JACK BRISCO versus DORY FUNK JR.

 

BLOOD(Y) BROTHERS AT WAR

                                                                      July 29, 1967

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

A battle between two brother teams highlights professional wrestling tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

It will be THE FLYING SCOTTS, GEORGE and SANDY, against LARS and GENE ANDERSON, and bad blood exists between the two units. There were brief flurries here last Saturday night when the SCOTT brothers took up for CHIEF LITTLE EAGLE and JERRY LONDON after the ANDERSONs had defeated them. LARS and GENE decided winning the match wasn't enough, so the skullduggery continued until GEORGE and SANDY stepped in to control the violence. Tonight, the ANDERSON / SCOTT collision should get hot and heavy.

The widely-known South American wild man, PAMPERO FIRPO, makes his LEXINGTON debut tonight when he joins forces with THE MISSOURI MAULER to meet big KLONDIKE BILL and partner GREG PETERSON in another tag encounter.

Two-out-of-three falls govern both tag team matches.

Singles matches tonight will see popular Texan NELSON ROYAL meet the mysterious masked man, THE MUMMY, while TONY ROMANO and PEDRO GODOY, both rugged veterans, meet in a bullies opening match at 8:15.

PAMPERO FIRPO

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT

GENE and LARS ANDERSON

NELSON ROYAL and KLONDIKE BILL

THE MISSOURI MAULER

THE MUMMY

GREG PETERSON

PEDRO GODOY

BARRY WYNDHAM

 

DEBUTS OF ANDERSONS AND KLONDIKE BILL

                                                                       JULY 9, 1966

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

60 Years Ago

Fan favorite JOHNNY WEAVER gets another crack at the SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP when he meets title holder THE MISSOURI MAULER in tonight's LEXINGTON YMCA pro wrestling two-out-of-three falls main event.

It will be a rematch of a thriller here several weeks ago in which the MAULER was able to hang on to his title only by a thread.

WEAVER employed his famous "sleeper hold" for what would have been the deciding fall, but he was outside the ropes, and the brutal (and fortunate) champ was allowed to retain his belt when the referee was forced to disqualify WEAVER.

JOHNNY has promised a different outcome tonight.

In the evening's tag team battle, the popular duo of ABE JACOBS and RUDY KAYE will meet LARS and GENE ANDERSON, a rugged twosome from Minnesota, who are making their Lexington debut.

This match is also for two-of-three falls.

Another big man of wrestling, Kodiak, Alaska's KLONDIKE BILL, also makes his first appearance here when he faces the tough veteran EL GAUCHO in one of two supporting bouts.

The 8:15 opener will send two bullies, IKE EAKINS and TONY NERO, against one another.

DUSTY RHODES AND JIMMY VALIANT

 

EVERY MATCH A MAIN EVENT

                                                                   AUGUST 10, 1959

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

67 Years Ago

Many wrestling fans are saying that promoter JIM CROCKETT has outdone himself with tonight's pro wrestling card. Every match on the program could headline any wrestling show anywhere in the United States.

But it is the fans in the CHARLOTTE area who shall reap the benefits.

In tonight's headliner at PARK CENTER, the devious duo of MR. MOTO and DUKE KEOMUKA will face another challenge for their SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP. The Japs, who have protected their titles at any cost against all comers in the month they have had the belts, will face a severe challenge when they meet fan favorites GEORGE BECKER and BILLY TWO RIVERS, the top-ranked contenders. The championship encounter is set for the best two-of-three falls, with a one hour time limit.

The semi-final squares off PAT O'HARA and THE GREAT BOLO. Perhaps tonight will be the lucky night for the Irishman in his quest to unmask the hooded ruffian. O'HARA has come close a few times, but THE GREAT BOLO has managed to hang on to his mask...so far. This one's also two-out-of-three falls, forty-five minute limit.

The main prelim sends popular DANO O'SHOCKER against the rugged LARRY 'CRUSHER' HAMILTON for one fall, thirty minutes.

And the 8:15 opener, set for one fall and twenty minutes, has REGGIE PARKS, the handsome Canadian scraper from Ontario, meeting CYCLONE ANAYA.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early to guarantee a seat.

MR. WRESTLING (TIM WOODS)

 

THE GREAT BOLO SEES RED

                                                                  August 26, 1958

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

A FIGHT TO THE FINISH will headline tonight's PARK CENTER wrestling program

The NO TIME LIMIT bout will give RED BASTIEN a second shot at THE GREAT BOLO, and if BASTIEN can capture two falls-out-of-three, off will come BOLO's mask.

Last Monday night, the pair battled to a one-hour draw without a single fall being recorded during the sixty-minute time limit.

"There must be a decision this week," says promoter JIM CROCKETT. "I don't care if they have to wrestle three hours---this match is going to settle something."

The semi-final scrap is a tag team contest that pairs GEORGE BECKER and CYCLONE ANAYA against the rugged German brother duo of FRITZ and WALDO VON ERIC. The Germans were disqualified in a bout last week with BILLY TWO RIVERS and his partner and quickly showed they are among the roughest duos in the wrestling business today. This match is set for the best two-out-of-three falls.

Two single bouts complete the card.

One has ERNIE DUSEK taking on NICK ROBERTS, and the 8:15 opener sends footballer MIKE PAIDOUSIS against TINKER TODD.

THE SUPER DESTROYER (DON JARDINE)

 

A PROFILE OF "THE PROFILE"

 Throughout the long history of JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS, few attained the status and recognition of RIP 'The Profile' HAWK.

A long-time 'heel', RIP often made the claim in interviews that the fans, in reality, loved him and supported him. Naturally, this brought out more heat from the fans who denied this was the case. Wrestling fans did love one thing about RIP. They loved to see him get beat in his matches. Many a fan usually left the arenas disappointed in that regard. RIP usually had the final word.

Even when 'babyfaces' like JOHNNY WEAVER or JERRY BRISCO won a side bet with RIP, they ended up getting dropped on their heads when they bent over to pick up their winnings.

"Oh boy...it's payday!"

In the early 1960s, RIP squared off against another JCP icon, JOHNNY VALENTINE.

A bit of bubbly before a match...

Earning his name as HAWK rips the hair of LOUIE TILLET.

Nearing the end of his tenure with JCP, RIP poses wearing the MID-ATLANTIC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP belt (which he shared with his 'nephew', an up-and-coming youngster named FLAIR).

Many of us had the opportunity and privilege of meeting and getting to know RIP from his appearances at the NWA FANFESTs. The respect he has among his peers became evident listening to many of the other FANFEST wrestlers from a by-gone era.

Perhaps WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION HARLEY RACE said it best at the 2007 FANFEST..."Pound for pound, RIP HAWK was easily one of the roughest and most knowledgeable men who ever worked in the business."

As it turns out, those interviews RIP used to give were right after all---I did love RIP HAWK...and I still do.

THE ASSASSINS AND DUSTY RHODES

 

COWBOYS AND BOMBERS

                                                                          May 21, 1966

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

60 Years Ago

Wrestling fans will get a chance to witness a rematch between the teams of TEX McKENZIE / NELSON ROYAL and RIP HAWK / SWEDE HANSON at the LEXINGTON YMCA tonight.

Demands for the return came after the popular Texans lost a disputed match to the BLONDE BOMBERS last Saturday night. It has been contended that HAWK used the ropes in an illegal manner to produce the decisive fall when ROYAL was in position to win it all for his team.

The two-out-of-three falls tag match highlights the card which also contains the following other matches:

Newcomer PAUL DEMARCO meets veteran tough guy IKE EAKINS in the semifinal.

KARL GOTCH takes on CORSICA JEAN, while two other newcomers, RAY GARDINI and KEN HOLLIS, clash in the 8:15 opening match of the evening.

JIM CROCKETT, JR.

 

GREAT WHILE IT LASTED

   All good things must come to an end, and JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS was one of those things, but wasn't it great when we could get in our cars and journey to nearby towns and experience the wrestling matches in person...

GREG VALENTINE and RIC FLAIR

SILENTO RODRIGUEZ and RANDY CURTIS

DARLING DAGMAR and THE KENTUCKIAN TINY ANDERSON

TONI ROSE

JIMMY SNUKA and RICKY STEAMBOAT

FRANK MORRELL and BILLY HINES

(At one time, HINES was one of THE MASKED RED DEMONS.)

JOHNNY VALENTINE

 

PLAYBOY GARY HART GETS HIS

                             You could push a mild-mannered guy like JERRY BRISCO only so                                                       far. 'Playboy' GARY HART crossed the line and paid the price!

"Chain matches disgust me," claimed JERRY. "If a wrestler can't win a match on his ability alone---then he should get out of the business."

Then why did BRISCO end up in a 1973 CHARLOTTE COLISEUM ring battling 'Playboy' GARY HART in a CHAIN MATCH?

The whole bloody mess stemmed from a title match the night OLE ANDERSON hoped to grab JERRY's EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.

At a point in the match, it seemed that OLE was really on the short end of a wrestling match, and that didn't happen often. ANDERSON was the victim of a series of dropkicks, spinning toe holds and the abdominal stretch. The end appeared to be near.

Enter GARY HART. Angry that he hadn't been given a title match as he had demanded, HART jumped into the ring to OLE's defense---with a chain.

The heavy metal object left its marks on BRISCO. The referee disqualified ANDERSON due to HART's outside interference. JERRY remained EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.

Immediately, HART challenged BRISCO to a match...a CHAIN MATCH. The 'Playboy' and the man he managed, RIP HAWK, told everyone that JERRY wouldn't accept the challenge...because he was yellow.

But they were wrong.

The match was signed for The Big Dome in CHARLOTTE.

It was a night GARY HART would regret. Although he had a few shining moments during the match, the night belonged to JERRY BRISCO. HART was soon a bloody mess, so bad that RIP HAWK grabbed his manager and dragged his limp body to the dressing room and on to the hospital.

Talk about a plan that backfired.

The referee secures each end of the chain to the combatants' wrists.

HART gets the advantage by choking BRISCO with the heavy chain.

The 'Playboy' inflicts more damage to JERRY.

The tide of battle changed, as RIP HAWK helps his manager from the ring.

The EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION is victorious.

BOBO BRAZIL

 

LET'S TAKE TIME FOR THESE COMMERCIAL MESSAGES

                 ABOUT THE MID-ATLANTIC WRESTLING EVENTS COMING UP IN YOUR AREA...

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

(Typo on card: 'Rick' Hunter was actually 'Rock Hunter'.)

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

(What a booking for DORY FUNK JR.---wrestling 'Bulldog' LEE HENNING in a prelim.)



RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
(from the MID-ATLANTIC GATEWAY)



RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA

BARON VON RASCHKE

 

SKINHEADS AND A HAYSTACK

                                                                        June 13, 1964

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

62 Years Ago

Wrestling fans will be treated to plenty of tag team action tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA as matches include both heavyweight and midget stars.

Topping the card tonight is HAYSTACK CALHOUN, the world's biggest wrestler, and his speedy young partner JOHNNY WEAVER.

They will be matched against the brutal team of SKULL MURPHY and BRUTE BERNARD in a best-of-three falls rematch between the two duos.

These four fought it out last Saturday night in a thriller won by CALHOUN and WEAVER. The skin-headed combo of BERNARD and MURPHY, not satisfied with how they lost, asked for another shot. (Actually, MURPHY did the asking as the BRUTE doesn't do much talking.)

Midgets and heavyweights combine on teams in the semi-final. Heavyweight ALEX MEDINA will work with little FRENCHIE SEMARD, and they will oppose little guy CHICO SANTANA and his heavyweight partner PAT O'BRIEN.

Singles action sends TIM WOODS against JOE TOMASSA, with CHRIS AVEROFF tangling with SONNY FARGO in the 8:15 opener.