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Mid-Atlantic TV Report: December 24, 1983

 

 

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

This is a review of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling as it once appeared on the WWE Network, now part the NBC Peacock streaming service in the United States as of April 2021. 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. 

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Original broadcast: 12/24/83
Taped 12/12/83 in Greenville, SC at Memorial Auditorium
Review is from WWE Network/NBC Peacock feed. 

Match 1
Rufus R. Jones & Mark Youngblood d. Tony Russo & Bill Howard
Tommy Young is the referee for the hour. Caudle provides the roll call of champions. Jones pins Russo after the “Freight Train” shoulder block and headbutt.

[Break]

-Jimmy Valiant video
Replay of the same video they aired last week.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Jimmy Valiant
Valiant is in the Christmas spirit. A kiss for Caudle. More talk about reindeer milk. Valiant sees a giant gift. Valiant is touched Caudle got him a gift. But nope! It’s the Paul Jones poster that he plans to give away. Valiant borrows Caudle’s pin and draws a goatee. Valiant asks how to spell “K Mark.” This is WWF TNT quality humor.

[Break]

Match 2
Don Kernodle (w/Gary Hat) d. Rick McCord
Kernodle gets the pin with the clothesline off the second rope. During the match, Caudle was reviewing the rest of the show. It sounded like he was going to say The Road Warriors would be there, but the audio cut out, replaced by crowd noise. Unknown if this was the original tape or a Network edit.

[Break]

Match 3
The Assassins d. Keith Larson & John Bonello
Caudle reminds us that Valiant defaced Paul Jones’ portrait. Bonello, who has been with Crockett for a few months, would be best known as a referee for the WWF, particularly in Ontario. He worked a few WrestleManias. In 1992, he was sentenced to 18 months in jail for hiring a hitman to take out his wife (it didn’t work). He’s doing well here against The Assassin. To a point. Assassin 1 finishes him off with a knee drop off the top rope. The replays showing one point of the match, but not the finish move.

[Break]

Match 4
Non-Title: Dick Slater [Mid-Atlantic champion] d. Mark Fleming
A shellacking by Slater. Caudle says coming soon: Tommy Rich and Junk Yard Dog. Slater wins with a fist drop.

[Break]

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Paul Jones
Jones is excited to give away his poster. Caudle is shaking his head, knowing what’s about to happen. The poster, with crumpled wrapping emerges. Jones unwraps it and goes nuts to see what happened to his poster. Jones’ acting is decent. Caudle stooges off Jimmy Valiant. Jones says Valiant’s gone too far and he’ll pay for it. And, we’ll pay for it for the next four years.

[Break]

Match 5
Tommy Rich d. Golden Boy Grey
Just like last week, the Tommy Rich match is taped from 11/21/83 in Greenville. Stu Schwartz is the referee for this match. This also aired on the 12/24/83 World Wide Wrestling. Thesz Press secures the win for Rich.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Kelly Kiniski
This was in lieu of local promos.  Kiniski tries, he just isn’t good. No emotion. His brother is doing well as an amateur, a possible Olympic wrestler for Canada.

[Break]

-Comment from Paul Ellering & The Road Warriors
This is in front of the World Wide Wrestling set, probably taped 12/07/83. Ellering says they are challenging Steamboat & Youngblood. Hawk has some nasty words for the World champs. “The ring is the four corners of doom, brother.” Animal is a little more serious in his threats. These guys were way different than anyone else in Mid-Atlantic.

Match 6
Non-Title: Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood [World Tag Team champions]
d. Gary Royal & Hans Schroeder
First appearance by Schroeder in recent memory. Caudle is gushing about the Road Warriors. Angelo Mosca joins Caudle. He appears on the inset picture-in-picture. He’s going to stick Gary Hart’s Golden Spike where the sun don’t shine. Royal & Schroeder are cheating, entering the ring behind the referee’s back without tagging; hair pulling. Since I’ve never seen anyone else mention this, Royal and Bill Howard were Greg Valentine’s seconds at Starrcade. Piper had Vinnie Valentino and Brickhouse Brown. No storyline reason. The four of them returned to the back after the start of the match. An even match, but Youngblood pins Royal after reversing a whip into the corner. Youngblood catches Royal with a chop for the win. 

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Rufus R. Jones; Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
Rufus is complimentary about teaming with Mark Youngblood. He still has attention focused on Dick Slater and the Mid-Atlantic title. Caudle asks Steamboat & Youngblood about The Road Warriors. Youngblood says they may be bigger, but once they get the gas going… Youngblood isn’t making much sense. He says he can paint his face too. Steamboat is more coherent. He says bring it.

Caudle signs off, but his line may have been cut off by the Network.

Jace Crockett is listed as the director. Wow, they’ve been cycling through directors for the last few shows. Educated guess that Jace is a son one of the Crocketts.

* * * * * * * * * *

Results for the week, 12/25/83-12/31/83
(source: Clawmaster’s Archive via Sports and Wrestling blog posted by David Baker; “Wrestling” newsletter by Joe Shedlock)

Sun., 12/25/83 Greenville, SC; Memorial Auditorium
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Bob Orton, Jr. & Dick Slater
Greg Valentine beat Roddy Piper
Wahoo McDaniel, Jimmy Valiant & Rufus R. Jones beat The Assassins & Paul Jones in a lumberjack match
Johnny Weaver won a 10-man battle royal
Plus other matches

Sun., 12/25/83 Charlotte, NC; Charlotte Coliseum
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco in a steel cage match
Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine in a dog collar match
Jimmy Valiant beat Great Kabuki
The Assassins beat Dory Funk, Jr. & Rufus R. Jones by DQ
Angelo Mosca beat Don Kernodle
Bob Orton, Jr. beat Mark Youngblood
Wahoo McDaniel beat Barry Orton
Vinnie Valentino beat Gene Anderson
John Bonello beat Tony Russo

Mon., 12/26/83 Greensboro, NC;  Coliseum
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco in a steel cage match
Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine in a dog collar match
Jimmy Valiant beat Great Kabuki
Dick Slater beat Rufus R. Jones
Wahoo McDaniel & Angelo Mosca beat Bob Orton, Jr. & Don Kernodle
The Assassins beat Dory Funk, Jr. & Johnny Weaver
Gene Anderson beat John Bonello
Keith Larson beat Jerry Grey

Mon., 12/26/83 Toronto, ON; Maple Leaf Gardens(Afternoon Card)
Terry Kay draw Nick DeCarlo(15:00)
Rudy Kay beat Joe Marcus
The Destroyer beat Billy Red Lyons by DQ
Leo Burke beat Bob Marcus(5:00)
Little Beaver beat Pancho Boy(12:00)
Fabulous Moolah beat Leilani Kai(8:00)
Jimmy Valiant & Johnny Weaver beat Baron Von Raschke & Gary Hart(4:00)
Roddy Piper & Dory Funk, Jr. beat The Assassins
Dory Funk, Jr. beat Paul Jones by DQ

Tue., 12/27/83 Raleigh, NC; Dorton Arena
Rick McCord beat Tony Russo
Vinnie Valentino beat Hans Schroeder
The Assassins beat Rufus R. Jones & Dory Funk, Jr.
Wahoo McDaniel & Angelo Mosca beat Don Kernodle & Gary Hart
Charlie Brown beat Great Kabuki via forfeit
Dick Slater beat Mark Youngblood

Tue., 12/27/83 Columbia, SC; Township Auditorium
Johnny Weaver (sub for Jay Youngblood) & Ricky Steamboat beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco in a steel cage match
Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine in a dog collar match
Gene Anderson beat Barry Hart
Brickhouse Brown beat Jerry Grey
John Bonello beat Gary Royal

Wed., 12/28/83 Charlotte, NC; Charlotte Coliseum(TV)
Rufus R. Jones beat Jerry Grey
Jimmy Valiant beat Don Herbert
Bob Orton, Jr. beat Brett Hart
Ivan Koloff beat Vinnie Valentino
The Road Warriors beat Rick McCord & Steve Muslin
Mark Youngblood & Dory Funk, Jr. beat Bill Howard & Terry Gibbs
Mark Youngblood & Jay Youngblood beat Tony Russo & Hans Schroeder
Angelo Mosca beat Ivan Koloff by DQ
The Road Warriors beat Keith Larson & Gene Ligon
Dick Slater beat Mark Fleming
Dory Funk, Jr. beat Bill Howard

Wed., 12/28/83 Asheville, NC; Civic Center (TV)
Ricky Steamboat & Wahoo McDaniel (sub for Jay Youngblood) beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco in a steel cage match
Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine in a dog collar match
Plus 6 other matches

Thu., 12/29/83 Lynchburg, VA;  City Armory
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood vs. Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco in a lumberjack match
Greg Valentine vs. Roddy Piper in a dog collar match

Thu., 12/29/83 Norfolk, VA; Scope Coliseum
Gene Anderson beat Brett Hart
Keith Larson beat Tony Russo
Bob Orton, Jr. beat Johnny Weaver
The Assassins beat Dory Funk, Jr. & Jimmy Valiant
Wahoo McDaniel & Angelo Mosca beat Don Kernodle & Gary Hart
Dick Slater beat Rufus R. Jones

Fri., 12/30/83 Charleston, SC; County Hall
Angelo Mosca beat Don Kernodle
Brickhouse Brown & Keith Larson beat Gary Royal & Tony Russo
Brett Hart beat Don Herbert
Larry Lane beat Jerry Grey
Barry Orton beat John Bonello

Fri., 12/30/83 Richmond, VA; Richmond Coliseum
Ricky Steamboat & Jimmy Valiant (sub for Jay Youngblood) beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco in steel cage match
Roddy Piper beat Greg Valentine in a dog collar match
Dick Slater beat Wahoo McDaniel
The Assassins beat Dory Funk, Jr. & Rufus R. Jones
Bob Orton, Jr. beat Mark Youngblood
Johnny Weaver beat Gene Anderson
Hans Schroeder beat Barry Buckley

Showdown at the Township: Valentine and Flair vs. Wahoo and Jones

The marquee at the Columbia Township Auditorium, January 24, 1978

NWA World Tag Team Champions
Ric Flair and Greg Valentine

A NWA World Tag Team Title match headlined a four-match card at the historic Township.

 

'Gregg' Valentine?
I guess someone at the newspaper said, 

"Why not? Let's throw another "G" on his name!

Originally published June of 2016 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Marquee photo from Japanese magazine sent to us by Greg Price. Newspaper clipping from the collection of Mark Eastridge.

Poster: Greensboro Just One Part of Big Night in the Territory

by Brack Beasley
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

February 20th, 1975 was a special night in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling history for a number of reasons. Not only did the Crocketts run this loaded card at the War Memorial Coliseum in Greensboro, they also ran a card in Charlotte in order to go head to head with the IWA. Many of the stars wrestled on both shows the same night. 

In Greensboro, Jack Brisco successfully defended his NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Wahoo McDaniel in a no disqualification match. The NWA World Tag Team champs Gene and Ole Anderson collided with Mid-Atlantic Tag Team champs Paul Jones and Tiger Conway Jr. in a title vs. title match. The Andersons beat Jones and Conway and as a result, the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team titles were retired and not to be seen until they were brought back well over a year later. 

If I'm not mistaken, I believe this is the first ever match between Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair. It ended up with a double count-out and would be the first of many bouts between Rhodes and Flair in Greensboro as well as other venues. 

The rest of the card included Jerry Brisco, Ken Patera, Art Nelson, Sandy Scott, and Kevin Sullivan. The poster itself has a horizontal layout with black print (other than the high impact red "Wrestling" oval, city, and main event names) over a two tone yellow and pink background and great images of Wahoo, Brisco, Jones, and Conway Jr. The Wahoo autograph adds a nice touch as well. 

I'm just trying to figure out how all those main eventers (Andersons, Wahoo, Jones, and Dusty) managed the amazing feat of making both shots on the same night.

* * * * *

Mid-Atlantic Gateway Notes
by Dick Bourne, Mid-Atlantic Gateway

As Brack points out, Jim Crockett Promotions ran two big cards in North Carolina that night, one in Greensboro and one in Charlotte in opposition to the insurgent IWA. Even more remarkable, they also ran their other normal Thursday night town, Norfolk, VA, 

The Charlotte Card included:

• The Anderson Brothers defending their new NWA World Tag Team titles against the team that would give them fits for most of 1975, Wahoo McDaniel and Paul Jones. All four men also appeared on the Greensboro show that same night, indicating that they appeared very early in the card on one of the two shows. 
• Former NWA World Champion Harley Race made a rare appearance in the area against the special-attraction Haystacks Calhoun.
• Dusty Rhodes, also on that Greensboro card against Ric Flair, met El Gaucho. It's interesting that Ric Flair only wrestled in Greensboro and not in Charlotte since his Greensboro opponent (Rhodes) made both shows. Flair may have been involved in the Greensboro card later in some sort of outside interference role.

The Norfolk Card included:

• Johnny Valentine and the Super Destroyer vs. Bearcat Wright and Sonny King
• The Avenger and recently-turned babyface Swede Hanson vs. Mr. Fuji and Brute Bernard
• Others, including Klondike Bill, Blue Scorpion, Abe Jacobs, Two Ton Harris, Charlie Cook and more. 
  

NO. 34 IN THE BEASLEY POSTER SERIES

Wahoo McDaniel Apologizes to Mid-Atlantic Fans - - while in Florida (1985)

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

I just came across an interesting interview with Chief Wahoo McDaniel on an episode of "Championship Wrestling '85", formerly known as Championship Wrestling from Florida. The episode has two interesting connections to Jim Crockett Promotions and Mid-Atlantic Wrestling as it relates to Wahoo McDaniel. 

The episode originally aired Saturday, 3/16/85 in Florida. It was taped the prior Wednesday morning 3/13/85 at the famous Sportatorium in located at 106 North Albany Avenue in Tampa.

 

THE UNITED STATES TITLE
The first Mid-Atlantic connection was that Wahoo McDaniel was the reigning United States Heavyweight Champion for Jim Crockett Promotions at the time of this appearance in Florida. He was just over a week away from losing the title to Magnum T.A. in their famous cage match back in Charlotte on 3/23/85. So when Wahoo appeared on Florida TV, he was wearing the Crockett U.S. title. he was not acknowledged by the ring announcer or announcer Gordon Solie as champion, but was wearing the belt in the ring. Wahoo teamed with Jay and Mark Youngblood who were former Mid-Atlantic stars and the reigning United States Tag Team champions, a Florida-based title at the time. (Wahoo and Mark Youngblood had held the NWA World Tag Team titles a year earlier in the Mid-Atlantic area.)

THE APOLOGY
The second Mid-Atlantic connection was the interview Wahoo did with host Gordon Solie at the desk.  Wahoo had been one of the most popular wrestlers in the history of Jim Crockett Promotions throughout the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. But in 1984 he had "turned heel" over his frustration with being stripped of the United States title after defeating Ricky Steamboat for the belt in Greensboro. Wahoo became bitter and found an unlikely ally in Tully Blanchard, the two dubbing their tag team combination as the "Awesome Twosome." Suddenly, Wahoo had become one of the most hated wrestlers in the territory. 

So when he appeared in Florida, still with the U.S. title, it was perhaps surprising for him to team with the babyface tag team of the Youngblood brothers. 

After the match was over, Wahoo sat down with Solie and the two discussed Wahoo's return to Florida and his ongoing chase of Ric Flair and the NWA World Heavyweight title, a chase that had been going strong back in the Mid-Atlantic area, but now would continue in Florida. It was here that Wahoo actually apologized to the fans.

"You know, I've done a lot of things in the last couple of months," Wahoo told Solie. "My style of wrestling has changed some. I'd like to apologize to a lot of people, because in some places I've done some things I wouldn't ordinarily do."

Wahoo's use of the phrase "in some places" may have been a little cryptic for most Florida fans who would have been largely unaware of Wahoo's heel run in the Mid-Atlantic unless they had read about it the wrestling magazines or perhaps seen some of his occasional appearances in Georgia on WTBS. But that was directly aimed at Mid-Atlantic fans, some of whom could see the weekly Florida TV show on their cable systems.

Wahoo would apologize a second time, this time directly to Mid-Atlantic fans a few months later in a video tape sent in from Florida. It was in advance of a special return appearance for Jim Crockett Promotions to aid Dusty Rhodes against Tully Blanchard and Abdullah the Butcher in Greensboro. 

A week after this Florida episode aired, Wahoo lost the U.S. title to Magnum T.A. in Charlotte, and immediately left the territory to take the booking job in Florida.

The entire episode is embedded below, although you can go directly to Wahoo's match and interview using the links embedded in the paragraphs above. 

 

 (The complete episode is on the "106NAlbany" YouTube channel.)

Crown Jewel in the Book Store

 

Four Horsemen Reunion at Starrcast V!

Visit @StarrcastEvents for more information.
Graphic by the great Dave Silva.

 

Wrestling Art: Greg Valentine and that Famous T-Shirt

Digital artist Robby Bannister is back with another great art-cover paying tribute to the old Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Magazines of the 1970s and 1980s.

This time, the cover features one of the most iconic moments in Mid-Atlantic Wrestling history - - Greg Valentine celebrating his 1977 Mid-Atlantic championship title win over Wahoo McDaniel, wearing the Mid-Atlantic title belt and his infamous "I Broke Wahoo's Leg" t-shirt. 

Art by Robby Bannister

Greg had an original cover of his own that year, one of our favorite covers of that era, featuring an artistic rendition of "the Hammer" standing alongside the mythical Valentine Trophy Case that sported the Mid-Atlantic title belt and other trophies. The only thing missing was the fish bowl filled with a thousand silver dollars. Or in the case of that famous match between Greg and Wahoo, TWO thousand silver dollars. The photo that inspired Robby's cover was in that very issue.

Robby's other couvertures d'hommage have featured Blackjack Mulligan, Arn Anderson, Jimmy Snuka and Paul Orndorf, and the idea that began the series Don Kernodle.

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Tour on a Bo' Town Roasters Cup!

This Bo'Town Roasters coffee cup from Bojangle's looks like a tour itinerary for 1970s Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.

Greenville, Asheville, Raliegh, Charlotte, Richmond, Rick Hill, Florence, and everywhere in between. Jim Crockett Promotions on the road. All aboard! 

Originally published May 2018 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Tough Kid: Roddy Piper and the Sandpaper

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Edited From the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives / Cokes & Popcorn

Roddy Piper once told a story which illustrated what old-timers did to protect the business back in the day. In his day, they sometimes would go to extremes to make sure fans completely bought into an angle. It was all about "protecting the business."

In the audio clip below, Roddy is discussing the famous 1982 angle where he and Ric Flair engaged in an amateur wrestling contest. After Piper embarrassed Flair by pinning him both amateur and professional style, Flair and his cohort Greg Valentine attacked him and ground his face into the cement floor of the WPCQ TV studios in Charlotte.

In a radio interview in 2011 promoting an upcoming NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest, Piper discussed what we didn't see during the commercial break to make sure fans bought into the angle:

Roddy Piper discusses Gene Anderson
Rock 100.5 Atlanta's Rock Station 


Piper mentions he was taken to the back after the angle during the commercial break, and Gene Anderson rubbed sandpaper on his face to create the abrasion you see in the photo below and to help sell the angle to fans. After the facial "alterations", Anderson looked at him and said, "Tough kid." Piper said it was one of the greatest compliments he had ever received.

Roddy Piper 1982
Photograph by Eddie Cheslock

This photo above (taken by magazine photographer Eddie Cheslock in Richmond, VA) was shot in 1982 following the angle between Ric Flair and Roddy Piper which led to the sandpaper treatment he describes receiving in the video from Gene Anderson.

Ricky Steamboat 1978

The 1982 Flair/Piper angle was basically a repeat of an angle four years earlier between Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat, except the 1978 angle didn't involve an amateur wrestling contest.

On a 2015 appearance on Ric Flair's old podcast WOOOOO! Nation, Steamboat recounted how the same thing has been done to him to help get the angle over.

From the Mid-Atlantic Gateway Archives / Cokes & Popcorn
Also republished in June of 2015 on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway