THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (STAN LANE, BOBBY EATON and JIM CORNETTE)

 

RICKY STEAMBOAT and RIC FLAIR

 

RICK RUDE and MANNY FERNANDEZ

 

BLACKJACK MULLIGAN and RIC FLAIR

 

THE KENTUCKIANS - - TINY ANDERSON and BIG BOY BROWN

 

HAYSTACKS CALHOUN

 

THE ROYAL KANGAROOS - NORMAN FREDERICK CHARLES III and LORD JONATHAN BOYD

 

RIC FLARES AT THE GARDEN

 For nearly half a year now, the world-famous Madison Square Garden wrestling shows have been topped off with a very special cherry - - - some of the greatest wrestlers now in the business who, for various reasons, had never before been seen in the WWWF, were being booked as special guest attractions. The effect was twofold: the New York fans got to see a different style of wrestling, as well as a look at some of the heavy-duty talent that's fascinating fans in other territories of the grappling world.

From the announcement at ring center during the February, 1976 card, as to the name of the wrestler guest-starring the following month, excitement began to build among fans and press alike. It would be none other than RIC FLAIR, the much-heralded, peroxide blond "Nature Boy", with a line of self-developed hype slicker than a greased pencil.

The following month, as he strode down the ramp towards the MSG ring, the majority of New York fans weren't even sure who Flair was. He wore a long, gold-encrusted robe, white trunks, and the most magnificent patent-leather boots ever to grace the royal blue Garden mat. Across the back of his robe was emblazoned the legend: "Nature Boy", and he stalked back and forth within his corner, looking sullen and anxious as he awaited his opponent.

The man Ric was to wrestle would be no pushover. "Pistol" Pete Sanchez was a well-experienced grappler who can go by the book or duke it out, whichever way it lays. Pete drew the appluase of the crowd, and Flair disdainfully disrobed. At the sight of his excellent physique, Flair immediately won over a goodly portion of the female audience.

Ric looked like an excited young kid, howling with delight at his own prowess and at being able to demonstrate it in the biggest arena in the country. But while he looked like a handsome young kid, he wrestled pure pro, taking Sanchez with much greater ease than the ringsiders expected.

Finally, looking like a surfer about to hit the waves, Flair ignited and was all over Sanchez in a matter of seconds. After delivering a series of rights to the jaw, Ric bent Pete's head forward, hooked his arms and lifted him straight up into the air for a perfectly-executed symmetrical suplex. Grinning from ear to ear, the "Nature Boy" pinned his man and leaped up into the glare of the behemoth Klieg lights, basking in the golden glow of victory.

Ric Flair had come a long way, and he's come all that way in a few short years. There aren't many wrestlers who have done that. And as Flair had his hand raised in victory, center-canvas at Madison Square Carden, you were seized with the feeling that you were looking at one of those very special wrestlers.

(WRESTLING TRAINING ILLUSTRATED - September, 1976)

THE ASSASSINS & #1 PAUL JONES

 

BRUTE BERNARD

 

NUMBER ONE

                        PAUL JONES in MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING

He could make us love him when we were supposed to love him...

And he could make us loathe him when we were supposed to loathe him...

These ladies appear to love him.

PAUL, as he looked, when first coming to JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS in the late 1960s.

Ready for a night on the town.

Always business in the ring, whether as a babyface or heel.

PAUL battles JERRY BRISCO.

In his managing days with THE ASSASSINS.

In his career with JCP, PAUL JONES did it all. He teamed regularly with the likes of NELSON ROYAL, WAHOO McDANIEL, RICKY STEAMBOAT, BARON VON RASCHKE, THE MASKED SUPERSTAR and GREG VALENTINE, and had heated feuds with all of the same (except ROYAL).

He held virtually every championship belt that MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING had to offer.

He took several NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT Champions to the limit.

His run as a heel manager was just as productive as far as ticket sales were concerned. PAUL's program involving JIMMY VALIANT lasted for several years.

Most JCP fans probably remember PAUL's turning on RICKY STEAMBOAT (although to final days, PAUL insisted it was the other way around), the incredible tag battles when he teamed with WAHOO against GENE and OLE ANDERSON, and battling a much larger BLACKJACK MULLIGAN (and making it totally believable).

And what about pinning medals of bravery (and a toupee) on BARON VON RASCHKE.

So many MID-ATLANTIC memories of PAUL JONES.

Thanks, MR. NUMBER ONE.

BARRY WINDHAM

 

PAUL ORNDORF

 

SALISBURY, NC WRESTLING

 After the smashing success of the JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS card held in Salisbury, North Carolina on JUNE 10, 1986, MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING returned to CATAWBA COLLEGE's GOODMAN GYMNASIUM ten months later for another session of television tapings.

The event date was APRIL 14, 1987.

Two big main event matches topped the program.

OLE ANDERSON, having left THE FOUR HORSEMEN, was feuding with TULLY BLANCHARD. TULLY had been very vocal about OLE shirking his HORSEMEN duties for family reasons. In return, OLE had slapped all of the bodily fluids out of TULLY's nose on a WTBS broadcast, then walked away from TULLY, ARN ANDERSON, RIC FLAIR and J.J. DILLON.

A great build-up to a great program.

SALISBURY was a witness to the animosity.

A potentially great tag battle was on tap as well that night with WAHOO MCDANIEL teaming with BARRY WINDHAM to face LEX LUGER and ARN ANDERSON.

Other top names to appear for TV matches included RIC FLAIR, DUSTY RHODES, IVAN & NIKITA KOLOFF and THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS with JIM CORNETTE.

The dilemma: For a reason that I cannot recall, I did NOT attend this show and have no memory of it at all. Only by chance, doing some research, did I discover this event occurred.

The event was not sponsored by the SALISBURY JAYCEES, as the show ten months earlier had been. In fact, the newspaper ad pictured above has no mention of any sponsor.

So, I'm sorry to say, this is all I can report on the show.

Something big must have been going on in my life to prevent my going to a JCP wrestling show four miles from my home.

I wonder what it was...

LEX LUGER

ARN ANDERSON

WAHOO MCDANIEL

BARRY WINDHAM

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There were three other MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING shows in the SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA area during this same time frame:

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OCTOBER 27, 1986 - PFEIFFER COLLEGE - MISENHEIMER, N.C.

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MARCH 17, 1987 - SOUTH ROWAN HIGH SCHOOL - CHINA GROVE, N.C.

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SEPTEMBER 29, 1987 - PFEIFFER COLLEGE - MISENHEIMER, N.C.

DUSTY RHODES and JIMMY VALIANT

 

ANGELO MOSCA