YOUNG LIONS

Watching the MID-ATLANTIC / WIDE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING TV shows each week, viewers became accustomed to hearing specific 'catch-phrases' on a regular basis...

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There was BOB CAUDLE's curtain line..."So long for now."

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There was JOHNNY WEAVER's singing..."Turn Out the Lights."

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And there was DAVID CROCKETT's weekly reference to the "Young Lions" of professional wrestling.

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This was a reference to a number of young wrestlers who primarily jobbed for the main eventers for TV matches, or in plain terms, lost week after week. But that was their purpose.

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Most of these youngsters, however, worked very well and gave good matches, even though viewers generally knew they wouldn't win.

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Some of these guys went on to become big stars in the business, either for JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS, or other wrestling organizations.

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Today, these men absorb the spotlight...

ED WISKOSKI

(born 1945)

Became a big star as Colonel DeBeers in the AWA

JAY YOUNGBLOOD

(STEVEN ROMERO 1955-1985)

Teamed with RICKY STEAMBOAT to become one of JCP's all-time popular tag teams.

TERRY SAWYER

(Norfolk, Va. native - was a Virginia high school State Wrestling Champion)

DEWEY ROBERTSON
(BYRON JAMES JOHN ROBERTSON 1939-2007)
Very successful as THE MISSING LINK in MID-SOUTH WRESTLING and WORLD CLASS WRESTLING.
MID-ATLANTIC TAG TEAM CHAMPION twice, once with JOHNNY WEAVER and once with GEORGE WELLS.

DOUG SOMERS
(first wrestled in 1971)
Always a great worker, either in JCP or later as a top AWA star.

BILL HOWARD
(I know little about his career away from JCP, but always enjoyed his work in the MID-ATLANTIC territory.)

THE ANDERSONS WRECKED THEM

OLE ANDERSON takes a slam from DUSTY RHODES.

PAUL JONES has to deal with both GENE and OLE ANDERSON.

OLE prevents JOHNNY WEAVER from sending GENE to slumberland.

OLE and GENE have GREG VALENTINE in a bad way.

KOA TIKI actually believes he can defeat GENE ANDERSON.

GENE and DUSTY slug it out.

MR. WRESTLING about to slam his face into GENE's fist.

TOP TAG TEAMS

The JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS / MID-ATLANTIC WRESTLING area was known in the business as the top tag team territory in the U.S.

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Here are five duos who contributed to earning that reputation...

RUDY and BOBBY KAYE

(Fans may remember OLE ANDERSON smashing BOBBY's heirloom guitar into pieces against the ring post.)

RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON

(The Blonde Bombers)

None better anywhere...ever!

THE MASKED RED DEMONS

(JIMMY AND BILLY HINES)

with Manager GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS

THE ROYAL KANGAROOS
(LORD JONATHAN BOYD and NORMAN FREDERICK CHARLES, III)
Brass Knuckles Champions...as rugged as a team could be.



SANDY and GEORGE SCOTT
(THE FLYING SCOTTS)
Next to Becker and Weaver, the top 'babyface' team in JCP during the 1960s.

BECKER DEMANDS REMATCH

April 28, 1962

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

56 Years Ago

A rematch between two top rivals, along with the debut of a world famous Oriental team, features professional wrestling tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

Fan favorite GEORGE BECKER has demanded another crack at the tough Mexican PANCHO VILLA after losing a disputed verdict here last Saturday.

One provision is that referees be changed, and BECKER must approve the new referee. VILLA says referees make no difference to him, and that he will be victorious again tonight. Two-of-three falls will settle it.

The Oriental team debuting tonight is comprised of P. Y. CHUNG of China and TARO MYAKI of Japan, the only Chinese / Japanese team working together in wrestling today. They will face heroes JERRY CHRISTY and ANGELO MARTINELLI in the two-out-of-three falls co-feature.

Action begins at 8:15 with REGGIE PARKS tangling with GYPSY JOE.

MORE STARS THAN IN THE HEAVENS

OK, OK...I didn't make up that phrase. JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS never used the phrase either. It was actually the slogan of the movie studio giant METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER back in the golden 1930s and 1940s.

The phrase, however, could have been borrowed to describe the incredible roster of talent that worked the arenas throughout the years in the MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING territory.

Here are but a few...

ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER

(LAWRENCE ROBERT SHREVE - born 1936)

ALDO BOGNI

(Mostly wrestled as a tag team partner with BRONCHO LUBICH)

BELLE STARR

CHIEF BIG HEART

(RICHARD G. VEST - 1927-1993)

JOE LE DUC
(MICHEL PIGEON - 1944-1999)

JOHNNY VALENTINE

(JONATHAN WISNISKI - 1928-2001)

RUDY KAYE

(JEAN-LOUIS CORMIER - 1942-2008)

VIVA VILLA!

October 27, 1962

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA
56 YEARS AGO

IKE EAKINS

DON CURTIS

JOE SCARPA

GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS

PENNY BANNER

TINKER TODD

Not one VILLA, but two, will be appearing tonight on Lexington's professional wrestling card at the YMCA.

PANCHO VILLA, the rugged Mexican, will return with his rough partner, big IKE EAKINS, to do battle with the popular combo of DON CURTIS and JOE SCARPA * in the evening's two-out-of-three falls feature match.

MRS. PANCHO VILLA, who many say is as brutal as her husband, will also be on hand tonight in a girls match against the very popular PENNY BANNER.

The opening match of the night will match two ruffians, TINKER TODD and GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS, against one another.

Belltime is 8:15 p.m.

* Joe Scarpa later wrestled as Chief Jay Strongbow.

MAN VERSUS BEAR

July 8, 1961

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA
57 Years Ago

TERRIBLE TED

THE VON BRAUNERS with GENTLEMAN SAUL WEINGROFF

KURT AND KARL VON BRAUNER

A wrestling bear comes to the LEXINGTON YMCA this week to provide addition excitement to an all-star pro wrestling card.

TERRIBLE TED, 500 pounds and standing seven feet tell, will be matched against a tough wrestler in the likes of FIRPO ZYBSKO in a special attraction.

The German team of KURT and KARL VON BRAUNER, who missed their LEXINGTON debut last week because of injuries, are matched against LEE GARCIA and ANGELO MARTINELLI, impressive last week in a victory over substitutes for the Germans, in this week's co-feature.

The SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP, recently won by the VON BRAUNERs, will be on the line in a best-of-three-falls contest.

The German duo, who are managed by GENTLEMAN SAUL WEINGROFF, are also the WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS.

COWBOY BILL COLE will face BILLY COX, and GENE DUBOIS squares off against HERB LARSEN in the week's preliminary matches.

Action gets underway at 8:15.

A LOT OF BEEF

April 21, 1962

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

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56 Years Ago

Fan favorite GEORGE BECKER will be back at the LEXINGTON YMCA tonight in wrestling action.

The popular BECKER will meet the rough and tough PANCHO VILLA, the Mexican with an impressive winning record in the business, in the evening's headliner. Bad blood already exists between these two, and the two-out-of-three falls battle is expected to be a wild one.

HAYSTACK CALHOUN, the world's largest professional wrestler, returns to town and will meet the rugged SWEDE HANSON in the semi-final best-of-three falls contest.

Negro girl wrestlers, SWEET GEORGIA BROWN and DIANA BEAMON, meet in a special event.

The 8:15 opening match sends REGGIE PARKS against "JUDO" JACK TERRY.

SOME OF JCP'S TOP TAG TEAMS OF THE 60'S

A salute to five of the top tag teams who filled arenas all across the JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS territory during the 1960s...

Without question, THE tag team for nearly the entire decade...

GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER

PAUL JONES and NELSON ROYAL

KARL and KURT VON STEIGER

THE KENTUCKIANS
TINY ANDERSON and BIG BOY BROWN

THE MICHIGAN WRECKING CREW
JOHN and CHRIS TOLOS

LEXINGTON 1962

June 16, 1962

LEXINGTON, N.C.

TONY BAILLARGEON

PEE WEE LOPEZ

P.Y. CHUNG

CHICO SANTANA

RAY VILLMER

Two tag team matches, including both heavyweights and midgets, are included on an all-star wrestling card tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

French-Canadian stars TONY BAILLARGEON and MAURICE LAPOINTE will make their initial appearance here as a team when they meet the crafty Oriental villian duo of P.Y. CHUNG and TARO MYAKI in the heavyweight scrap.

The midget contest sends teams of FARMER MCGRUDER and PEE WEE LOPEZ against LITTLE BOY BLUE and CHICO SANTANA. This is SANTANA's Lexington debut.

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

RAY VILLMER meets BIG JIM WRIGHT * in a semi-finals match to open the card at 8:15.

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* BIG JIM WRIGHT would die in the ring the following year (1963).