AROUND THE CROCKETT TERRITORY

             Traveling the MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING territory from Norfolk to Columbia...

JOHN and CHRIS TOLOS

COLUMBIA, S.C. - 1966

JOHN and CHRIS TOLOS topped GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT.

ANGELO MARTINELLI beat RAY DURAN.

'ROWDY' RED ROBERTS lost to GORY GUERRERO.

EL GAUCHO

LEXINGTON, N.C. - 1967

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER won over KURT and HENRY VON STROHEIM.

THE MISSOURI MAULER defeated TEX McKENZIE.

NELSON ROYAL pinned EL GAUCHO.

PAUL DEMARCO lost to BULL RAMOS.

P.Y. CHUNG

LEXINGTON, N.C. - 1968

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON beat TEX McKENZIE and NELSON ROYAL.

TINY MILLS and STEVE STANLEE won from RICK HUNTER and JERRY LONDON.

P.Y. CHUNG pinned BOB NANDOR.

LUTHER LINDSAY topple JIM GRABMIRE.

ABE JACOBS

CHARLESTON, S.C. - 1966

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT bested THE GREAT MALENKO and 'BIG' BOB ORTON.

ALDO BOGNI and BRONCHO LUBICH with HOMER O'DELL wrestled BILLY TWO RIVERS and SUNI WAR CLOUD to a draw.

STEVE BOLUS whipped IKE EAKINS.

CORSICA JEAN won over KEN YATES.

ABE JACOBS topped TONY NERO.

SWEDE HANSON and RIP HAWK

NORFOLK, VA. - 1966

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON lost to BRONCHO LUBICH and ALDO BOGNI with HOMER O'DELL.

KARL GOTCH and ALEX MEDINA topped HANS SCHMIDT and IKE EAKINS.

GORY GUERRERO wrestled ROGER KIRBY to a draw.

LUTHER LINDSAY downed JACK DANIELS. 

 

LIKES & DISLIKES BY J.C. DYKES

 

A bloodied WEAVER after being kicked with the loaded boot of THE INFERNO.

Happy 'Birthday Suit' to you, J.C. DYKES

WEAVER takes a tumble to the floor.

A battered INFERNO receives medical care.

---

During the JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS terror tenure of J.C DYKES and THE INFERNOS, the weekly wrestling souvenir program at JCP arenas often contained articles written by the red-headed manager in which he expressed his personal opinions of the competition as it pertained to his blue-masked duo.

Without any doubt, the two wrestlers he despised the most were GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER, then the top 'babyface' team in MID-ATLANTIC WRESTLING.

THE INFERNOS battled BECKER and WEAVER all over the JCP territory in one of the 'hottest' feuds in 1960's pro wrestling history.

One evening, after a jam-packed house at Charlotte's PARK CENTER, Gene Gordon was able to corner DYKES and ask him a few questions.

J.C. had been shooting off his mouth about what his boys would do to that 'old bum' and his 'half-witted partner'. The match that night was thrown out by the referee for uncontrollable wildness. 'We beat them to a pulp tonight, and only the prejudiced referee saved their skins. They're as yellow as can be and will probably never sign to wrestle us again."

'BECKER is a low life, he eats berries and bugs,' shouted DYKES. 'As far as Weaver, he's on the silly side."

GEORGE and JOHNNY, however, rushed to the promoter, demanding their schedules be changed so that they could get THE INFERNOS back in the ring right away. 'That mouth without a brain and those two cowards who are afraid to let the public see their ugly faces, are in for a real surprise,' countered BECKER.

The following Monday night, the rematch took place, again at PARK CENTER. And again, the house was packed to see THE INFERNOS and DYKES 'get theirs'.

WEAVER recorded the first fall, putting one of the masked men in slumber land from his trademark 'sleeper' hold. DYKES yelled and screamed to the official that JOHNNY had choked his man unto he passed out. The referee was not impressed by J.C.'s protest.

The second fall started with a very groggy INFERNO trying to stay on his feet, still reeling from the 'sleeper'. But then DYKES distracted the referee while the other INFERNO kicked WEAVER square in the head with the 'loaded boot' for the pin.

Fans rushed handkerchiefs and tissue to BECKER to help stop the bleeding of his partner. One fan offered his shirt.

The match was even.

The bell rang for the deciding fall. WEAVER barely answered the bell, his face a Gordon Solie 'crimson mask'. But he managed to continue, finally making a tag to BECKER, who came in like a madman. He floored both INFERNOS, knocking one out to the floor. GEORGE followed his rival outside the ring, ran the 'loaded boot' masked man into the ring post. Soon, this INFERNO was as bloody as WEAVER.

JOHNNY had cornered the other INFERNO and had the blue mask about half off when DYKES jumped into the fray. Approaching WEAVER (from behind, of course) with his metal canteen, his path was cut off by BECKER who battered DYKES until he could barely stand.

BECKER and WEAVER weren't able to remove a mask that night, but maybe they did one better. They removed J.C.'s clothes almost down to his 'birthday suit'. At this point, he blew his whistle, and a half-nude manager and his masked men (one a bloody pulp) set sail for the dressing room, forfeiting the match on a count out.

On a tirade in the dressing room, while his bloodied INFERNO received medical attention, DYKES began his ranting again, 'We will get BECKER and WEAVER if it takes a lifetime. That bug-eating BECKER and mule ears WEAVER have disgraced, humiliated and shamed my INFERNOS and me. Can you image two grownup men like these two dolts tearing my clothes off out there in front of thousands of people? If they want to act like children, they should both be placed in reform school with the other dirty-minded brats! When we first came to JCP, BECKER took off and went into hiding in the mountains somewhere until WEAVER sent out a posse to bring him back. WEAVER told BECKER a lie when he came back. He said that one of my INFERNOS burned his face with a fireball or something ridiculous like that. That is not what made the scar on old mule ear's face. Sailor Art Thomas dropped WEAVER on his head carrying him out of the ring after we beat the two of them one night. They're both no-good liars, and we'll send them into retirement before we leave the Carolinas. That's a promise.'

Although the two teams battled many more times, that promise went unfulfilled.

 

A CROCKETT CHRISTMAS CARD

                                                                   December 25, 1969

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

54 Years Ago

Promoter JIM CROCKETT has slated another CHRISTMAS DAY spectacular for the CHARLOTTE COLISEUM, starting at 8:15 p.m.

It is a charity card with a FENCE MATCH set as the headliner.

This type of match takes place inside a seven-foot high steel barrier, which eliminates any escape routes by the combatants.

The two teams confined will be fan favorites GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER and the angry twosome of SKULL MURPHY and BRUTE BERNARD.

In their last meeting, MURPHY enlisted the aid of a steel chair, smashing WEAVER's head into a bloody mess, then bolting to the dressing room. The fence will prevent MURPHY (or anyone else) from doing it this time.

This main event is set for two-out-of-three falls, within a one-hour time limit.

"Two other tag team matches are booked on tonight's card," said CROCKETT.

ABE JACOBS and LES WOLFE will face KURT VON STROHEIM and ART NELSON in one of them.

In the other, SAILOR ART THOMAS and LUTHER LINDSAY will collide with GENE and OLE ANDERSON, the MINNESOTA WRECKING CREW.

"It's a wrestling card with something for everybody," said CROCKETT, pointing to the Christmas spirit of the event. "We'll also have midgets and girls as well."

RIP HAWK vs GENE ANDERSON

 

 

CHARLOTTE CHRISTMAS WRESTLING - 1968

                                                                  December 25, 1968

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

A total of eighteen professional wrestlers will participate in a charity program at the CHARLOTTE COLISEUM tonight, presented by JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS.

A FENCE MATCH is the top attraction this Christmas. SAILOR ART THOMAS, GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER face THE MISSOURI MAULER, HIRO MATSUDA and HOMER O'DELL in this specialty. A seven-foot chain link steel fence is to be rigged around the squared circle. Contestants will do-or-die to the finish in this match, as neither team will be able to escape before the match is over.

The MINNESOTA WRECKING CREW, GENE and OLE ANDERSON, will tangle with JIMMY and BILLY HINES in the semi-final best-of-three falls match. Fans may recall that the HINES brothers wrestled a few years back as THE MASKED RED DEMONS.

There will be a special ladies wrestling contest.

Midgets are also on this holiday variety card. LORD LITTLEBROOK will defend his mighty honor against THE MIGHTY ATOM.

"BULLDOG" LEE HENNING will be out to take down NELSON ROYAL in a one-fall contest.

The opener sends TINKER TODD against PAUL JONES.

Tickets are available at the NATIONAL HAT SHOP and the COLISEUM box office. Doors open at 7:00 and the matches begin at 8:15.

I beat him to a bloody pulp.

 

GEORGE "TWO TON" HARRIS and

the MASKED RED DEMONS

 

 

GEORGE SCOTT and WAHOO McDANIEL participate in a Civitan golf tournament in

Salisbury, N.C.

 

NOT REALLY BROTHERS versus NOT REALLY BROTHERS

                                                                    January 25, 1969

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

54 Years Ago

A rematch between the wrestling teams of GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT and THE MISSOURI MAULER and HIRO MATSUDA headlines tonight's wrestling at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

The popular FLYING SCOTTS lost to the villainous MAULER and MATSUDA last week when they were disqualified. This week it's NO DQ, so anything goes.

HOMER O'DELL will also be on hand managing his bullies. Last week, O'DELL was ordered away from the ring area by the referee before the match began. He plans to be around more tonight.

A super BATTLE OF THE BULLY BROTHERS is also set when two rule-breaking sibbling teams collide. It will be TERRY and RONNIE GARVIN meeting GENE and OLE ANDERSON.

Both tag team matches will be fought under the best two-out-of-three falls rules.

Popular STEVE BOLUS returns after a long absence to face tough TONY NERO.

The card opens at 8:15 with newcomer BOBBY PAUL squaring off against the rough veteran "BULLDOG" LEE HENNING.

JARDINE INVADES JCP AS SUPER DESTROYER

 

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 ANDERSONS WANT MORE

                                                                      May 25, 1968

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

LARS and GENE ANDERSON

NELSON ROYAL

BOBBY RED CLOUD

'BULLDOG' LEE HENNING

ABE JACOBS

LUTHER LINDSAY

---

Action should reach an exciting peak tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA when the popular Texas duo of NELSON ROYAL and PAUL JONES and Minnesota brothers LARS and GENE ANDERSON clash in the wrestling main event.

It will be a best-of-three falls rematch of a thriller won in disputed fashion by the Texans last Saturday night. The ANDERSON brothers demanded another match.

War-dancing Indians CHIEF LITTLE EAGLE and BOBBY RED CLOUD meet another set of villains in 'BULLDOG' LEE HENNING and big JIM GRABMIRE in another team affair.

A scientific match is offered between BOB NANDOR and ABE JACOBS.

The card is completed with a contest between LUTHER LINDSAY and FRANK HICKEY.

Action gets underway at 8:15.

 

 

 

 SAILOR ART THOMAS

 

SUPER STARS IN SUPER ACTION

KIM DUK battles WAHOO MCDANIEL

PAUL JONES has the better of BARON VON RASCHKE.

JACK BRISCO ties up GREG VALENTINE with a rear chin lock.

The end is near for his opponent as DINO BRAVO begins his airplane spin.

THE ASSASSIN manhandles an opponent.

DUSTY RHODES deals with both OLE and GENE ANDERSON.

BLACKJACK MULLIGAN arm bars PAUL JONES.