The Road Warriors with Gordon Solie on Georgia's
"World Championship Wrestling"
__________________________________
by Dick Bourne Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Photographs by Donald Joyner
More than the actual figures themselves submitted by some of our collector friends, I've been most impressed with the backdrops used folks have created to present their figures. From the Crockett-era replica belts used by Jeff Jewett to the replica locations of "Make Believe Gardens" from Barry Hatchet and the incredible scale reproduction of the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling set and WTBS mid-80s set by Mike Simmerman that got this whole series started, it's what's seen in the background that makes these photos really work for me. (I love the custom little belts, too!)
So I was particularly impressed with Donald Joyner's recent submission of two photos that feature the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling set from 1983-1986 and the World Championship Wrestling (Georgia Wrestling on WTBS) set from 1982-1984.
Donald told us Mike Simmerman's work recently featured on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway inspired him to create his own backdrops for his figures.
Featured above right are the infamous Road Warriors, wearing their National Tag Team championship belts, on the set of "World Championship Wrestling" with Gordon Solie.
Below, we see "America's Team" of Magnum T.A. Dusty Rhodes with Bob Caudle on the set of "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling."
Magnum T.A., Bob Caudle, and Dusty Rhodes on the set of "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling"
Thanks to Mike Simmerman, Jeff Jewett, Barry Hatchet (by way of Andrew
Calvert), and Donald Joyner for all of the great photos that have been
part of Action Figures Friday over the past ten months.
The 1982 NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament PART SIX by Dick Bourne Mid-Atlantic Gateway
If you missed earlier posts in this series, check them out in the links below, especially the INTRODUCTION, which puts the whole tournament in a perspective that serves as a launching point for the following discussions.
FAYETTEVILLE, NC Date: March 1, 1982 Venue: Cumberland County Memorial Arena
Bob Caudle interviews Pvt. Kernodle and Pvt. Nelson, Sgt. Slaughter's young Marine recruits.
On the 3/6/82 episode of "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" during a match between Pvt. Nelson and Pvt. Kernodle vs. Ron Ritchie and Tony Anthony, host Bob Caudle informed viewers that Nelson and Kernodle had won the recent tournament in Fayetteville, NC. Caudle's co-host for that week, Roddy Piper, sung the praises of the young Marine recruits:
Roddy Piper: "Look at these young gentlemen here. Right there in Fayetteville, look at 'em! There are your champions. Aren't they good!?"
Bob Caudle: "I tell you, that may have surprised a lot of people, but not us. Because having been taught and having been trained by Sgt. Slaughter - - Roddy Piper, you've been saying all along, watch out for these guys."
Sadly, little is known about the tournament in Fayetteville, other it was won by the Marine Privates. We know four of the other teams that participated from the newspaper ad that appeared in the local paper for the show, but no results have been published anywhere to our knowledge.
The four teams billed in the newspaper ad as being in the Fayetteville tournament were:
Ole Anderson and Stan Hansen
Jack and Jerry Brisco
Porkchop Cash and Jay Youngblood (reigning Mid-Atlantic Tag Team champions)
Pvt. Nelson and Pvt. Kernodle
Remaining teams were likely comprised of mostly undercard wrestlers. That same night there was a big card in Greenville, SC and that card featured many of the wrestlers that had been in previous tournaments such as Sgt. Slaughter, Roddy Piper, Bob Armstrong, Ray Stevens, Kelly Kiniski, plus Ricky Steamboat, Carl Fergi, and many others.
In preparation for this article, I spoke with Jim Nelson (aka Boris Zhukov) and asked him what he remembered about that night in Fayetteville. Sadly, like a lot of wrestlers, he doesn't remember much. He was wrestling seven days a week then, and this was 36 years ago after all, so that's to be expected. (Exactly what happened on 3/1/82 on your job 36 years ago? See how it works?) He did seem to think they beat Youngblood and Cash in the finals, and that makes sense given the two teams would feud over the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team titles in the next month. He also specifically remembers he and Don wrestling the Briscos along this same time, and while he wasn't sure if it was in that tournament, it is reasonable to think it likely would have been since the two teams would not have normally met otherwise being on different positions on the cards. If this is the case, they likely defeated the Briscos in the semi-finals in Fayetteville.
If you have any information about that tournament, specifically results and bracketing, please CONTACT US so we can include it here.
On that 3/6/82 TV show, Piper went on to call Nelson and Kernodle the "Fayetteville Connection," and then updated the viewing audience on all the tournament winners so far. Oddly enough, Piper did not mention Richmond, VA in his update, and it may have been that since Sgt. Slaughter and Pvt. Nelson had won Richmond, they didn't want to confuse fans with talking about having Nelson the winner of two different tournaments with two different partners. Nelson and Kernodle were going to be pushed as a top team for the next few months, and would go on to win the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team championships in May.
Tournament Notes and Trivia:
Pvt. Jim Nelson is the only man in the entire run of tournaments to win more than one tournament with two different partners. (Richmond with Sgt. Slaughter, Fayetteville with Don Kernodle.)
Ole Anderson and Stan Hansen continued their streak as being the only team to compete in all of the city tournaments, five total so far.
Fayetteville is home to the U.S. Army's Fort Bragg, the largest U.S. military installation in the world. It would be fun to know if Pvt. Kernodle and Pvt. Nelson were treated warmly by the military friendly crowd, or if the Army crowd cheered anyone and everyone against the young Marines. Regardless, it's no coincidence that behind the scenes, booker Ole Anderson picked Fayetteville for its military connection to have Nelson and Kernodle get their big win.
Nelson and Kernodle accomplished this big win on their own. Their mentor Sgt. Slaughter was in Greenville, SC, on this night defending the United States Heavyweight championship against Ricky Steamboat.
The Fayetteville tournament ended a string of three city tournaments in four days across three different states (Virginia, Georgia, and North Carolina.)
Coming Up in PART SEVEN:
On to the Sunshine State! The tournament heads for Florida in what wound up being the final legitimate tournament in the series, although there would be at least two fictional tournaments that would come into play later. St. Petersburg would host the "Bayfront Spectacular" that would include their tournament which was an odd one: it featured only five teams competing, but had one of the most colorful line-ups including a team from the first family of Texas wrestling, the Von Erichs! Stay tuned for more on this interesting 1982 tournament for the NWA World Tag Team Championships.
Here is some rare vintage audio: a 45 sec. clip from Norfolk, VA, promoting an upcoming card on October 26, 1967 at the Norfolk City Arena (as seen in the newspaper ad above.).
The promo aired during "All Star Wrestling" on WAVY-TV channel 10 in Norfolk. We don't know who the narrator is, perhaps an employee of the station. He's likely local, though, as he clearly has that eastern Virginia accent...."Nawfolk." Love it.
What a great looking newspaper ad, too, we love this design. Take a look at those 1967 ringside prices.
George Becker and Johnny Weaver vs. Lars and Gene Anderson in a two-of-three falls main event. The dynamic team of Les Thatcher and Rudy Kay in support. Didn't get much better than that in 1967.
By the late summer of 1978, two of the biggest names in professional wrestling, Blackjack Mulligan and Baron von Raschke, had been for the most part going their separate ways in the Mid-Atlantic area for about a year. That was all about to change during an eventful edition of the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling television program that was taped on September 6, 1978.
The beginning of that TV show started off with a figurative "bang," as Paul Jones and Ricky Steamboat were shockingly forced to relinquish their World Tag Team Title belts to Raschke and Greg Valentine on the program's first segment via a pronouncement by NWA President Bob Geigel. But following that blockbuster announcement, Baron von Raschke hung around to give the show a literal "bang" immediately following. Unfortunately that loud bang was a blow to Blackjack Mulligan's noggin.
Announcer Bob Caudle summoned the big man from Eagle Pass, Texas saying, "I have Blackjack...come on out here Blackjack. All right fans, this is Blackjack Mulligan, Blackjack come on in because we've got a special presentation to you...David." Color commentator David Crockett reappeared on the set with a large trophy and approached Mulligan saying, "On a much pleasanter note, Jack, it says from the fans of the Mid-Atlantic area, to Blackjack Mulligan, Outstanding Wrestler of 1977-78. Blackjack, from the wrestling fans of the Mid-Atlantic area."
Mulligan appeared to be very moved by the award and began to comment, "I tell you what, thank you very much David..." Then in a split second, Raschke and Greg Valentine appeared back on the set and attacked Mulligan viciously. The Baron was the primary aggressor, grabbing the trophy and breaking it squarely over Blackjack's head! The crowd in the studio audience was almost in riot mode at this shocking turn of events!
Caudle exclaimed, "Hey, [the Baron] just went wild and is tearing it up! He hit Blackjack across the head with it David, and they're both on him, slammin' him around over there." Crockett yelled in response, "Raschke's just gone completely berserk!" Caudle continued, barely audible over the boisterous crowd, "He said what do you mean, [Mulligan's] not the outstanding that he is the outstanding and that he is the champion. And he continues to stomp and kick at Blackjack Mulligan!" A hysterical Raschke then interjected maniacally, "That will give me part of the $10,000.00 bounty, Blackjack Mulligan!"
As Mulligan attempted to gather himself, Caudle repeated, "He says that will give him part of the $10,000.00 bounty, David. And Blackjack, who is reeling...and I tell you, that is one of the lowest blows I have ever seen anybody get! What a blow, just to walk in and grab you that way!" Blackjack still woozy and staggering from the blows to the head managed to say, "Raschke, you're gonna pay for this like you've never paid before...I'll tell you right now." Caudle ended the segment, concluding, "David, you have to call that a sneak attack in any way you look at it...a sneak attack! Trophy in pieces!"
On the final segment of that September 6, 1978 Mid-Atlantic TV show, concerned fans were gratified that Mulligan returned to the set to address them. Bob Caudle began, "Fans with us right now at ringside and a fellow I'll tell you that has taken more than his share of punishment in the last hour or so...it seems like everybody in the world wanted to stomp and kick and cut and rip at you, Blackjack Mulligan." Blackjack answered, "Let me tell you something Bob Caudle; I want to talk to the people right now."
Mully continued as he held up the pieces of his destroyed trophy noting, "Everybody in television-land looking at me right now, I know this is a very nice gesture and I certainly appreciate it and I know there was probably a lot more deserving people in the world of wrestling. But I appreciate what you tried to do; what you tried to give me. But I seem to be a marked man in the world of wrestling . Everything I do, everything I try to do, Ric Flair or Raschke or Superstar or some of their henchman are right in the way. I appreciate this trophy being given to me by the people of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling."
Blackjack concluded the segment with a dire warning for the big German threatening ,"And I wanna tell you something Raschke...my head, I've never had a rougher hour in my whole life. But I wanna tell you something right now...I'm still standing here. I need my head sewed up, but I haven't fell yet! And Baron von Raschke, believe what I say, if it takes Claw against Claw my friend...your day is coming! We're marking von Raschke as NEXT!"
During the remainder of September and during October of 1978, these two world renowned grapplers who both used the dreaded Claw hold as their respective finishing maneuvers, battled frequently around the territory in a spirited but short program. Some of the bouts were even billed as Claw vs. Claw matches. Mulligan emerged victorious in a majority of these fiercely contested battles, and was the clear winner in the Texas Death Matches and Bounty matches between the two. The Baron scored his wins mainly in straight up bouts without stipulations.
The confrontations between the masters of the Claw were cut short when Big John Studd entered the Mid-Atlantic area in October, and became Blackjack's primary adversary as John pushed hard to collect the long-standing $10,000.00 bounty on Mully. The Baron was also pulled away from the program with Mulligan when Paul Orndorff and Jimmy Snuka entered the Mid-Atlantic area at the end of October and made an immediate push for the Baron and Greg Valentine's World Tag Team Titles.
While Blackjack Mulligan got a measure of revenge for Baron von Raschke destroying his trophy upside his head on TV, I always wished that these two would have had a longer program against each other. While Claw versus Claw was red hot for a short time, these two developed other irons in the fire with Mid-Atlantic newcomers that would ultimately define the Claw versus Claw program as a transitional bridge on the roads to even bigger Mid-Atlantic feuds for these two Jim Crockett Promotions mega-stars.
In 1984, Kerry Von Erich defeated Ric Flair for the NWA World championship in Texas Stadium in a match he dedicated to his late brother David. One of David's nicknames was "the yellow Rose of Texas."
This action figure from the Gateway collection commemorates that event with the NWA title belt, Kerry's ring jacket that was a tribute to his brother, and a yellow rose.
See also material related to Kerry on our affiliated Domed Globe website.
It's like Georgia Championship Wrestling decided to have a "Bring Your Mid-Atlantic Belt to Work" day.
This is a Gene Gordon photograph from 1977 or 1978 taken at the WTBS Techwood Drive studios. Ric Flair is seen here with the classic red crocodile leather U.S. belt. He was the reigning United States Champion for Jim Crockett Promotions, but was defending the title frequently in the Georgia territory during this time, most notably against Dick Slater and Thunderbolt Patterson.
Also seen in this photo appears to be the NWA Television championship belt (Crockett's TV title) lying on Gordon Solie's desk. I've never been sure what that was about, but still looking into it. (Have info? Contact us.)
Late Edit (4/24/18): That belt lying in front of U.S. Champ Ric Flair was the brand new Georgia T.V. Belt. It looked just like Crockett’s and was presented to champion Thunderbolt Patterson later in the program. That belt was worn by Austin Idol, Bob Armstrong, Blackjack Lanza, Terry Taylor, Terry Funk, and Tommy Rich just to name a few. The story goes that Terry Funk left the territory with it after losing the title to Steve Keirn and the two toned blue Georgia Jr. Heavyweight belt was used for the title until the beautiful one that Jake Roberts and Ronnie Garvin feuded over was introduced…one of my all-time favorites. Love your site!!! - Steve Hendrix, Marietta, GA
And as always, the Champ is "a vision of sartorial splendor", stylin' and profilin' in outstanding 1970s fashion!
The 1982 NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament PART FIVE by Dick Bourne Mid-Atlantic Gateway
More video below.
If you missed earlier posts in this series, check them out in the links below, especially the INTRODUCTION, which puts the whole tournament in a perspective that serves as a launching point for the following discussions.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA Date: February 28, 1982 Venue: The Omni
Atlanta became the first city outside of the Mid-Atlantic territory to host tournament. As mentioned in earlier posts in this series, Ole Anderson was booking both the Mid-Atlantic and Georgia territories during this time, and the relationship between the two offices lent itself to Georgia Championship Wrestling hosting one of the city tournaments.
Atlanta rivaled Greensboro in the diversity and depth of the tournament field, including a team from All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Two teams had wrestled in the previous tournaments in Greensboro, Charlotte, and Richmond:
Line-Up Sheet included with the "Ringsider" program sold at the Omni
Ole Anderson and Stan Hansen
Jack and Jerry Brisco
Eight new teams entered in Atlanta:
Terry Funk and Dory Funk, Jr.
Buddy Rose and Rip Oliver
Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenryu
Ron Bass and Kevin Sullivan
Ron Fuller and Leroy Brown
The Mongolian Stomper and Ricky Harris
Bob and Brad Armstrong*
Masked Superstar and The Super Destroyer
TEAMS FEATURING OUTSIDE TALENT
Jack and Jerry Brisco - The Brisco Brothers were in from Championship Wrestling from Florida and were making their third appearance in the tournaments, having also competed in Richmond and won in Charlotte.
Terry Funk and Dory Funk, Jr. - The famous Funk Brothers from Amarillo, Texas came in from Texas for the tournament, although it's fair to say they could also be counted as an entrant from Florida, since that is where they spent most of their time wrestling during these days (when they were not in Japan.) But they were considered an entry from Texas. They would make one further appearance in another tournament to come. It was cool to have the Funk Brothers involved in this series of shows.
Buddy Rose and Rip Oliver - Rose and Oliver were stalwarts in the Pacific Northwest territory (out of Portland promoted by Don Owen) and had held the Pacific Northwest Tag team championships on several occasions in 1981 and 1982. In commentary on Georgia TV, Gordon Solie referred to them as Pacific Northwest champions, but at the time of the Atlanta tournament Rip Oliver actually held those titles with Matt Borne.
Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenyru - Two of the top stars for All Japan Pro Wrestling teamed up for the tournament in Atlanta. They were in as a contingent of Japanese stars along with Giant Baba and the Great Kabuki, the latter two appearing in singles matches on this huge Atlanta card.
Ron Fuller and Leroy Brown - Ron Fuller came in from Southeast Championship Wrestling in Alabama, while Leroy Brown was splitting time between both Georgia and the Mid-Atlantic area. Fuller was making several appearances during this time for Georgia.
The Mongolian Stomper and Ricky Harris - The Stomper was also in from Southeast Championship Wrestling, while Ricky Harris was splitting time for both Georgia and Mid-Atlantic.
THE GEORGIA TEAMS
Bob and Brad Armstrong promote the Feb. 28 tournament in Atlanta with Gordon Solie, host of "Georgia Championship Wrestling." Bob was not able to appear and was replaced by Tommy Rogers.
Bob and Brad Armstrong (Tommy Rogers) - The Armstrongs would have been the second father-and-son team entered in the broader tournaments (in addition to Blackjack Mulligan Sr. and Jr. in Charlotte) and were billed for this tournament, but Bob did not appear and was replaced by a young Tommy Rogers. It's too bad Bob couldn't be there; he and Brad were hot off a victory three months earlier in Atlanta's annual Thanksgiving Night Tag Team Tournament held in that very same building. Not sure if this tidbit is related or not, but Bob Armstrong appeared on a 3 PM matinee show in Asheville, NC that same Sunday, teaming with Ray Stevens against Roddy Piper and Austin Idol. Perhaps his no-show in Atlanta was related to travel or weather issues getting from Asheville to Atlanta.
The Masked Superstar and the Super Destroyer were reigning National Tag Team champions at the time of the Atlanta tournament, but were upset in the first round.
Ron Bass and Kevin Sullivan rounded out the tournament.
TOURNAMENT BRACKETS & RESULTS
The Atlanta leg of the tournament featured ten total teams, which
doesn't lend itself well to balanced bracketing. Four teams were
selected (either by seeding or more likely at random) to have two "play
in" matches to get the field down to eight teams. (Bracketing information was gathered through an official bracket published in Gong Magazine in Japan, seen inset beside the brackets below.)
The tournament came down to Stan Hansen and Ole Anderson vs. Jack and Jerry Brisco in the finals. Both teams had won prior tournaments - - Anderson/Hansen in Greensboro and the Briscos in Charlotte.
The Briscos defeated Ron Bass and Kevin Sullivan by DQ in the quarter final round, and then topped their arch rivals the Funk Brothers (Terry and Dory) by pinfall in the semi-finals.
Ole and Stan defeated Brad Armstrong and Tommy Rogers (replacing Bob Armstrong) in the quarter-final round, and then topped the Japanese team of Tenryu and Tsuruta in the semi-finals, a team that had already wrestled two matches because of being selected for the early "play in" round.
Video of that semi-final match was shown on television. The video originally aired on "Best of Championship Wrestling" on WTBS
out of Atlanta with Steve Olsenoski narrating over the Japanese
commentary.
In the end it was Anderson and Hansen defeating the Brisco Brothers to
win Atlanta and the $25,000 city prize, making them the first team to
win two city tournaments, a fact that would have more significance two months down the road.
ATLANTA WINNERS: Ole Anderson and Stan Hansen
With this Atlanta tournament, Ole Anderson and Stan Hansen continued
their streak as the only team to appear in all four tournaments so far
(Greensboro, Charlotte, Richmond, and Atlanta). They also become the
first team to win two separate tournaments (Greensboro and Atlanta.)
"Ringsider" program sold at the March 14 Omni show
reporting on the tournament win by Anderson and Hansen
OTHER MAIN EVENTS
NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP RIC FLAIR vs. HARLEY RACE
Ric Flair was only five months into his first NWA title reign. Former six-time champion Harley Race was hot on his trail to regain the championship for a record breaking seventh time. This angle was played up strong on WTBS television, with Flair adamant that Race would not use him to break that record. (Ironically, Race would indeed break the record by beating Flair for the title in June of 1983 in St. Louis.) The match ended up a no-contest, and set up a return in the Omni on 3/14/82 in a 2-of-3 falls contest.
PACIFIC WRESTLING FEDERATION CHAMPIONSHIP GIANT BABA vs. TERRY GORDY
Terry Gordy was on the verge of becoming a breakout star in Japan and his match with Giant Baba for the Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) title got him well on his way in the eyes of the Japanese fans and press. Baba retained the title, but Gordy's stock rose considerably in the Land of the Rising Sun.
SPECIAL ATTRACTION - DRAGON SHI MATCH
THE GREAT KABUKI (mgd by Gary Hart) vs. DUSTY RHODES
SPECIAL CHALLENGE MATCH
BUZZ SAWYER vs. JIMMY GARVIN
THE JAPAN CONNECTION
Georgia promoter Paul Jones reports on the
tournament winners.
If the you've noticed a real
Japanese-feel to this card in Atlanta, there is good reason. Giant
Baba and his contingent were in the United States for a series of
shows for several different NWA territories, including a big card in Charlotte one
week later as well as Championship Wrestling from Florida and World Class Wrestling. The All Japan TV crew was with them, recording the matches at
the Omni for broadcast in Japan.
Baba defended the Pacific Wrestling
Federation (PWF) title against Terry Gordy, who was beginning to make a
name for himself in the Land of the Rising Sun. Baba's two top stars from
All Japan, Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenyru, teamed up in the
tournament. Another star in Japan, the Great Kabuki, battled "The
American Dream" Dusty Rhodes in a special attraction match. Kabuki had
become a star in the United States and would be a force to be reckoned with
in Georgia, World Class Wrestling, and Mid-Atlantic Wrestling in the
coming years.
Having the Funks and Briscos on the card made the show
attractive to Japanese audiences as well, as Jack, Terry, and Dory had
all defended the NWA world title there for All Japan Pro Wrestling. The
Funks in particular were legends there, and were responsible behind the scenes for
booking U.S. talent to appear on All Japan cards.
A good
portion of this Atlanta Omni card was broadcast later in Japan, and
clips of two matches were seen on WTBS. The Anderson/Hansen vs. Tsuruta/Tenyru semi-finals were
shown on "Best of Championship Wrestling" with Steve Olsenoski narrating over the Japanese commentary. The NWA World title match between Ric Flair and Harley Race aired on "Georgia Championship Wrestling."
Coming up in PART SIX:
We take a brief look at the city tournament held in Fayetteville, NC one day after Atlanta, a tournament we know very little about. Fayetteville is the home to Fort Bragg, and two Marine privates fared well in the backyard of the largest military installation in the world. Stay tuned for our next post about the very interesting 1982 NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament.
Special thanks to Mark Eastridge for the newspaper clippings, and Brian Rogers for the Japanese magazine images.
Also Featuring Ole Anderson and a Trip to Von Erich Land by Dick Bourne Mid-Atlantic Gateway
This is another one of my favorite Ric Flair interviews of all time. This is from Georgia Championship Wrestling's Saturday evening TV show "World Championship Wrestling" on June 16, 1984. For context, it was just three weeks after Flair regained the NWA World title from Kerry Von Erich, but also sadly only a month before "Black Saturday."
You'll notice Ric's hair is still wet from the shower. He had wrestled on Georgia TV that day, but was now in his three-piece suit, and you'll hear someone whistle as he enters the shot. As only Ric can say it, with his trademark smile, he delivers this little jewel:
Gordon Solie: "As usual sir, a vision of sartorial splendor..."
Ric Flair: "Let's give 'em a chance, I like to be fair with everybody...the ladies wait week in and week out to see the man that looks like Johnny Carson by day and Conan the Barbarian by nighttime."
For context, "The Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson had ruled the late night television landscape for decades and by 1984 was a cultural icon. He was
known to be an impeccable dresser and Flair
made many self-comparisons to Carson over the years.
"Conan the Barbarian" was a successful action film in 1982 during a time, unlike today, when comic book adaptations were not very successful. "Conan" made Arnold Schwarzenegger an overnight sensation as an action film star and sex symbol. Ric thought he fit that mold, too!
VON ERICH LAND
Flair then told host Gordon Solie he was headed for "Von Erich land."
"I'm going to Texas - - Amarillo, Lubbock, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio - - it makes no difference: the first Von Erich I see - BOOM! - you go down."
I loved Ric's interviews on Superstation WTBS during his early years as NWA champion because he would often mention where he was going in the coming weeks to defend his title. He would namecheck wrestlers he would be facing in other territories, some of whom would never be seen on WTBS, but Flair would always put those guys over as he got ready to go to their area.
This particular mention was very cool in a very Ric Flair sort of way. He mentions he's headed to Texas, and predicts it won't end well for any Von Erich he runs into. As mentioned above, he was only a few weeks removed from having regained the NWA World title for a third time from Kerry Von Erich, who had defeated Ric for "the ten pounds of gold" in Texas Stadium in May. So he took delight in mentioning he was headed back for a big tour of the Lone Star State.
And interestingly enough, that Texas tour included the huge one-night 15-man tournament in San Antonio on 6/23/84 for the vacant Texas Heavyweight Championship. It was an emotional night because the title had been vacant since the death of David Von Erich, the last man to hold that championship. Incredibly, Ric Flair entered the tournament with intentions of proving he was better than any man in Texas, and vowed to retire the title after he won it. He declared he would take the belt with him and be the final Texas champion to ever hold the belt. It was a rare situation for the reigning NWA World Champion to contend for a regional or state title, but Flair entered nonetheless. He made it to the finals only to be defeated by Gino Hernandez. World Class Wrestling fans may have hated Gino, but they were happy to see a Texan win that title and not Ric Flair.
ANDERSON FAMILY HISTORY
At the end of the segment, something happens that was particularly fun to see from a Mid-Atlantic perspective. Booker, producer, and co-host Ole Anderson is standing off-camera during all this and Ric asks him to come on camera and join him. Ric calls Ole his cousin, which was part of Anderson lore going back to 1975 in the Mid-Atlantic area, but had not been much of a storyline in recent years. That would change in a big way a year later when Arn Anderson would come to Jim Crockett Promotions and Ole Anderson would become an active competitor again.
Ric mentions that he and Ole usually didn't want to be seen on camera together because they have had some of the "hardest, toughest matches ever wrestled anywhere." He is referring to the long running "family feud" between Flair and his "cousins" Ole and Gene Anderson that began in late 1976 when Flair and partner Greg Valentine feuded with the Anderson Brothers for over two years over the NWA World Tag Team championships. Furthermore, Flair's first challenger for the NWA title in 1981 in the Mid-Atlantic area was Ole Anderson. But Ole was no longer an active competitor at this time, and Flair told him he was proud to stand there and shake his hand. It was a cool moment, lost on most fans I'm sure, but brought back a flood of memories from my days as a teenage fan of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling. (For more on Flair's family history with the Andersons, every detail is outlined in the book "Minnesota Wrecking Crew.")
Lots to love about this interview. Ric's interviews like this stood out as totally different and totally special in comparison to anyone else at that time. No one was better than the Nature Boy.
In 1978, WWWF Champion Superstar Billy Graham and NWA World Champion Harley Race met in an historic title vs. title match at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.
Watch the press conference, interview and match highlights on Daily Motion.
Thanks to Mike Simmerman for this photo from his custom figures collection.
WEEKEND UPDATE Don't miss these recent posts on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway!
In 1982 Jack Brisco played a major role throughout the year in his battles for the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship. This was especially significant to me as a fan because Brisco was almost a mythical figure to me. He was the NWA World Champion when I first fell in love with wrestling. So to see him come into our area and play such a major role with our area championship was a big deal.
Brisco's first of two major feuds over the title in 1982 was with Roddy Piper. It was an instant classic and resulted in, if not the best, at least one of the most memorable matches on Mid-Atlantic television that entire year.
Brisco's second feud over the title reunited a rivalry that went back to his days in Championship Wrestling from Florida ten years earlier. Brisco was still several years away from winning his first NWA World championship when he and Paul Jones had their blistering feud over the Florida Heavyweight title in 1972 and 1973.
Jack Brisco met Paul Jones in a series of "hold vs. hold" matches.
One of the unique aspects of their Mid-Atlantic feud that played out in arenas in early October of 1982 were a series of "hold vs. hold" matches with Paul defending the Mid-Atlantic title against Jack. The stipulation was that in order to win the match, Jack had to win with his figure-four leglock or Paul had to win with his Indian deathlock.
I would have loved to have seen one of those matches! Both holds were over like crazy with me. I grew up watching Paul Jones win matches with his famous Indian deathlock. Brisco was NWA World champion when I first got hooked on wrestling, and was the first person I ever saw use the figure-four. So this was a very cool stipulation to see all these years later.
Mid-Atlantic Champion Paul Jones
Jones and Brisco would trade the Mid-Atlantic title back and forth four times that fall. They were best of friends in real life, and so they were happy to be rekindling their memorable feud from Florida in the early 1970s, and appeared to be having great fun while doing so.
Paul had turned heel (again) in the lead up to this feud, and had some
great promos throughout. Paul was always way better as a heel to me, as his
real personality came out when playing the role of the bad guy. I first
learned this when he and Baron Von Raschke were NWA World Tag Team
champions back in 1979. This run against Brisco reminded me of that time. Fans who only remember him from his managerial days in the mid-to-late 1980s should take the time to go back and watch video from his heel run in 1982-1983, the last months of his wrestling career.
One of his more memorable interviews on TV during this time was a good example of Paul as the cocky heel. When talking about Brisco wanting "hold vs. hold" matches, he said the following:
"He's going around trying to get these matches - - "hold vs. hold." Well, the embarrassment is going to be when I beat Brisco with the Indian Deathlock. Can you imagine beating an Indian with the Indian Deathlock? After all, you know that the Indian Deathlock was originated by a Texan, not an Indian. Well, it's going to be a 'feather in my hat', Brisco, when I beat you with the Indian Deathlock." - Paul Jones 10/9/82
Leave it #1 Paul Jones to come up with the notion that it was really a Texan like himself that invented the Indian Deathlock. The icing on the cake was the "feather in my cap" closer.
Here is an audio clip of the entire interview:
MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPION PAUL JONES INTERVIEW (FIXED AUDIO!)
The entire show where this takes place is on the WWE Network streaming service. It's in the "Vault" section under Mid-Atlantic Wrestling. The date of the show is October 9, 1982. The interview takes place at the end of the show. (Watch this show: Mid-Atlantic Wrestling 10/9/82)
Brisco eventually won out in the feud, ending the renewal of their rivalry for good when he regained the Mid-Atlantic title in late November of 1982. Ironically, his next feud over the title would rekindle another famous rivalry, the classic NWA World title feud between Brisco and Dory Funk, Jr. Looking back, it is special that these two former legendary NWA champions would battle over the Mid-Atlantic Championship so many years later.
And who knew Paul Jones was such a poet?
"The sun has risen, the sun has set, and here I am, your champion yet."
