little while ago? He kept looking around, looking over his shoulder. He knows I’m after him! I’m going to pay him back, one way or the other Sheik. I don’t have to come out here and attack you from your back and hit you over the head with a chair or the shovel or anything like this. I got your name on a contract to wrestle you in different areas, so don’t worry about it Sheik. I’m going to have my time with you, and a good time I’m going to have. I’m going to enjoy every minute of it, and believe me it’s not going to take me too many minutes to maybe break your arm, break your leg. Believe me; I’m going to put you through as much pain as I can to pay you back for what you tried to do to me.”
Koloff was true to his word, as the first half of the month of January in the new year of 1981 saw he and the Sheik go at it in matches of unparalleled violence. Fans in the Palmetto state of South Carolina saw these bruising battles up close and personal, particularly in the cities of Greenville and Sumter. In both of these towns, Koloff and the Sheik battled to wild double disqualification finishes in the first bouts, which led to Russian Chain match return bouts in both towns. The Russian Chain match was Koloff’s specialty match, and the Russian Bear prevailed in both of these bloody return matches, the second of which occurred in Sumter on January 15th.
The former friends then headed north the next night to again do battle, this time in Richmond, Virginia at the Richmond Coliseum. Both had lots to say in the promos leading up to the January 16th Richmond match. Ivan was first, and he told promo announcer Rich Landrum, “In Richmond on the 16th Sheik, you won’t have time to go out and get a chair, because I’ll have you tied up and you won’t have no one to go back and cry to whenever you have something to do and you can’t get it done…get advice, or anything like that. Because I’m gonna run you out of this country; I’m gonna finish you in wrestling for what you tried to do to me!”
The Sheik in a later promo segment told Landrum, “Ivan Koloff in the Richmond, I’m not done with you. You’re gonna get it more. Your gonna get it more than chair; you’re gonna get it more than anything. You bring that goofy shovel, and you bring that goofy chain. I’m not Sweet Ebony Diamond…you’re gonna get it more.”
The Richmond match was another vicious encounter, with Koloff getting the dukes after a chaotic finish. The two protagonists continued to go at it hot and heavy for the rest of the month of January in spirited contests in the Charlotte Coliseum on January 18th, in Lynchburg, Virginia on January 23rd, at the Greensboro Coliseum on January 24th and at the Township Auditorium in Columbia, South Carolina on January 27th. Koloff dominated the results in these later January bouts, but they were all highly competitive, blistering hot affairs.
February of 1981 marked the end of this brief Battle of the Bullies program between Ivan Koloff and the Iron Sheik. The last bout pitting the Sheik and Koloff took place on February 14, 1981, Valentine’s Day, but there was no love shared in the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium that day! Koloff triumphed again in this final encounter, before both men went their separate ways. Ivan began teaming up with Ray Stevens, and the two set their sights on the NWA World Tag Team Titles held by Paul Jones and the Masked Superstar, winning the belts on March 1st and having a brief three week championship run. The Sheik segued to a feud with Blackjack Mulligan, that he came out on the short end of, and the Great Hossein Arab exited the Mid-Atlantic area in early May of 1981.
While the rift between Koloff and the Sheik was brief and a mere footnote in the history of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, it was noteworthy in that it was one of booker George Scott’s last programs, and a very rare instance of Scott pitting a bad guy against a bad guy. Prior to Scott taking over the Jim Crockett Promotions “book” in 1973, Battle of the Bullies programs between wrestling heels was something that Jim Crockett Promotions fans expected periodically, with some very interesting short term pairings occurring as a result. In that sense, it was a throwback in time to see the hated Sheik and the hated Koloff go from friends to foes before our eyes!
The Battle of the Bullies, version 1980-81, between the Iron Sheik and Ivan Koloff gave the Mid-Atlantic faithful a rare chance to cheer both wrestlers into beating the heck out of the other during and around the festive holiday season! It was “Season’s Beatings,” with out a doubt!
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
When the autumn of 1980 arrived in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling “Hossein the Arab,” the Iron Sheik, was riding high in the territory. The Sheik was the reigning Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion, and he also held the Canadian Heavyweight Championship. If holding all that hardware wasn’t enough, the Sheik was set to form a tag team that had the potential to shake up Jim Crockett Promotions in a very big way.
The Iron Sheik came out on the World Wide Wrestling television show that was taped on September 24, 1980 and made a major announcement to the Mid-Atlantic fans. The Sheik told announcer Rich Landrum, “I have new news for Mid-Atlantic area. The newcomer, gonna be my partner, one of the toughest, roughest rugged wrestlers in the world, from up north my country Russia, and they call him Russian Bear…Ivan Koloff. You guys so lucky! You are so lucky American people to see the toughest, roughest man from old country to America. And we’re gonna show to you American people, what is wrestling about…what you people can see about wrestling. And you punks, young students, you should come see Ivan Koloff, the great Sheik, the best wrestler in the world.”Absent from the Mid-Atlantic area since early 1975, Ivan Koloff made his return to Jim Crockett Promotions in early October of 1980. And while the Russian Bear did team at times with his friend the Iron Sheik in the early days after his return, Koloff initially got embroiled in a feud with the masked Sweet Ebony Diamond. At that same time, the Sheik was in a heated battle with Ricky Steamboat over the Mid-Atlantic Title. In November, when the Sheik lost the Mid-Atlantic belt to Steamboat and Ivan’s feud with Ebony Diamond began to fizzle out, Koloff and the Sheik started to team more frequently. The result of that increased teaming was surprising, to say the least!
Stunningly, issues between Koloff and the Sheik came out in the open as the holiday season of 1980 commenced, specifically during TV programming that was taped on November 26, 1980. On that World Wide Wrestling show when the two “friends” were being interviewed by announcer Rich Landrum after an easy victory over Special Delivery Jones and Jerry Caldwell, both the Sheik and Koloff were espousing the superiority of their respective home nations, Iran and Russia.
During the interview, the Sheik moved in front of Ivan as the Russian Bear was talking, and ended up cutting Ivan off and talking himself, laughing in the process. When Koloff got the microphone back he commented that, “Sheik is a great wrestler, but he is becoming a little hoggish of the [TV] time.”
But by far the biggest blowup between the Sheik and Koloff occurred on the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling TV show taping on that same November 26, 1980 date. Ivan and Hossien the Arab won another tag match, but there was some confusion at the end of the bout. Koloff appeared to be telling the Sheik to work on the opponent’s midsection, but the Sheik instead used a salto leading to the pin, with the Sheik’s foot grazing Koloff’s head in the process and leading to some heated words between the two in the ring. Announcer Bob Caudle commented, “Koloff and the Sheik are having a dispute, and they’re about to have a fight right in the center of the ring. I don’t know what caused that!”
When Caudle interviewed the two after the bout, he said, “Ivan, you and your partner, the Sheik right here, you guys are partners! Why are you all having a disagreement and a fuss in the ring?” The Sheik jumped in and was extolling his virtues and that of his home country, Iran, before Koloff could get a word in. Ivan then blurted out, “I think this interview was for both of us out here.” Koloff then went on to argue the superiority of the Russian athlete and their dominance in the Olympics. When the Sheik interrupted Koloff at this juncture, things started to get heated.
Ivan then takes this issue to a more personal level saying to the Great Hossein, “Another thing, this was no accident in the ring right now! I see on the monitor, on the instant replay, you do this intentionally. Is this not true?” The Sheik responded, “Mr. Koloff, you wrestling for many years, you must know, anything sometimes come by accident; probably was accidently. You know I didn’t do purpose…HA HA!” The Sheik went on to exclaim to Koloff, “I’m better than you; I’m better than lot of people!”
Ivan countered that the Sheik was in the Olympics at some point, but that didn’t mean he was good at the present time. Koloff continued, “I tell you in the ring to work on the stomach, to go after his weak point. The man’s stomach was weak on him, and you’re too STUPID to listen to me! You already say I’m more intelligent than you, that I’m older than you…only by a few months. Why can’t you respect the fact then that I am smarter? If it wasn’t for Russia, Iran wouldn’t even exist! You know this; the world wouldn’t exist without Russia!”
Sheik struck back saying, “Mr. Koloff, this is the last word I’ll tell you. I don’t want to tell you that you’re stupid, but you don’t know that much! Iran is older than Russia, Iran is older than America and Iran was always best for wrestling! You better know, and then talk on the national TV! Always people know, old country is Iran…Iran is the best, and still is the best!”
A flabbergasted Caudle blurted out, “All right fans, you heard ‘em and you saw ‘em! And I’ll tell you, I don’t recall ever seeing an argument among partners break out like that, and be as rough on each other as they really were…Ivan Koloff and of course the Iron Sheik!”
The next week at the December 3, 1980 taping of the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television show there was a match between Koloff and Sweet Ebony Diamond. Ivan was still trying to “bury” the masked man with that same shovel he carried around with him, seeking revenge for Diamond previously running him out of the west coast in a Loser Leaves Town match. The Iron Sheik joined Bob Caudle and David Crockett on television commentary, and he told the fans that he didn’t like either Diamond or Koloff but admitted they both were tough wrestlers.
As for Ivan, the Sheik said, “That Russian Bear, he’s older than me and has a lot of experience, don’t get me wrong, but you know and Mr. Crockett knows Iran is long, long, long time ago and the toughest wrestler in the world is from Iran. That’s because I’m here… Russian man come over here, he thinks he is the best; he think he’s the greatest at everything. Maybe the Russian man is the best compared to American wrestler. But still never ever compares to Iranian wrestler….the Sheik is always the best!”
The Sheik soon after that comment came from the announcer’s area into the ring with his street shoes on, and he began stomping on Diamond! After throwing Diamond out of the ring, Caudle commented, “And now [Sheik] has a chair, and he’s gonna go in the ring and go after Koloff with the chair!” David Crockett yelled, “OH MY WORD!! He nailed him with that chair!” Caudle added, “He put a dent in that chair that just won’t quit!”
After the Sheik smashed Koloff in the head again with the chair and attempted a third time, the Russian Bear got the steel chair away from the crazy Iranian. Caudle excitedly said, “Now Koloff has got it, and he conks the Sheik with the chair, and now across the back!” As the Sheik dove out of the ring, Koloff hit him again with the chair and then the two fought on the floor at ringside, with referee Sonny Fargo unable to restore order for quite some time!
Koloff and the Sheik then began their “Battle of the Bullies” program in earnest in the territory’s arenas around Christmas-time, with a particularly brutal battle between the two bad guys occurring at County Hall in Charleston, South Carolina on December 26th. The two former friends then traveled several hundred miles north to Lynchburg, Virginia on December 28th to close out the wrestling year on an extremely bloody note.
And on the last Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling TV show that aired in most markets just before New Year’s, on December 27, 1980, Koloff told announcer Bob Caudle, “You see the Sheik in there wrestling just a little while ago? He kept looking around, looking over his shoulder. He knows I’m after him! I’m going to pay him back, one way or the other Sheik. I don’t have to come out here and attack you from your back and hit you over the head with a chair or the shovel or anything like this. I got your name on a contract to wrestle you in different areas, so don’t worry about it Sheik. I’m going to have my time with you, and a good time I’m going to have. I’m going to enjoy every minute of it, and believe me it’s not going to take me too many minutes to maybe break your arm, break your leg. Believe me; I’m going to put you through as much pain as I can to pay you back for what you tried to do to me.”
Koloff was true to his word, as the first half of the month of January in the new year of 1981 saw he and the Sheik go at it in matches of unparalleled violence. Fans in the Palmetto state of South Carolina saw these bruising battles up close and personal, particularly in the cities of Greenville and Sumter. In both of these towns, Koloff and the Sheik battled to wild double disqualification finishes in the first bouts, which led to Russian Chain match return bouts in both towns. The Russian Chain match was Koloff’s specialty match, and the Russian Bear prevailed in both of these bloody return matches, the second of which occurred in Sumter on January 15th.
The former friends then headed north the next night to again do battle, this time in Richmond, Virginia at the Richmond Coliseum. Both had lots to say in the promos leading up to the January 16th Richmond match. Ivan was first, and he told promo announcer Rich Landrum, “In Richmond on the 16th Sheik, you won’t have time to go out and get a chair, because I’ll have you tied up and you won’t have no one to go back and cry to whenever you have something to do and you can’t get it done…get advice, or anything like that. Because I’m gonna run you out of this country; I’m gonna finish you in wrestling for what you tried to do to me!”
The Sheik in a later promo segment told Landrum, “Ivan Koloff in the Richmond, I’m not done with you. You’re gonna get it more. Your gonna get it more than chair; you’re gonna get it more than anything. You bring that goofy shovel, and you bring that goofy chain. I’m not Sweet Ebony Diamond…you’re gonna get it more.”
The Richmond match was another vicious encounter, with Koloff getting the dukes after a chaotic finish. The two protagonists continued to go at it hot and heavy for the rest of the month of January in spirited contests in the Charlotte Coliseum on January 18th, in Lynchburg, Virginia on January 23rd, at the Greensboro Coliseum on January 24th and at the Township Auditorium in Columbia, South Carolina on January 27th. Koloff dominated the results in these later January bouts, but they were all highly competitive, blistering hot affairs.
February of 1981 marked the end of this brief Battle of the Bullies program between Ivan Koloff and the Iron Sheik. The last bout pitting the Sheik and Koloff took place on February 14, 1981, Valentine’s Day, but there was no love shared in the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium that day! Koloff triumphed again in this final encounter, before both men went their separate ways. Ivan began teaming up with Ray Stevens, and the two set their sights on the NWA World Tag Team Titles held by Paul Jones and the Masked Superstar, winning the belts on March 1st and having a brief three week championship run. The Sheik segued to a feud with Blackjack Mulligan, that he came out on the short end of, and the Great Hossein Arab exited the Mid-Atlantic area in early May of 1981.
While the rift between Koloff and the Sheik was brief and a mere footnote in the history of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, it was noteworthy in that it was one of booker George Scott’s last programs, and a very rare instance of Scott pitting a bad guy against a bad guy. Prior to Scott taking over the Jim Crockett Promotions “book” in 1973, Battle of the Bullies programs between wrestling heels was something that Jim Crockett Promotions fans expected periodically, with some very interesting short term pairings occurring as a result. In that sense, it was a throwback in time to see the hated Sheik and the hated Koloff go from friends to foes before our eyes!
The Battle of the Bullies, version 1980-81, between the Iron Sheik and Ivan Koloff gave the Mid-Atlantic faithful a rare chance to cheer both wrestlers into beating the heck out of the other during and around the festive holiday season! It was “Season’s Beatings,” with out a doubt!
Monday, December 05, 2016
The Gateway Interview: Jim Brunzell (Part 3)
Interview by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
PART THREE
(Catch up on the introduction and what you missed in Part 1 | Part 2)
Jim Brunzell: When I look back on my wrestling career, and I look at different parts of my book ‘MatLands’ which encompasses my whole career, it went by so fast, David. Honestly, you never realize it. And now I’m 67 years old and I think, ‘Holy Jesus!’
David Chappell: Time flies when you’re having fun!
Brunzell: I remember at 22 and 23 I was the youngest guy in the locker room. And I do remember when I was working independents when I was almost 50 years old, and I thought, ‘S*#t, I’m the oldest guy in the G*# damn locker room!’
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: How times have changed!
Chappell: Yes! Before we dive into Jim Crockett Promotions, there’s one question I’ve always wanted to ask you. Being a big NFL and Washington Redskins fan, didn’t you try out for the Redskins and if so what can you tell us about that experience?
Brunzell: I did! I played in the Central States Football League, which was in Wisconsin and I got an opportunity to go to the George Allen free agent tryout camp. This would be for the 1972 season…they went to the Super Bowl that year.
Chappell: I remember it well!
Brunzell: I was there for three days. There was no contact, and it was basically agility drills, sprints, catch the ball…blah, blah, blah. Boyd Dowler was one of the end coaches, and so was Bobby Mitchell.
Chappell: Wow…
Brunzell: Those guys were great pros, and they had a lot of players there. I recognized a few guys from the Big 10 who I played with when I was at Minnesota. I think they only kept one or two guys, and one guy was named Herb Mul-Key…
Chappell: Right, the kick returner! He was a great player for a couple of years.
Brunzell: Yeah, he was the fastest guy. And this is the honest to God truth…it had rained for a couple of days and we were running our 40 yard dashes in mud. They had me as a tight end, and I had the fastest time for a tight end which was 4.9. You know, I ran a 4.6 at Minnesota…
Chappell: Which was probably not in the rain!
Brunzell: Yeah, and all of a sudden I heard this 4.6 and it was this Herb Mul-Key and he had run faster than anybody in the mud! And he winds up being an All-Pro kickoff and punt returner the next year.
Chappell: They used to make a big deal about those open tryouts, particularly early in George Allen’s career.
Brunzell: Oh sure. There were about 150-200 guys there and [George Allen] says, ‘I’m gonna tell you right now, there might be one or two of you that will make this team.’ That’s what he said! (laughs)
Chappell: (laughs) George was about as brutally blunt as Verne Gagne was to you!
Brunzell: That’s true; that’s true! I remember leaving there, there was about four or five of us that went out for a beer, it wasn’t too far from the White House, we all thought ‘holy smokes,’ what an experience that was!
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: And after that I went back and enrolled in school, and then Greg called me about his Dad’s camp…it was really a twist of fate.
David, if anybody would have told me when I was 18 or 19 years old that I would have had a 27 year career as a pro wrestler I would have told them they were crazy!
Chappell: You just never know which way the roads will lead you. Do you still stay in touch with any your wrestling cohorts?
Brunzell: It’s funny, Greg and I and Brian Blair as the Killer Bees, we still occasionally will get together. You know, a fan signing or fan convention. And you know, it’s AMAZING how these people remember things!
Chappell: Oh yeah!
Brunzell: They’ll remember a match here and a match there…it’s amazing! There are still a great amount of fans out there, and it’s fun for us. The fans are having a great time meeting the old guys that used to wrestle, and we’re at the same time thanking these people that supported us during the many years.
It’s always fun to do those…we do a couple a year. It’s really fun.
Chappell: That’s great…
Brunzell: Yeah, I was down in Charlotte a couple of years ago and it was huge!
Chappell: Greg Price does a great job with the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Fanfest, and they’re still going strong!
Brunzell: It was fun, that year they were featuring the Four Horsemen and Ric was there two or three days in a row. I was there one day. God, there were a lot of people! That was one of the biggest ones I’ve seen. I’ve been to one in New York, and they had a huge amount of people come over the course of three hours at this big ballroom, and it was just filled with memorabilia.
Chappell: You mention New York, Jim. And while your WWF stint is not the focus of this interview, I would be interested in your thoughts on the WWF as you were there when Vince McMahon was going national in a big way.
Brunzell: Actually, David, what Vince did was he created and subjugated all the fans to what he wanted to portray as his wresting product. There was no continuity; nothing meant anything. And everybody was tougher than hell and nobody cheated and nobody cowered off…there was no good or bad, they were all ‘superstars.’ When I saw where he was going I said ‘Holy Jesus!’ I know he had the numbers. I’ll never forget when I first went up there, the first night I was up there I did Poughkeepsie TV, and there were 60 guys they featured and they ran three towns a night. And this went on, and I have it in my bookings…these little Franklin books I kept year to year to year, and when I went to New York starting in ’85, Brian and I once they put us together, we wrestled 27 days a month for three years straight…
Chappell: Geez…what a grind that must have been!
Brunzell: And we had many times when it was 40-45 days in a row. And I remember I broke my hand with Greg Valentine in Rockford, Illinois. He had blocked this double wrist-lock takeover, and I could hear the bone in the middle of my hand just pop…
Chappell: Ouch!
Brunzell: And I said ‘God dang it,’ you broke my hand! And I went home for one day, and they waited until the swelling went down and then they put a cast on my hand. Then when Brian and I got back together, the Killer Bees won more matches with me clubbing these guys in the head with my cast than we did with putting the masks on, and trying to use the masked confusion to deceive them!
Chappell: Whatever works!
Brunzell: Yeah, whatever worked! They didn’t care whether it made any sense at all.
Chappell: Well, your stuff in Mid-Atlantic made a lot of sense! Do you remember your debut match for Jim Crockett Promotions?
Brunzell: Spartanburg…I remember it like it was yesterday!
Chappell: Amazing!
Brunzell: I had always been known for my dropkicks, so I remember talking to George Scott and the first night they booked me there I was in Spartanburg. I was working with Rene Goulet, who used to work up here in Minnesota…
Chappell: Goulet got around!
Brunzell: Rene and I had many matches. I loved the guy; he was a great worker! They’re giving us the finish, and George Scott comes up to me and he says, ‘I want you to use your dropkick on Rene tonight.’ And I said that was fine, but then he said, ‘I want you to hit him with SIX dropkicks.’ And I said, ‘What?’
Chappell: (laughs) Wonder how he came up with the number six?!
Brunzell: He said, ‘SIX!’ I said, ‘George, that’s like shooting a guy in the head once, and then shooting him in his torso five more times to get the job done!’ It was funny, because the first drop kick I hit Rene with was right about his forehead, the next one was by his jaw, the next one by his neck, the fourth one was in his sternum, the fifth one was just a little lower than that and the other one was what we call a wrestler’s vasectomy…
Chappell: (laughing) Ouch!
Brunzell: (laughs) Because I just about hit him right below the belt! Six dropkicks, and first of all I was blown up by the time I was covering him! Jesus Christ!
Chappell: I can understand!
Brunzell: You know, he popped up, I popped up, he popped up and then he got slower and slower. And then afterwards I thought the people were gonna say, ‘What carnival act is this!’ (laughs)
Chappell: (laughs) Spartanburg was a hot building…literally and figuratively!
Brunzell: Oh God, it was hot and it was small! And I remember, I had an hour draw there with Jimmy Snuka. George Scott used to book these hour draws all the time, honest to God.
Chappell: Yep, there were a few!
Brunzell: Anderson, South Carolina…in my book I talk about the match I had there with Ric Flair. He was the U.S. champ then. Anderson, South Carolina was non-air conditioned, and it was hot and humid as a son of a gun.
So the match was Ric attacking me, I made a little comeback and threw the figure four on him and he submitted and they rang the bell. But the referee said something wasn’t right and we had to start over again! So, we started over again and did an hour draw! (laughs)
Chappell: (laughs) Oh my goodness!
At the beginning of your Crockett run in the late spring of 1979 you hit Ric right as he was slowly morphing into a good guy after five years as the Mid-Atlantic’s consummate bad guy. Then when he did the full-fledged babyface turn, you all became tag team partners on occasion.
Brunzell: I had three one hour draws with Ric in [the Charlotte territory]! Honest to God, we worked our asses off, but everybody was in such good shape…
Chappell: (laughs) Guess you all had to be to survive!
Brunzell: You know, Ric was in consummate shape. He was up and down and up and down. The match we had in Anderson, I mean, we were so lathered by the time it got to 60 minutes, there was so much sweat on our bodies, we couldn’t even grab on to one another!
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: And I’ll never forget, I got out of the ring and I made it to the locker room and I just sat down and I had a bottle of Gatorade, before I had the beer…
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: I’m drinking the Gatorade and Tony Atlas, who had ridden with me down there says, ‘Come on Brunz, we gotta get going!’ I said, ‘Tony, just wait a little bit…I’m not in any hurry!’ So he got pissed at me because I wouldn’t hurry up! (laughs) I’ll never forget, I think I had one Gatorade, and I drank six beers so quick…I was so dehydrated!
Chappell: No doubt.
Brunzell: There’s another one of George Scott’s finishes, you know! And I liked George; I just thought he was a horrible booker. I never, never got in tune with his booking. You know, his finishes, et cetera.
Chappell: George was definitely a Mid-Atlantic mainstay for us Crockett fans, but I’m sure he was a different type booker than you had dealt with before. I’m sure all the one hour broadways were a big change for you.
Brunzell: A couple of these stories I tell in my book…
Chappell: An outstanding read by the way, Jim!
Brunzell: Thank you, David.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE IN PART FOUR!
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
PART THREE
(Catch up on the introduction and what you missed in Part 1 | Part 2)
 |
| Available at Blurb.com |
David Chappell: Time flies when you’re having fun!
Brunzell: I remember at 22 and 23 I was the youngest guy in the locker room. And I do remember when I was working independents when I was almost 50 years old, and I thought, ‘S*#t, I’m the oldest guy in the G*# damn locker room!’
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: How times have changed!
Chappell: Yes! Before we dive into Jim Crockett Promotions, there’s one question I’ve always wanted to ask you. Being a big NFL and Washington Redskins fan, didn’t you try out for the Redskins and if so what can you tell us about that experience?
Brunzell: I did! I played in the Central States Football League, which was in Wisconsin and I got an opportunity to go to the George Allen free agent tryout camp. This would be for the 1972 season…they went to the Super Bowl that year.
Chappell: I remember it well!
Brunzell: I was there for three days. There was no contact, and it was basically agility drills, sprints, catch the ball…blah, blah, blah. Boyd Dowler was one of the end coaches, and so was Bobby Mitchell.
Chappell: Wow…
Brunzell: Those guys were great pros, and they had a lot of players there. I recognized a few guys from the Big 10 who I played with when I was at Minnesota. I think they only kept one or two guys, and one guy was named Herb Mul-Key…
Chappell: Right, the kick returner! He was a great player for a couple of years.
Brunzell: Yeah, he was the fastest guy. And this is the honest to God truth…it had rained for a couple of days and we were running our 40 yard dashes in mud. They had me as a tight end, and I had the fastest time for a tight end which was 4.9. You know, I ran a 4.6 at Minnesota…
Chappell: Which was probably not in the rain!
Brunzell: Yeah, and all of a sudden I heard this 4.6 and it was this Herb Mul-Key and he had run faster than anybody in the mud! And he winds up being an All-Pro kickoff and punt returner the next year.
Chappell: They used to make a big deal about those open tryouts, particularly early in George Allen’s career.
Brunzell: Oh sure. There were about 150-200 guys there and [George Allen] says, ‘I’m gonna tell you right now, there might be one or two of you that will make this team.’ That’s what he said! (laughs)
Chappell: (laughs) George was about as brutally blunt as Verne Gagne was to you!
Brunzell: That’s true; that’s true! I remember leaving there, there was about four or five of us that went out for a beer, it wasn’t too far from the White House, we all thought ‘holy smokes,’ what an experience that was!
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: And after that I went back and enrolled in school, and then Greg called me about his Dad’s camp…it was really a twist of fate.
 |
| AWA Tag Champions Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell |
Chappell: You just never know which way the roads will lead you. Do you still stay in touch with any your wrestling cohorts?
Brunzell: It’s funny, Greg and I and Brian Blair as the Killer Bees, we still occasionally will get together. You know, a fan signing or fan convention. And you know, it’s AMAZING how these people remember things!
Chappell: Oh yeah!
Brunzell: They’ll remember a match here and a match there…it’s amazing! There are still a great amount of fans out there, and it’s fun for us. The fans are having a great time meeting the old guys that used to wrestle, and we’re at the same time thanking these people that supported us during the many years.
It’s always fun to do those…we do a couple a year. It’s really fun.
Chappell: That’s great…
Brunzell: Yeah, I was down in Charlotte a couple of years ago and it was huge!
 |
| Jim Brunzell at the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Fanfest in Charlotte (Wayne Casstevens Photo) |
Brunzell: It was fun, that year they were featuring the Four Horsemen and Ric was there two or three days in a row. I was there one day. God, there were a lot of people! That was one of the biggest ones I’ve seen. I’ve been to one in New York, and they had a huge amount of people come over the course of three hours at this big ballroom, and it was just filled with memorabilia.
Chappell: You mention New York, Jim. And while your WWF stint is not the focus of this interview, I would be interested in your thoughts on the WWF as you were there when Vince McMahon was going national in a big way.
Brunzell: Actually, David, what Vince did was he created and subjugated all the fans to what he wanted to portray as his wresting product. There was no continuity; nothing meant anything. And everybody was tougher than hell and nobody cheated and nobody cowered off…there was no good or bad, they were all ‘superstars.’ When I saw where he was going I said ‘Holy Jesus!’ I know he had the numbers. I’ll never forget when I first went up there, the first night I was up there I did Poughkeepsie TV, and there were 60 guys they featured and they ran three towns a night. And this went on, and I have it in my bookings…these little Franklin books I kept year to year to year, and when I went to New York starting in ’85, Brian and I once they put us together, we wrestled 27 days a month for three years straight…
Chappell: Geez…what a grind that must have been!
Brunzell: And we had many times when it was 40-45 days in a row. And I remember I broke my hand with Greg Valentine in Rockford, Illinois. He had blocked this double wrist-lock takeover, and I could hear the bone in the middle of my hand just pop…
Chappell: Ouch!
Brunzell: And I said ‘God dang it,’ you broke my hand! And I went home for one day, and they waited until the swelling went down and then they put a cast on my hand. Then when Brian and I got back together, the Killer Bees won more matches with me clubbing these guys in the head with my cast than we did with putting the masks on, and trying to use the masked confusion to deceive them!
Chappell: Whatever works!
Brunzell: Yeah, whatever worked! They didn’t care whether it made any sense at all.
Chappell: Well, your stuff in Mid-Atlantic made a lot of sense! Do you remember your debut match for Jim Crockett Promotions?
Brunzell: Spartanburg…I remember it like it was yesterday!
Chappell: Amazing!
Brunzell: I had always been known for my dropkicks, so I remember talking to George Scott and the first night they booked me there I was in Spartanburg. I was working with Rene Goulet, who used to work up here in Minnesota…
Chappell: Goulet got around!
Brunzell: Rene and I had many matches. I loved the guy; he was a great worker! They’re giving us the finish, and George Scott comes up to me and he says, ‘I want you to use your dropkick on Rene tonight.’ And I said that was fine, but then he said, ‘I want you to hit him with SIX dropkicks.’ And I said, ‘What?’
Chappell: (laughs) Wonder how he came up with the number six?!
Brunzell: He said, ‘SIX!’ I said, ‘George, that’s like shooting a guy in the head once, and then shooting him in his torso five more times to get the job done!’ It was funny, because the first drop kick I hit Rene with was right about his forehead, the next one was by his jaw, the next one by his neck, the fourth one was in his sternum, the fifth one was just a little lower than that and the other one was what we call a wrestler’s vasectomy…
Chappell: (laughing) Ouch!
Brunzell: (laughs) Because I just about hit him right below the belt! Six dropkicks, and first of all I was blown up by the time I was covering him! Jesus Christ!
Chappell: I can understand!
Brunzell: You know, he popped up, I popped up, he popped up and then he got slower and slower. And then afterwards I thought the people were gonna say, ‘What carnival act is this!’ (laughs)
Chappell: (laughs) Spartanburg was a hot building…literally and figuratively!
Brunzell: Oh God, it was hot and it was small! And I remember, I had an hour draw there with Jimmy Snuka. George Scott used to book these hour draws all the time, honest to God.
Chappell: Yep, there were a few!
Brunzell: Anderson, South Carolina…in my book I talk about the match I had there with Ric Flair. He was the U.S. champ then. Anderson, South Carolina was non-air conditioned, and it was hot and humid as a son of a gun.
 |
| Brunzell at first fought, and then later teamed with, the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (Peggy Lathan Photo) |
Chappell: (laughs) Oh my goodness!
At the beginning of your Crockett run in the late spring of 1979 you hit Ric right as he was slowly morphing into a good guy after five years as the Mid-Atlantic’s consummate bad guy. Then when he did the full-fledged babyface turn, you all became tag team partners on occasion.
Brunzell: I had three one hour draws with Ric in [the Charlotte territory]! Honest to God, we worked our asses off, but everybody was in such good shape…
Chappell: (laughs) Guess you all had to be to survive!
Brunzell: You know, Ric was in consummate shape. He was up and down and up and down. The match we had in Anderson, I mean, we were so lathered by the time it got to 60 minutes, there was so much sweat on our bodies, we couldn’t even grab on to one another!
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: And I’ll never forget, I got out of the ring and I made it to the locker room and I just sat down and I had a bottle of Gatorade, before I had the beer…
Chappell: (laughs)
Brunzell: I’m drinking the Gatorade and Tony Atlas, who had ridden with me down there says, ‘Come on Brunz, we gotta get going!’ I said, ‘Tony, just wait a little bit…I’m not in any hurry!’ So he got pissed at me because I wouldn’t hurry up! (laughs) I’ll never forget, I think I had one Gatorade, and I drank six beers so quick…I was so dehydrated!
Chappell: No doubt.
Brunzell: There’s another one of George Scott’s finishes, you know! And I liked George; I just thought he was a horrible booker. I never, never got in tune with his booking. You know, his finishes, et cetera.
Chappell: George was definitely a Mid-Atlantic mainstay for us Crockett fans, but I’m sure he was a different type booker than you had dealt with before. I’m sure all the one hour broadways were a big change for you.
Brunzell: A couple of these stories I tell in my book…
Chappell: An outstanding read by the way, Jim!
Brunzell: Thank you, David.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE IN PART FOUR!
Saturday, December 03, 2016
Wide World Wrestling Theme Music 1975-1978
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Includes rare, exclusive audio tracks embedded below.
When I first got "hooked" on Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, one of the things (other than the great wrestling) that I liked most about both Crockett shows was the great theme music.
I'm not talking about wrestler's theme music. This was in 1975 and almost a decade before every wrestler had their own theme music.
I'm talking about the opening theme music that started off each show. It was a signature element of each of the two programs that Jim Crockett Promotions produced, and is today as much of the sentimental or nostalgic aspect of those shows. That's something long ago lost as it regards pro-wrestling on TV today.
 |
| Ed Capral with NWA champion Harley Race on the set of "Wide World Wrestling" in 1977 |
My favorite wrestling TV-show theme of them all was the music for "Wide World Wrestling" in 1975-1978. "Wide World Wrestling" was Jim Crockett's "B" show. If a TV market only featured one of Crockett's TV shows, it would always be the "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" show, which was the "A" show. If a traditional Crockett TV market featured both Crockett shows, then "Wide World" would be added as the second show in that market, or the "B" show.
The show began in October of 1975 and was hosted by longtime Atlanta wrestling broadcaster Ed Capral. When Capral left in 1977, he was succeeded by hosts Russ Dubuc and then Tom Miller. In 1978, Crockett changed the name of the program to "World Wide Wrestling" as host Rich Landrum took over the show, and by the early 1980s, this was the show that started going into Crockett's expansion markets, as well as remaining the "B" show in Crockett's home markets.
 |
| "Truckin'" Tom Miller, host of "Wide World Wrestling" for roughly 6 months in 1978 |
Recently our friend Craig at Wrestling Media (wrestlingmedia.ws) was kind enough to send us the original recording of the music used for "Wide World Wrestling." I got his very nice email on Thanksgiving Day - - what a wonderful gift on Thanksgiving! I was thankful indeed for his generosity and for remembering at all that this was something I had been looking for for years. He was able to identify it solely by the low-resolution recording I had of it on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archive site.
The music, titled "Diamond Head" was written and recorded by Walter Murphy, who had a #1 pop hit back in 1976 called "A Fifth of Beethoven." Murphy has an extensive resume of production music and there are several vinyl recordings of his still floating around. The album that has "Diamond Head" was titled "Major Production Music", Vinyl 6088 on Major Records (now known as Valentino.) It is track 3 on side B of the record and was recorded and released in 1975 (the same year "Wide World Wrestling" debuted.
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The "Wide World Wrestling" theme was created by taking various segments of the original 1:30 recording and piecing them together to make the final 25 sec. version you heard each week to open the show. The tempo of the wrestling version was also a little faster than the original, although at the same pitch.
I took Murphy's original recording and edited a version together that is nearly identical (in arrangement and speed) to the classic 1975 wrestling theme, and happily present it here.
There are no known video recordings of the 1975-1978 "Wide World Wrestling" show, which is a very sad thing. The theme hasn't been heard in this arrangement since 1978, so only fans who are roughly in their mid-40s or later would even remember it. But for those that watched "Wide World Wrestling" every single weekend without fail as I did each week, this will be a wonderful trip down memory lane and a nostalgic reminder of a great era in Mid-Atlantic Wrestling. And for those hearing it for the first time, this is what a real wrestling theme sounds like.
Wide World Wrestling - Opening Theme (1975-1978)
Wide World Wrestling - Closing Theme (1975-1978)
More on this album of production music on the Discogs website:
https://www.discogs.com/Walter-Murphy-Production-Music/release/3544026
Thanks to Craig at Wrestling Media (wrestlingmedia.ws) for his forwarding this information and for providing me the original track that resulted in my favorite wrestling theme music of them all.
Friday, December 02, 2016
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!
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.
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!
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