A SCALPING FOR HAWK AND HANSON?

May 4, 1968

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON are fond of their golden hair. They wouldn't be pro wrestling's 'Blonde Bombers' without it. Could a good scalping be in the future when HAWK and HANSON meet Indian stars BOBBY RED CLOUD and CHIEF LITTLE EAGLE tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA?

Two out-of-three falls and a one hour time limit will determine the outcome.

Two tough guys, JIM GRABMIRE and 'BULLDOG' LEE HENNING will join forces for the first time here to take on the fast-moving hero unit of ABE JACOBS and LUTHER LINDSAY, returning for another week.

Young ALEX MEDINA will tackle the Russian rule-breaker NIKITA MULKOVICH and JACK RICO will battle THE MATADOR in the evening's singles contests.

Belltime is 8:15.

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON

BOBBY RED CLOUD

'BULLDOG' LEE HENNING

JIM GRABMIRE

LUTHER LINDSAY

NIKITA MULKOVICH

LABOR DAY WRESTLING IN LEXINGTON

September 3, 1966
LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

50 YEARS AGO 

Tough guys RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON, known as wrestling's 'Blond Bombers,' will test the prowess of the Texas hero team TEX McKENZIE and NELSON ROYAL in tonight's Lexington YMCA wrestling main event feature.

TEX and NELLIE are fresh from a victory over the MASKED RED DEMONS last week and want to keep their winning streak going. HAWK and HANSON are returning to Lexington after an absence and have plans to stop the cowboys in their boots. Two-out-of-three falls will determine the winner.

Popular KEN HOLLIS will join forces with youngster BOBBY SHANE to meet the rugged sibbling duo of LARS and GENE ANDERSON in the other tag team event, also for the best two-out-of-three falls.

JESSE JAMES faces EL GAUCHO and DON KENT makes his local debut against TINKER TODD in the 8:15 opening contest.

THE ORIGINAL 'NATURE BOY'

September 15, 1956

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

---

60 Years Ago

'NATURE BOY' BUDDY ROGERS

DICK STEINBORN

GEORGE BECKER and JACK WITZIG

SKULL MURPHY

KARL VON HESS

LEN ROSSI

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Wrestling attendance may have been lagging at the LEXINGTON YMCA in recent weeks, but it gets a major shot in the arm tonight with a double main event attraction that would grab notice at any arena in the country.

Local sponsors of the grappling pastime are making plans to pull a big attendance for this week's slate that includes tag team and singles action.

One of ringdom's most colorful individuals, 'NATURE BOY' BUDDY ROGERS, a great (but hated) champion from the Northeast, makes his local debut in the main event. The strutting blonde-headed genius will have his hands full because he'll be opposing one of the fastest-rising young stars in the wrestling business. The man is DICK STEINBORN, and this is the match the young man has been asking for since learning ROGERS was headed this way.

ROGERS is but the first of a series of stellar standouts who will be invading the Carolinas on tour.

Tonight's tag team match could well be one of the best ever presented in the 4500 seat YMCA arena. It's one that the fans themselves have demanded.

It sends the glamour gentlemen of the sport, GEORGE BECKER and JACK WITZIG, against the roughest of the rulebreakers, SKULL MURPHY and KARL VON HESS. Fans have waited a long time to see BECKER and WITZIG have a chance to lambast these villains, and tonight it comes to fruition.

Both of these matches will be contested under a best two-out-of-three falls stipulation, within a one-hour time limit.

The opening match of the evening should also be a corker, because it matches the always explosive youngster, LEN ROSSI, against the stubborn Texas roughie, 'LARRUPIN' LOU PLUMMER.

Belltime is 8:15. It is recommended fans get to the arena early.

LEXINGTON, N.C. - 59 YEARS AGO

July 20, 1957

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

DICK STEINBORN

GEORGE BECKER

THE GALLAGHER BROTHERS

BILLY TWO RIVERS

RAY STEVENS

---

'MAD MAN' DOC GALLAGHER and his rowdy kid brother MIKE GALLAGHER, a couple of tough heavyweights, are returning to the LEXINGTON YMCA tonight after a lengthy absence to share a featured wrestling spot against the great combo of GEORGE BECKER and DICK STEINBORN.

The GALLAGHER BROTHERS, as rough as they come in the wrestling world, have been very successful in their operations in other parts of the country in a recent tour and are returning to this area in quest of the SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP.

In facing BECKER and STEINBORN, they will be taking on the ultimate competitors as far as mat fans are concerned.

The match will be decided when one team wins two-out-of-three falls.

A co-feature tonight, which should spout out the excitement, brings two outstanding young stars together in a head-to-head contest when RAY 'WONDER BOY' STEVENS faces the great Indian brave, BILLY TWO RIVERS, in another two-out-three falls match.

Two other singles bouts round out the card which kicks off at 8:15.

HOW MANY DO YOU REMEMBER?

Four decades are represented in today's featured MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING stars of the past.

All of them gave the fans lots of excitement and entertainment.

And, for that, I offer my thanks...

Here are buddies LES THATCHER and PAUL JONES.

SKULL MURPHY

Remembered in JCP as BRUTE BERNARD's partner. Tough team.

I was planning a trip to CHARLOTTE's PARK CENTER the Monday night an announcer broke into a WBTV afternoon program to announce that wrestling at PARK CENTER for that night had been canceled due to the death of SKULL MURPHY.

BRUTE and SKULL were booked in the night's main event against THE KENTUCKIAN (Tiny Anderson, a.k.a. Grizzly Smith) and MR. WRESTLING (Tim Woods).

DANNY McSHANE

One of the earliest 'heels' I remember in my early days of watching wrestling on WBTV. It was the late 1950s.

While being interviewed by 'Big' BILL WARD, McSHANE handed WARD a broom and told him to sweep the floor. "That's all you're good for," McSHANE told 'Big' BILL.

KURT and KARL VON STEIGER

They caused a lot of trouble for opponents in the early 1970s.

BIG BOY BROWN laces them up.

BROWN was one-half of the incredibly popular duo of THE KENTUCKIANS. TINY ANDERSON (Grizzly Smith) made up the other half.

THE AMAZING ZUMA and SILENTO RODRIGUEZ

ZUMA had several runs with JCP going back to around 1960. RODRIGUEZ was used mostly as 'enhancement' talent.

KIM DUK

Had a good main event run as partner of THE MASKED SUPERSTAR (Bill Eadie). After they stopped teaming, DUK slid down the card in bookings.

TAMMY JONES

I wish I had a dollar back for every time I saw her wrestle PENNY BANNER.

RED BASTIEN

Had several runs with JCP. Earlier in his career here, RED worked main events. Later, in the 1970s, he hovered around mid-card.

JUNE 1964 STATESVILLE, N.C. WRESTLING

June 19, 1964

STATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

WRESTLING and the FOURTH OF JULY

Thinking back through all of my MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING memories, I recall that JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS was synonymous with our nation's INDEPENDENCE DAY.

The point during the summer season in which JCP held BIG shows all over their territory.

In the final years, it was THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH, a virtual month-long tour throughout the United States.

In the earlier years, the JULY 4th shows were limited to the Carolinas, Virginia and West Virginia. But they were still BIG cards at the big venues.

My territory was limited to Greensboro, Charlotte and Winston-Salem, N.C., so let's go back and revisit some of the great FOURTH OF JULY shows JCP provided...

GOD BLESS AMERICA

GREENSBORO, N.C.
July 4, 1963

GEORGE BECKER and ARGENTINA ROCCA topped BRONCHO LUBICH and ALDO BOGNI with HOMER O'DELL.

GEORGE and SANDY SCOTT bested DOC and MIKE GALLAGHER.

JOHNNY WEAVER and RIP HAWK wrestled to a draw.

LITTLE BOY BLUE stopped CHICO SANTANA.

BRENDA SCOTT pinned OLGA MARTINEZ.

GREENSBORO, N.C.
July 5, 1962

HANS SCHMIDT defeated PAT O'CONNOR to become the NWA U.S. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.

GEORGE BECKER and ARGENTINA ROCCA whipped P.Y. CHUNG and TARO MYAKI.

RIP HAWK defeated JOHNNY WEAVER via DQ.

PENNY BANNER pinned ANN LAVERNE.

DICK STEINBORN topped ANGELO SAVALDI.

ABE JACOBS and ROCK HUNTER wrestled to a draw.

GREENSBORO, N.C.
July 4, 1964

HAYSTACK CALHOUN and JOHNNY WEAVER won over THE GREAT BOLO and BOLO via countout.

PENNY BANNER and JUDY GLOVER toppled CORA COMBS and KATHY O'BRIEN.

TIM WOODS defeated FRANK VALOIS.

NICK KOZAK and JOHN HEATH wrestled to a draw.

BOB BOYER and LORD LITTLEBROOK got past PEE WEE LOPEZ and PEDRO GODOY.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
July 1, 1967

THE INFERNOS with J.C. DYKES defeated GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER via DQ.

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON lost to THE KENTUCKIANS via DQ.

P.Y. CHUNG and HARU SASAKI topped DON CHUY and JERRY LONDON.

PENNY BANNER pinned DONNA CHRISTIAN.

LUTHER LINDSAY won over BULL RAMOS.

GREENSBORO, N.C.
July 3, 1975

JOHNNY VALENTINE defeated HARLEY RACE to become the NWA U.S. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.

GENE and OLE ANDERSON topped ANDRE THE GIANT and PAUL JONES.

RUFUS R. JONES was the winner of the 21-MAN BATTLE ROYAL.

Winners of single matches were KEN PATERA, RUFUS R. JONES, BORIS MALENKO, STEVE KEIRN, KLONDIKE BILL, RON STARR and SANDY SCOTT.

GREENSBORO, N.C.
July 4, 1976

TERRY FUNK retained the NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP over WAHOO McDANIEL.

BLACKJACK MULLIGAN lost to RUFUS R. JONES via DQ.

ANDRE THE GIANT and PAUL JONES topped GENE and OLE ANDERSON.

JOHNNY WEAVER won over 'CRUSHER' JERRY BLACKWELL.

STEVE BOLUS and ANGELO POFFO wrestled to a draw.

JOHNNY EAGLE topped DR. FUJIANI.

HANS SCHROEDER pinned KLONDIKE BILL.

GREENSBORO, N.C.
July 3, 1977

GREG VALENTINE retained the MID-ATLANTIC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP via DQ over WAHOO McDANIEL.

ANDRE THE GIANT and THE MIGHTY IGOR defeated THE MASKED SUPERSTAR with BORIS MALENKO and BLACKJACK MULLIGAN.

RICKY STEAMBOAT retained the MID-ATLANTIC TV CHAMPIONSHIP over RIC FLAIR.
(Flair won the match but not within the 15-minute TV time limit.)

BOBO BRAZIL and TIGER CONWAY JR. bested THE MISSOURI MAULER and KIM DUK.

BRUTE BERNARD lost to JOHNNY WEAVER.

DANNY MILLER (subbing for FRANKIE LAINE) topped 'CRUSHER' JERRY BLACKWELL.

STEVE KOVAKS wrestled the masked MR. X to a draw.


(Illustrations from CLASSIC CLIPS, compiled by MARK EASTRIDGE)

1962 STATESVILLE, N.C. WRESTLING - PART FIVE

November 16, 1962

STATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

1962 STATESVILLE, N.C. WRESTLING - PART FOUR

June 29, 1962

STATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE