Arn Anderson & James J. Dillon appear on the Peanut City Showdown

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Arn Anderson, VCW Commissioner George Pantas, and James J. Dillon in Suffolk, VA for VCW
Pantas is holding his copy of our book "Four Horsemen."

This past Saturday night at the VCW (Vanguard Championship Wrestling) show in Suffolk, VA, two of the original members of the Four Horsemen made appearances for the group, signing autographs and taking photos with the fans. Both men had copies of their books and photos for sale, and Dillon also made available the book "Four Horsemen", seen in the photo above.

J.J. also got involved with the show itself, coming out of retirement to manage Caleb Konley who was challenging Brandon Scott for the VCW Heavyweight championship. Scott's manager, Jerry Stephanitsis, had been banned from ringside by commissioner George Pantas for his constant interference which had helped Scott keep his title. Dillon would manage Konley to insure he got a fair shot at the championship this time.

Or so we thought.

In a huge swerve, J.J. took off one of his famous loafers as the referee had been knocked down and whacked Konley in the head with it to help Scott retain his VCW championship yet again. Commissioner Pantas came in afterwards as Scott celebrated to investigate and he got whacked in the head by Dillon as well!

Post match video:

J.J. showed why he is associated with champions and lived up to his reputation as one of the shrewdest businessmen and managers of all time!

The photo of Pantas with Anderson and Dillon at the top of this page was taken before the show. One might imagine things weren't so friendly between Commissioner Pantas and James J. Dillon after the show.

It was a great night of VCW action in Suffolk presented by promoter Travis Bradshaw and crew, which benefited the Salvation Army. VCW returns to action on October 7 in Norfolk, VA at the Masonic Temple (1001 Granby St.) with Billy Gunn challenging Brandon Scott for the VCW championship (which he still holds thanks to the assistance of the leader of the Four Horsemen James J. Dillon!)

Ric Flair Again Overcomes The Giant

by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Like all fans of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, I’ve followed the ongoing medical issues of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair with great concern. Reports on Ric’s battle for his life had trended much more positive in the last few days, and a short video just released by Flair himself strongly suggests that in true Nature Boy style, the champ has kicked out on two and three quarters. In this real life medical drama, it appears Ric slew the most gargantuan giant that ever crossed his path.

Mark Eastridge Collection

When Ric’s health scare was at its worst several weeks ago, and his very survival was in dire jeopardy, many thoughts raced through my mind. After all, I’m the guy who had “RFLAIR” on my Virginia license plate for 17 years! But of all the memories I’ve had of the Nature Boy beginning in 1974, the one that kept coming to mind was a local Richmond, Virginia promo that Ric cut in advance of a Richmond Coliseum card on October 14, 1977.

In the main event of that Richmond lineup, Ric Flair battled Andre the Giant for Flair’s United States Heavyweight Title. Much of what Flair espoused in that promo came true inside the ring in Richmond. Ric somehow overcame that “Giant” wrestling obstacle, and my hopes and prayers were that he could pull off a similar miracle in 2017 in real life in an Atlanta area hospital room.

Announcer Ed Capral began the Richmond main event promo with a large drawing of Andre standing taller than the New York City skyline as a backdrop saying, “On Friday October 14th this great man, and you’re covering the picture just a moment, Andre the Giant the eighth wonder of the world is against the U.S. Champion for the Title, of course Ric Flair.”

The Nature Boy shot back immediately, “You had that right, when you said this great man I walked into the picture! Because everybody in Richmond knows who the greatest is. Now let’s face it, Jim Crockett has finally, REALLY, come up with an opponent that MIGHT make me break a sweat!”

A fired up Flair continued, “Let me tell you somethin’ Andre the Giant, I’m an athlete, America’s greatest athlete. I’m a wrestler, and I’m a double tough dude. And I don’t care if you can’t walk and chew bubble gum at the same time, I don’t care what you can do or can’t do. You’re just another name, another man who’s gonna fall before the Nature Boy and his gold belt! Andre the Giant, you’re just like everybody else, you’re gonna find out!”

While Andre technically got the win by disqualification, Flair walked out of the Richmond Coliseum with the United States Title belt still around his waist, a win of monumental proportions against an opponent seven feet four inches tall and weighing 450 pounds…a giant in every sense of the word. Yes, Ric got over against the Giant, where all the odds seemed stacked against him.

Fast forward nearly forty years later, and there can be no doubt that Ric Flair is still a double tough dude as the recent events in his Atlanta area hospital have amply proven. The odds were stacked against him there against a foe that would make Andre the Giant look like a midget wrestler. And the Nature Boy, version 2017, showed us all that he is still up for a fight against all odds and overcoming giants…maybe no longer in the squared circle but in the larger game of life.

Action Figures Friday: The Four Horsmen (1986 and 1988)

Four Horsemen 1986: Ric Flair, Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson, and Tully Blanchard

 

Four Horsemen 1988: NWA World Tag Team Champions Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard,
United States Champion Barry Windham, and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair

Greg Valentine break's Wahoo's Leg - 40 Years Ago Today

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

It is one of the most iconic images from the 1970s in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions: Greg Valentine with a big grin on his face, wearing his newly won Mid-Atlantic championship belt, and sporting the infamous "I Broke Wahoo's Leg" t-shirt.

It's hard to believe that match happened forty years ago today. It took place on Wednesday night, September 7, 1977, at a TV taping at the WRAL television studios in Raleigh, NC. The match stands the test of time and is available in its entirety on the subscription service NWAOnDemand.com.

Wahoo McDaniel and Greg Valentine feuded over the Mid-Atlantic heavyweight championship for much of 1977 and early 1978. The zenith, however, was the memorable televised bout where Valentine regained the title from McDaniel and broke his leg in the process. It is one of the most famous matches and famous angles in Mid-Atlantic Wrestling history.

But part of what made it so memorable was Valentine's classic t-shirt that he wore in the aftermath. It was a simple black shirt with block lettering that simply said "I Broke Wahoo's Leg", and on the back of the shirt read the equally in-your-face declaration - - "No More Wahoo."

Valentine wore the t-shirt on television and in arenas for months, enraging fans along the way. A photograph appeared in "Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Magazine" and in newsstand magazines as well, with a grinning Valentine wearing the shirt and the belt, taunting Wahoo and creating heat for their return bouts that would follow when Wahoo returned to action.

In an interview with the Mid-Atlantic Gateway, Valentine admitted that the t-shirt wasn't his idea. "It was George Scott," Greg told David Chappell. "George Scott was the booker back then. It was mainly his idea. I certainly give him the credit."

Greg would explain in TV interviews that he had the t-shirts custom made for him at a shop in Las Vegas, never mind the fact that the familiar look of the t-shirt could have been made in any t-shirt shop in any mall in America in those days. But the line was funny, and served to only further enrage Wahoo's fans.

Sweet G.A. Brown's 45-rpm single serves as a backdrop to the the action figure of Greg
Valentine wearing tiny replicas of the Mid-Atlantic heavyweight title belt and the famous t-shirt.

The match and the angle still live on today in popular culture. Facsimile shirts are spotted being worn by wrestling fans (even journalists!) at wrestling conventions. Collectors can custom-order a miniature "I Broke Wahoo's Leg" shirt for their action figures. Wrestling broadcaster Matt Striker mentioned the famous t-shirt in 2014 during a match on an episode of "Lucha Underground." And singer/songwriter Sweet G.A. Brown immortalized the classic wrestling angle in his wonderful song "I Broke Wahoo's Leg" which I have written about previously here on the Gateway.  

Greg tells us that even forty years removed from that match, fans still ask him about it.  "I get asked to sign my autograph that way," he told me. "All these years later, people still remember that."

Greg Valentine and his famous t-shirt in 1977 and 2005. (Blake Arledge Photo)

Valentine re-created the angle at a Legend's Show in Spartanburg, SC, also wearing a replica of the Mid-Atlantic title belt. The site of Greg wearing that shirt and belt in 2005 took you right back to 1977.

So today we raise an elbow and celebrate this lasting memory of one of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling's most brutal feuds and memorable moments. It is has proven to be a moment that Mid-Atlantic Wrestling fans have not forgotten.

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See Also:

Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title History
Classic Mid-Atlantic Match from 1977 on NWAOnDemand.com Subscription Service 
For Matt Striker, Past is Prologue
The Coolest 45rpm Vinyl in the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Collection ("I Broke Wahoo's Leg")

Sunday Get-Togethers with Paul Jones, Ole Anderson, and J.J. Dillon

This past Sunday, September 3, the Gateway family had two different get-togethers that made for nice gatherings with Mid-Atlantic Wrestling legends on Labor Day Weekend.

First, Peggy Lathan and Paul Jones's son, Paul Jr., organized a reunion with Paul and Ole Anderson, as well as Ole's son, Bryant. They all got together at a restaurant in Commerce, GA. on Sunday morning.

A little later that same day, Dick Bourne got together for an early afternoon lunch in Charlotte organized by Debbie Ringley that included Debbie's boyfriend Scott and the leader of the Four Horsemen James J. Dillon! J.J. was in town for the big "Crockett Foundation Night" at the Charlotte Knights baseball game at BB&T Ballpark. Debbie is the grand-daughter of Jim Crockett, Sr. and president of the Crockett Foundation.  

Ole Anderson (seated) and Paul Jones (far right) enjoyed visiting again. Ole's son Bryant (far left)
and Paul's son, Paul Jr. (center) joined them for this special get-together.

J.J. Dillon, Dick Bourne, Scott Whiting, and Debbie Ringley enjoy lunch in Charlotte
prior to "Crockett Foundation Night"at BB&T Ballpark.

Peggy and Paul Jr. put the lunch together with Ole Anderson & Paul Jones in Commerce, GA

Ole Anderson and Paul Jones with Paul Jr.
Is Ole actually smiling?

Peggy had the difficult task of trying to keep Paul Jones quiet!

* * * * * * *

JJ Dillon will be appearing for Vanguard Championship Wrestling this Saturday 9/9. For details and links to further info, check out the James J. Dillon Appearance Schedule Page on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Ric Flair and JJ Dillon Back on Top after Starrcade '87

Crockett Foundation Night in Charlotte!

Crockett Foundation

Tonight, Sunday, September 3, it's Crockett Night at the ol' ballgame.

Make your plans to head out to BB&T Ballpark tonight, home of the Charlotte Knights baseball team, for a great evening of baseball and to visit with some of the great legends of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions.

Featured will be James J. Dillon (leader of the Four Horsemen!), Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson (the Rock & Roll Express), Magnum T.A., Baby Doll, legendary NWA referee Tommy Young, and Jackie Crockett.


It's the 2017 Crockett Foundation Night at the ballpark, part of the final weekend of the regular season for the triple-A Charlotte Knights.The event is organized by the Crockett Foundation, the charitable organization run now by Jim Crockett, Sr.'s granddaughter Debbie Ringley.

Join us at the beautiful BB&T Ballpark tonight in Charlotte!

DATE: Sunday evening, September 3, 2017
WHERE: BB&T Park, 324 South Mint Street Charlotte, NC (Parking & Directions)
TIME: Gates open 6:00 PM, First Pitch 7:05 PM (Wrestlers available before game)
SPECIAL EVENTS: Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends + Fireworks!

BaseballParks.com    

Action Figures Friday: Blackjack Mulligan & the Belts

It's Friday! And that means another "Action Figures Friday" feature here on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

This week, we take a look at the legendary U.S. champion Blackjack Mulligan, depicted here on set with the voice of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Bob Caudle. Blackjack is sporting a nice little replica of the United States heavyweight championship belt that was used by Jim Crockett Promotions from 1975-1980. It was worn by such legendary champions as Harley Race, Johnny Valentine, Terry Funk, Paul Jones, Ric Flair, Jimmy Snuka, and several others.

The belts have gotten some great feedback as we have continued this series, and collector Mike Simmerman sent us a photo of all his Mid-Atlantic era belts (so far) nicely displayed on the ring apron of the ring in his replica studio set.

L-R: NWA World Tag Team title belts (1979-1987), United States Championship belt (red
strap 1975-1980), NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt (the "ten pounds of gold"),
United States Championship belt (black strap 1980-82), United States Championship
("ten pounds of silver" 1985-1988), Mid-Atlantic title (1977-1985)

SEE ALL THE ACTION FIGURES POSTS

Crockett Foundation Night is this Sunday Night at BB&T Park in Charlotte

Crockett Foundation

This Sunday, September 3, it's Crockett Night at the ol' ballgame.

Over this Labor Day weekend, make your plans to head out to BB&T Ballpark, home of the Charlotte Knights baseball team, for a great evening of baseball and to visit with some of the great legends of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions.

Featured will be James J. Dillon (leader of the Four Horsemen!), Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson (the Rock & Roll Express), Magnum T.A., Baby Doll, legendary NWA referee Tommy Young, and Jackie Crockett.

Talking @CrockettFound Night on @WilsonsWorld on @WCCBCharlotte with Tommy Young. Tune in! pic.twitter.com/rxxqdPfztG

— Charlotte Knights (@KnightsBaseball) August 30, 2017

It's the 2017 Crockett Foundation Night at the ballpark, part of the final weekend of the regular season for the triple-A Charlotte Knights.The event is organized by the Crockett Foundation, the charitable organization run now by Jim Crockett, Sr.'s granddaughter Debbie Ringley.

Join us at the beautiful BB&T Ballpark this Sunday in Charlotte!

DATE: Sunday evening, September 3, 2017
WHERE: BB&T Park, 324 South Mint Street Charlotte, NC (Parking & Directions)
TIME: Gates open 6:00 PM, First Pitch 7:05 PM (Wrestlers available before game)
SPECIAL EVENTS: Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends + Fireworks!

BaseballParks.com    

* * * * * * * * * * * *

INTERVIEW WITH DEBBIE RINGLEY
Reprinted from an earlier post. 

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Debbie about what's planned for Crockett Night this year.
  
Dick Bourne: How did "Crockett Night” at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte come about?

Debbie Ringley: It came about as a way to celebrate the 85th anniversary of Jim Crockett Promotions, both baseball and wrestling, last year. I had to come up with a way to put what Granddaddy created and the things that came after his death. Hosting wrestlers at a baseball game seemed to be the perfect way of bringing the two together. Last year’s event went so well that the Knights asked us back and we are going to make it a staple of both the Foundations and Knights events schedule each year.

Bourne: So the purpose for the event is to help raise awareness for the Foundation?

Ringley: It is to raise awareness. The wrestlers will not charge for their picture or autograph but they will be asking fans to throw some money in a jug towards a donation.

Bourne: You guys have some very cool wrestling-related merchandise that you sell on the Crockett Foundation website. Will some of that be available for fans to purchase at this event?

Ringley: We will have shirts, including our new "TBS 6:05" shirt, for sale and we will also have both of our wrestling books.

Bourne: I've seen the new "TBS 6:05" shirt - - very cool, it immediately conjures up memories of so many Saturday evenings where I wouldn't miss "World Championship Wrestling" out of Atlanta with David Crockett and Tony Schiavone.

Crockett Foundation / Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Ringley: The back of the shirt is awesome, too, with our Crockett Foundation logo and signatures of many of the wrestling personalities that are "tag team partners" of the Crockett Foundation.

Ringley: Jackie will be there to autograph his ["When Wrestling Was Wrestling"] and our second book contains stories about three of the wrestlers that will be there that night so it would be a great opportunity for a fan to get the books autographed by the subjects in the books. Both the books and the shirts will be on sale for $15.00

Bourne: Nice to have Jackie Crockett there to sign his book of photographs. He took some really amazing photos in the late 1970s and early 1980s. That is a wonderful collection.

Ringley: Both the books and the shirts will be on sale for $15.00

Bourne: What wrestling celebrities will be there?

Ringley: Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson of the Rock n Roll Express, Magnum T.A., J.J. Dillon, Baby Doll, Tommy Young, and Jackie Crockett.

Bourne: Wow, that's a great line-up and a small "who's who" of some of the big names of Jim Crockett Promotions in the hot period of the mid 1980s.

Ringley: It is, and since there was no [Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends] Fanfest this year, it may be the only gathering of this type in the Charlotte area this year. I don’t know of any opportunity like this around.

Bourne: I always enjoy seeing these guys get recognized and for fans to be able to show their appreciation for all they gave to the wrestling business. Will there be a special introduction of your special wrestling guests that evening at the game?

Ringley: All of the attendees will be introduced on the field prior to the game and just like last year Baby Doll will arrive on her Harley. I will be throwing out the first pitch but don’t expect much from that!

Bourne: Excellent! No pressure there, right?

Ringley: No, not at all!

Bourne: How will fans be able to interact with your special guests that night?

Ringley: They will be signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. All they will ask is a donation of some kind. Or a swag purchase from our merchandise table will get them pictures and autographs.

Bourne: Will Frances be there? Your mom [Frances Crockett] is such an important part of both the family history and baseball history in Charlotte.

Ringley: Yes, she should be. I think one of my sisters is bringing her. I have my hands full with all the others!

Bourne: I'll bet! Debbie, thanks for filling us in on Crockett Foundation Night 2017. I know both wrestling fans and baseball fans will have a blast.

Ringley: Thanks! Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

DATE: Sunday evening, September 3, 2017
WHERE: BB&T Ballpark, 324 South Mint Street Charlotte, NC (Parking & Directions)
TIME: Gates open at 6:00 PM, First Pitch at 7:05 PM


If you are in the Charlotte area over Labor Day weekend, come out and support the Crockett Foundation and Charlotte Knights baseball. Buy some peanuts and some Cracker Jack and spend some time with the great legends of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling.

Magazine Memories: Roddy Piper and Ric Flair

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

From time to time we will pick out a favorite single page or clipping from one of the old newsstand wrestling magazines and post it here to the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. I think most of us (old folks, anyway) remember a time when we couldn't wait for the new wrestling magazines to arrive at our local newsstand or magazine shop. For me it was a convenience store called the Garden Basket in Kingsport, TN, which I believe at one time in the late 1970s must have carried every single wrestling magazine that that was published - seemingly dozens of them!

These pages are intended, as most everything here on the Gateway is intended, to evoke memories of great times and great wrestlers in the past.

This time we feature a full-page photo taken by our friend (and Mid-Atlantic Gateway contributor) Eddie Cheslock. It features what appears to be Roddy Piper about to get thrown into a ring post by then arch-rival Ric Flair. The two battled over the U.S. title for most of 1981, until Flair won the NWA world title, and then then they fought over it as well. I loved the kayfabed stories and headlines in these magazines.

Eddie Cheslock was a regular photographer for the "Apter mags" in the early-to-mid 1980s. His posed work (wrestlers shot against the bricks backstage of the Richmond Coliseum) is very familiar to any wrestling fan who ever attend the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Fanfests in Charlotte as his photos were staples on the photo tables that promoter Greg Price made available for autographs. But many don't realize the great work Eddie did taking action shots during some of the greatest bouts in Mid-Atlantic Wrestling history. These appeared in all the Weston (Apter) magazines of that era including "Inside Wrestling", "The Wrestler", "Pro Wrestling Illustrated" and many others. Some were credited (as you see above), and some were not. All of them were great shots.

Eddie primarily shot in Richmond, Hampton, Norfolk and other towns in eastern Virginia, but also occasionally shot in Greensboro, Charlotte, and other major Crockett towns. His work has also been featured prominently in my books including "Four Horsemen", "Ten Pounds of Gold", "Big Gold", and "Jim Crockett Promotions' United States Championship." That U.S. title book chronicles all the battles for Crockett's U.S. title over the years including the wild feud featured in this memorable photo by Eddie that was featured in "Inside Wrestling" magazine.

More Magazine Memories to come!