Chief Wahoo McDaniel: Missing in Action

PART FOUR
by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Catch up on what you missed earlier:
PART ONE  |  PART TWO  |  PART THREE

And now the final chapter of the saga of Wahoo McDaniel missing in action in Charlotte:

PART FOUR - THE FINAL CHAPTER

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling fans were on the edge of their seats as Greg Valentine was pressed to weigh in on the reasons for Wahoo McDaniel showing up late to the Charlotte Park Center in a bloody, bruised and battered condition. An unrepentant Valentine explained:

"Listen, I don’t know why Wahoo showed up late. Maybe he went to some bar and got drunk and got beat up by a bunch of guys. I don’t know why, I don’t know why he had blood all over him. But I’ve heard we’ve been accused of beating up Wahoo McDaniel at some package store, or some Safeway store or whatever. Well that’s ridiculous! It’s ridiculous and it’s absurd!"

Safeway Supermarket

Unconvinced, David Crockett turned everyone's attention back to the film clip from the infamous night in Charlotte. Crockett said, "Well, we’re gonna hear from Wahoo right now." As the film played again, the fans could hear the Charlotte ring announcer say, "The referee’s decision for this match is a no contest, a no decision match," to a loud chorus of boos.

At this juncture everyone would finally hear from the Indian Chief himself, Wahoo McDaniel! Wahoo bellowed, "Let me tell you something, when I was on my way to the match I stopped at the store and both of ‘em jumped on me! I tell you one thing, I’ll get ‘em both! Nobody’s ever done this to me and got by with it, I promise you!"

Bob Caudle then pronounced, "And that’s what Wahoo said happened." A grinning Valentine scoffed, "Yeah, I heard him and that doesn’t make any difference because let me tell you something...Wahoo McDaniel, you are lying, you are lying through your teeth! You were over at some bar out there getting drunk, and you got beat up by about five or six bums and that’s why you got there late!"

The Hammer continued to roll, "And you’re tryin’ to accuse it on the Nature Boy and myself well let me tell you something Wahoo McDaniel…I don’t need Ric Flair to beat you up! I can beat you up by myself anywhere, anytime in a street, in a bar, in any arena! I don’t need Ric Flair and Ric Flair doesn’t need me to beat you up…we can handle you by ourselves!"

As the Bionic Elbow strutted out of the television studio, the perturbed Crockett shouted at Greg, "I hope you try it, I definitely hope you try it!" Caudle concurred, "I do too David, because I think this is something that we’ve seen the beginning, but certainly not the end of this." Crockett concluded the segment, "That’s right, we’re gonna see Wahoo…he’s got two of them, he’s gonna get them singly now."

This explosive TV segment served to begin the transition of Wahoo McDaniel moving out of his 1976 epic singles program with Ric Flair to one with the newcomer Greg Valentine that would dominate much of the following year, including the memorable TV match where Valentine broke Wahoo's leg in September of 1977.

Bob Caudle was certainly prophetic when he commented that this episode was only the beginning and not the end of Wahoo's issues with Flair and more particularly with Valentine. And who would have ever thought that a dust-up at a Safeway store would usher in one of the greatest feuds in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling history?  Wahoo's disappearance in Charlotte and the reason why unlocked the key to much of what we were to see between McDaniel and Valentine for many years and great matches later!

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Catch up on what you missed earlier:
PART ONE  |  PART TWO  |  PART THREE
* * * * * * * * * * * * 

Originally published December of 2017 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Poster: Early Wahoo/Flair Face-Off in 1974 Tag Team Action

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

Let's go back to the Twin City of Winston-Salem, NC with this poster promoting a card held on Friday October 18th, 1974. It was one of the earlier matches with Ric Flair and Wahoo McDaniel as opponents, albeit in tag team action. 

 

The Nature Boy's partner in the main event was the Super Destroyer (Don Jardine) and the Big Chief would team with Sonny King. 

The semi-main event was a big six man tag affair featuring Rip Hawk, Art Nelson, and Chuck O'Connor (future Big John Studd) against Paul Jones, Swede Hanson, and Johnny Weaver while preliminaries consisted of three singles match-ups that included Abe Jacobs, Cowboy Parker, and Bob Bruggers. Bruggers was a former teammate of Wahoo on the NFL expansion Miami Dolphins of the late 1960s. 

The poster has an attractive horizontal design with black print on a pink background and the date, the four main eventers, and the "Wrestling" splash really stands out in high impact red. It's neat to see how Southern Poster laid out the tag teams side by side instead of over and under with a vertical "Versus" in between. The six great images of the Mid Atlantic stars of the day help complete this classic.

NO. 19 IN A SERIES

WLOS Asheville TV: The Terrible Andersons

From the "Vintage TV & Wrestling Nostalgia" Blog

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Carroll Hall posted these newspaper ads from 1974 on his "Vintage TV & Wrestling Nostalgia" blog several months back, but we somehow missed them at the time.

Graphics for the second weekly taping of
"Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling"
hosted by Les Thatcher

I love the reference in the second ad to "the terrible Andersons." Right around this time, the Andersons were feuding primarily with Sandy Scott who was taking various different partners to challenge the Minnesota Wrecking Crew including Bearcat Wright, Bob Bruggers, Danny Miller, Jerry Brisco, and occasionally his brother George Scott (who was booking the territory at the time and not wrestling full-time.)

I love seeing these ads. Growing up, WLOS-13 out of Asheville, NC, was one of the two stations I was able to watch Mid-Atlantic Wrestling on. I grew up in east Tennessee but was fortunate that our cable company carried this station back before cable ops were prohibited from carrying out-of-market stations.


MID-ATLANTIC WRESTLING ON WLOS 
During the time period reflected in these ads, WLOS carried a second, separate version of the "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" show hosted by Les Thatcher. Just like the primary show hosted by Bob Caudle, it was taped at the studios of WRAL-TV in Raleigh, NC.

Les Thatcher and Bob Caudle
Hosts for the two separate hours of "Mid-Atlantic
Championship Wrestling" in 1974

The Thatcher show had huge ratings in the Asheville market, sometimes garnering a 60-share in the Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville TV market. This meant that 60% of the televisions that were on during that hour in that market were tuned to "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling." These were huge numbers for any program at any time in any era.

In October of 1975, that second hour of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling was replaced by a new program called "Wide World Wrestling" that was hosted by longtime Atlanta announcer Ed Capral. This gave that second JCP show a distinct name and identity.

Thatcher also hosted the localized promotional spots that were inserted into the programs in each market that promoted the arena house shows.
 

 Originally published August 17, 2017 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

There are two more of these WLOS-13 ads on the page on Carroll's blog. Visit this link for the others:
http://vintagetvwrestlingnostalgia.blogspot.com/2017/03/wlos-13-ashevillenc-in-1974.html

For more on these shows and where they were taped, check out our Studio Wrestling feature on WRAL-5 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Mid-Atlantic TV Report: November 12, 1982

 

 

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
TV Summaries & Reviews
by David Taub
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This is a review of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling as it once appeared on the WWE Network (now on Peacock). Results are included for the week (Monday-Sunday of the given week) as available. Please email with any corrections, typos, results, other details at 1davidtaub@gmail.com. Follow @TaubGVWire

For links to all available summaries as well as links to the Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast, visit our TV Summary Index.

Please note: The WWE Network ceased operation in the United States on April 4, 2021 and programming transitioned to NBC's Peacock streaming service. The Mid-Atlantic shows returned in July of 2021. Links are provided where available.


Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Original broadcast: 11/12/83
Taped 11/02/83 in Greenwood, SC - Greenwood Civic Center
Review is from WWE Network/NBC Peacock feed.

Match 1
Charlie Brown & Wahoo McDaniel d. Tom Lentz & Kelly Kiniski
Gary Hart joins Bob Caudle on commentary. Stu Schwartz is the referee for the hour. Hart is ashamed of Caudle for going along with the Charlie Brown rouse. Hart notes that Valiant’s 90 days are up on November 26, right after Starrcade. Brown whips Lentz right into a Wahoo chop for the pin.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Gary Hart and Charlie Brown
Hart, holding the TV title belt, challenges Brown to a match at Starrcade ’83. Kabuki’s TV title versus Brown’s mask. Lots of Hart trash talk. He gets a slap to end the segment.

-Comment from Jim Crockett Jr.
Crockett, from his office, with a computer in the background, announces NWA President Bob Geigel granted Harley Race’s petition for a special referee in the steel cage, no DQ title match versus Flair. It is Pat O’Connor.

Back to Caudle. Because of ticket demand, Starrcade ’83 will be seen in your area on giant color screen through closed circuit. He runs through the card: Race vs. Flair, Valentine vs. Piper, Carlos Colon vs. Abdullah the Butcher, Bugsy McGraw & Rufus R. Jones vs. The Assassins, Mark Lewin & Kevin Sullivan vs. Scott McGhee & Johnny Weaver, South American champion Victor Jovica vs. Crusher Ayala, Dusty Rhodes will be there. 

[Break]

-Ric Flair workout
Ric Flair is working out in the ring, with Caudle and Ricky Steamboat commentating at ringside. First up is work with Scott McGhee. Takedowns, switches, let them up. Flair starts with the spinning toe hold, and Dory Funk Jr. breaks it up. It’s his turn.
Flair and Funk work some shoulder tackles, hip tosses, reversals. Flair is about to lock on the Figure Four and lets up.
Angelo Mosca’s turn. Angelo with a body slam and lets Flair up. Another Figure Four, and we’re done. Mosca is up and shakes and hugs Flair. Steamboat notes Flair went against three different styles.
Flair speaks with Caudle, as some fans are at ringside in Starrcade ’83 shirts that look homemade. Flair says Starrcade ’83 will be the biggest night of his life. The four ladies and one man give Flair some gifts and a cake.

[Break]

Match 2
Mark Lewin & Kevin Sullivan (w/Gary Hart) d. Scott McGhee & Terry Gibbs
We go to an inset interview with Jack Brisco, talking about Race vs. Flair. Rufus R. Jones joins Caudle. He puts over Starrcade ’83. He likes Flair’s chances. Sullivan back suplexes Gibbs, while he tags out to Lewin. Two stomps later, Lewin makes the pin.

LOCAL PROMO SPOT
-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Gary Hart, Kevin Sullivan, Mark Lewin and Great Kabuki
This is in lieu of local promos. Hart talks about Kabuki ending Charlie Brown at Starrcade ’83. Sullivan and Lewin are acting like goofs. Sullivan tells a lame joke, as the light goes out. Hart is perturbed. So is Lewin who starts choking his partner. Hart breaks it up and continues his promo. 

[Break]

Match 3
Non-United States Heavyweight championship: Greg Valentine [ch.] d. John Bonello
I must say, I think Valentine had the best robes in wrestling, even better than Flair. Caudle talks about the upcoming dog collar match. Jim Crockett Jr. booked it, despite vowing not to sanction it because of fan demand. The versatile Hammer uses the unnamed Camel Clutch to gain the submission.

[Break] 

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Bob Orton & Dick Slater; Greg Valentine
Caudle reminds us that Starrcade ’83 is available in a location near us. Not mentioned here, but he is no longer Bob Orton Jr., just Bob Orton. I believe he cut a promo (probably on World Wide Wrestling) that he was way better than his father. Orton is excited for Starrcade. He and Slater will be there. Slater says Starrcade will be the biggest day wrestling has ever seen. In comes Valentine. Valentine says he’s a man, and will always honor his contract. Treat me like an animal, and that’s how I’ll act. He’ll hurt Piper.

[Break]

Match 4
The Assassins (w/Paul Jones) NC Rick McCord & Keith Larson
The Assassins are dominating. The crowd pops, because Charlie Brown and Wahoo McDaniel stroll to ringside. The Assassins step outside. There is a challenge, and the Assassins accept.

Match 5
Charlie Brown & Wahoo McDaniel NC The Assassins (w/Paul Jones)
We have an impromptu match.  That’s a wild Indian we have in the ring right now, Caudle says. Caudle thinks Paul Jones put something in Assassin 1’s mask. A headbutt, and Wahoo is weakened. The masked team takes over. Wahoo fights his way back, but an A1 headbutt sends him back down. Wahoo is busted open. He fights back and tags out to Charlie Brown. House of Fire. Sleeper on A1. But A2 knees him from behind. A four-man brawl in the ring. Wahoo is ripping at A1’s mask. Wahoo chases after Paul Jones. More A1 mask ripping. He is grabbed by Paul Jones and the heels take a powder. No result announced. 

LOCAL PROMO SPOT
Bob Caudle hypes Starrcade ’83. This is in lieu of local promos. 

[Break]

Match 6
Rick Steamboat & Jay Youngblood d. Ben Alexander & Golden Boy Grey
Steamboat delivers an insert promo about Race vs. Flair. Steamboat hits the flying bodypress on both Alexander & Grey, pinning both men. 

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Ric Flair; Jay Youngblood & Rick Steamboat; Roddy Piper
Flair is wearing the homemade Starrcade ’83 shirt. Caudle promotes Starrcade in your area, with a giant color-screen TV, and slow motion. Flair says they are all ready. David Crockett comes in. He says Pat O’Connor has a conflict of interest. He owns a restaurant and a ranch with Harley Race. So, there will another special referee. Steamboat hypes Starrcade. Steamboat wants to make this area a Fort Knox with all the gold. Piper is revved up. He unzips his jacket to reveal his dog collar.

Network edit music cuts off any Caudle sign off.
A better directed show, because Toby Jenkins is back.
 

* * * * * *

Results for the week, 11/07/83-11/13/83
(source: Clawmaster’s Archive via Sports and Wrestling blog posted by David Baker; “Wrestling” newsletter by Joe Shedlock)

Mon., 11/07/83 Greenville, SC; Memorial Auditorium
Great Kabuki beat Charlie Brown
The Assassins beat Dory Funk, Jr. & Rufus R. Jones
Mark Youngblood beat Kelly Kiniski
Keith Larson & Rick McCord beat Jerry Grey & Gary Royal
Brett Hart beat Tom Lentz

Tue., 11/8/83 Raleigh, NC; Dorton Arena
Brett Hart beat Bill Howard
Vinnie Valentino beat John Bonello
Angelo Mosca beat Tom Lentz
Mark Lewin & Kevin Sullivan beat Terry Gibbs & Johnny Weaver
Ric Flair & Wahoo McDaniel beat Bob Orton, Jr. & Kevin Sullivan in a cage match

Tue., 11/08/83 Walterboro, SC; Colleton County Recreation Center
Greg Valentine vs. Ricky Steamboat
Dory Funk, Jr., Charlie Brown & Bugsy McGraw vs. The Assassins & Paul Jones
Great Kabuki vs. Rufus R. Jones
Magic Dragon vs. Scott McGee
Mark Youngblood vs. Kelly Kiniski

Wed., 11/09/83 Spartanburg, SC; Memorial Auditorium (TV)
Charlie Brown & Wahoo McDaniel beat Tom Lentz & Kelly Kiniski
Kevin Sullivan & Mark Lewin beat Scott McGee & Terry Gibbs
Greg Valentine beat John Bonello
The Assassins double DQ Charlie Brown & Wahoo McDaniel  
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Ben Alexander & Jerry Grey
Dick Slater & Bob Orton, Jr. beat Terry Gibbs & Brett Hart
Angelo Mosca beat Bill Howard
Kevin Sullivan & Mark Lewin beat Scott McGee & Rick McCord
Great Kabuki beat John Bonello
Mark Youngblood beat Gary Royal

Thu., 11/10/83 Kenansville, NC; Memorial Auditorium
Great Kabuki vs. Roddy Piper
The Assassins & Paul Jones vs. Charlie Brown, Dory Funk, Jr. & Bugsy McGraw
Jerry Gray vs. Rick McCord
Magic Dragon vs. Chavo Guerrero
Brickhouse Brown vs. Gary Royal

Fri., 11/11/83 Charleston, SC; County Hall
The Assassins & Paul Jones beat Charlie Brown, Dory Funk, Jr. & Bugsy McGraw
Rufus R. Jones beat Great Kabuki
Vinnie Valentino beat Bill Howard
John Bonello beat Jerry Grey
Terry Gibbs beat Magic Dragon

Fri., 11/11/83 Richmond, VA; Richmond Coliseum
Johnny Weaver beat Gary Royal
Scott McGhee beat Gene Anderson
Kevin Sullivan beat Keith Larson
Angelo Mosca beat Kelly Kiniski
Ricky Steamboat beat Mark Lewin
Dick Slater & Greg Valentine beat Roddy Piper & Wahoo McDaniel
Ric Flair beat Bob Orton, Jr.

Sat., 11/12/83 Hampton, VA; Hampton Coliseum
Ric Flair beat Bob Orton, Jr.
Roddy Piper beat Dick Slater in a taped fist match
Plus other matches

Sun., 11/13/83 Asheville, NC; Civic Center
John Bonello beat Tom Lentz
Vinnie Valentino beat Keith Larson
Magic Dragon beat Bret Hart
Brickhouse Brown beat Gene Anderson
Mark Lewin & Kevin Sullivan beat Mark Youngblood & Jay Youngblood
Ricky Steamboat beat Great Kabuki
Ric Flair & Wahoo McDaniel beat Bob Orton, Jr. & Dick Slater in a steel cage match

Sun., 11/13/83 Toronto, ON; Maple Leaf Gardens
Bob Marcus beat Tim Gerrard (7:21)
Nick DeCarlo beat Scrap Iron Sheppard (9:41)
Leo Burke beat Herb Gallant (8:28)
The Destroyer & Kurt Von Hess beat Johnny Weaver & Billy Red Lyons (14:17)
Angelo Mosca & Charlie Brown beat Leo Burke & The Destroyer (subs for Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco) (11:32)
Blackjack Mulligan double countout with Masked Superstar (14:56)
Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine (18:40) by DQ

Johnny Valentine's Softer Side

by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

In early December of 1974, Johnny “The Champ” Valentine was a dominating force in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. Known as the “Hammer,” Valentine was the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion and was running roughshod over foe after foe. But in an edition of the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television show that was taped right before the wrestlers took off a little bit of time before the Christmas holidays, we learned some surprising things about the Hammer.

On this TV show, Valentine faced off against Belton, South Carolina’s favorite son, Tommy Seigler in a non-title bout. Johnny’s 2,000 silver dollars were not at stake in this match. This contest was the final bout on the show, and as such the length of the match was set for television time remaining. Seigler, a solid mid-card performer would be expected to give Valentine a good tussle, but in this match he held Valentine to a TV time limit draw. This surprising result may finally have exposed a small chink in Valentine’s armor.

But the biggest surprise to come out of this TV bout for me was a bit of information that was produced from color commentator “Big” Bill Ward. To put this bit of surprising news in perspective, one only had to think back to when Valentine was wrestling “Mr. Wrestling” Tim Woods on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television two months earlier, his deliberately breaking Woods’ leg, and smiling as Woods screamed in agony from the broken bone.

Ward told the Mid-Atlantic faithful, “A lot of times the fans write in, and we like to honor their requests. Someone wanted to know the hobbies of Johnny Valentine…well, you’d be surprised. A rugged guy in the ring like Johnny Valentine, can you imagine what his hobbies would be? Painting and gardening! Now, that’s amazing isn’t it?”

A shocked announcer Bob Caudle paused and then replied, “It really is…you wouldn’t think it was his nature.” Ward responded, “Well, the delicate touch he has in that ring could be applied to gardening and to painting. But it amazes me that a man that can be as rugged in that ring can have hobbies like that!”

Witnessing Johnny Valentine brutalize Mid-Atlantic opponents with his sledgehammer right hand in nearly every bout he participated in for Jim Crockett Promotions, I’m not quite sure when and where Bill Ward saw the ‘delicate touch’ of Johnny Valentine that he mentioned. But I certainly agree with “Big Bill” that I was amazed to hear that Johnny’s hobbies were painting and gardening.

I’ll never forget when TV announcer Les Thatcher followed up with the same line of thought with Valentine on Les’ Mid-Atlantic Wrestling TV show later in 1975, and even got Johnny, the Hammer, to talk about his garden. I about fell out of my chair when Valentine told Les that it was a source of great pride for him that the vegetables he grew in his garden were bigger and healthier than those of his neighbors. It’s just hard to imagine the brutal Johnny Valentine comparing and contrasting his tomatoes to those of his next door neighbors.

Oh well, I guess even a Hammer can have a softer side!

 

 

Originally posted in December 2016 

Johnny Weaver's Important Role in Toronto During the Mid-Atlantic Years

by Andrew Calvert
MapleLeafWrestling.com
Special to the Mid-Atlantic Gateway 

Johnny Weaver made his Toronto debut amid a flurry of re-organization for the territory. It was late 1978 and Frank Tunney had left his brief AWA association behind. A new partnership with Jim Crockett Jr. & George Scott was soon to revitalize the area, and Weaver remained a regular through the end days of the NWA in the city. 

He later took over the booking for the twice monthly shows at MLG and often the small circuit, but in the beginning he made his mark as a popular veteran, a man of 1000 holds type. The first time I saw Weaver at MLG he worked circles around his opponent, not an imposing figure but well versed and smooth in the ring. A local newsletter even asked 'why is Johnny Weaver wrestling in prelims?'

One of those early bouts was against Rudy Kay, of the wrestling family 'the Cormiers' out of New Brunswick. Weaver and Rudy and Kay's brothers -wrestling as Terry Kay and Leo Burke- were to be a big part of the scene a few years later. 

In Toronto we saw a good mix of talent from all over the wrestling world and often had rarer teaming's or bouts that you may not find in other cities. Both at MLG and on TV. Weaver, who regularly teamed with Mid Atlantic regulars Tony Atlas & Jay Youngblood, also teamed here with some of our local guys. Dewey Robertson, Tiger Jeet Singh, Dino Bravo, and Terry Yorkston were some of the pairings on the circuit and on TV. Weaver also teamed up on occasion with popular Billy Red Lyons (now full time announcer, mostly) in a great pairing of classic era stars. 

Since he appeared mostly in the openers or mid card we saw Weaver a lot when other wrestlers were needed ringside. A few times he got mixed up in Ric Flair bouts. At the 50th Anniversary show in Nov 1981 he came out to help NWA champ Flair after opponent Harley Race had attacked Flair after being pinned. Weaver, for his trouble, got a face full of the NWA title belt as Race swung it around the ring. After more wrestlers came out to help, a bloody Weaver assisted Flair down the ramp to the dressing rooms. 

At the Return of Champions Exhibition Stadium card in July 1983 Weaver was assigned as a special referee for the main of (now) NWA champ Race vs Flair. Flair came off the ropes all set to hit Race with an elbow but Race leaped out of the way and Flair caught Weaver flush, knocking him down. Flair quickly locked Race in a figure four and had him tied up and thrashing around when Weaver raised his arm. The crowd went wild thinking that Flair had taken back the belt -however, Weaver was signifying that Flair was disqualified for hitting the referee. The crowd wasn't happy, and either was Flair. When Flair argued with him, Weaver hit him hard with his own elbow. Flair went through the ropes and returned with the timekeeper's hammer, and as Weaver started to argue with Race, Flair started chasing Weaver back across the field with the hammer. Keep in mind Flair was a fan favorite here, a huge fan favorite!

On another card Angelo Mosca was attempting to win his Canadian Heavyweight Title back from Big John Studd in a steel cage bout. The bout ended in a melee with Mosca winning, but on the receiving end of a Studd beatdown inside the cage. Out came Weaver, running into the ring to save our beloved new champ, and WHOMP. Studd flattened him. Mosca soon regained his wits and he and Weaver gained the upper hand. Weaver had been in his own cage bout earlier vs Lord Alfred Hayes and was already bandaged up as he carried Mosca down the ramp. 

In mid 1982 Weaver entered into a long series with Leo Burke. The two had a bit of a history already, They had been tag team partners in the early 70's in Mid-Atlantic, where Leo had wrestled as Bobby Kay. In 1972 Weaver went on a tour of Leo's home turf on the East coast teaming with Leo against Freddie Sweetan, Mike Dubois, and others. Weaver returned again in 1975. They tried it again in Toronto only to have Burke quickly turn against Weaver. Burke was now also the North American champion, adopted in from Calgary (but not explained). The two started a long feud over the title, trading it back and forth, also involving Rudy & Terry Kay, Leo's brothers. 

By this time Weaver was handling the booking of the cards. He was well respected by his peers and was said to always 'have a dip of Skoal' in his lip. Along with his long feuds vs Hayes and Burke, Weaver also teamed with some up and comers. Kelly Kiniski, Keith Larsen, and Buddy Hart (Bret) were regular partners in good veteran-rookie type teams a 'la Weaver & Youngblood. That team too was very popular. In the 1982 Cadillac Tournament Weaver & Youngblood drew each other as seeds for the first round matchup, and went on to have an exciting scientific type bout. As Norm Kimber announced 30 seconds left in the bout, Weaver trapped Youngblood in his sleeper. Time would run out and referee Tommy Young gave a referee's decision to Weaver. The two shook hands, to the delight of the fans. It was a great way to kick off the tournament and one of my favorite matchups of the era.

Andrew Calvert's "The Canadian Heavyweight Title: The Complete History 1978-1984" is proudly featured in the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Book Store

Poster: Woods and Bravo Battle the Andersons at Fire Hall

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

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

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

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

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

NO. 18 IN A SERIES

The Assassin (with Cannibal and Animal)

From the Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast YouTube Page

Read the History of the Mid-Atlantic Championship

 

Book's Page at the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Book Store  |  Buy Now on Amazon.com

Valentine! Wahoo! Flair! Jones! Brisco! Funk! Steamboat! Piper! Koloff!
Many more!

Dr. Joseph Estwanik: A Doctor Remembers

Originally published in our 30th Anniversary
salute to Starrcade '85 in 2015.

Noted Charlotte orthopedist recalls his experiences treating the wrestlers of Jim Crockett Promotions, marvels at their toughness and athleticism
by Kyra Quinn
Special for the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Editor's Note: For a review of what first led to this article and interview by Kyra Quinn, read "Yes Virginia, there is a Dr. Estwanik."

“Let people know how great these athletes were,” said Dr. Joseph Estwanik, referring to the wrestlers of Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1980s.  Dr. Estwanik said this at the close of our recent telephone interview, which he had graciously agreed to after I reached out to him with questions about his involvement with professional wrestling decades ago. 

Dr. Joseph Estwanik

Not Just a Doctor on TV 
After recently discovering that Dr. Estwanik was still practicing medicine in Charlotte some 30 years after his initial appearance on Crockett television, I became curious about how he had become associated with the Crocketts, and about the extent of his involvement with the wrestlers. Estwanik had appeared on television as part of two highly memorable and now-classic angles: the ankle injury to Dusty Rhodes at the hands of Ric Flair and the Andersons in the buildup to Starrcade ’85, and the neck injury suffered by Ric Flair as the result of being piledriven on a ringside table by Terry Funk in 1989. But I wondered: were those two TV appearances all there was, or was there perhaps more to his story?

As I found out, there was much more. Joe Estwanik treated many of Crockett’s wrestlers throughout the 1980s. They were his patients and his friends, and his respect for them, even after all these years, remains profound and undiminished.

The Wrestling Connection
Dr. Estwanik’s association with professional wrestling developed as a result of the geographic location of his practice as well as his own background in and involvement with athletics, including Greco-Roman wrestling. Estwanik moved to Charlotte in 1978 after graduating from medical school at Wake Forest University and completing his residency. At that time he was one of the few doctors in the Charlotte area with an interest in sports medicine, which resulted in, as Dr. Estwanik put it, “sort of a natural hook-up with the Crocketts. Plus,” he added, “I was an avid weightlifter and bodybuilder, so I actually was in the gym with many of the athletes anyway… so I think I gained the, if I can say, respect for my knowledge base of wrestling [and] of weight training.”

“Tough as Nails”
Though he treated numerous Crockett wrestlers over the years, Dr. Estwanik actually had no professional relationship with Jim Crockett Promotions. “I think I felt better that way,” he explained, “that I was able to maintain a doctor-patient relationship. But because we had so many athletes in common I couldn’t help but at times meet the Crocketts or serve a need for them if I could.

Dr. Estwanik maintains an incredibly high regard for the wrestlers he treated, telling me, with amazement in his voice, “their athletic ability was superb, and… their toughness was insanely crazy!” Few people would know more about that toughness than Joe Estwanik. As the doctor to so many of the wrestlers, Dr. Estwanik was privy to injury knowledge that remained well-hidden from fans at the time. “I had their x-rays,” he explained, “and I knew the battering that they were taking, and I had performed some of their surgeries.” Estwanik continued, “It was even amazing what they sacrificed in the normal post-operative expected recovery, to get back on the road and perform in some capacity, somewhat shielding or protecting an injury or an operated area.” Dr. Estwanik even gave an example of seeing a wrestler in the ring on television still wearing the post-operative dressing Estwanik had applied at the completion of his surgery.

During those days, as part of his research for an academic paper that he later presented, Dr. Estwanik also surveyed over 100 professional wrestlers regarding injuries they had sustained throughout their careers; that paper, he says, documented the serious reality of the injuries the wrestlers were living and competing with. His succinct summary of the results of his research and observation: “They were always, always injured. They were tough as nails. And finally, they never got a day off.”

Patients and Friends
Joe Estwanik did not require any prompting when asked if he had any specific recollections of the wrestlers he worked with during the 80s. Immediately the memories started to flow. “Chief Wahoo McDaniel,” Estwanik recalled, “what a character and an extraordinary guy. I got to know him very well and operate on him.” Estwanik marveled at Wahoo’s toughness in continuing to wrestle into his 50s even though, as Estwanik put it, “anybody who was not a physician could see the significant arthritic changes” by simply looking at Wahoo’s x-rays.

Other wrestlers who Joe Estwanik counted as both patients and friends include Magnum T.A., Jimmy Garvin, and Ivan and Nikita Koloff. “So many of [the wrestlers] were so pleasant to work with,” Estwanik shared, “and just genuine guys from the gym, compared to a persona they got paid to play.”

Estwanik also recalled being there with his friends during some difficult times; he was one of the few visitors Magnum requested to see in the hospital after his career-ending auto accident in 1986, and he was there as a friend to Nikita Koloff as Nikita’s first wife, Mandy, died of cancer in 1989.

Agony at the Omni and Dusty’s “Hard Times”
When Dr. Estwanik finally did appear on-screen for Jim Crockett Promotions, he did so in the middle of one of the hottest angles and well-crafted stories in wrestling history: the ankle injury to Dusty Rhodes which set the stage for the Flair-Rhodes main event at Starrcade ’85 – one of the key moments in the legendary feud between the “Nature Boy” and the “American Dream”. As most fans of that era will recall, the injury occurred at the Omni in Atlanta on September 29, 1985, when Ric Flair turned full heel in grand and nefarious fashion, gleefully joining the Andersons in a brutal three-on-one attack in a cage against Dusty Rhodes. It was the ultimate betrayal, with Dusty having just single-handedly rescued Flair from a beating by the Russian trio of Ivan and Nikita Koloff and Krusher Khruschev.

Dr. Estwanik talks about Dusty's injury.

The attack resulted in a serious injury to Dusty which Flair had inflicted by landing a knee drop off the top rope onto Rhodes’ ankle. In the aftermath, Rhodes lay in clear agony on the mat, tended to by the Rock and Roll Express, announcer David Crockett and several others. As the house lights were brought up, the stunned Omni crowd watched with grave concern as one side of the cage was removed, the ring ropes were loosened, and the “American Dream” was carried to the dressing room with a huge bag of ice tied around his ankle.

On the following week’s “Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling” the angle was recapped, with Tony Schiavone informing fans that Dusty was put on a private plane and flown to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was examined by Dr. Joseph Estwanik. Subsequently, David Crockett conducted an interview with Estwanik in which the doctor explained the diagnosis of a third degree ankle sprain and addressed Dusty’s time frame for recovery. (Estwanik also appeared in a later interview with Dusty to discuss his rehab progress). Rhodes was put in a cast and was out of action for over a month, during which time the feud only became hotter as Dusty gave inspired interviews, including “Hard Times,” one of the most well-known and beloved promos ever. To go back and re-watch the events leading to Starrcade ‘85 is to be reminded of why people believed: incredible athletes, charismatic personalities, and storytelling that was compelling and realistic.

Revelation

Dusty Rhodes in the cast.

When I asked Dr. Estwanik about his interview with David Crockett all those years ago, he chuckled and had to confess that he didn’t remember it among all the other interviews he has given. But he did reveal something that is likely to surprise and possibly intrigue many fans: Dusty did have an actual injury. We can’t know for certain when the injury occurred; we can speculate that it may have been something that had been bothering Dusty and was then worked into the story at the perfect time. But regardless of timing, Estwanik stated: “There was an injury. TV exaggerates everything… but it was an injury requiring some immobilization and he elected to go with a cast… it’s the same cast on him that I would put on anybody.”

Dr. Estwanik took it in stride when I suggested to him that, during that era, there may have been a number of skeptical wrestling fans who did not believe he was a real doctor. “The fact is,” he laughed, “my enduring signature is suture lines, healed scars from surgeries.” He continued, assuring us, “I was really performing ACL surgeries and all the other things.”

These Days
In addition to his very successful Charlotte orthopedic practice, Dr. Estwanik continues his three-plus decades of work as a ringside physician for the sport of boxing and has also served in that same capacity for numerous years in Mixed Martial Arts. His extensive list of professional experience includes serving as the team physician for USA Boxing at multiple international events, and having served as the President of the Association of Ringside Physicians. In addition, Dr. Estwanik, along with Ken Shamrock and others, was instrumental in developing the original Boxergenics Grappling Glove used by MMA fighters; he developed the glove in the early days of MMA when the sport was in danger of being banned. That basic glove, says Estwanik, in still in use today, and he now jokingly refers to himself as the “idiot that didn’t patent it.”

Joe Estwanik’s favorite sports are the combat arts (which include wrestling, boxing, martial arts and MMA), in which he has decades of experience as both a treating physician and a fan. But he does seem to hold a special place in his heart for the professional wrestlers he knew and treated in the 1980s. When asked if he had become a fan of wrestling during that era, Estwanik responded, “You can’t help but watch your buddies.” Estwanik missed those buddies when Jim Crockett sold the business and the wrestlers left town. He still keeps up with some of them, though, and very fondly recalls that special era, telling us: “It was a great time of my life. I loved it.”

Originally published November 2015 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

November 28, 2015 was the 30th Anniversary of Starrcade '85. The event took place on Thanksgiving night in the cities of Atlanta, GA and Greensboro, NC.