AROUND THE TERRITORY

 

PHIL (BUCK) ROBLEY

---

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - 1969

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT won from THE INFERNOS with J.C. DYKES via DQ.

BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY topped ABE JACOBS and LES WOLFE.

JOHNNY WEAVER whipped MATTI SUZUKI.

BOBBY RED CLOUD topped PHIL ROBLEY.

LES THATCHER

---

GREENVILLE, S.C. - 1968

LARS, GENE and OLE ANDERSON toppled ARGENTINA ZUMA, LES THATCHER and PAUL DEMARCO in six man action.

JESSE JAMES topped PEPPY GOMEZ.

PANCHO VALDEZ pinned JACK RICO.

BOB RAMSTEAD wrestled JOHNNY HEIDEMAN to a draw.

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER

---

CHARLESTON, S.C. - 1965

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER won over BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY.

THE KENTUCKIANS bested THE ALASKAN and THE BEAST.

GEORGE 'CATALINA' DRAKE topped EDUARDO CASTILLO.

PEE WEE LOPEZ pinned JIM DANDY.

EL LOBO

---

GREENVILLE, S.C. - 1969

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER defeated LARS and GENE ANDERSON.

BOB GRIFFIN and LES WOLFE lost to BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY.

OLE ANDERSON whipped BOBBY RED CLOUD.

JOHNNY HEIDEMAN topped EL LOBO.

GEORGE SCOTT, BOOKER

 I loved MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING in the mid-to-late 1960s. That is the period in which I became a BIG-TIME fan, although I loved the wrestling TV shows in the early sixties as well. The difference was that I didn't have access to attend live shows until around 1965 (except maybe one show a year when wrestling came to my home town).

My passion for the business continued into the 1970s, and big things were going to occur. The long-time policy of best-of-three fall tag team matches would be phased out as the usual main event. The top of the card would now generally be a one-fall singles match. This was due to new booker GEORGE SCOTT.

Tag team matches certainly didn't disappear, but the top tag teams of the early seventies were, for the most part, now history. JOHNNY WEAVER's partners (GEORGE BECKER, ARGENTINA APOLLO, ART NELSON) moved on, NELSON ROYAL and PAUL JONES, as well as GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT, split up. Even RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON, with SWEDE turning 'babyface'.

One of the few teams to remain intact was THE MINNESOTA WRECKING CREW, GENE and OLE ANDERSON, and the new decade was HUGE for them.

So, who to build the territory around?

WEAVER, HANSON, JONES and SANDY would remain and be used as both tag and singles stalwarts.

To add to the roster, booker GEORGE SCOTT brought in a few new names to build his new concept.

JOHNNY VALENTINE, WAHOO McDANIEL and THE SUPER DESTROYER (DON JARDINE) made their marks quickly. They would be joined by a youngster who was working in Minnesota...RIC FLAIR.

Within a year, SCOTT's gamble had paid off handsomely, and the JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS territory was RED HOT !

RIC FLAIR

(When he first came to JCP, who of us could imagine what his impact would have on the entire wrestling business?)

THE MIGHTY IGOR

(Coming to JCP from the IWA, IGOR was a hit. His feud with THE MASKED SUPERSTAR BILL EADIE was BIG.)

CHUCK O'CONNOR

(His mid-card status changed when he began wrestling as 'BIG' JOHN STUDD.)

TIM WOODS

(Had been in and out of the JCP territory since the early 1960s, but MR. WRESTLING continued to be a main eventer way into the seventies.)

JACK and JERRY BRISCO

(Beside JACK's being the NWA WORLD CHAMP, both of the brothers were EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONs in JCP and extremely popular with the fans.)

JOHNNY VALENTINE

(Brought to JCP as the cornerstone of the new MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING philosophy. Only the October 1975 plane crash cut his run short.)

RICKY STEAMBOAT

(Although it was later in the decade before he arrived in JCP, STEAMBOAT caught fire in a hurry and helped keep the box offices in the territories very healthy.)

 

DOUBLE THE BOLOS...DOUBLE THE TROUBLE

                                                                  November 17, 1962

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

It looks as if things just got worse for professional wrestling's good guys.

THE GREAT BOLO, the masked menace of the sport, has taken a partner, simply known as BOLO. It is reported that BOLO is equally as rugged and tough as the team captain THE GREAT BOLO. Tonight, LEXINGTON fans will get the opportunity to judge for themselves as wrestling returns to the YMCA starting at 8:15 p.m.

THE GREAT BOLO, many believe, has been the toughest rule-breaking grappler in this area for the last four years, and with the addition of a look-alike partner, who is also masked, tag team wrestling should really heat up.

The hooded duo makes its LEXINGTON debut tonight against the combo of SWEDE HANSON and RAY VILLMER, a prize team working together for the first time. The match is set for the best-of-three falls within a one hour time limit.

The card also features an all-star roster that returns the Hawaiian sensation, JOHNNY 'RUBBERMAN' WALKER*, and Canada's JERRY TURRENNE, who made his debut here last week.

WALKER will face RAY DURAN, and TURRENCE battles PEDRO ZAPATA.

In other singles action, DON WHITTLER will meet EDDIE AUGER.


* JOHNNY 'RUBBERMAN' WALKER, of course, later donned the MR. WRESTLING 2 hood.

 

ONE MORE SUMMER NIGHT OF WRESTLING - ALMOST

 

August 24, 1967

STATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

The third and final JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS wrestling card for Statesville, N.C. in the summer of 1967.

This says it all.

I was not happy.

Back to City News Stand to retrieve my $2.00 reserved ringside admission.

I probably spent the $2.00 on new comic books before I got out of the place.

 

LET THE BULLIES BATTLE

                                                                      July 28, 1969 

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

PARK CENTER is a great venue for professional wrestling as proven over the years, but the building may not be able to handle the action tonight when two of the very roughest and brutal tag teams (and constant rule breakers) in the business collide head-on in the evening's headline attraction.

In what has to be billed as a BATTLE OF THE BULLIES, the skin headed duo of BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY clash with wrestling's 'BLONDE BOMBERS' RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON. Sympathies to whichever referee is assigned the job of officiating this two-out-of-three falls contest. One may describe the match as two locomotives colliding at breakneck speed.

BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON

EL LOBO

ABE JACOBS

JOHNNY HEIDEMAN

ROCK HUNTER

LES WOLFE

More tag team action is in store for fans attending tonight when the popular duo of New Zealander ABE JACOBS and his youthful partner LES WOLFE face the rugged ROCK HUNTER and his masked partner EL LOBO. No one seems to know the identity of EL LOBO, and if HUNTER actually does, he isn't talking. This is also a best-of-three falls match.

Two singles matches will open the 8:15 card when JESSE JAMES takes on TOM BRADLEY and the youngster MATTI SUZUKI faces veteran tough guy JOHNNY HEIDEMAN.

INTO THE WAYBACK MACHINE

                      It would take a visit from baby boomers' Saturday morning cartoon       buddies Sherman and Peabody and their Wayback Machine to witness the JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS wrestling card that occurred sixty years ago, but I'd give almost anything if I could.

January 26, 1963

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

GEORGE BECKER

BILLY TWO RIVERS

THE SICILIANS
LOU ALBANO and TONY ALTOMARE

P.Y. CHUNG

THE KENTUCKIANS
TINY ANDERSON and BIG BOY BROWN
---
The two winning teams on last week's wrestling card at the LEXINGTON YMCA will be back tonight to meet top competition in an action-packed program that kicks off at 8:15 p.m.

In one of two main events, the rugged team of THE SICILIANS, LOU ALBANO and
TONY ALTOMARE, victors last Saturday, face stellar competition in the very-popular duo of GEORGE BECKER and Mohawk warrior BILLY TWO RIVERS.

Crafty Oriental judo wizards, P.Y CHUNG and YASHINO SATO *, also winners last week, will be in the unenviable position of meeting one of the largest tag teams in the wrestling business when they clash with THE KENTUCKIANS, BIG BOY BROWN and TINY ANDERSON. These two fellows top the scales at a combined 700-plus pounds and dwarf the Orientals in height.

Both tag team main events are scheduled for the best two-out-of-three falls.

A singles match featuring a local hero will open the card when Asheboro's own LARRY HULIN meets the wily veteran TINKER TODD.


* YASHINO SATO later wrestled in the MID-ATLANTIC territory as THE GREAT KABUKI.

 

BOLO, BECKER BATTLE

                                                                 September 12, 1960

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

63 Years Ago

The long-awaited return bout between fan favorite GEORGE BECKER and the much-hated masked man, THE GREAT BOLO, will headline tonight's PARK CENTER wrestling card starting at 8:15.

Hero BECKER, who recently returned to the ring after a six month absence due to a severe knee injury, has won three straight matches here preparing for his return tussle with the hooded BOLO.

In their first meeting, BECKER won the first fall, and then the pair fought a standoff the remainder of their one hour time limit.

Perhaps a technical BECKER victory, it was not an official one as two winning falls were not recorded, therefore THE GREAT BOLO was NOT required to unmask. BOLO has a stipulation in his contracts stating that he will unmask in the ring after losing two-out-of-three falls to a pin fall or submission.

Tag team action makes up the semifinal tonight when GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT face JAN MADRID and GYPSY JOE in another best-of-three falls contest.

Singles action opens the card with FARMER JONES returning to Charlotte to meet TOM BRADLEY, and JACK CURTIS goes against LOUIS TILLET in the opening contest.

 

ROCKIN' RALEIGH

               The capital city of North Carolina was a regular site for JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS.

Tarheels (and a lot of Virginia folks) made the almost weekly trek to DORTON ARENA to see great wrestling.

THE MISSOURI MAULER

(LARRY HAMILTON)

---

RALEIGH, N.C. - 1968

THE MISSOURI MAULER and PAMPERO FIRPO lost to GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER.

HAYSTACK CALHOUN and THE AMAZING ZUMA beat RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON via DQ.

NELSON ROYAL pinned BULL RAMOS.

CHIEF LITTLE EAGLE bested GENE DUNDEE.

LOU THESZ

---

RALEIGH, N.C. - 1965

LOU THESZ retained the WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP defeating GEORGE SCOTT.

ALDO BOGNI and BRONCHO LUBICH with HOMER O'DELL toppled NICK KOZAK and 'IRISH' MIKE CLANCY.

SIR NELSON ROYAL and THE VIKING bested DALE LEWIS and PEPPY GOMEZ.

JOHNNY WEAVER topped THE MATADOR.

PRINCESS LITTLE CLOUD pinned JUDY GRABLE.

SWEDE HANSON and RIP HAWK

---

RALEIGH, N.C. - 1965

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON trounced PEPPY GOMEZ and RUDY KAY.

NICK KOZAK and 'IRISH' MIKE CLANCY toppled SIR NELSON ROYAL and THE VIKING.

CHIEF BIG HEART and LORENZO PARENTE defeated JOHNNY KACE and PRINCE OMAR.

MIKE VALENTINO pinned JACK VANSKY.

JOHNNY WEAVER

---

RALEIGH, N.C. - 1965

LOU THESZ retained the WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP over JOHNNY WEAVER.

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT and ABE JACOBS took a disputed decision over BRONCHO LUBICH, ALDO BOGNI and HOMER O'DELL in six man action.

RAY VILLMER wrestled THE ALASKAN to a draw.

THE BEAST whipped THE VIKING.

PENNY BANNER pinned JUDY GRABLE.

EDWARDO CASTILLO topped THE MATADOR.

GEORGE BECKER versus THE MASKED RED DEMONS

---

RALEIGH, N.C. - 1967

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT and GEORGE BECKER won over THE MASKED RED DEMONS and GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS in a six man battle.

FRENCHIE LAMONTE lost to LORD LITTLEBROOK.

THE MUMMY pinned DON KENT.

IKE EAKINS triumphed over PEDRO GODOY.

SCOTTS AND DEMONS

                                                                       June 25, 1966

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

57 Years Ago

A big tag team battle, matching two swift-moving teams against one another, headlines tonight's four bout card at the LEXINGTON YMCA starting at 8:15.

The FLYING SCOTTS, GEORGE and SANDY, will take a crack at the hooded terror duo of THE MASKED RED DEMONS.

The SCOTT brothers are known for their fantastic aerial maneuvers, while the DEMONS are gaining a local reputation for having no regard for law and order. They conceal their identities behind crimson masks and have been racking up a huge win streak since arriving in this wrestling area. GEORGE and SANDY will try to derail this runaway freight train in the best two-out-of-three fall contest. They have a one hour time limit to do it.

JAN MADRID, a strutting bully, returns after a long absence to run head-on into the able ABE JACOBS in tonight's semi-final match.

GEORGE 'CATALINA' DRAKE meets ALEX MEDINA in a one-fall encounter.

KEN HOLLIS battles TONY NERO in the evening's first match.

GEORGE AND SANDY

 

Today I salute one of the top tag teams who ever worked for JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS. I refer to the fabulous GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT, known in the business as THE FLYING SCOTTS.

GEORGE slams BRONCHO LUBICH.

SANDY applies the 'abdominal stretch' to LUBICH.
It was a bad night for BRONCHO.

Here SANDY gives THE MISSOURI MAULER a free chiropractic adjustment.

At home, GEORGE poses with his son, GEORGE JR. and family pet Sam.

---

Next to BECKER and WEAVER, the SCOTTS were the top 'babyface' team in the MID-ATLANTIC WRESTLING area during the 1960s. In fact, GEORGE and SANDY were already world renown before ever coming to JCP in 1957, nearly five years before George and Johnny ever got together.

In 1967, Gene Gordon said that 'the SCOTT brothers have done more for tag team wrestling than the Smith brothers have done for cough drops. Jumpin' GEORGE and Slammin' SANDY have been flattening the best in the business for the past ten years like a pair of Mack trucks driving over balloons.'

It was at Central High School in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, that the wrestling bug first bit GEORGE. Already an ice hockey and football player, he was asked to work out with the wrestling team one day, and that workout changed his life. He turned professional in 1949.

It wasn't until five years later, in 1954, that younger brother SANDY joined his brother in the wrestling ring. At this point, they began wrestling all over the world, holding tag team championships in numerous countries. Then in 1957, they landed in CROCKETT country for the first time.

GEORGE stated, in a 1967 interview, that LOU THESZ was the best he personally ever met in the ring, with GENE KINISKI a close second. In terms of tag teams, SANDY credits BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY as the most rugged team he and GEORGE ever butted heads with, with ALDO BOGNI and BRONCHO LUBICH right behind.

Ironically, the very first live wrestling I ever attended at Charlotte's PARK CENTER (around 1965) was headlined with GEORGE and SANDY challenging BOGNI and LUBICH for the SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP, then held by the 'heels'.
The champions took the first fall, the challengers evened the match winning the second fall. The match ended in a sixty-minute Broadway.

Disappointed that the good guys did not win the titles that night, we consoled ourselves by making a stop on the way home at the KRISPY KREME on Independence Boulevard.

SANDY has BRONCHO LUBICH wishing he had stayed at home.

GEORGE acknowledges the crowd after an introduction.

One of wrestling's ALL-TIME great tag teams.

SANDY after hanging up his tights.