MID-ATLANTIC RING ACTION

As the years rolled by, the faces changed, but JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS always gave its MID-ATLANTIC fans great mat stars and great matches...

Do you remember these...

HIRO MATSUDA and THE MISSOURI MAULER double team THE AMAZING ZUMA.

MR. WRESTLING (TIM WOODS) dares 'Cowboy' RON BASS to get back into the ring.

In fact, he triple-dog dares him...

Referee TOMMY YOUNG looks on as GREG VALENTINE applies a chin lock to JOHNNY WEAVER.

'Big' IKE EAKINS is about to slam his face into GEORGE BECKER's fist.

PANCHO VALDEZ has a blonde LES THATCHER in a bad way.

TWO TRUE LEGENDS COME TO CHARLOTTE

May 9, 1960

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

ARGENTINA ROCCA

(Antonino Biasetton)

GORGEOUS GEORGE

(George Raymond Wagner)

Trademark ROCCA dropkick.

GEORGE prepares to do battle...

HAYSTACK CALHOUN

Two of the best-known professional wrestling stars in the world, ARGENTINA ROCCA and GORGEOUS GEORGE, will tear into each other in the feature match of tonight's PARK CENTER mat card.

ROCCA has never tasted defeat in the Queen City, while the GORGEOUS one has lost but one match here - a disputed decision to THE GREAT BOLO.

The card's semifinal also is slated for action. It features MIKE PAIDOUSIS battling HAYSTACK CALHOUN, wrestling's largest participant.

Both events are scheduled for two-of-three falls under one hour time limits.

PAT O'BRIEN will skirmish with RAY ANDREWS in the main prelim, while BOB BOYER tackles HARRY LEWIS in the opening match.

Action is underway at 8:15.

BOLO BASTIEN BATTLE

August 26, 1958

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

RED BASTIEN

THE GREAT BOLO

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A 'fight to the finish' will highlight tonight's wrestling card at Charlotte's PARK CENTER.

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The NO TIME LIMIT two-out-of-three falls match will give popular RED BASTIEN another shot against THE GREAT BOLO, and if BASTIEN can take two falls from the masked hoodlum, off will come BOLO's prized mask.

Last week, the two battled to a one-hour draw without a single fall recorded by either participant.

"There must be a winner this time," says promoter JIM CROCKETT. "I don't care if they wrestle two hours. Someone is going to win."

GEORGE BECKER

CYCLONE ANAYA

FRITZ VON ERICH

WALDO VON ERICH

ERNIE DUSEK

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MIKE PAIDOUSIS

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The semi-final best-of-three falls scrap is a tag team scuffle that pairs GEORGE BECKER with CYCLONE ANAYA to do battle with the rugged German brothers FRITZ and WALDO VON ERICH.

The Germans were disqualified last week in a match with BILLY TWO RIVERS and his partner, but showed that they are one of the toughest duos in the wrestling business today.

Two single bouts make up the undercard.

One match has ERNIE DUSEK taking on NICK ROBERTS, while MIKE PAIDOUSIS faces TINKER TODD in the 8:15 opening match.

ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN

As 'ROWDY' RODDY PIPER use to say, "Just when you figure out the answers, they change the questions."

Even the self-proclaimed 'fan experts' were often fooled when it came to predicting what was going to happen at a JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS' MID-ATLANTIC WRESTLING show...

But it was always fun trying to second-guess them.

THE GREAT BOLO is the recipient of a STEVE BOLUS knee-lift.

HARLEY RACE and RIC FLAIR battle for the NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.

LUTHER LINDSAY goes to work on a bloodied KURT VON STEIGER.

DUSTY RHODES and DICK MURDOCK stomp that proverbial 'mud hole' on an opponent.

In a 'BATTLE OF THE BULLIES' showdown, SWEDE HANSON lays a punch in on HENRY VON STROHEIM as RIP HAWK looks on.

TERRY FUNK

(Insert your own caption.)

GREAT WRESTLERS / GREAT MATCHES

RIC FLAIR chokes opponent WAHOO McDANIEL in an INDIAN STRAP match.

BLACKJACK MULLIGAN pounds on nemesis PAUL JONES.

GREG VALENTINE attacks a helpless opponent.

RODDY PIPER headlocks SGT. SLAUGHTER.

MR. WRESTLING (TIM WOODS) demonstrates his scientific skill.

THE SUPER DESTROYER (DON JARDINE) begs for mercy.

OLE ANDERSON saves brother GENE from a MR. WRESTLING pinfall.

MOTHER NATURE WINS IN TWO STRAIGHT FALLS

January 16, 1965

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

53 Years Ago

ABE JACOBS and DOUG GILBERT will pair up as a new wrestling team tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA when they meet the rugged duo of RIP HAWK and SWEDE HANSON, known in wrestling circles as the "BLONDE BOMBERS."

JACOBS, the New Zealand flash, is returning here after a long absence, and his dynamic style should fit well with the spectacular moves of young GILBERT. HAWK and HANSON, very rough operators, are a veteran combination, so the best-of-three fall contest should prove interesting.

Another two-out-of-three fall contest is scheduled as THE FLYING SCOTTS, GEORGE and SANDY, face a new brute force combo in THE ALASKAN and THE BEAST.

PEPPER GOMEZ and MIKE VALENTINE will square off in the evening's opening match at 8:15.

* MIKE VALENTINE later wrestled as BARON MIKEL SCICLUNA.

This card, as it turned out, never took place on the scheduled night, being cancelled due to a heavy snow.

A fellow named JACK BRISCO

JACK BRISCO

September 21, 1941 – February 1, 2010

Born Freddie Joe Brisco, he grew up in Blackwell, Oklahoma with five siblings. He was followed by his younger brother, Gerald Brisco, into the sport of wrestling and turned down a football scholarship at University of Oklahoma to go to Oklahoma State. In 1965, he became the first Native American to win an NCAA National Championship.

Jack's first documented professional championship reign began on October 16, 1965, when he defeated DON KENT to win the NWA MISSOURI JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT title.

He also won his first tag team title in this promotion, teaming with HAYSTACK CALHOUN as co-holder of the NWA U.S. TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP.

BRISCO headed east to Florida in 1968. Here his career skyrocketed. Over the course of the next few years, JACK held virtually title in the Sunshine State.

BRISCO's first NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP began in Houston, Texas when he defeated HARLEY RACE on July 10, 1973. He wore the belt until losing to GIANT BABA on December 4, 1974, then regained the title four days later. JACK remained the champion until December 10, 1975 when he was defeated by TERRY FUNK.

I was thrilled when Ted Turner's independent CHARLOTTE TV station began carrying CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING FROM FLORIDA in the late 1960s. The first wrestler who jumped out of the screen at me was JACK BRISCO.

This young man was something special. He didn't have the look of many of the 'stereotypical' wrestlers of the day. Here was a nice-looking, clean-cut, college grad young man (there weren't many back then), and he could really go in the ring.

JACK soon began appearing in the MID-ATLANTIC territory on a limited basis. My first occasion to see JACK wrestle in person was August 4, 1969, when he teamed with MR. WRESTLING (TIM WOODS) to face THE GREAT BOLO and BOLO at the original CHARLOTTE COLISEUM.

Later, I was able to attend a CHARLOTTE PARK CENTER card when BRISCO battled THE MISSOURI MAULER (LARRY HAMILTON). There was also a night in the tiny hamlet of NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. that I witnessed JACK and JERRY BRISCO meet SGT. SLAUGHTER and DON KERNODLE. (This night, I believe, was also the final night of PAUL JONES' career as a full-time wrestler. PAUL was pinned on this card by TOMMY GILBERT--EDDIE's father. The next night in CHARLOTTE, PAUL was a manager.) 

During his tenure with JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS, JACK held the NWA EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP twice, the MID-ATLANTIC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP four times and with his brother JERRY (or GERRY) the NWA WORLD TAG TEAM titles on three occassions. Fans today still remember the great title match with RICKY STEAMBOAT and JAY YOUNGBLOOD at STARRCADE '83.

A January, 1975 World title defense in GREENSBORO, N.C.

Few athletes have attained the honors and awards that JACK BRISCO has earned. From NCAA champion to NWA champion, BRISCO has worked throughout the world, entertaining fans of wrestling.

He certainly did that for me.

JACK BRISCO will always be at the top of my list, and I thank him for all of the many memories.

CHRISTMAS STOCKING STUFFERS

TWO GREAT MERCHANDISING OFFERS TOO GOOD TO PASS UP !

BE THE FIRST IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO TAKE ADVANTAGE !

LONG HAIR versus NO HAIR

November 21, 1964

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

Two of the biggest men in professional wrestling will collide with two of the roughest and most unpredictable men of the sport. The impact will be felt tonight at the LEXINGTON YMCA. Action begins at 8:15.

It will be THE KENTUCKIANS, TINY ANDERSON and BIG BOY BROWN, all 750 pounds of them, facing the skin-headed duo of BRUTE BERNARD and SKULL MURPHY in the two-out-of-three falls main event.

The big boys from the hills want to settle some old scores with the ruffians from Canada and Ireland. Encounters between the two teams in the past have been wild and wooly affairs.

While the tag team battle is the evening's bill of fare, there will be three singles matches as well.

BILL PARKS squares off against MARIO MILANO.

JESSE JAMES meets FRANK HICKEY.

The opener sends GEORGE GRANT against PAT O'BRIEN.

LEXINGTON LUMBERJACKS

September 10, 1966

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

53 Years Ago

A LUMBERJACK MATCH has been scheduled to see if two top wrestling tag teams, TEX McKENZIE and NELSON ROYAL on one side, the MASKED RED DEMONS on the other, can settle their differences at the LEXINGTON YMCA tonight.

Six other wrestlers will spot themselves around the ring to prevent any runouts of any type taken by the RED DEMONS two weeks ago.

The Texas duo won that match on a count out. Tonight's main event is set for two-out-of-three falls within a one-hour time limit.

Huge Alaskan KLONDIKE BILL, with lumberjack experience, will join forces with fast-moving New Zealander ABE JACOBS to meet behemoths GEORGE 'TWO TON' HARRIS and BIG BOY BLONDELL in another best-of-three falls contest.

A special event will send girl wrestlers TONI ROSE and DIXIE JORDAN against one another in what should be a crowd-pleasing event.

Newcomer DON KENT, who debuted here last week, meets CORSICA JEAN in a singles bout, kicking off the card at 8:15.

KLONDIKE, JACOBS, HARRIS, BLONDELL, KENT and JEAN will serve as the six lumberjacks during the headliner.