ALREADY 33 YEARS AGO

Where does the time go?

The BIGGEST night of MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING in my home town of SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA, had to have occurred JUNE 10, 1986 when JCP brought their top mat stars to town for a double TV taping at CATAWBA COLLEGE's GOODMAN GYMNASIUM.

The event was sponsored by the SALISBURY JAYCEES.

SALISBURY POST - JUNE 10, 1986

SALISBURY POST - JUNE 10, 1986

The line-up was stellar !

Appearing were RIC FLAIR, ARN ANDERSON, DUSTY RHODES, THE ROCK & ROLL EXPRESS, ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER, IVAN and NIKITA KOLOFF, 'CHIEF' WAHOO McDANIEL, THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS with JIM CORNETTE, MAGNUM T.A., TULLY BLANCHARD, RONNIE GARVIN, JIMMY 'BOOGIE WOOGIE MAN' VALIANT, GORGEOUS JIMMY GARVIN with PRECIOUS, MANNY 'RAGIN BULL' FERNANDEZ and enough 'jobbers' to fill out the two hours of television matches.

JOHNNY WEAVER was there as commentator, working with BOB CAUDLE.

SANDY SCOTT was there as the road agent.

Through 'connections' with some friends in the JAYCEES, I was able to work 'backstage'. Having a choice, I picked the 'heel' side.

I remember being totally intimidated by NIKITA KOLOFF (nothing he did to me -- he just looked like he wanted to be left alone. I complied.)

---

JIM CORNETTE was the nicest guy. We talked for a while. He was 'on' even when he was 'off'. BOBBY EATON was also very cordial.

As ARN ANDERSON was walking through the door into the gymnasium, he handed me his eyeglasses and said, "Will you hold onto these for me, please?" After his match (which was the TV main event -- he and RIC FLAIR against RICKY MORTON and ROBERT GIBSON), when he arrived back at the door, I was impressed that he thanked the SALISBURY policemen who had escorted him to and from the ring. I handed him back his glasses, and he said "Thanks so much. I appreciate it. I can't see a damn thing without them."

The unadvertised 'dark match' after the taping sessions were over was, incredibly, a TAPED FIST match between DUSTY RHODES and ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER!

I have to say it that on the 'bloodometer', it was the reddest match I had seen in years

The CATAWBA COLLEGE gymnasium was PACKED. The SALISBURY POST estimated the crowd as a minimum of 3000 people.

The four hundred ringside seats were SOLD OUT three weeks before the event.

The terms of the event with JCP were as follows: JCP received 90% of the box office, with the SALISBURY JAYCEES getting the remaining 10% and all concessions.

My JAYCEE friend who was in charge of the event and had gotten me in as 'STAFF', recently told me that he and SANDY SCOTT counted the box office receipts (several times). SANDY then did some paper work, then gave the JAYCEES their 10%.

The SALISBURY JAYCEES made a ton of money that night. Their cut of the ticket sales was substantial, and lots of hot dogs, popcorn, pizza and soft drinks were consumed by the crowd.

The event worked out so well with the local organization that my friend won the JAYCEES PROJECT OF THE YEAR award.

Below is an article written by STEVE PHILLIPS which appeared in the following day's SALISBURY POST:

DUSTY RHODES

ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER


THE ROCK & ROLL EXPRESS
RICKY MORTON and ROBERT GIBSON


IVAN and NIKITA KOLOFF

CROCKETT FANS HAD IT MADE

If you were a professional wrestling fan during the 1960s and / or 1970s, and happened to reside in the JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS territory known as the MID-ATLANTIC WRESTLING area, you were one lucky person!

Wrestling was HUGE almost everywhere in the U.S., and JCP was no exception.

Sooner or later, nearly every giant in the business (and I don't necessarily mean Andre), worked for the CROCKETT family, and MID-ATLANTIC fans were the recipients

of this good fortune.

I used to journey to Charlotte's PARK CENTER on Monday nights as frequently as I could, shell out a mere $2.00-$2.50 for a ringside seat and watch top wrestlers in top matches. Even adjusting for inflation, the $50.00-$75.00 needed for a ticket for the current wrestling product could not produce as much entertainment as those earlier times. The wrestlers knew how to work (and I don't mean just a select few). If a man couldn't work a good match, he made a quick exit from JCP. The booking was better, the matches were hotter and in those days, most of the fans 'believed'.

Perhaps I am a bit nostalgic, but how I wish I could turn back the clock so I could re-attend many of the shows I saw and see some I missed.

But, alas, time stands still for no one. So memories, photographs and what video footage is available will have to suffice.

I want a time machine for Christmas...

RIC FLAIR versus WAHOO McDANIEL

Their feud put FLAIR on the wrestling radar. He later owned the radar.

Tag Team action with DANNY MILLER, ART NELSON, SWEDE HANSON and CHUCK O'CONNOR (later JOHN STUDD).

GEORGE BECKER applies the 'abdominal stretch' to THE MISSOURI MAULER (LARRY HAMILTON).
Remember the days when the 'stretch' was a submission hold?

RIP HAWK versus ART NELSON

Boy, did these two have some brutal 'taped fist' matches.

In this photo, ART tries to rearrange RIP's 'profile'.

NELSON ROYAL sends SWEDE HANSON high in the sky with a backdrop.

These two men were two of the very best JCP fans ever saw.

BECKER and ROCCA

October 19, 1963

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

GEORGE BECKER

JOHNNY 'RUBBERMAN' WALKER

ALDO BOGNI and BRONCHO LUBICH

HOMER O'DELL

JACK LANZA

ARGENTINA ROCCA

IKE EAKINS

---

The spectacular tag team of GEORGE BECKER and ARGENTINA ROCCA will battle evil foes ALDO BOGNI and BRONCHO LUBICH in tonight's LEXINGTON YMCA wrestling main event.

Both BECKER and ROCCA, extremely popular with mat fans everywhere, are returning to LEXINGTON after long absences to meet HOMER O'DELL's rulebreaking duo. The match is set for the best two-of-three falls with a one hour time limit.

Two huge men will slug it out in tonight's semi-final match when big JACK LANZA * takes on rugged IKE EAKINS.

The Indian star, BOBBY RED CLOUD, makes his LEXINGTON debut tonight and will face ANGELO SAVOLDI in one of the prelimary matches.

Opening the card at 8:15 tonight will be the versatile JOHNNY 'RUBBERMAN' WALKER ** opposing the evil PRINCE OMAR.

* JACK LANZA later wrestled as BLACKJACK LANZA.

** JOHNNY 'RUBBERMAN' WALKER later wrestled as MR. WRESTLING 2.

FROM GRIDIRON TO GRAPPLING

CROCKETT WRESTLING fans of the late 1960s will remember LES WOLFF.

Often teamed with veteran New Zealander ABE JACOBS, Les worked single and tag team matches at mostly the mid-card level, occasionally some small town main events.

LES worked very well, and the fans really took to him. Ticket buyers always got their money's worth with WOLFF on the show.

Here's LES and a young fan.

TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE STAR

The Stars Came Out Every Night in the MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING territory...

DICK STEINBORN executes one of his legendary drop kicks.

LUTHER LINDSAY has PAMPERO FIRPO on the ropes.

HIRO MATSUDA strikes a nerve of BOBBY NICHOLS.

THE GREAT BOLO scores another victory.

ABE JACOBS submits to ALDO BOGNI's 'corkscrew' finisher.

Strongman KEN PATERA has the upper hand on his opponent.

A BATTLE FOR THE AGES

One of the prestigious titles in JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS was the EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.

One of the biggest feuds over the Eastern title was between RIP 'The Profile' HAWK and JERRY BRISCO. On February 14, 1972, RIP defeated JERRY's older brother Jack Brisco, in Charlotte, N.C. to become Eastern Champion. RIP and Jack traded the belt back and forth before JERRY entered the title picture.

Champion RIP HAWK

Challenger JERRY BRISCO

June 13, 1972 was the date on which JERRY BRISCO became the EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION for the first time. The match took place in Columbia, S.C. HAWK would win it back in Greenville, S.C. some two months later. This title reign for RIP would be a short one as the very next week, again in Greenville, JERRY would capture the championship again.

HAWK finished the year of 1972 on an upswing, beating BRISCO in Greensboro, N.C., on December 28th. The final title switch between the two occurred in early March, 1973 in Winston-Salem, N.C.

It should be noted that RIP HAWK is on record as saying BRISCO never won the title 'fair and square." RIP claims that JERRY would purposely get disqualified to keep from losing the belt. Even the two participant's partners offered opinions. Jack Brisco said "I've wrestled Hawk. He's cagey. He'll do anything to win a match. Jerry had better watch himself." And on the flip side, Rip's partner Swede Hanson had this to add,"Rip is an honorable man. Every fan of wrestling knows that. That's why the fans love Rip Hawk. He never breaks the rules."

HAWK would never get the EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP back from BRISCO after the Winston-Salem match in March.

In September, 1973, the EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP was retired and became the MID-ATLANTIC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.

Research for the EASTERN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP by Dick Bourne for the MID-ATLANTIC GATEWAY.


RIP unloads on JERRY...

BRISCO gives 'THE PROFILE' a backdrop.

JERRY almost cries 'uncle' with this hammerlock.

Do I see RIP pulling JERRY's trunks?

And Swede said that Rip never broke the rules!

BECKER'S BACK IN LEXINGTON

May 6, 1961

LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

P.Y. CHUNG *

GEORGE BECKER

BOB NANDOR

FRAN GRAVETTE

TERRY GARVIN

RITA CORTEZ

---

Fan favorite GEORGE BECKER will face the crafty Oriental bully, P.Y. CHUNG, in a special challenge match that headlines tonight's wrestling card at the LEXINGTON YMCA.

BECKER asked for the match himself after he and SANDY SCOTT defeated CHUNG and partner MIKE PAIDOUSIS in tag action last Saturday night.

Following last week's match, CHUNG rammed BECKER into the ring post, splitting his head open. GEORGE declared revenge and asked the promoter for a one-on-one contest with CHUNG.

The match has been signed and will be fought under two-out-of-three falls and one hour time limit stipulations.

A girls tag team match supports the main event with the diabolical duo of SLAVE GIRL MOOLAH and the lovely-but-deadly RITA CORTEZ meeting popular FRAN GRAVETTE and the amazing JUDY GRABLE.

Bullies KEN COOPER and JACK BENARD meet in one preliminary, and European champion BOB NANDOR squares off against tough TERRY GARVIN in the 8:15 opener.

---

* P.Y. CHUNG wrestled in other territories as Tojo Yamamoto.

FROM CHARLOTTE AND BROOKLYN

Southern wrestling audiences heard many times, during his ring introductions, that GEORGE BECKER was born in Brooklyn, New York. And that was true. He became interested in amateur wrestling, going to the Cooper Athletic Club in the same city. Training long and hard, he excelled in the sport during the Great Depression. During one tournament, BECKER wrestled eight matches in one day, winning the first seven and dropping the eighth to a more experienced competitor.

BECKER's place of employment, an aquarium in New York City, went out of business during the difficult economic times, so the young GEORGE decided to turn professional, making his debut at the Ridgewood Grove Arena in 1934.

In the later years of his long career, George often told the story that he had to laugh when some of the new wrestlers complained that they were not getting paid what they thought they should. "One night in 1938, while I was in Alabama, I wrestled four times in one night and was paid a total of $3.40. And while I was taking a shower after the matches, somebody stole the $3.40 out of my pants."

In 1936, BECKER had one of the most important matches of his young career at the Ridgewood Grove in hometown Brooklyn. His opponent was a highly-touted lad by the name of Lou Thesz, who soon became the World Heavyweight Champion. "I learned a lot about wrestling that night," George told folks.

BECKER was in Philadelphia when World War 2 broke out, so he joined the Coast Guard, but continued to wrestle when he could get any leave time. When the war ended, GEORGE headed to California to wrestle full-time, becoming a big hit in the Golden State. It was out on the west coast where he teamed up with 'brother' BOBBY BECKER, and the two became the tag team champions.

The wrestling matches from California were being filmed and soon were being shown all over the country, including the Carolinas and Virginia, on that new device called television. The demand for the BECKER brothers was so intense that Bill Lewis, then wrestling promoter of Richmond, Virginia, convinced the two to leave California and come to the east coast in 1951, where they began wrestling under the banner of JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS.

They immediately became the top drawing wrestlers in the then twenty-year history of JCP, which was established back around 1932. But tragedy struck in 1954 when BOBBY BECKER (real name John Emmerling) died of leukemia.

GEORGE with 'brother' BOBBY BECKER.

GEORGE with frequent mid-1950's tag partner JACK WITZIG. In 1956, they were the SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS.

GEORGE with DICK STEINBORN. The two often teamed in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

GEORGE in a posed publicity shot - 1951.

They were at their peak, the toast of the wrestling world. BOBBY had been sick for some time, but other than GEORGE and his immediate family, nobody in the business knew anything of his illness. During the middle of November, 1954, GEORGE and BOBBY wrestled a match with HANS SCHNABEL and MR. MOTO in Greenville, S.C. The next day, BOBBY went to his Charlotte doctor, who transferred him to a New York hospital. Two days later, he passed away.

BOBBY's final Charlotte match was during the previous month, at Griffith Park, with boxing legend JACK DEMPSEY as special referee.

In the early 1970s, BECKER poses with his son, CRAIG, then two years of age.
During his career as a student at CLEMSON UNIVERSITY, CRAIG would be a three-time All-American swimmer. Becker had three other children with his first wife, who died of cancer.

The team of GEORGE BECKER and JOHNNY WEAVER was idolized by the wrestling fans.

Mr. and Mrs. GEORGE BECKER with wrestler VICKI WILLIAMS.

JOYCE BECKER teamed with WILLIAMS when she was JOYCE GRABLE before her marriage to GEORGE.

'Big' JIM CROCKETT (the man who built a wrestling empire) and his top wrestler for twenty years.

GEORGE stopped wrestling for a while after BOBBY died. "It just didn't feel right without him."

After some time, GEORGE returned to the ring. He had found a young college student from Wisconsin named JACK WITZIG, who had turned professional and was doing well as a single. The two teamed up, and during their run as a combo, GEORGE and JACK won the SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP and were recognized as WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS as well. Out of nowhere, WITZIG decided to quit the business and go back to school. He became a dentist.

It was, at this point, that GEORGE began teaming with young DICK STEINBORN, the son of wrestler / promoter MILO STEINBORN. For about two years, the BECKER / STEINBORN team was the top combo in the territory.

BECKER then worked with a number of partners off and on, including SANDY SCOTT (the two were SOUTHERN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS), ENRIQUE TORRES,
BOBBY RED CLOUD, ARGENTINA ROCCA and BILLY TWO RIVERS. Quite an impressive list.

Another milestone in BECKER's career occurred in 1962. A youngster named JOHNNY WEAVER came to JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS (we can thank RIP HAWK for it happening). GEORGE and JOHNNY soon began to work together, and this relationship blossomed into a decade-long run in the MID-ATLANTIC territory. GEORGE and JOHNNY were the top team in the company, hands down. The fans loved them (and that is putting it mildly). Any 'heel' team of the 1960s and early 1970s, to succeed in JCP, had to go through BECKER and WEAVER. The two were the yardsticks for which everyone else was measured.

GEORGE BECKER left CROCKETT PROMOTIONS in 1971, ending an incredible twenty-year run that was never equaled by any other wrestler. He briefly started his own wrestling promotion and then retired.

He passed away at the age of 85 on October 25, 1998, in Florida, where he had lived for the last twenty-five years of his life. Death was due to Alzheimer's Disease, which he had suffered from its effects for seven years.

Mike Mooneyham had this to say at the time of BECKER's passing, "No wrestler in the pre-Flair era was more popular in the Carolinas than GEORGE BECKER. He was a wrestling icon before the word became commonplace and overused."