GEORGE BECKER versus JIM CROCKETT

 Popular GEORGE BECKER left CROCKETT PROMOTIONS in 1971, but as it turned out, he did not leave the wrestling business.

"For many years, GEORGE BECKER has been one of professional wrestling's biggest stars. This fact is attested to by thousands of the sport's fans who have sent in votes for BECKER since his retirement a few months ago requesting GEORGE be inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

BECKER, though retired from the mat, has not quit the wrestling business. He has become a promoter. He and MIKE GALLAGHER, another retired grappler, recently began their own wrestling company through an association with the SHAKEY'S PIZZA chain. Their small independent shows started up a few weeks ago (in and around Charlotte, North Carolina), and whether the two will be successful or not, is not yet known."

from an article by GENE GORDON in the July, 1972 issue of WRESTLING REVUE



Even though the promotion did not last very long, I thought you might enjoy these rare glimpses of the BECKER / GALLAGHER promotion and some of the wrestlers on their roster.

Referee BUDDY WAYNE, wrestlers BILLY BLUE CLOUD and CHARLIE COOK.
COOK was a former Pittsburgh Steeler who previously had a successful run in Florida, often teaming with Jack and Jerry Brisco.

Action featuring BILLY BLUE CLOUD and THE BLACK MEDIC.

OX THE RIPPER choking CHARLIE COOK.
This match occurred in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.

THE VALENTINE BROTHERS

JERRY and JIMMY

MIKE GALLAGHER during his in-ring career.

MIKE and brother DOC formed a potent heel team in JCP during the late 1950s and early 1960s and often feuded with BECKER at the time.

Throughout his wrestling career, GEORGE appreciated his fans and was always accessible to them.

BECKER / GALLAGHER PROMOTIONS six man team of DIZZY McSHANE, ROCK RIDDLE and THE CONVICT.

DALE STARR works on the leg of DIZZY McSHANE in a match held in Gastonia, North Carolina.

McSHANE, RIDDLE and THE CONVICT do battle with DALE STARR and the VALENTINE BROTHERS, JIMMY and JERRY.

Going up against JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS in their hometown of Charlotte was a mountain too high to climb.

DANNY MILLER

 

WINNERS AND NON-WINNERS

 

TINKER TODD

CHARLESTON, S.C. - 1969

GENE and OLE ANDERSON topped MR. WRESTLING and ABE JACOBS.

JIMMY HINES whipped TINKER TODD.

BOB RAMSTEAD and JESSE JAMES wrestled EL GAUCHO and PEDRO GODOY to a draw.

BILLY HINES defeated BILLY SPEARS.

ARGENTINA APOLLO


RICHMOND, VA. - 1971

ARGENTINA APOLLO and LES THATCHER topped GENE ANDERSON and ART NELSON.

KOA TIKI and LUTHER LINDSAY defeated JIM GRABMIRE and JOHNNY HEIDEMAN.

NICK RUSSO won over JOE FURR.

BRUTE BERNARD stopped JIM DILLON.


GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT


CHARLOTTE, N.C. - 1966

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT beat KURT and HENRY VON STROHEIM.

PENNY BANNER defeated LINDA CARROLL.

DON CHUY bested TONY NERO.

RUDY KAY downed JACK DANIELS (cheers!).

ABE JACOBS topped CORSICA JEAN.


THE KENTUCKIANS
TINY ANDERSON and BIG BOY BROWN


LYNCHBURG, VA. - 1967

THE KENTUCKIANS bested P.Y. CHUNG and HARU SASAKI.

JESSE JAMES and LES THATCHER wrestled to a no contest with JAN MADRID and GENE DUNDEE.

CHIEF LITTLE EAGLE defeated BULL RAMOS.

NELSON ROYAL toppled ANGELO MARTINELLI.


BRUTE BERNARD


RICHMOND, VA. - 1971

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER defeated GENE ANDERSON and ART NELSON.

BRUTE BERNARD and THE MISSOURI MAULER topped KOA TIKI and LUTHER LINDSAY

BARBARA NICHOLS won from TAMMY JONES.

JESSE JAMES beat ANGELO MARTINELLI.

JACK BRISCO

 

ANYONE FOR CARDS?

 

GREENSBORO, N.C. - 1966

GEORGE BECKER, JOHNNY WEAVER & LOU THESZ beat ALDO BOGNI, BRONCHO LUBICH & HOMER O'DELL in six man action.

THE MASKED RED DEMONS topped LUTHER LINDSAY & GEORGE "CATALINA" DRAKE.

PAUL DEMARCO toppled Big IKE EAKINS.

JESSE JAMES wrestled ABE JACOBS to a draw.

KLONDIKE BILL  pinned BOB MORGAN.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - 1966

GEORGE BECKER, JOHNNY WEAVER & TEX McKENZIE defeated HOMER O'DELL, ALDO BOGNI & BRONCHO LUBICH.

RIP HAWK & SWEDE HANSON won over BILLY TWO RIVERS & ABE JACOBS.

NELSON ROYAL pinned GORY GUERRERO.

KURT VON STROHEIM toppled KARL GOTCH.

HENRY VON STROHEIM defeated STEVE BOLUS.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - 1966

ALDO BOGNI & BRONCHO LUBICH with MGR. HOMER O'DELL beat TEX McKENZIE & NELSON ROYAL to retain the SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP.

GEORGE BECKER & JOHNNY WEAVER defeated BRUTE BERNARD & SKULL MURPHY via Disqualification.

RUDY KAY topped Big IKE EAKINS.

HENRY VON STROHEIM bested KARL GOTCH.

KURT VON STROHEIM over ROGER KIRBY.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - 1967

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT & TEX McKENZIE topple ALDO BOGNI, BRONCHO LUBICH & HOMER O'DELL in six man action.

GEORGE BECKER & JOHNNY WEAVER bested KURT and HENRY VON STROHEIM.

THE MISSOURI MAULER beat Big IKE EAKINS in a battle of the bullies match.

PEGGY ALLEN & TAMMY JONES defeated MARJORIE RAMSEY & JESSICA ROGERS.

NELSON ROYAL pinned THE GREAT MALENKO.

LUTHER LINDSAY over PEDRO GODOY.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - 1967

RIP HAWK & SWEDE HANSON vs. THE INFERNOS with MGR. J.C. DYKES ended in a double disqualification.

GEORGE BECKER & JOHNNY WEAVER over P.Y. CHUNG & HARU SASAKI.

ALDO BOGNI & BRONCHO LUBICH with MGR. HOMER O'DELL bested LUTHER LINDSAY & THE AMAZING ZUMA.

NELSON ROYAL pinned BULL RAMOS.

GREG PETERSON topped JERRY LONDON.

LES THATCHER defeated PEDRO GODOY.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - 1967

JOHNNY WEAVER beat NWA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION GENE KINISKI in a non-title match.

RIP HAWK & SWEDE HANSON & THE MISSOURI MAULER beat GEORGE BECKER & GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT

NELSON ROYAL & PAUL JONES topped LARS and GENE ANDERSON via disqualification.

HIRO MATSUDA pinned LES THATCHER.

RUDY KAY stump pulled PANCHO VALDEZ.

JESSE JAMES toppled THE MATADOR.

RALEIGH, N.C. - 1972

THUNDERBOLT PATTERSON & JERRY BRISCO topped RIP HAWK & SWEDE HANSON with MGR. "PLAYBOY" GARY HART via disqualification.

THE ROYAL KANGAROOS destroyed ABE JACOBS & RANDY CURTIS.

SANDY SCOTT stretched GEORGE "TWO TON" HARRIS.

RONNIE GARVIN pinned BILLY HINES.

JIM CROCKETT JR.

 

GERMAN TEAM DEMANDS REMATCH

                                                                  December 10, 1966

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

Two tag teams plus a battle between two pretty girl grapplers give interest to tonight's LEXINGTON YMCA mat card, kicking off at 8:15.

The popular duo of KLONDIKE BILL and ABE JACOBS are rematched tonight against KURT and HENRY VON STROHEIM. The German brothers made demands for this return match after a disputed loss to BILL and ABE here last Saturday.

PAUL DEMARCO and LUTHER LINDSEY, hero winners last week, return to face top competition in the likes of RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON, wrestling's "BLONDE BOMBERS."

Both tag team battles are set for the best two-out-of-three falls.

PENNY BANNER, the most popular girl wrestler around these parts, faces stiff competition when she faces TAMMY JONES, a not-so-nice lady, in a special one fall event.

TINKER TODD clashes with EL GAUCHO in the opening bout of the night. Don't look for many rules to be followed in this one.

ART NELSON

 

THIS TIME IT'S NO DQ

                                                                   January 27, 1968

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

57 Years Ago

A potentially wild rematch, with a NO DISQUALIFICATION stipulation attached, headlines professional wrestling tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

Indian favorites BOBBY RED CLOUD and CHIEF LITTLE EAGLE, winners in a disputed match last Saturday, will again square off against the tough Minnesota duo of LARS and GENE ANDERSON. The ANDERSON brothers are very angry over being disqualified last week, and with the NO DQ rule in effect, won't have to worry about that this time.

"We'll beat those redskins to pieces this time and send them back to their squaws on the reservation," a confident LARS ANDERSON stated. GENE nodded in agreement.

New faces in LEXINGTON will be seen tonight in other contests.

Another brother combo, this one Canadian, in the likes of TERRY and RONNIE GARVIN debuts tonight and will be matched against the very popular team of LES THATCHER and RUDY KAYE.

Both tag matches are for the best two-out-of-three falls.

HIRO MATSUDA, a tough Jap, makes his initial appearance here when he faces BOB NANDOR, a winner last week.

CHIN LEE, a judo expert from China, debuts against big JIM GRABMIRE.

TANK MORGAN returns after a long absence to meet veteran ANGELO MARTINELLI in the 8:15 opening match.

THE MONGOLS with MGR. GEORGE "CRY BABY" CANNON

 

A LONG TIME JCP FEUD

 GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER ruled the tag team world in JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS for most of the 1960s.

They faced every top 'heel' team that passed through the territory. The longest ongoing program was with RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON. The next longest would probably be with ALDO BOGNI and BRONCHO LUBICH, but right up there was the on-and-off again feud that BECKER and WEAVER had with THE ANDERSON BROTHERS.

It would start with the duo of LARS and GENE ANDERSON. Later, OLE was brought in, and while the younger 'brother' was being broken in, there were three ANDERSONs. LARS then left the MID-ATLANTIC area, and THE MINNESOTA WRECKING CREW was redefined as GENE and OLE ANDERSON.

GENE ANDERSON attempts to ram JOHNNY WEAVER'S head into the ring apron...or worse!

Judging from the blood on WEAVER's face, GENE was successful.


BECKER pummels a cornered LARS ANDERSON.


JOHNNY just can't seem to get away from GENE's fist.


GENE decides to work on BECKER for a while.

JACK BRISCO versus DORY FUNK JR.

 

BOILING POINT

                                                                     January 21, 1963

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

62 Years Ago

The stage is set for one of the biggest matches in the history of Charlotte professional wrestling since its debut here thirty years ago. And tonight's the night.

This match, which has building to a climax for several months now, pits the team of THE GREAT BOLO and BOLO against THE KENTUCKIANS, BIG BOY BROWN and TINY ANDERSON.

Special rules have been set for this match to insure that the BOLO team does not duck and run as they did at PARK CENTER two weeks ago. Ten wrestlers will be stationed around the ring to keep all four participants within the roped boundaries. THE KENTUCKIANS, the big fan favorites, will have two-out-of-three falls and one hour to not only defeat the hooded villains, but to unmask them and reveal their identities to the huge crowd which is expected to be in attendance.

"In the wrestling business, we call this a LUMBERJACK MATCH," said promoter JIM CROCKETT as time grows near for the big event. "No one will be able to escape if things aren't going their way."

A gigantic undercard is set for tonight's CHARLOTTE COLISEUM scene of the big showdown.

GEORGE BECKER and BILLY TWO RIVERS head it up, going against big IKE EAKINS and rugged PANCHO VILLA in the best-of-three falls semi-final tag team contest.

In single fall bouts scheduled, popular young JOHNNY WEAVER faces the Oriental villain P.Y. CHUNG.

LUTHER LINDSAY takes on EDDIE GOLD.

JOHNNY "RUBBERMAN" WALKER clashes with Japan's HOSHINO SATO.

And to add even more excitement, PENNY BANNER will face BRENDA SCOTT in a special ladies event.

A huge crowd is expected at the CHARLOTTE COLISEUM tonight, but as of press time, there were some good seats still available, according to CROCKETT.

The starting time tonight is 8:15 sharp.

DINO BRAVO AND MR. WRESTLING (TIM WOODS)

 

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-two 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.

RIC FLAIR

 

GREAT WRESTLERS AND GREAT MATCHES!

 

New Zealander ABE JACOBS (with partner MR. WRESTLING looking on) ties up one of THE INFERNOS.

A bad night for the VON STEIGERS.

THE GREAT BOLO stomps a helpless opponent.

'BATTLE OF THE BULLIES' time when HAWK and HANSON met the VON STROHEIMs.

NELSON ROYAL in a bit of a fix.

BILLY TWO RIVERS gives GORDON NELSON a "tomahawk chop".

ART NELSON puts the boots to a downed FRANK MONTE as referee ANGELO MARTINELLI looks on.

It was a 'Clash of the Titans' anytime JOHNNY VALENTINE faced SWEDE HANSON.

JIM DILLON begs for mercy in a match with TERRY FUNK.

TERRY KAY attempts to put NORMAN FREDERICK CHARLES III of THE ROYAL KANGAROOS to sleep.

Manager GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS tries to revive his man ALDO BOGNI from the effects of a JOHNNY WEAVER 'sleeper'.