Happy Independence Day!

Poster: Both Nature Boys in Tag Team Action in Spartanburg

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This poster takes us to the great state of South Carolina and promotes a card held on Saturday, October 13th, 1979 in the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, a regular Saturday night venue on the old Mid-Atlantic Wrestling circuit.  

The main event was a battle of the Nature Boys, Buddy Rogers and Ric Flair in tag team action.

Rogers' partner was Jimmy Snuka, whom he managed and was the United States Champion at the time. Snuka was a scary looking heel and with Rogers' guidance he was almost unbeatable during this time period.

Flair had a familiar partner in Blackjack Mulligan making this a great tag team matchup for the fans in Spartanburg. 

Other Mid Atlantic greats were on the card including Gene Anderson and Jay Youngblood, former WWWF champ Pedro Morales, and Canadian Heavyweight Champion Dewey Robertson appeared on this card giving us both United States and Canadian champs in the building along with the two Nature Boys.

This vertical poster has all black print against a bright orange background and I'm not sure if it was a misprint or if the belltime was actually changed, but 3 o'clock was marked through and 8:15 was written just above.

For some reason they always used an image of Richard Blood aka Tito Santana to represent Jay Youngblood but regardless it was another historic chapter in South Carolina's rich wrestling history.

NO. 8 IN A SERIES

Mid-Atlantic TV Report: September 10, 1983

The WWE Network is no longer available
in the United States.

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. 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. Their press release stated that their entire archive of material (which presumably would include the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling shows) would be transitioned to NBC's Peacock streaming service by the end of the summer 2021. We'll update as we know more.

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Original broadcast: 09/10/83
Taped 08/31/83 taped in in Greenwood, SC at the Greenwood Civic Center
Review is from the now defunct WWE Network (U.S.) feed.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Gary Hart
We start with the interview. Caudle questions Hart about sending Jimmy Valiant out of town, cheating and destroying the tape. Hart is offended, but Caudle defends himself he has heard the information from reliable sources. Hart starts explaining his side. He says no one could get away with something like that. It’s a lot of gaga.
Next week, NWA President Bob Geigle will be here to lay down the law. Hart expects him to rule that Jimmy Valiant will have to leave for a year, not just 90 days. 

Caudle says Harley Race is supposed to be here for an interview, but no shows. Caudle says we will go to him. We get a camera in the locker room. Harley is sitting with Jack Brisco. Dick Slater is there too. They all shoo away the cameraman.

[Break]

Match 1
Charlie Brown d. Bill Howard
Stu Schwartz is the referee for the hour. The arena in Greenwood looks big. The Network edit, which sounds like a Jethro Tull outtake, drowns everything out. Some choking and punching by Brown. Despite the bounty, Ric Flair will get his title shot against Harley Race today. Brown wins with the sleeper.
We have graphics on the bumper. Unfortunately, it says "Rick" Flair vs. Harley Race. Brenda Evans is responsible for the graphics.

[Break]
Match 2
Bob Orton Jr. d. Terrible Link
Yes, Terrible is his name, and his outfit, and his wrestling ability. Orton brawls, and gets Link up in a slam, well a half slam. A fist drop from the second turnbuckle finishes the match. It was quick.
The same misspelled Flair graphic on the bumper.

[Break]

-Int. w /Bob Caudle: Rufus R. Jones & Wahoo McDaniel (In lieu of local promos)
Rufus is happy Wahoo is back.  Wahoo says he’s been in the AWA and Japan. He has friends who need help and he’s glad to help out. He also has some words for The Briscos.

[Break]

Match 3
Rufus R. Jones & Wahoo McDaniel d. Ben Alexander & Bill White
Caudle gushes over Wahoo coming back.  Scott McGhee will be back in two weeks. Wahoo pins White after the big chop. Same Flair error message on the bumper. 

[Break] 

-Int. w /Bob Caudle: Rufus R. Jones & Wahoo McDaniel
Rufus is happy to be Mid-Atlantic champion. Wahoo is looking for action, maybe even the United States Heavyweight championship.

David Crockett, unseen, introduces the next match.

Match 4
NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair d. Harley Race [ch.] by DQ
Race is on the advantage early. Match going back and forth, with the deliberate pace you would expect. Flair has the abdominal stretch, but Race powers out. Flair takes the advantage again when Race misses a corner charge. We see Race catch Flair off the top rope; fighting off a Figure Four attempt; low blow; tombstone piledriver (called a running slam by Caudle); headbutts; fighting on the outside; fighting on the inside; Race misses a headbutt on the concrete floor on the outside!

Race misses a headbutt, and Flair gets the Figure Four. He lets go when he sees Dick Slater come to ringside. Flair prevents Slater from getting in the ring. Back to Harley. Figure Four again. Here comes Bob Orton, to counteract Dick Slater.

Orton is in the ring, while Slater is outside. Orton climbs the top rope and ... jumps on Flair. The crowd is hushed. Orton and Slater do a number on Flair. Stuff piledriver. Orton wrenches Flair’s neck. High five to Race. Race is laughing and pointing. The fans are booing. Caudle is stunned. Wahoo makes the save, and the heels run away. We get a replay of the piledriver. A stunning betrayal. Match goes about 20 minutes.

- Comments from Bob Caudle
This is in lieu of local promos. Caudle is back, explaining what just happened. “$25,000 speaks. And $25,000 speaks loud to some people.”
Caudle pivots and says Andre the Giant will be back soon; Mark Youngblood will debut next week.

[Break]

Caudle narrates the replay of Flair being stretchered back. Now, we go to the locker room.
Jim Crockett Jr. confronts Race and company in the locker room. Crockett vows Orton will never wrestle in Mid-Atlantic again. He calls Race the worst excuse for a champion. Race is passing out money to Slater and Orton. Paul Jones and the Briscos are celebrating too.

Back to Caudle. Amazing that he is keeping a straight face. 

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Rick Steamboat & Jay Youngblood and Roddy Piper
Steamboat and Youngblood can’t believe what happened. Piper calls out. He calls Orton scum. Piper is hot.

“So long for now!” as a still shot of Flair in a stretcher is on the screen as credits roll.

* * * * * * * * * *

Results for the week, 9/05/83-9/11/83
(source: Clawmaster’s Archive via Sports and Wrestling blog posted by David Baker; “Wrestling” newsletter by Joe Shedlock)

Mon., 9/05/83 Greenville, SC; Memorial Auditorium
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco
Charlie Brown beat Great Kabuki
The Assassins beat Mike Rotundo & Johnny Weaver
Magic Dragon beat Mike Davis
Brett Hart beat Bill White

Mon., 9/05/83 Fayetteville, NC; Cumberland County Civic Center
Bill Howard beat Cy Jernigan
Steve Muslin beat Jerry Grey
Rick McCord & Keith Larson beat Gene Anderson & Jacques Goulet
Rufus R. Jones beat Jake Roberts
Wahoo McDaniel DDQ Dick Slater
Greg Valentine beat Roddy Piper by DQ

Tue., 9/06/83 Columbia, SC; Township Auditorium
Brett Hart beat Tom Lentz
Gene Anderson beat Rick McCord
Keith Larson beat Bill Howard
Jimmy Valiant & Bugsy McGraw beat The Assassins by DQ
Wahoo McDaniel & Roddy Piper beat Dick Slater & Greg Valentine

Tue., 9/06/83 Raleigh, NC
Jerry Grey beat Mark Fleming
Vinnie Valentino beat Kelly Kiniski
Johnny Weaver beat Magic Dragon
Great Kabuki beat Mike Rotundo
Jake Roberts beat Rufus R. Jones
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco beat Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood by DQ

Wed., 9/07/83 Spartanburg, SC; Memorial Auditorium (TV)
MACW:
Charlie Brown d. Golden Boy Grey; Tommy Young
Mark Youngblood d. Bill Howard; Tommy Young
The Assassins d. Brett Hart & Rick McCord; Tommy Young
Roddy Piper & Wahoo McDaniel d. Greg Valentine & Dick Slater by CO; Tommy Young
WWW:
Charlie Brown & Rufus R. Jones d. Magic Dragon & Golden Boy Grey
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood & Mark Youngblood d. Tom Lentz & Bill Howard & Terrible Slink
Dick Slater & Bob Orton Jr. d. Rick McCord & Gene Lasitt
The Assassins d. Mark Fleming & Keith Larson
Roddy Piper & Wahoo McDaniel d. Ben Alexander & Kelly Kiniski
Dark:
Rufus R. Jones d. Jake Roberts

Fri., 9/09/83 Charleston, SC; County Hall
Non-World tag team championship/no DQ: Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco [ch.]
Wahoo McDaniel beat Dick Slater
Mark Youngblood & Ric McCord beat Jacques Goulet & Bill Howard
Keith Larsen beat Jerry Gray

Sat., 9/10/83 Greensboro, NC; Greensboro Coliseum
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco by DQ
Charlie Brown beat Great Kabuki
Wahoo McDaniel beat Dick Slater by countout
The Assassins beat Johnny Weaver & Bugsy McGraw
Gene Anderson beat Rick McCord
Magic Dragon beat Vinnie Valentino
Steve Muslin beat Jerry Grey

Sun., 9/11/83 Bristol, TN; Viking Hall
Wahoo McDaniel & Roddy Piper vs. Dick Slater & Greg Valentine in a double strap match
Rufus Jones vs. Jake Roberts
The Assassins vs. Johnny Weaver & Bugsy McGraw
Rick McCord vs. Tom Lentz
Keith Larson vs. Bill Howard

Jack and Jerry Brisco: NWA World Tag Team Champions

Crown Jewel: The NWA Championship 1959-1973

 

Mid-Atlantic Gateway Bookstore

The World's Oldest Living Wrestler (Setting the Record Straight)

ABE JACOBS

We recently received a nice email from Mrs. Evelyn Jacobs, the wife of wrestling legend Abe Jacobs. She was making note of the fact that she had seen several mentions online that the oldest living wrestler was thought to be "Cowboy" Bob Ellis.

She wanted us to know, at least, that this information was not true.

"My husband is the oldest," Mrs. Jacobs wrote. "He was born June 18th, 1928. He's about eight months older than Bob Ellis. Just thought this info would be of interest to you."

We are happy to have this information and pleased to help Evelyn set the record straight! And we wish her and Abe all the best.

For more on Abe Jacobs:
Gateway Interview: Abe Jacobs by David Chappell (Archive site.)
Meeting Abe Jacobs by Don Holbrook

American Dreams Do Come True

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Back in 2016, on the eve of the 30th Anniversary of Dusty Rhodes' historic third NWA World Heavyweight Championship win over Ric Flair at the Great American Bash in Greensboro on July 26, 1986, Dusty's son Cody Rhodes posted these thoughts in a 4-part tweet (the original tweets are embedded at the bottom of this post):

"If you've read "Big Gold" by Dick Bourne you know the nameplate for my Father was never on the actual Title after my Father defeated Ric at The GAB. It was rumored to not even exist, but it was ordered and it does exist. I found it in a cigar-box. And on the eve of the 30th ANNIVERSARY and with @HeyHeyItsConrad 's help, it officially goes on the original "Big Gold". The "hard times" for you Pop are over. Just good times ahead sir." - Cody Rhodes

Needless to say, I'm honored that Cody has my book, and thrilled that the discussion within its pages regarding the "Dusty Rhodes" nameplate led to his sentimental post on Twitter celebrating one of his father's greatest victories.

American Dreams do come true: for the first time since Dusty Rhodes won
the Big Gold in 1986, the nameplate finally goes on the belt.

Fans of this legendary belt owe Cody a debt of thanks for sharing the nameplate with all of us. Stars truly aligned for this to have ever happened to begin with.

The back story, if you don't own the book (but you really ought to own the book), is that a nameplate was ordered to go on the belt after Dusty's big win at the Great American Bash in Greensboro. Nelson Royal, on behalf of Jim Crockett Promotions, placed the order with Crumrine Jewelers in Nevada (the company that made the Big Gold Belt) on July 29, three days after Dusty's victory.

On the same day that order was placed, Jim Crockett, Jr. appeared with Dusty on a television taping of "World Wide Wrestling" and told fans that a new nameplate had been ordered and would go on the belt, replacing the Ric Flair plate.

But before the nameplate was delivered, Dusty lost the NWA championship back to Flair after a Horseman ambush in Kansas City led to an injured Rhodes dropping the title back to Flair in St. Louis only a few weeks later.

Crumrine provided scans of the original paperwork for the book showing the special order form and the artwork for the Rhodes nameplate. (Cody's first tweet shows the book opened to that page.) But because we never got to see the nameplate appear on the Big Gold belt, we never knew if the order for that nameplate had ever really been filled and delivered.

Until now.

A few months back, Cody Rhodes read about the nameplate in "Big Gold" and with the help of Conrad Thompson, Ric Flair, and the collector who owns the belt today, arranged for a dream to come true - - an American Dream, if you will. What for the last 30 years would have seemed unthinkable has now been made possible - - the original 1986 Dusty Rhodes nameplate was placed on the original 1986 NWA world heavyweight championship belt for the very first time.

Sparks actually flew when the two pieces of gold first touched. Stardust. (That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.)

 Here are the original tweets from the official Twitter account of Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes):

(1/4) If you've read "Big Gold" by Dick Bourne you know the nameplate for my Father was never on the actual Title... pic.twitter.com/t2fTo8U8wd

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) July 25, 2016

(2/4) after my Father defeated Ric at The GAB'. It was rumored to not even exist, but it was ordered and it does exist. I found it in a...

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) July 25, 2016

(3/4) cigar-box. And on the eve of the 30th ANNIVERSARY and with @HeyHeyItsConrad 's help, it officially goes on the original "Big Gold"..

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) July 25, 2016

(4/4) the "hard times" for you Pop are over. Just good times ahead sir. pic.twitter.com/39HxL0QPQx

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) July 25, 2016

Edited from an original post from July 25, 2016 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. 

Special thanks to Cody Rhodes.

The Chicken Coop (2007)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Originally Published April 2007 

Note: The article below was originally published here on the Gateway in April of 2007.  Price's Chicken Coop in Charlotte closed for good on June 19, 2021, creating great sadness here at the Mid-Atlantic Gateway. We acknowledged that earlier in this post:  Darkness Falls on Old Charlotte: The Sad Demise of the Chicken Coop.  I am re-publishing this story to share my good memories of the day I first discovered "the Coop" and its loose connections to Mid-Atlantic Wrestling.

Riding around Charlotte with George South is like being on a guided bus tour of famous wrestling-related landmarks for Jim Crockett Promotions. And not just the more obvious significant sites like the Park Center, the original Coliseum, or the location of the Crockett offices on Briarbend Drive. The smallest details, the places and things that might seem insignificant to others, are the things that are often the most special to George.

“Now ladies and gentlemen, over on your right is Little Hardware, where Klondike Bill would purchase the special colored duct tape used on Crockett’s rings.”

You think I’m joking.

Actually, it’s not quite like that, but you get my point. Everywhere we go, George can relate where we are to Mid-Atlantic wrestling. That’s one of the things I love about George South. Everything in life has some connection to wrestling (as it should, you know, when you’ve got the sickness like we do.)

So off we go. We’re on a tight schedule, we’ve only got an hour or so before we go pick up the Sotos and El Reyo when they get out of school. Just enough time to make my first visit to another Crockett landmark, Charlotte’s world famous Chicken Coop.

Price’s Chicken Coop has been written up in national magazines and featured on television all over the country. It fits the description of hole-in-the-wall. The Chicken Coop has to look just like it did 30 years ago, which is pretty amazing given it’s smack in the middle of Charlotte’s trendy fast growing up-scale South End district, just south of the downtown financial center, blocks from the Panther’s NFL stadium and the new NBA basketball arena. But the yuppie, hipsters, movers and shakers haven’t changed this special place, a step back in time, and the best fried chicken I think I've ever had. That covers some territory for me. I’m already a fried chicken or two over my limit for a lifetime.

This is starting to sound like a restaurant review, so I’ll stop here. I'll leave it at this: my first bite of Price’s Chicken Coop chicken and I was taken back 30 years ago to my grandmother Nana’s kitchen at her cabin on Lake Summit, in North Carolina. She pan-fried the chicken, of course. That was the best fried chicken I’d ever had, until now. I’m not going to say Mr. Price does it better than Nana, but let’s just say Nana and Mr. Price would have gotten along pretty well.

So what does all this have to do with Jim Crockett Promotions and Mid-Atlantic Wrestling?

“You ain’t seen nothing until you see Tully Blanchard in a three piece suit, diamond rings and shades, digging into a box of chicken from the Chicken Coop,” George tells me.

Beginning in the early-to-mid 1980s, after the main TV tapings had moved from the studio to the arenas, Crockett would tape the local promos for each town at a small make-shift studio at the Briarbend Drive office during the day on either Tuesdays or Wednesdays, rushing to get done so everyone can head out to whatever town they were running that night. It was a non-stop taping marathon that lasted sometimes as many as eight hours, and during that time, the wrestlers couldn’t leave.

My first box of chicken at "the Coop."

“The guys would have me run down to the Chicken Coop and pick up these huge boxes of chicken,” George told me. “The dinners all came with sides and fixin’s , but the boys just wanted the chicken. I’d bring it back, and they’d all dig in. Sometimes, Jackie Crockett would drag things out so they’d be waiting for a break to get to that chicken. There it is, this big box of fried chicken and every big name in this business is all digging in at the same time.”

But what about George? Surely he didn't get left out.

“You got that right! I’d sneak a piece on the way back to the office, and I’d always have to shake the box up to level it out so there wouldn’t be this big hole where I had pulled out a piece of chicken.”

Of course, if the chicken cost $20, George made ten times that in tips form the boys. 

“Tully would tip me $20 bucks, and Arn and Flair would be looking out of the corner of their eye, and they’d have to tip me $25 just to out-do each other. I made more in tips on Tuesday promo tapings than I ever made wrestling.” 

Price’s chicken is take-out only. So there we are, George and I sitting in his car, Journey on the radio, 70 degrees, sunny blue skies, prettiest day of the year so far. We’re slamming down the fried chicken, hush puppies and sweet tea as fast as we can. We ran out of napkins, I had to wipe my fingers on a Texaco road map. Best fried chicken I’ve ever had in my life. 

And of course, we had to drive by the old Crockett office location and reminisce. Those days are gone forever, I guess we should just let ’em go.

Nah.

I’m going to get out my old 1985 wrestling tapes, maybe I’ll spot a small greasy spot on Tully Blanchard’s tie while he’s cutting one of those promos. I’ll know then that George has just made a run to the Coop. 

 

A Charlotte light-rail train approaches (far left) on the tracks across the street from
Price's Chicken Coop (far right) just minutes before closing time on an early November evening.

From the old Gateway site archives.
Originally published in April of 2007 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Mid-Atlantic TV Report: September 3, 1983

The WWE Network is no longer available
in the United States.

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. 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. Their press release stated that their entire archive of material (which would include the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling shows) would be transitioned to NBC's Peacock streaming service by the end of the summer 2021. We'll update as we know more.

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Original broadcast: 09/03/83
Taped 08/24/83 in Shelby, NC - Shelby Recreation Center)
Review is from the now defunct WWE Network (U.S.) feed. 

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco
Caudle talks about the Briscos interfering in a Jimmy Valiant vs. Kabuki & Gary Hart match, and that is why Valiant is gone. Jerry denies Caudle’s accusations. Caudle says Hart and the Briscos stole the tape. Jerry talks about the incident in Greensboro (August 21). Jerry says no tape, no proof.
A heard, but not seen David Crockett makes the ring introductions.

[Break]

Match 1
Non-Title: Greg Valentine [U.S. Champion] d. Keith Larson
Tommy Young is the referee for the hour. Caudle talks about the controversial loser leaves town match, and Valiant is gone, and the stolen tape. Charlie Brown will be here! Valentine wins with an elbow drop.

[Break]

Match 2
Charlie Brown d. Jerry Grey
This match joins in progress. Probably a Network edit. Jerry Brisco joins Caudle on the commentary, and isn’t buying Charlie Brown from Outta Town’s identity. Brown wins with a sleeper hold. And, a quick edit out of the match.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Ric Flair & Wahoo McDaniel
Flair welcomes Wahoo back. Wahoo says the Briscos embarrass him. Flair says they are in town to party. Wooooo!

[Break]

Match 3
Ric Flair & Wahoo McDaniel d. Ron Rossi & Bill Howard
Flair and Wahoo slapped Howard around in the ring. Wahoo butterfly suplexes Rossi on his head. Flair giving a lot of offense. Flair finishes Howard off with the Figure Four.
(Gateway note: This match would be shown several weeks later on the WWF's Sunday morning "All American Wrestling" program on the USA Cable Network, which was at that time airing lots of tapes from territories of guys that Vince McMahon hoped to talk into coming to the WWF. While it's doubtful they were interested in Wahoo at this point in his career, they certainly were interested in Ric Flair.)

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Jerry Brisco & Jack Brisco
Jerry does all the talking. They are not worried about Jay Youngblood coming back.
Back to the ring, where the unseen voice of David Crockett announces the next match.

[Break]

Match 4
The Assassins d. Steve Muslin & Mark Fleming
Muslin is dressed like the third Fabulous Rougeau Brother of 1988 WWF fame, blue tights and yellow boots/pads. Hamilton Assassin gets the hammerlock submission on Fleming.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: The Assassins
As usual, Hamilton Assassin does the talking. He says no one will get in their way, and no one better interfere in their matches. Paul Jones joined in on commentary.

[Break]

Match 5
Rick Steamboat & Jay Youngblood d. Ben Alexander & Tom Lentz
Easy match for the heroes. Steamboat pins Alexander with a flying bodypress. 

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Paul Jones and Jake Roberts; Dick Slater
Roberts is in a sports coat and tie. Jones is complaining about Jimmy Valiant. Caudle is playing dumb. I guess this is when the four-year war of Jones vs. Valiant started, right at this moment. Up until then, they kept their own distance. Slater talks about being a bounty hunter. He warns Flair and Wahoo.

“So long for now!”

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

Results for the week, 8/29/83-9/04/83
(source: Clawmaster’s Archive via Sports and Wrestling blog posted by David Baker; “Wrestling” newsletter by Joe Shedlock)

Mon., 8/29/83 Greenville, SC; Memorial Auditorium
Ric Flair & Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine & Dick Slater
Bob Orton, Jr. beat Great Kabuki by DQ
The Assassins beat Mike Rotundo & Johnny Weaver
Gene Anderson beat Steve Muslin
Magic Dragon beat Ric McCord

Tue., 8/30/83 Raleigh, NC
Keith Larson d. Golden Boy Grey
Tom Lentz d. Brett Hart
Mike Rotundo d. Magic Dragon
Jimmy Valiant & Bob Orton Jr. d. Great Kabuki & Gary Hart
Non-World tag team championship: Rick Steamboat & Jay Youngblood d. Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco [ch.]

Tue., 8/30/83 Columbia, SC; Township Auditorium
Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine in a Canadian lumberjack match
Ric Flair beat Dick Slater by CO
Rufus R. Jones beat Jake Roberts
The Assassins beat Bugsy McGraw & Johnny Weaver
Kelly Kiniski beat Mike Davis
Vinnie Valentino beat Bill Howard

Wed., 8/31/83 Greenwood, SC; Greenwood Civic Center (TV)
MACW:
Charlie Brown d. Bill Howard; Stu Schwartz
Bob Orton Jr. d. Terrible Link; Stu Schwartz
Rufus R. Jones & Wahoo McDaniel d. Ben Alexander & Bill White; Stu Schwartz
NWA World Heavyweight championship: Ric Flair d. Harley Race [ch.] by DQ; Stu Schwartz

Thu., 9/01/83 Norfolk, VA; Scope Coliseum
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco beat Roddy Piper & Ricky Steamboat
Greg Valentine beat Rufus R. Jones
Wahoo McDaniel & Bob Orton, Jr. beat Dick Slater & Jake Roberts
Gene Anderson beat Mike Davis
Ric McCord beat Jacques Goulet
Keith Larson beat Tom Lentz

Thu., 9/01/83 Sumter, SC; Exhibition Center County of Sumter (Eccos)
Bugsy McGraw & Charlie Brown vs. Great Kabuki & Gary Hart in a steel cage match
The Assassins vs. Johnny Weaver & Mike Rotundo
Brett Hart vs. Bill Howard
Magic Dragon vs. Vinnie Valentino
Kelly Kiniski vs. Steve Muslin

Fri., 9/02/83 Charleston, SC; County Hall
Charlie Brown (Jimmy Valiant) & Bugsy McGraw beat Great Kabuki & Gary Hart
The Assassins beat Mike Rotundo & Johnny Weaver
Brett Hart beat Kelly Kiniski
Magic Dragon beat Jerry Grey
Bill Howard beat Vinnie Valentino

Fri., 9/02/83 Richmond, VA; Richmond Coliseum
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco
Wahoo McDaniel & Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine & Dick Slater
Rufus R. Jones beat Jake Roberts
Bob Orton, Jr. beat Jacques Goulet
Gene Anderson beat Ric McCord
Keith Larsen beat Steve Muslim
Tom Lentz beat Mike Davis

Sat., 9/03/83 Greensboro, NC; Greensboro Coliseum
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco by DQ
Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine in a lumberjack match
Wahoo McDaniel & Rufus R. Jones beat Dick Slater & Jake Roberts
Kelly Kiniski beat Mike Rotundo
Gene Anderson beat Vinnie Valentino
Keith Larsen beat Jacques Goulet
Bill Howard beat Mike Davis

Sun., 9/04/83 Asheville, NC; Asheville Civic Center
Keith Larson beat Tom Lentz
Billy Howard beat Mark Fleming
Bugsy McGraw beat Jacques Goulet
Wahoo McDaniel no contest with Dick Slater
Charlie Brown & Rufus R. Jones beat Great Kabuki & Gary Hart
Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine

Sun., 9/04/83 Savannah, GA; Savannah Civic Center
Wahoo McDaniel beat Dick Slater in a lumberjack match
Greg Valentine beat Roddy Piper by DQ
Charlie Brown & Rufus R. Jones beat Kabuki & Gary Hart in a steel cage match
The Assassins beat Mike Rotundo & Johnny Weaver
Kelly Kiniski beat Vinnie Valentino
Magic Dragon beat Ric McCord
Brett Hart beat Jerry Grey 

Poster: Flair Returns to Action and Steamboat Debuts in Roanoke (1977)

An email from Thom Brewer
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

I really got a kick from the article about people thinking Wahoo had killed Flair. (See: Please Note: Wahoo McDaniel did not kill Ric Flair!) It was funny while reading it to see that Flair's return to the ring was on 3/05/77 in Roanoke.  I looked about a foot to my left and there is the poster from that night.

 

I was there that night and none of us there knew about the rumors out of Lynchburg. 

I don't remember much about that main event that night, but there is one thing I will never forget. It was the first time I, or anyone else in Roanoke, saw Ricky Steamboat. Believe it or not, he was the first match of the night against Two Ton Harris.  We had never heard of Steamboat at this point as it was his first appearance in the Star City. He squashed Harris in just a couple minutes and beat him with a body press off the top rope.  We all knew he was destined for great things. 

Anyway, it was a real kick reading that article and remembering that night. 

- Thom