ARGENTINA APOLLO

 

THE SUPER DESTROYER INVADES JCP

 

One of the epic battles between the masked villain and Swede Hanson

Swede not faring too well at this point.

Super D clamps 'the claw' on Swede's noggin'.

Sonny King feels the wrath of the Super Destroyer

The year was 1973. JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS brought back one of their most popular wrestlers, GEORGE SCOTT, not as a ring competitor, but rather as head booker. One of Scott's priorities was to shift emphasis from tag team competition to singles matches.

To accomplish this, Scott brought in a couple of top heels he felt could achieve the transition. One was Johnny Valentine. The other, a rugged, vicious man in a mask, known in many territories as THE SPOILER.

However, in MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING rings, he would be known as THE SUPER DESTROYER.

Regardless of his in-ring monocle, the man who wore the mask and pulverized his opponents was the 6' 4", 270 pound Canadian named DON JARDINE (1940-2006). Already in the pro wrestling business for nearly twenty years, Jardine was known as an incredibly agile worker for such a big man, known for 'walking the ropes' before lowering the boom on his competition. His ring style was rough and tough and, being the consummate 'heel', rule breaking was a big part of his m.o.

THE SUPER DESTROYER rose to main event level in JCP almost immediately, going against such greats as Johnny Weaver, Bearcat Wright, Wahoo McDaniel, Paul Jones, Rufus R. Jones and Sonny King.

A major program involving THE SUPER DESTROYER would be with a hooded 'babyface' who called himself THE AVENGER. The battle between these two escalated to a MASK VERSUS MASK battle in which the loser would reveal his identity. I witnessed the Greensboro, N.C. encounter between these two (seems like it was on Thanksgiving night) in which THE AVENGER was eventually pinned and revealed to be none other than Reggie Parks. This same type match was probably held in other cities as well.

However, the program with THE SUPER DESTROYER I enjoyed the most was his incredible matches with SWEDE HANSON. The long-time JCP heel, big SWEDE was now a single, as partner RIP HAWK had bolted to the newly-formed IWA. Swede joined forces with SUPER D as a new tag team, but things went sideways between the two, with the masked man humiliating Hanson after a defeat. From this point on, Swede turned 'babyface' and went after his ex-partner.

The two went from town-to-town in the MID-ATLANTIC territory fighting each other in mostly bloody battles. It would be Swede's swan song as a JCP main eventer. After this program, Hanson would finish his career as a mid-card wrestler, splitting his time between JCP and the then-WWF.

THE SUPER DESTROYER would continue on in JCP for a while, later leaving abruptly over 'corporate issues', with JCP announcing on its weekly wrestling programs he had been unmasked and showing Jardine's photograph without the mask.

Some thought this was not the most professional way to end things between the company and the employee, but we see things like this in the corporate world everyday, don't we?

THE ROAD WARRIORS (HAWK AND ANIMAL)

 

THERE'S ACTION, ADVENTURE, MYSTERY

                          Actually, that is the phrase that was used for TV's ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN.

But, think about it. It could also apply to the great storylines and matches of JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS throughout the years.

The greatest wrestling talent in the world worked in the MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING territory.

Here are but a few...

JOHNNY RINGO has the upper hand, at least for the moment, in this battle with MIKE 'THE ALASKAN' YORK.

One of THE INFERNOS comes to the aid of his masked partner in this match featuring a very young TERRY FUNK.

BOB BRUGGERS and DANNY MILLER turn the tables on CHUCK O'CONNOR (later known as JOHN STUDD).

You can't see his face, but that's NELSON ROYAL taking a beating from the German duo of KURT and HENRY VON STROHEIM.

Not one, but two referees attempt to get SWEDE HANSON away from THE SUPER DESTROYER (Don Jardine).

PRINCESS LITTLE CLOUD and BETTE BOUCHER prove the ladies can be just as rough as the guys.

'Camel Clutch' time for GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS. RONNIE GARVIN is in charge.

MAGNUM TA (TERRY ALLEN)

 

RING RESULTS

 History made in the MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING territory more than                                                                          fifty-five years ago...

JIM GRABMIRE

RALEIGH, N.C. - 1968

ABE JACOBS and LUTHER LINDSAY lost to HIRO MATSUDA and THE MISSOURI MAULER.

LES THATCHER and JIM OSBORNE beat 'BULLDOG' LEE HENNING and JIM GRABMIRE.

PANCHO VALDEZ and BOB NANDOR wrestled to a draw.

PEPPY GOMEZ topped FRANK HESTER.

LUTHER LINDSAY

RICHMOND, VA. - 1965

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT and JOHNNY WEAVER bested ALDO BOGNI, BRONKO LUBICH and HOMER O'DELL in six man action.

'BIG' BOB ORTON topped STEVE BOLUS.

JOHNNY WEAVER won from PEDRO ZAPATA.

LUTHER LINDSAY defeated RAY DURAN.

THE AMAZING ZUMA

CHARLESTON, S.C. - 1968

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT whipped THE MISSOURI MAULER and HIRO MATSUDA.

GEORGE BECKER, JOHNNY WEAVER and NELSON ROYAL toppled J.C. DYKES and THE INFERNOS in six man action.

THE AMAZING ZUMA pinned 'BULLDOG' LEE HENNING.

THE MATADOR beat JACK RICE.

THE TOLOS BROTHERS

CHARLESTON, S.C. - 1965

THE KENTUCKIANS topped BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY via DQ.

JOHN and CHRIS TOLOS wrestled NELSON ROYAL and STEVE BOLUS to a draw.

MIKE PAIDOUSIS won over CHRIS AVEROFF.

GEORGE 'CATALINA' DRAKE defeated MIKE GALLAGHER.

RICKY STEAMBOAT AND JAY YOUNGBLOOD

 

A HOT SUMMER NIGHT IN LEXINGTON

                                                                        July 24, 1965

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

GEORGE 'CATALINA' DRAKE

RON REED

(later wrestled as BUDDY COLT)

GEORGE BECKER

MIKE GALLAGHER

TONI ROSE

TINKER TODD

JOHN and CHRIS TOLOS

GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS

A best two-out-of-three falls rematch between the stellar wrestling teams of GEORGE 'CATALINA' DRAKE and RON REED and brothers JOHN and CHRIS TOLOS, known as THE MICHIGAN WRECKING CREW, headlines a four match card tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

Last Saturday, these two teams battled in an exciting and bloody match that ended in a NO CONTEST ruling by the official. The referee was forced to throw the match out for repeated disregard of the rules by both teams.

GEORGE BECKER will be on tonight's card in singles action against a long-time rival, rough and tough MIKE GALLAGHER, in the evening's semi-final contest. The match is also a best-of-three falls match.

In a special one fall event, girl wrestlers TONI ROSE and PEGGY ALLAN will have at it.

TINKER TODD faces GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS, victorious last week, in the first match.

Bell time is 8:15 p.m.

NIKITA KOLOFF

 

BRIGHT STARS EVERY NIGHT

 The skies may have been cloudy some nights, but when JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS brought MID-                     ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING to your town, the stars came out every night...

BRONCHO LUBICH

'JUMPIN' JIM BRUNZELL

DINO BRAVO

'CRUSHER' JERRY BLACKWELL

BOB ORTON JR. and SR.

BOBBY SHANE and KLONDIKE BILL

BILLY and JIMMY HINES

(The UNMASKED RED DEMONS)