Jim Crockett, Jr. Makes a Rare Appearance in Madison Square Garden (1982)

Madison Square Garden, January 1982: (L-R) Jim Crockett, Jr., Hiashi Shinma, Ken Tajima, Vince McMahon, and Frank Tunney. (Photograph by George Napolitano)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

It was quite the gathering of dignitaries during an intermission at the WWF wrestling event at New York's Madison Square Garden on January 18, 1982. The president of the WWF, Hisashi Shinma (second from the left) was making the announcement of the first annual I.W.G.P. (International Wrestling Grand Prix) Championship Tournament to be held in 1983 in Japan. Shinma, along with being the recognized president of the WWF was also a top official with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). 

Shinma was flanked by his interpreter Ken Tajima, and joined by National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) president and Mid-Atlantic Wrestling promoter Jim Crockett, Jr., WWWF promoter Vincent J. McMahon, and Toronto promoter (and NWA Vice President) Frank Tunney. It's also worth noting that Tunney and Crockett were business partners at this time, as Tunney was booking a majority of talent for his Maple Leaf Garden shows through Crockett's Charlotte, NC, office. 

It was a rare appearance for Crockett in Madison Square Garden. The WWF at this time was still a member of the NWA.

This gathering was captured by famed wrestling photographer George Napolitano who had the foresight to document the occasion. I've never seen any other photos from this rather historic gathering of wrestling dignitaries.

On the MSG Network broadcast of this show, the announcement was not covered. You could see this happening in the background of a wide camera shot, but announcer Vince (K.) McMahon was rambling on about something else while this was taking place. 

The 1/18/82 show was the first Madison Square Garden show I ever saw on TV. It was broadcast on delayed basis on the USA Network which had just been added to our local cable system in Kingsport, TN, where I grew up. The main event on that show was a really good WWF title defense by Bob Backlund against Adrian Adonis, where Adonis actually got the win, but not the title, when the match was stopped for blood. 

Mid-Atlantic stalwart Greg "The Hammer" Valentine was also on this show, defeating Pedro Morales, during one of Valentine's two big WWF stints during his 1976-1984 Mid-Atlantic period. Other regular Mid-Atlantic alumni on this card included former Mid-Atlantic champion Tony Atlas and perennial journeyman Charlie Fulton.   

According to the excellent reference book "Wrestling in the Garden: The Battle for New York" (by Scott Teal and J. Michael Kenyon, Crowbar Press), the show drew 18,301 and was simulcast live via closed circuit TV at the adjoining Felt Forum. While that book is an incredibly detailed compendium of all things related to the history of wrestling at Madison Square Garden, Teal and Kenyon oddly left out the gathering of these wrestling dignitaries at that January 18, 1982 show.

Thanks to Kyle Rosser for sending the photo clipping.

Originally published March 2021 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Jim Crockett Jr. in Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame

Happy to see that the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame inducted Jim Crockett Jr. into the Class of 2022.
Well deserved and long overdue.

 

 

Poster: Briscos battle Mauler/Brute in Greensboro

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster takes us back to March 16th, 1972 and promotes a card held at the War Memorial Coliseum in Greensboro, NC. 

As was the norm for this time period in Jim Crockett Promotions, tag team action headlined the bill. The Atlantic Coast Tag Team titles were up for grabs as the brother team of Jack and Jerry Brisco collided with the reigning champions Missouri Mauler and Brute Bernard.

The semi main event pitted fan favorites Johnny Weaver and Art Nelson against Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson who were being managed by Gary Hart. Boxing great Archie Moore was brought in as a special referee to keep things in order, if at all possible.

The remainder of the card consisted of singles action including Paul Jones versus Ole Anderson, Les Thatcher versus Gene Anderson, Argentina Apollo versus Johnny Heidman, Sandy Scott versus Bobby Paul, and Nelson Royal versus Krusher Karlson.

The poster itself features a striking horizontal layout with a two-tone yellow over green background and the "Wrestling" splash, "War Memorial Coliseum", and main event names in high impact red. The remainder is printed in black along with images of the featured stars lining both sides.

All in all, another exciting night of professional wrestling for the fans in Greensboro almost 50 years ago.

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Mid-Atlantic Gateway Notes
by Dick Bourne

The Brisco brothers were a key part of the main events in the Mid-Atlantic area in the early 1970s. They teamed here frequently (as in the main event this night in Greensboro), but also wrestled as top singles attractions. 

Jack Brisco was being groomed by Eddie Graham to become NWA World Heavyweight champion within the next year or so. Back in November of 1971, Brisco had defeated Missouri Mauler, one of his opponents this night in Greensboro, for the Eastern Heavyweight championship (the forerunner to the Mid-Atlantic title.)  He would feud with Rip Hawk over that title over the next several months. 

Jerry Brisco was on the cusp of the first big singles push of his career, something he would acknowledge and thank Jim Crockett, Sr. for during his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech some three decades later. He and Rip Hawk traded the Eastern Heavyweight title back and forth several times over the rest of 1972. 

Interesting to see Paul Jones and Ole Anderson in singles competition. Ole usually teamed with his brother Gene, but would get his first big singles push as well over the next year, also centered around the Eastern title (and Jerry Brisco.) Paul Jones and Ole Anderson would butt heads off and on for the next 13 years in tag team feuds, most notably in the famous Wahoo McDaniel/Paul Jones vs. Anderson Brothers wars of 1975. 

Johnny Heidemann (sometimes spelled Heidman or Heidmann), who faced high flyer Argentina Apollo on this show, would soon retire from full-time ring competition and become one of Crockett Promotions' regular referees.   

NO. 23 IN A SERIES

Crockett, Caudle, and Schiavone reunited in Raleigh

Photo courtesy of Tony Schiavone

What a reunion! David Crockett, Bob Caudle, and Tony Schiavone get together in Raleigh, NC. 

David and Tony made the special effort to visit Bob during the afternoon on January 12, hours before the big All Elite Wrestling (AEW) show that night in Raleigh. Jim Ross had hoped to join them, too, but travel arrangements prevented it. 

Bob and David hosted Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling together in the 1970s. David then moved over to host World Wide Wrestling in 1982, and Tony joined him as co-host in early 1984. Bob continued as host of NWA Pro Wrestling throughout the 1980s. Tony and David also hosted World Championship Wrestling together on Superstation WTBS in the mid-to-late 1980s. All three were part of big national television and pay-per-view specials for Jim Crockett Promotions and later Ted Turner's WCW.

What a special photograph! Thanks to both Tony and David for sharing this great reunion.

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Late edit (1/17/22): We posted this same photo on Twitter  as well, and it went viral (at least viral for us), garnering over 139,000 twitter impressions in the days after. A big surge of that occurred after Good Ol' J.R. Jim Ross retweeted it. A lot of fans from the 70s, 80s, and 90s were happy to see Bob again, and delighted to see all three of these guys together in the same special photograph.

Excellent Article on Jim Crockett, Sr.

HISTORY WITH HAYES: VHS grad Jim Crockett was one of the most powerful sports and entertainment promoters
by Tim Hayes, January 8, 2021
Bristol Herald Courier

Jim Crockett passed away in 1973, but his name lived on long after his death.

On April 19, 1986 at the Superdome in New Orleans, The Road Warriors – Hawk and Animal – beat Ronnie Garvin and Magnum T.A. in the finals of the inaugural Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament.

The Roanoke Valley Rebels won the first-ever Southern Hockey League championship in 1974 and celebrated by hoisting the James Crockett Cup.

Cal Ripken Jr. spent the summer of 1980 toiling in the Southern League for the Charlotte O’s, a Double-A baseball team that played home games at Jim Crockett Memorial Park.

Those championship trophies and that venue were named to honor a man who at one time was among the most powerful sports and entertainment promoters in the country and also happened to be a native Bristolian.....

--> Read the entire "History with Hayes" article on the Bristol Herald Courier website. 

Raleigh Memories: David Crockett and Bob Caudle

With @AEW in Raleigh tonight (on @TBSNetwork), I can't help but think back to the two guys who brought Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling into our living rooms every Saturday afternoon in the 1970s from the cozy confines of Raleigh's @WRAL TV studio. Bob Caudle & David Crockett! pic.twitter.com/1flehmXZFh

— Mid-Atlantic Gateway (@magateway) January 12, 2022

Coliseum/AEW Poster Benefits Loaves & Fishes of Charlotte

AEW Wrestling asked David Crockett to suggest a charity in the Charlotte area for their Community Outreach program headed up by Cody Rhodes. David Crockett suggested Loaves & Fishes.

Loaves & Fishes works with a network of 41 emergency food pantries located throughout Mecklenburg County to provide a week’s worth of nutritionally balanced groceries to individuals and families experiencing a short-term crisis.

AEW partnered with Asheville-area artist Hal Haney (@HalHaneyArt) and The Bojangles Coliseum (@TheBOPlex) to commission a special one-of-a-kind piece of art (seen below) that highlights the current stars of AEW while also paying homage to the rich history of pro wrestling in the building. The venue, built back in the late 1950s, is perhaps more familiarly known to earlier generations of wrestling fans as the original Charlotte Coliseum or the Independence Arena.   

Ten (10) limited edition copies of this original 11x17 artwork were printed and signed by AEW personnel, including Sammy Guevara, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Arn Anderson and Dustin Rhodes. They are currently being auctioned off to benefit Loaves and Fishes.

The project came together in advance of last weekend's AEW Battle of the Belts show at Bojangles Coliseum, spearheaded by the CRVA (Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.) This is all done in conjunction with AEW Community Outreach, which is piloted by Cody Rhodes.

Fans and collectors can bid on the signed pieces at this link through 10 a.m. ET this Saturday, Jan. 15.

Bid generously now! It's a very cool piece of wrestling memorabilia and benefits a great organization. Deadline is this Saturday January 15!

The Thesz Belt, Awarded in 1937

Image from Japanese magazine. Courtesy Bill Murdock.

Above: St. Louis promoter Tom Packs (at right) presents new World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz with a new championship belt the morning after Thesz defeated Everett Marshall for the title in December 1937.

The following is an edited excerpt from the book Crown Jewel by Dick Bourne (available via the Gateway Book Store.)

The belt that Lou Thesz wore as World champion until 1957 (when the first NWA-owned World Championship belt was put into service) was a belt Thesz personally owned that came with his purchase of Tom Packs’ St. Louis promotional office in 1949.

That belt is commonly known today as the “Thesz Belt,” named for the man who held the World Championship longer than any other. The belt was presented to him in 1937 by Packs after Thesz defeated Everett Marshall for the World Heavyweight Championship in St. Louis. When Thesz was made champion of the year-old National Wrestling Alliance in 1949, that belt became the NWA’s recognized World Championship title belt, and was so until the Alliance finally purchased and presented a belt of their own in 1957.

The Thesz belt was as much jewelry as it was championship belt. A series of plates held together only by chains, with only short leather attachments at each end to secure the belt around the champion’s waist. It was adorned with jewels. The center plate featured an imperial crown up top, a ring with two wrestlers in the center, and a large oval with a star at the bottom. The belt read “Worlds Heavyweight Wrestling Champion” and had his name “Louis Thesz” made right into the plate. There were three side plates on either side of the center buckle (total of six) that depicted wrestlers in various move combinations.

A 1937 article in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reporting on the new belt declared that the belt was “studded with 456 diamonds, 176 rubies, and 144 sapphires with six large diamonds in the centerpiece of the seven links.” According to Lou’s friend Koji Miyamoto, it was crafted by a jeweler in St. Louis, who likely made other belts during that era, as Marshall had a similarly designed belt of his own.

Prior to the formation of the NWA in 1948, there were a number of championships around the country recognized as “world championships” going back to 1905 and the days of the legendary George Hackenschmidt, who brought world title recognition with him from various European championships. Several of these U.S. titles were based out of states in the Midwest over these years, including Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, but also in cities like Boston and Los Angeles.

The title Thesz won from Everett Marshall in 1937 was the Midwest Wrestling Association title, originally based out of Ohio in 1931 and promoted by Al Haft, but by 1937 basically controlled by St. Louis promoter Tom Packs and partner Billy Sandow.

Thesz’s victory over Marshall took place on December 29, 1937 at the Municipal Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri. The original plan was simply for Thesz to go to a time limit draw or some other disputed finish to allow him to continue his climb in the ranks as a top contender. Promoter Tom Packs saw stardom and box office potential in Thesz and was grooming him to eventually take the top spot. But as Thesz described in his autobiography, when the show nearly sold out in advance weeks ahead of the match, Packs and Sandow re-evaluated their plans. Marshall had not been drawing huge crowds of late as champion, so when the title match with Thesz popped the box office, the plan was changed to put the title on Thesz.

“Deciding the champion was a strictly cold-blooded business decision,” wrote Thesz. “The wrestler who could draw the most money at the gate was the one who got the belt.”

By the time he first became NWA World Champion twelve years later in 1949, he was already a three-time world champion having held different versions of the title around the country. During the next several years Thesz would defeat a number of these other champions to effectively unify wrestling’s World Championship under the National Wrestling Alliance banner.

 

Mid-Atlantic Gateway Book Store

Lou Thesz, Dick Hutton, Pat O'Connor, Buddy Rogers, Gene Kiniski,
Dory Funk, Jr., Harley Race.

The storied history of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from 1959-1973,
and a look at the belt itself, the "crown jewel" of championship belts.

David Crockett Returns to the old Charlotte Coliseum

🐐 sighting! David Crockett!! #AEWBOTB @AEWonTV pic.twitter.com/9UkVSVu1zX

— Hoop 🙏 (@imthathoop) January 9, 2022

Poster: Newcomer Roddy Piper battles area stalwart Paul Jones at the Spindale House

by Brack Beasley

Mid-Atlantic Gateway

 

The Spindale House in Spindale, NC was a familiar stop for Crockett Promotions in the 1960s and 1970s. Unfortunately for local wrestling fans it all ended abruptly on the Friday night, June 5th, 1981 when Roddy Piper incited a full blown riot at the venue. Piper never had a problem drawing heat but this must have been something on a totally different level as the riot resulted in professional wrestling being banned in Spindale.

This poster promotes that infamous card in Spindale with a main event of Paul Jones versus Piper. The Mid-Atlantic Tag Team belts were on the line in the semi with champions Johnny Weaver and Dewey Robertson versus Mr. Fuji and El Torro while the undercard included Mike Reed, Ron Ritchie, Frank Monte, Charlie Fulton, and women wrestlers Suzette Ferreira and Angie Minelli.

With a vertical layout, the poster has all black print on an orange background along with images of Jones and Piper beside their match listing.

Nice details to note - it also lets us know that the event is sponsored by the Forest City Jaycees and you can buy your tickets at Bill's Auto Glass Shop and at Northwestern Bank locations in Forest City, Spindale, and Rutherfordton.

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Gateway Notes: 

Lots of action in and around the entire 4-state Mid-Atlantic area that Friday night in addition to the Spindale show, including the regular Friday night card in Richmond, VA (Ric Flair vs. Ivan Koloff, Anderson Bros. vs. Leroy Brown and Jay Youngblood), Charleston, SC (Masked Superstar  and Mr. Wrestling 2 vs. Austin Idol and "Prince" Jimmy Valiant, and the affiliated Knoxville, TN (Blackjack Mulligan vs. The Iron Sheik, Mulligan Jr. vs. Mongolian Stomper.)  

Odd to see Piper headlining this show against Paul Jones. Piper was United States champion at the time, but is not billed on the poster as champion. It isn't clear if this was a title defense or not. Piper was in the latter stages of a very heated feud with Ric Flair, who he defeated for that title back in late January of that same year. Jones had been more upper-middle-card during this time, although he and Wahoo McDaniel had reformed their team and were chasing the Anderson Brothers for the NWA World Tag team titles, daja-vu from their legendary feud in 1976.

 NO. 22 IN A SERIES