A Leap Day Bonanza in 1976

by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway


With leap year only hitting our calendars once every four years, you might think there would be a dearth of dynamic leap day cards during the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling era. But that wasn’t the case, and in fact, on February 29, 1976 there were TWO major cards both of which arguably had historical significance.

Greenville, South Carolina received a special leap day treat, as the Memorial Auditorium hosted an extremely rare Sunday card on February 29, 1976. Monday was Greenville’s regular wrestling day. But on this Sunday star-studded leap day lineup, NWA World Tag Team Champions Gene and Ole Anderson battled to a wild double disqualification result with the charismatic team of the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and Rufus R. “Freight Train” Jones! Dusty was brought in as a special attraction from outside the Mid-Atlantic area for this bout. The fans in Greenville also got to see Geeto and Bolo Mongol dominate Tiger Conway and Swede Hanson, and the Mongol’s manager “Professor” Boris Malenko make an increasingly rare visit into the ring, dispatching the young but talented Larry Zbyszko. Rounding out the leap day card in Greenville, rough and tumble Ronnie Garvin whipped up on the crafty Bill Howard, while the curtain raiser saw Tio Tio draw with “Dynamite” Jack Evans.

The second leap day card in 1976 occurred at none other than the cavernous Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. And it featured a spectacular main event, with NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Terry Funk defending his prized belt against number one contender and reigning United States Heavyweight Champion, Paul Jones!

At this point in time, Paul Jones was at the absolute zenith of his Mid-Atlantic career. Paul had beaten Terry Funk on November 27, 1975 in Greensboro for the U.S. belt, and widely proclaimed to the fans that he had Funk’s number. Jones was defending his U.S. Title impressively against the mammoth Blackjack Mulligan, and Paul’s popularity was through the roof. It appeared to many that Jones would ride his wave of staggering momentum to a World’s Title victory on this night. Alas, it was not to be as Terry Funk disappointed everybody in Greensboro with a pinfall victory.

In my opinion, Paul Jones never recovered from this loss fully, as within two weeks he would drop the U.S. Title to Blackjack Mulligan. Paul was never again the number one contender to the World belt, and as tantalizingly close to the NWA World Title as he was that leap year’s night in Greensboro, though Jones certainly had his fair share of triumphs throughout the remainder of the Mid-Atlantic years.

Despite the bitter disappointment of the Paul Jones defeat, the fans in Greensboro did have a lot to cheer about on this leap day, 1976. In the semi-final, they saw the skillful Tim Woods heap a rare defeat on the brutish Blackjack Mulligan. These two had been battling since around the time of the big U.S. Title Tournament in Greensboro on November 9, 1975, when Woods had cost Mulligan a chance to advance in that epic tournament. Dusty Rhodes continued his leap day “double shot” in the Mid-Atlantic area, dropping a disputed decision to the chicanery of Ric Flair, which of course silenced the fan’s cheers again for a bit. 

The undercard of this Greensboro leap day show was excellent, and was very fan friendly! The high-flying duo of Roberto Soto and El Rayo outlasted the powerhouse duo of Angelo Mosca and Steve Strong. A significant losing streak for Strong was continued by this bout. The impressive new duo of Mike “The Judge” DuBois and “Sergeant” Jacques Goulet battled to an entertaining time limit draw with Johnny Weaver and the powerful Tony Atlas. Ronnie Garvin completed his leap day “double shot” 2-0 with a win over the always obnoxious George “Two Ton” Harris. Klondike Bill opened the festivities with a decision over big Jim Lancaster.

Yes, in 1976, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling was the place to be on leap day! With leap day cards like that, it’s a shame there was a four year wait for the next leap year to roll back around!

Memories of County Hall in Charleston

by Andy McDaniel
Special to the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

I think all of us have at least one moment in our lives that really stands out. There are the obvious ones like children, getting married, dream vacations, etc. Although I have been blessed to have all of those moments take place over the course of my life, there is one extra event that just continues to live on.

In May of 1998 a childhood dream came true and after months of planning, along with my good friend, Mike Mooneyham, we created a special moment that has been celebrated in some form or fashion every year since. I am speaking of the Charleston County Hall Reunion which featured some of the greatest wrestling legends from the past and even a few from the present. Looking back on that night, Mike and I often talk about the truly fond memories and sadly enough the reality that many of our dear friends are no longer with us. Tim Woods, Rip Hawk, Swede Hanson, George “two-ton” Harris, just to name a few of those who attended this great event and how could I ever forget the joy it was to have the one and only Johnny Valentine with us. In a word, this event was awesome!

A while back Dick Bourne and I were talking about this great night from 1998 and he asked if I had ever considered writing a book about it. While the thought had crossed my mind, it was mostly a passing thought. Life for me is very busy and extra time is something I have very little of. However, the more we talked about it the more the idea was taking on some true reality. Sorting through old pictures sure did bring back great memories and this book idea was beginning to seem like a truly good idea. I did not have some grandiose idea of millions of copies being sold, it was simply a labor of love and a way to preserve these great memories and honor the memories of those who had stepped into Eternity.

The stories shared during that weekend were incredible. I was like a kid in a candy store sitting there with Ole Anderson and Sandy Scott. Seeing the tears well up in the eyes of Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson when they saw each other for the first time in over 25 years. It is something I will never forget. These and many more stories are in the book along with some great pictures from this event.
I have made it a goal to give a copy of this book to all of those from the business who were there and are still with us. I have been blessed to personally deliver a copy to Ole Anderson. I have sent additional copies out to Abe Jacobs and others.

WWE Referee Charles Robinson

Recently, through a chain of events I have become friends with Lodi. Yes, that Lodi, the WCW sign guy from Raven’s Flock. In one of our conversations Lodi mentioned to me that he has lunch with Charles Robinson, WWE referee, at least once a week. Immediately I had to plug the book about County Hall and ask Lodi if he would be able to get a copy to Charles for me. Charles was one of our many special guest that weekend, 18 years ago and even blessed us with refereeing a match on the card that night. During that time Charles was working for WCW and he along with Mark Curtis (Brian Hildebrand), also from WCW, joined legendary referees Tommy Young and Ron West and the blessing was simply amazing.

I had not seen Charles since the book was printed so I wanted to make sure he got one. I gave Lodi the book and he ensured me that he would get it to Charles as soon as he got back from Europe where the WWE was on tour. Staying true to his word Lodi not only delivered the book for me, but also sent me this great picture of Charles holding the book. Although I have a long way to go to capture as many pictures with my book as my buddy George South has had taken with his, each one I get is special to me.

Thanks for letting me share this little story with you and if you are curious about this event from the historic wrestling venue, Charleston County Hall, please pick up a copy of the book and take a step back in time and enjoy the pictures and memories. A special thanks to Dick Bourne and the Gateway for keeping the wonderful world of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling alive. It has been a part of my life since 1974 and I count each moment as special.

Order your copy of "Reunion at County Hall" on Amazon.com
Black & White Version   |   Color Version

Read the review by Mike Mooneyham of the Charleston Post & Courier

Wrestling Book Takes a Look at County Hall 

Sold Out in Spartanburg, Two Years in a Row

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

For the second year in a row, Big Time Wrestling sold out the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium for a big nostalgic card Saturday night (2/27). It was the second big night of the weekend that Big Time Wrestling drew huge crowds to classic Mid-Atlantic Wrestling venues.

Tony Hunter / Facebook

The event drew over 1,800 fans and turned away several hundred more for a mix of nostalgia and modern day independent stars. The night before (2/26), Big Time Wrestling drew a similar sized crowd at the Dorton Arena in Raleigh. Both buildings were a fabled part of the circuit of venues that Jim Crockett Promotions ran weekly in the 1950s-1980s.

The arena section of the Memorial Auditorium in Spartanburg, SC, is actually a very large basement under a huge arts theater just above it. It has played host to wrestling events going back to the 1950s. It was always recognizable on Jim Crockett Promotions television in the 1980s by the steel columns across the upper seating areas on either side of the main floor.

This event was headlined by long-time area favorites Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson (the Rock and Roll Express) vs. The Powers of Pain (the Warlord and the Barbarian) in a steel cage match. Also on the card were Jim Cornette, Baby Doll, Road Warrior Animal, Scott Steiner, and an appearance by Lex Luger, among many others.

Doug Canipe / Facebook

I would imagine it took an extraordinary amount of hard work by Big Time Wrestling and its local promoter Tony Hunter to put this card together and to promote in such a way as to draw this type of crowd. They've been advertising it for months. Amazing, really.

But put it in this perspective: during its heyday, Jim Crockett Promotions ran this building every week, nearly 50 weeks a year.  And during the 1960s and 1970s there were often two other shows  being put on by that same company in the same territory the same night. 

That's not to in any way diminish what Big Time Wrestling accomplished this weekend. In this day and age and in this market for pro wrestling, it is amazing what just happened here. By comparison, the WWE with their sophisticated marketing machine and headlining Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Chis Benoit, couldn't fill this building back in the mid-2000s. It is a credit to the hard work of many folks and in particular Tony Hunter, who might be the hardest working local promoter on this scene in the last 30 years. That perspective is just meant as a reminder of what an amazing time it was long ago when wrestling fans in the Carolinas and Virginias were treated to such great wrestling on a regular basis.

Sam Finley / Facebook

But as the great Don Henley wrote in The Boys of Summer, "those days are gone forever, I should just let 'em go."

In the meantime, fans of all ages and of at least two distinctly different eras of pro wrestling came together in mass for another Saturday night of action in a nostalgic and memorable venue. 

Big time, indeed.

Big Time Wrestling returns to the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium on September 24, 2016. Stay tuned to their website for more details as they are available.

Pro Wrestling Returns to Dorton Arena

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway  

"I'm the 1st person to lose a pro wrestling match in Dorton Arena in 23 years. #Under4Life #Historic"     - Jake Feuerbach, Twitter

That's one of the first twitter posts I came across this morning when searching for photos of last night's "Big Time Wrestling" card at the historic Dorton Arena in Raleigh, NC.

Fans of the independent wrestling scene in this part of the country know Jake Feuerbach better  as "Man Scout" Jake Manning. Or if you are a devotee to George South's internet TV show "Dad You Don't Work, You Wrestle", you know him simply as "Bullitt."

Regardless of what you call him, I found great humor in (and have great respect for) Jake's self-effacing acknowledgement of wrestling's return to this fabled old building sitting on the state fairgrounds in Raleigh. Jake isn't originally from this area. And even if he was, he isn't old enough to remember the great Mid-Atlantic Wrestling cards at Dorton. I'm assuming his general respect of the history of pro-wrestling here (and hanging out with George South for the last 12 years) has instilled in him the knowledge of just what a special place this was for pro wrestling. Dorton Arena is indeed hallowed ground.

Big Time Wrestling proved they are indeed "big time" as they brought wrestling back here Friday night. There was a huge crowd at Dorton, and they were there to see wrestling for the first time in 23 years if Jake has his facts right.

Photos taken of the building set-up before the doors were opened Friday night.
(Photos from Jake Feuerbach's Twitter)

Dorton Arena was the site of thousands of wrestling shows from the early 1950s through the mid-1990s. Probably its most famous card, at least the one still talked about today, was a turn-away crowd that came to see "Nature Boy" Buddy Landel challenge "Nature Boy" Ric Flair for the NWA World Championship there in 1985. (See "Flair and Landel Sold Out in Raleigh" and "The Lightning and Thunder of the Nature Boys" for more on that.) 

The most special thing for me was learning that wrestling broadcasting legend Bob Caudle was there to welcome the crowd to the show before it began. Bob hosted the "Mid-Atlantic Wrestling" television show taped at Raleigh's WRAL channel 5 studio for over three decades. The TV show was taped on several occasions directly from Dorton Arena, too, and Bob's voice promoted many Tuesday night cards there. Bob still shares a special relationship with fans today, and is one of the most universally well-liked and respected people that worked in the business. He is also a great friend of this website.

Bob Caudle (center) with promoter Tony Hunter, and wrestlers George South, Robert Gibson,
Jimmy Valiant, and Ricky Morton (photos from Ricky Morton and Jacob Simms)

There were many other big names from Mid-Atlantic Wrestling's past at Dorton last night: the "Rock & Roll Express" Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson, "The Boogie Man" Jimmy Valiant, Road Warrior Animal, the "Powers of Pain" Warlord and Barbarian, Lex Luger, George South, and Jim Cornette, just to name a few.

Photo by Dick Bourne

I wish other classic old venues in our area could experience another big crowd the way Dorton Arena did last night. Not many of the original buildings that were part of the Mid-Atlantic circuit in the 1970s and 1980s are left, but some are. Wouldn't it be great to see a crowd this size in the old Independence Arena in Charlotte or the Township Auditorium in Columbia? The Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium will see a similar card and similar crowd when Big Time Wrestling appears there tonight.

As "Man Scout" Jake Manning looked up at the lights of Dorton Arena, the sounds of that three count echoed off the saddle-style ceiling and enormous windowed walls of Dorton. He now is part of a fabled history of a building which rekindled great memories of days gone by, and hopefully will enjoy again if Big Time Wrestling ever decides to return to the Raleigh fairgrounds.

* * * * *
See also: Sold Out in Spartanburg, Two Years in a Row

The Briscos' Million Dollar Smiles

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

I just came across a great interview with Jerry Brisco conducted by Marshall Ward for the Canoe Slam! Wrestling website. While the interview is not dated, I believe it took place not long after the Cauliflower Alley banquet in 2015 where Jerry was presented with the 2015 Lou Thesz Lifetime Achievement Award.

There is lots of great Mid-Atlantic Wrestling content in the interview, particularly Jerry talking about his heel run in the Mid-Atlantic area being his favorite of his career.

He also mentions someone sending him a link to a video promo on YouTube:

There's a promo on YouTube now that somebody sent me the other day that I'd forgotten all about. And you know how Edge and Christian used to do that five-second photo op? Well, Jack and I were doing a promo with Bill Ward, the commentator in Mid-Atlantic Wrestling and so I come out and I said a couple words, something like: "I know you people are tired of what I've got to say, you're tired of listening to me, so I'm going to give everybody out there what you want the most. Jack and I standing here for five seconds smiling pretty for you."

So we just stood there and didn't say a word for five seconds, just smiling real arrogantly and then walked off the set. So I said to Edge, "You stole that!" and he said he never saw it. So I joked, that was the original five-second pose (laughs).

Well, that somebody that sent him the promo was me. I came across it on one of David Chappell's old VHS video tapes. I thought you might like to see the actual promo that Jerry mentions. It is just wonderful and embodies the total arrogance of the Brisco Brothers during their memorable heel run with Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood ("Youngboat") over the NWA world tag team titles in 1983.

Jerry and Jack Brisco's Million Dollar Smile!

It didn't get any better than that! "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes wasn't the only one with a "million dollar smile."

The Brisco Brothers remain one of my favorite tag teams of all time.

Republished in the "Best Of" series on 2/18/2019.

Harley Race Keeps Fighting

Spotlight: Former world champ wrestler Harley Race still fighting
by Joel Holleman
St. Louis Times Dispatch

A metal utility building is far away in many ways from Madison Square Garden, and there are few moves you can make from a motorized chair.

But after more than 55 years of belts, bruises, wins, pins and falls, “Handsome” Harley Race is still in the wrestling game.

“I’ve wrestled on every continent but Antarctica and in every country in the world except for China and the USSR,” said Race, 72, as he sat behind the desk of World League Wrestling in Troy, Mo.

Conspicuously, Race now sits in a cushioned, motorized chair and readily admits that getting around is no longer his strong suit — thanks to having had hips and knees replaced, five vertebrae fused together, multiple abdominal surgeries and a metal rod for a forearm.

“You do what I did to my body, for as long as I did, and it’s bound to take its toll,” said Race, with not a hint of regret in his gravelly voice.

>> Click here for the rest of the article on the St. Louis Times Dispatch website.
Print Version 

The Lost Art of the Abdominal Stretch

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Here at the Gateway, often living in the past as we do, we long for the day when some of the more simpler holds were actual effective finishing holds. I'm talking about, for example, a standing vertical suplex used as finisher. Indeed, Harley Race defeated Dory Funk, Jr. for the NWA world championship with a simple suplex.

My favorite all time pro wrestling hold is the abdominal stretch. It was perfected in the 1960s by the legendary George Becker, who won many matches with it, especially on television. When he locked it in during his main event arena matches, you knew victory was at hand - - until a dastardly heel made the save and cheated us of that victory celebration with "the stretch."

When Johnny Weaver came to the Mid-Atlantic area in the early 1960s, George Becker took him under his wing and one of the things Becker taught Weaver was the proper way to apply the abdominal stretch.

As Becker would demonstrate with great success over the years, the most effective way to apply the hold was to hook the toe his behind the calf or ankle of his opponent.

Weaver learned this well, as demonstrated in the photos below from a match with Jumbo Tsuruta in Japan.

Notice Weaver's left toe tucked securely behind the ankle of Tsuruta's leg, allowing Weaver to apply maximum torque in applying the hold.

Next time you see someone apply the abdominal stretch during a match on Monday Night Raw or at your local independent show in your hometown, remind yourself that if they had just hooked the toe, they likely could have gained a submission victory.

Hey. You do know that the abdominal stretch is real thing, right? Ahhh, the good ol' days.

(Photos are from Johnny Weaver's personal scrapbook.)

Wooo, Mercy Daddy! An afternoon with the Boogie Man

by Andy McDaniel
Special to the Mid-Atlantic Gateway

As time has gone by, many of us have come to know Jimmy Valiant as simply, Boogie. He is truly a kind and dear man that has found a special place in many of our hearts. My memories are many and to be honest I probably cannot remember how many times I have seen him wrestle in my favorite place for wrestling, Charleston County Hall. Street fights with Ivan Koloff, cage matches against Paul Jones’s army, Siberian salt miners glove matches, Charlie Brown “from outta town” these are all fond memories and for a bright eyed kid during the eighties, they were really fun times.

It was always great to see how Jimmy got the crowd fired up for the main event as he circled the ring shaking hands and giving out the occasional kiss, of course watching Mr. Henry Marcus keep his distance was a funny addition to the moment. It was a magical time in wrestling and one that this fan truly misses. As Archie Bunker would say, “Those were the days.”

Thinking over those times reminds me of a great story I would like to share. It was 1989 maybe early 1990, but I had just moved to Charlotte after college. I was a young kid trying to find my way in life. I found myself in need of some car repairs and was at Sears located in the mall. The mechanic let me know it would be a while so I decided to walk around and kill some time. Again, at that time life was somewhat confusing and a little cloudy as to where my next steps were going to be. To have a moment of joy would have been a good thing, little did I know that moment was just around the corner.

An Upset for the Ages: Keirn and Conway beat the Andersons

by David Chappell
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Steve Keirn & Tiger Conway, Jr.

I loved watching Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling on television. In fact, my Saturday’s during the Mid-Atlantic era revolved around TV wrestling! But as much as I loved my television wrestling on Richmond’s WTVR-TV 6 back in the 1970’s, the TV matches themselves were very predictable as far as who won and who lost. And that was absolutely okay with me. It made sense that an established and championship duo like Gene and Ole Anderson would whip up on and defeat the many young upstart tandems that the promoters threw in against them on TV. For me, the team of Tiger Conway and Steve Keirn fit that bill. In my mind they were in the class of a good upcoming tag team, and would certainly put up a good fight, but there was no way in the world they could beat Gene and Ole Anderson. Boy, was I in for a big surprise!

First off, let me say that in September of 1975 Conway and Keirn brought a little more to the table than some of the typical Anderson’s TV opponents. Tiger Conway, Jr. was rapidly losing the “junior” designation…he was becoming his own man, and an accomplished wrestler. Tiger rose to one half of the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Champions with Paul Jones in late 1974 and early 1975. But in February of 1975 when Gene and Ole Anderson took over as the area’s tag team kingpins, it was Tiger who was effectively booted out of the territory. Conway reappeared in the area with little fanfare a few weeks before being paired with Keirn in September of 1975.

Steve Keirn was building up some credentials as well. Hitting the area in the middle of 1975, the 1974 NWA Rookie of the Year put on an impressive showing against NWA World Champion Jack Brisco in a rare TV match from the WRAL TV studios soon after entering the territory. But Keirn’s performances after that were a bit uneven, and it appeared he was settling into a mid-card tag team slot with partner Ron Starr. Conway’s return to the area seemed to change things, as Tiger liked what he saw in the aggressive youngster Keirn.

Gene & Ole Anderson

During the latter days of September 1975, NWA World Tag Team Champions Gene and Ole Anderson were operating at an all-time high level. Gene and Ole were winding down one of the greatest tag teams programs ever, with Paul Jones and Wahoo McDaniel, having wrestled Jones and McDaniel in lengthy matches throughout the spring and summer. As great as the Anderson Brothers were, they perhaps were never as invincible-looking as they were in the middle of September of 1975.

The Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling TV show that was taped on September 17th was down to its final match of the program, with the World Tag Team champs Gene and Ole Anderson pitted against youngsters Tiger Conway and Steve Keirn in a non-title bout. While the match had no particular build-up, the crowd was super hyped. I probably should have sensed something unusual was up when television commentator David Crockett said, “There’s something in the air; I don’t know what it is, but these fans can feel it. They were up on their feet when Keirn and Conway walked in the ring. They’re ready!”

Live to Tell: Ric Flair's Career in Pictures

A photo montage of Ric Flair, The Nature Boy's 35+ year career set to "Live To Tell", a special version called the "At...
Posted by Joseph Saylor on Friday, February 19, 2016