CROCKETT GAVE US THE BEST

 

RIP HAWK shows he could wrestle as well as break the rules.

JOHNNY WEAVER in control of his match.

Russian "bad guy" NIKITA MULKOVICH prepares for battle.

SKULL MURPHY having a bad day at the office.

A bloodied GREG VALENTINE and partner RIC FLAIR puttin' it to RUFUS R. JONES.

GENE ANDERSON and DUSTY RHODES trading blows.

The match over, RIC FLAIR hops into his Caddy and heads back to Charlotte.

ED CAPRAL interviews #1 PAUL JONES on TV's WIDE WORLD WRESTLING.

Referee SONNY FARGO tries to get GREG VALENTINE and RIC FLAIR off WAHOO McDANIEL.

NELSON ROYAL

 

Ricky Ferrara is at Nelson's mercy as Royal works on his opponent's arm.

A familiar sight in Virginia and the Carolinas...Nelson has his hand raised.

Cowboy Nelson Royal looks over his Mooresville, N.C. ranch.

Fellow wrestlers Tiger Conway Jr. and Ed Wiskowski (later Colonel DeBeers) enjoy one of the many charity rodeo events Nelson sponsored at his ranch.


He lived on a twenty acre tract of land in Mooresville, North Carolina and was one of the town's most outstanding citizens at the time.

He devoted countless hours of his life helping those less fortunate. He organized numerous benefit rodeo shows at his arena for many charitable organizations as well as putting together softball games and the like for community purposes.

Besides being a good citizen and a friend to many, the man in question was by profession a heavyweight wrestler named NELSON ROYAL.

Nelson began his in-ring career around 1961 and came to JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS a few years later. 'Nellie' actually wrestled as a heel upon his arrival (using the name SIR NELSON ROYAL) and often teamed with THE VIKING.

He soon 'switched' to babyface and his incredible JCP career took off. The front office teamed Nelson with the tall, lanky TEX McKENZIE, and they quickly became one of the territory's top 'good guy' teams, alongside BECKER & WEAVER and the FLYING SCOTTS.

After several years, TEX left the area, and ROYAL was then paired with JCP newcomer PAUL JONES. Nelson and Paul were as popular as Nelson and Tex, and the 'Royal Run' continued.

Later, Nelson teamed with greats such as Sandy Scott, Les Thatcher and The Amazing Zuma and worked as a single.

Royal 'feuded' with all of the 'heel' teams that made their way through JCP for nearly twenty years and was always a favorite of the fans, in and out of the ring.

 

CLASSIC RASSLIN' RESULTS

 

RALEIGH, N.C. - 1968
---
LARS, GENE and OLE ANDERSON defeated RIP HAWK, SWEDE HANSON and NELSON ROYAL.

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT took ALEX MEDINA and JESSE JAMES.

ABE JACOBS won from FRANK HICKEY.

THE AMAZING ZUMA bested 'BULLDOG' LEE HENNING.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - 1969
---
RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON lost to NELSON ROYAL and PAUL JONES.

JESSE JAMES and RANDY CURTIS beat PEDRO and PANCHO VALDEZ.

MATTI SUZUKI topped SONNY FARGO.

EL LOBO pinned RON CHARLES.

CHARLESTON, W.V. - 1969
---
SAILOR ART THOMAS, NELSON ROYAL and PAUL JONES bested ALDO BOGNI, BRONCHO LUBICH and GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS in six man action.

BOBBY RED CLOUD toppled BOB GRIFFIN.

PANCHO VALDEZ and GREG PETERSON wrestled to a draw.

RALEIGH, N.C. - 1969
---
NELSON ROYAL, PAUL JONES and SANDY SCOTT topped LARS, GENE and OLE ANDERSON in six man action.

BOB GRIFFIN won from BOBBY PAUL.

GEORGE SCOTT bested PEDRO VALDEZ.

KOA TIKI pinned EL GAUCHO.

CHARLOTTE'S BIG DOME WILL EXPLODE

                                                                      May 20, 1963

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

When four of the roughest and toughest wrestlers EVER to appear in the Carolinas face off against each other, there's bound to be quite a collision. Add to that a tuxedo-wearing, cane-carrying "gentleman" who provides even more dirty work while operating at ringside, and you have a rousing night's work cut out for a wrestling referee.

That will be the scenario at the CHARLOTTE COLISEUM tonight when THE GREAT BOLO and BOLO, the masked roughnecks who have kept their identities secret for so long, go against equally rugged BRONCHO LUBICH and ALDO BOGNI (accompanied by their manager HOMER O'DELL) in a two-out-of-three falls BATTLE OF THE BULLIES clash.

It's the headline bout on a seven match card which gets underway at 8:15 p.m. Tickets for this big show are now available at the COLISEUM box office and the NATIONAL HAT SHOP in downtown Charlotte.

ARGENTINA ROCCA, the man who has filled New York City's Madison Square Garden to capacity no less than fifteen times, is also on the card in a special match against ruffian FRANK VALOIS in a one-fall event.

THE KENTUCKIANS, TINY ANDERSON and BIG BOY BROWN, will also make an appearance. They will put their combined 700 pounds against another huge team in SWEDE HANSON and "CRYBABY" CANNON. This tag match is set for the best-of-three falls.

RIP (don't call me chicken) HAWK, yet another vicious character, returns to Charlotte for the first time since Christmas to meet popular Indian star BILLY TWO RIVERS in the main prelim match.

Three more single matches featuring top mat stars will round out tonight's gigantic wrestling event.