A GREENVILLE, SC BLOODBATH

           Many MID-ATLANTIC WRESTLING fans always loved to witness a BATTLE OF THE  BULLIES match, in which two 'bad guy' teams faced each other instead of the usual 'babyface' versus 'heel' encounter.

I was one of those fans, and I was lucky enough to see quite a few.

One I didn't get to witness took place in 1972 in Greenville, South Carolina. And to make the match even better, it was wrestled under TEXAS DEATH MATCH rules, meaning falls didn't count towards deciding a victor. The two teams battled until one couldn't answer the bell for the next fall. No time limit and no disqualification stipulations were also in place.

On this night, the combatants were the teams of GENE ANDERSON and ART NELSON versus RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON.

Referee SAM 'LUCKY' ROBERTS was assigned to be the official. More likely than not, SAM was probably 'UNLUCKY' ROBERTS for this night.

RIP HAWK hammers away on GENE ANDERSON.

No participate left the ring unscathed that night in Greenville.

GENE GORDON witnessed the match and gave the following account..."I believe this TEXAS DEATH MATCH was the roughest, most vicious and bloody match I had seen in many years, and I go all the way back to the likes of COWBOY LUTTRELL, DANNY MCSHANE and STRANGLER BOB WAGNER. There was not a lot of wrestling. It was more like something out of the days of the Roman gladiators who battled to the death. No one paid any attention to any of the normal rules. The referee was knocked down several times and thrown to the floor once. He wanted to stop the match but couldn't under the stipulations. All four wrestlers looked like they had been run through a sausage grinder. They were so exhausted they could hardly leave the ring at the end. I saw one woman faint and a few others left in disgust, unable to stand the brutality and gore. I know I'll never forget it."

For the record, the match was won by HAWK and HANSON, although they certainly didn't look like winners at the end.

BOB CAUDLE and JOHNNY WEAVER - JCP LEGENDS

 

A HOT JANUARY NIGHT

                                                                  January 11, 1969

Lexington, North Carolina

MR. WRESTLING and SAM STEAMBOAT

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON

TERRY and RONNIE GARVIN

JESSE JAMES

Professional wrestling's 'Blonde Bombers' --- RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON --- will take on the hero unit of Hawaiian star SAM STEAMBOAT and the masked man MR. WRESTLING in tonight's main event at the Lexington YMCA.

The Canadian brother duo of TERRY and RONNIE GARVIN will meet fan favorites BOB RAMSTEAD and JESSE JAMES in the semi-final tag team match.

Both tag contests will be decided under a best two-of-three falls stipulation.

Preliminary singles bouts will find rugged ROCK HUNTER meeting young BILLY SPEARS and TINKER TODD facing another masked man in the guise of EL LOBO.

The action gets underway at 8:15 p.m.

THE ASSASSIN (JODY HAMILTON)

 

DOUBLE MAIN EVENTS

                                                                      May 24, 1969  

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

57 Years Ago

Power-packed action is offered wrestling fans in an all-star card at the LEXINGTON YMCA tonight, kicking off at 8:15.

The first of two big tag team matches will send the "BLONDE BOMBERS" RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON against the popular Texas twosome of NELSON ROYAL and PAUL JONES. The Texans are fast and high-flying, the "BOMBERS" mean and rugged, so the clash of styles could make for just a plain old battle.

Co-featuring the agenda will be a tag battle between the popular duo of Hawaiian SAM STEAMBOAT and partner MR. WRESTLING when they face the highly dangerous combo of THE INFERNOS. Interesting that STEAMBOAT is the only participant who doesn't hide his true identity behind a mask. Both teams have been on a winning streak lately, so something's gotta give in this one. Add in THE INFERNOS' crafty manager, J.C. DYKES, and anything might happen.

Both tag matches will go the best-of-three falls.

Rough PANCHO VALDEZ meets young RANDY CURTIS and fan favorite GREG PETERSON will contest BOBBY PAUL in the evening's first match.

JACK BRISCO versus DORY FUNK JR.

 

BLOOD(Y) BROTHERS AT WAR

                                                                      July 29, 1967

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

A battle between two brother teams highlights professional wrestling tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

It will be THE FLYING SCOTTS, GEORGE and SANDY, against LARS and GENE ANDERSON, and bad blood exists between the two units. There were brief flurries here last Saturday night when the SCOTT brothers took up for CHIEF LITTLE EAGLE and JERRY LONDON after the ANDERSONs had defeated them. LARS and GENE decided winning the match wasn't enough, so the skullduggery continued until GEORGE and SANDY stepped in to control the violence. Tonight, the ANDERSON / SCOTT collision should get hot and heavy.

The widely-known South American wild man, PAMPERO FIRPO, makes his LEXINGTON debut tonight when he joins forces with THE MISSOURI MAULER to meet big KLONDIKE BILL and partner GREG PETERSON in another tag encounter.

Two-out-of-three falls govern both tag team matches.

Singles matches tonight will see popular Texan NELSON ROYAL meet the mysterious masked man, THE MUMMY, while TONY ROMANO and PEDRO GODOY, both rugged veterans, meet in a bullies opening match at 8:15.

PAMPERO FIRPO

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT

GENE and LARS ANDERSON

NELSON ROYAL and KLONDIKE BILL

THE MISSOURI MAULER

THE MUMMY

GREG PETERSON

PEDRO GODOY

BARRY WYNDHAM

 

DEBUTS OF ANDERSONS AND KLONDIKE BILL

                                                                       JULY 9, 1966

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

60 Years Ago

Fan favorite JOHNNY WEAVER gets another crack at the SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP when he meets title holder THE MISSOURI MAULER in tonight's LEXINGTON YMCA pro wrestling two-out-of-three falls main event.

It will be a rematch of a thriller here several weeks ago in which the MAULER was able to hang on to his title only by a thread.

WEAVER employed his famous "sleeper hold" for what would have been the deciding fall, but he was outside the ropes, and the brutal (and fortunate) champ was allowed to retain his belt when the referee was forced to disqualify WEAVER.

JOHNNY has promised a different outcome tonight.

In the evening's tag team battle, the popular duo of ABE JACOBS and RUDY KAYE will meet LARS and GENE ANDERSON, a rugged twosome from Minnesota, who are making their Lexington debut.

This match is also for two-of-three falls.

Another big man of wrestling, Kodiak, Alaska's KLONDIKE BILL, also makes his first appearance here when he faces the tough veteran EL GAUCHO in one of two supporting bouts.

The 8:15 opener will send two bullies, IKE EAKINS and TONY NERO, against one another.

DUSTY RHODES AND JIMMY VALIANT