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The final quarter of 1977 led
off with perhaps the single most
eventful and intriguing month in
the history of Mid-Atlantic
Championship Wrestling. The month
of October 1977 provided us with
everything imaginable. Two
of the most memorable angles in
the history of the promotion, the
Masked Superstar cutting Paul
Jones' hair and the Mr. Wrestling
versus Baron Von Raschke
"amateur" match occurred
in the month of October. These
feuds would last for months and
provided the fans untold great
matches.
Blackjack Mulligan returned
from Japan in October and
immediately (and surprisingly)
challenged best friend and fellow
"bad guy" Ric Flair for
the United States Heavyweight
Title. These matches, that
everyone wanted to see, were
scheduled in several of the bigger
venues in the area, but never came
off due to Ricky Steamboat
defeating Flair for the U.S. belt
days before the Mulligan-Flair
matches were to occur.
One of the biggest title
changes in the history of the
promotion also occurred in
October, where Ric Flair and Greg
Valentine defeated Gene and Ole
Anderson for the NWA World Tag
Team Titles, injuring Gene
Anderson in the process and
effectively ending this great
feud.
The month of November was
highlighted by the return to
action of Wahoo McDaniel from his
broken leg suffered at the hands
of Greg Valentine. The early
"revenge" contests
between Wahoo and Valentine were
primarily in tag team matches, but
many singles matches between the
two wouldn't be far behind.
November also saw Blackjack
Mulligan attack the Mighty Igor in
a TV arm wrestling match, setting
the stage for rematches between
these two in the major cities
around the area.
Finally, December of 1977 saw
several matches where long time
enemies Wahoo McDaniel and Ole
Anderson actually teamed up to
battle Ric Flair and Greg
Valentine as Ole tried to exact
revenge for Gene's injury.
December also saw the feud between
Wahoo McDaniel and Greg Valentine
really heat up, and the focus of
the United States Title shift to
champion Ricky Steamboat against
top challenger Blackjack Mulligan.
What a three months of action the
fourth quarter provided us at the
end of 1977!
OCTOBER
1977
The month of October started
with a bang with a bout between
Paul Jones and the Masked
Superstar at the Greensboro
Coliseum on October 8, 1977. Entering the match, the Superstar
came to the ring with a heavily
bandaged hand. While Jones was
leery that the Superstar's hand
wasn't really injured, he went
ahead and consented to wrestle the
match with the stipulation that if
the Superstar used the taped hand
during the match he would have to
immediately remove the heavy tape.
The match began, and it was not
long before the Superstar used the
taped and "injured" hand
on Jones. Immediately, the referee
offered Jones the match by
disqualification, but Jones
insisted on continuing in order
that he have the chance to beat
the Superstar by pin fall or
submission which would force the
Superstar to take off his mask and
part with $5,000.00.
The referee then ordered the
Superstar to remove the tape from
his hand, and if he didn't the
Superstar would forfeit his mask
and the $5,000.00. The Superstar's
manager Professor Boris Malenko
went to the back and brought back
scissors, and the tape was taken
off of the Superstar's hand. When
Jones saw that there was nothing
wrong with the hand, he tore into
the Superstar and managed to tear
a large hunk of the mask off on
top. Eventually, Malenko would
save the Superstar by diverting
the referee's attention, allowing
the Superstar to get possession of
the scissors that had been brought
to the ring previously. The
Superstar hit Jones in the head
several times with the scissors,
knocking him senseless, and then
proceeded to cut off large chunks
of Jones' hair with the scissors.
When Jones appeared on the
October 15, 1977 Mid-Atlantic
Championship Wrestling Saturday TV
show, he had virtually no hair on
his head and vowed revenge against
the Superstar for this humiliation. The Superstar
mockingly referred to Paul as the
"chrome dome" Paul Jones
and as "burr head"
Jones. The Masked Superstar and
Paul Jones were immediately
embroiled in a torrid feud, one
that would continue off and on
through the middle of 1978.
The same October 15, 1977
edition of the Mid-Atlantic
Championship Wrestling TV show had
one of the most unique matches
ever offered up by the promotion
on television. It pitted "Mr.
Wrestling" Tim Woods against
Baron Von Raschke in an amateur
rules match. In the weeks leading
up to this match, Raschke had been
espousing his German superiority
and was belittling Woods'
accomplishments as an amateur
wrestler in the United States.
Mr.
Wrestling took up the big German
on his challenge to wrestle a
match on TV under strictly amateur
rules. Before the match,
Mr.
Wrestling showed the viewing
audience a number of his medals
that he had won over the years as
an amateur wrestler.
The match itself was wrestled
strictly under amateur rules, with
three rounds and a referee, Terry
Sawyer, who had been an amateur
wrestling champion in the
military. The wrestling was hard
and clean, with neither man being
able to secure a pin. However, Mr.
Wrestling, in the end allowing the
Baron to repeatedly escape for one
point while then taking him down
again for two, was able to prevail on
points by a 16-12 count, and was
awarded the victory. During a post
match interview of Mr. Wrestling
by Bob Caudle, things turned ugly. The Baron came up behind Mr.
Wrestling with the ring bell, and
smashed it into the head of Mr.
Wrestling causing a concussion.
Raschke screamed at a fallen Mr.
Wrestling, telling him to lick his
boots. The Baron also later took
the amateur medals that Mr.
Wrestling had brought to the TV
studio to show the fans, and
proceeded to spit and stomp on
them.
Needless to say, Baron Von
Raschke and Mr. Wrestling were
embroiled in quite a feud for the
remainder of 1977 from this
incident! Many of the matches
between these two were also for
the Baron's Mid-Atlantic TV Title,
a title that Raschke had just won
from Ricky Steamboat.
October was also an important
month in the continuing buildup of
the feud between Wahoo McDaniel
and Greg Valentine. While Wahoo
did not wrestle any during the
month of October, the big Chief
was shown several times on
interviews vowing revenge on
Valentine and making sure everyone
knew he was coming back with a
purpose. That purpose being to
injure Valentine and to recapture
the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight
Title. In the meantime, Valentine
continued to gloat about hurting
Wahoo and sported t-shirts
proclaiming "I Broke Wahoo's
Leg."
Blackjack Mulligan returned to
the area in October after about a
two-month stay in Japan, getting
his head together after dropping
the U.S. Title to Bobo Brazil.
When Mulligan resurfaced on the
October 22, 1977 edition of the
Mid-Atlantic Championship
Wrestling TV show, the
big Texan said he had changed his
style of wrestling and that he was
going back after the U.S. Title
now held by best friend Ric Flair!
NO ONE could believe that Flair
and Mulligan were actually going
to wrestle each other for the U.S.
belt!! But title matches
between the two friends were set
in many of the bigger arenas
around the area. The interviews
promoting these matches were
amazing, with Mulligan doing his
interviews with the "good
guys."
However, the matches between
Flair and Mulligan that everyone
was talking about, never came off.
The very next week on Mid-Atlantic
Championship Wrestling TV, Ricky
Steamboat was announced as the new
United States Heavyweight Champion
and Steamboat had subbed for Flair
in the Flair-Mulligan matches set
during the previous week. At
the end of the show, Flair and
Mulligan were interviewed together
by Bob Caudle, with both saying
that they were together again and
that Ricky Steamboat was going to
have to deal with their combined
wrath.
The fantastic month of October
1977 ended, fittingly enough, with
one of the most significant title
changes in the history of
Mid-Atlantic Championship
Wrestling. On the night of October
30, 1977, Gene and Ole Anderson
brought their NWA World Tag Titles
back into the area to defend
against the challenge of former
titleholders Ric Flair and Greg
Valentine. The match was also a
hair versus belts affair, as Flair
and Valentine risked losing their
long blond locks if they didn't
prevail and win the belts. Before
the match, in a tape sent in from
Georgia, Ole Anderson held a
picture of Flair bald headed,
adding fuel to what everyone
already knew was going to be an
explosive match.
The match itself was a brutal
one that saw Flair and Valentine
prevail and win back the NWA World
Tag Team Titles. In the process,
Gene Anderson's neck was injured
and he had to be operated on
several weeks later. This match
was significant for several other
reasons. One, this effectively
ended the year-long battle for tag
team supremacy between these two
outstanding teams. Secondly, and
most importantly for Mid-Atlantic
Championship Wrestling fans, the
Flair/Valentine victory brought
the NWA World Tag Team Titles back
to the Mid-Atlantic area to stay
for good after the Anderson's had
left the area with the belts as
regulars in the autumn of 1976.
NOVEMBER
1977
The month of November was
defined by the triumphant return
to action of Chief Wahoo McDaniel
from the broken leg he suffered at
the hands of Greg Valentine.
Initially, Wahoo appeared on
Mid-Atlantic Championship
Wrestling TV as a commentator.
Then, the Chief teamed up with
buddies Ricky Steamboat and Paul
Jones to go up against Ric Flair
and Greg Valentine. Of course, the
high spots in these tag matches
were the moments that Wahoo and
Valentine were in the ring at the
same time! By the end of the
month, Wahoo and Greg were
starting to wrestle each other in
singles bouts, and the intensity
of these matches was amazing. The
long buildup proved well worth it,
as these grudge matches were
classic encounters.
In an effort to push Blackjack
Mulligan away from the good guy
side that he appeared to be
shading toward after his return
from Japan, the promotion set the
big Texan into a confrontation
with Polish strongman, the popular
Mighty Igor. These two squared off
in an arm wrestling contest on the
November 12, 1977 airing of
Mid-Atlantic Championship
Wrestling TV. During the course of
the contest, referee Sonny Fargo
almost counted Mulligan's arm down
before Blackjack
rose up and attacked Igor, leaving
Igor laying flat on the mat.
This led to a number or arm
wrestling (followed by regular
wrestling) matches between these
two around the area. This feud
between Mulligan and Igor never
caught on with the fans, and cards
with Mulligan and Igor headlining
were some of the most sparsely
attended in the area in years. The
Mighty Igor dropped off the radar
screen largely after this program
with Mulligan, and left the area
all together in early 1978.
Ricky Steamboat defended his
newly captured United States
Heavyweight Title regularly in
November, especially against the
challenge of former champ Ric
Flair. Steamboat and Flair were
developing a tremendous rivalry
against each other, and it only
seemed to intensify with Flair
attempting to regain his title
from the upstart Steamboat. These
two had some terrific battles over
the U.S. belt in November, during
Steamboat's first full month as
champion.
Another feud that really hit
its stride in November was the
pairing of Mr. Wrestling and Baron
Von Raschke. While Mr. Wrestling
could never defeat the Baron
within fifteen minutes and thus
secure Raschke's Mid-Atlantic
Television Title, the bouts
between these two were
outstanding. Having just the right
mix of wrestling and brawling,
these two put on great shows
across the area in November as Mr.
Wrestling sought revenge from
being attacked by the Baron after
the amateur rules match.
Finally, November saw the
return to the Mid-Atlantic area of
Bobo Brazil, who had left the area
soon after losing the U.S. Title
to Ric Flair in the summer. Bobo
never rose to those championship
heights again during his time in
the Mid-Atlantic area, and labored
primarily in a mid-card mode until
his final departure from the area
in early 1978. Also coming to the
area in November, albeit briefly,
was "Sensational" Dick
Murdock. Making a quick run
through the area as a mid-card bad
guy, Murdock would return to the
area in early 1978 as one of the
area's beloved main event goods
guys for much of calendar year
1978.
DECEMBER
1977
December began with a brief
pairing that no one could believe:
Ole Anderson teaming with Wahoo
McDaniel to take on NWA World Tag
Team Champs Ric Flair and Greg
Valentine. Of course, this teaming
was Ole's attempt to get revenge
for the injury that Flair and
Valentine inflicted on Gene, who
was still recuperating. These were
some stiff and brutal encounters
between these four, with no
decisive outcomes.
The month of December saw the
battles between the returning
Wahoo McDaniel and Greg Valentine
take off in earnest. Most of the
matches were singles contests
between these two in December,
with many of them now for Greg's
Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title. As
the month wore on, Wahoo appeared
to slowly be gaining the upper
hand in this feud. It appeared
several times during the month
that Greg was going to drop the
title to the big Chief, but
Valentine managed to escape the
year of 1977 with his Mid-Atlantic
belt still intact, if barely.
Blackjack Mulligan eased away
from his unpopular program with
the Mighty Igor, and made a strong
push in December to wrest the
United States Title from young
Ricky Steamboat. As the month wore
on, Mulligan seemed to be closing
in on the U.S. belt with his
overwhelming size and power being
difficult for Ricky to contend
with. Steamboat was barely able to
escape 1977 with his U.S. Title
still in his possession. The Big
Texan from Eagle Pass was clearly
on the warpath!
The end of December saw a
couple of "stars" pop
into the area briefly. Long time
announcer Les Thatcher did a
couple of weeks of promo
announcing at the end of December.
Les was a long time announcer and
wrestler with Jim Crockett
Promotions, but this brief
comeback would be his last
appearance in the area. Lastly,
Tiger Conway, Sr. came into the
area briefly to team with his son
Tiger Conway, Jr. at the end of
December. This was an unusual
pairing of father and son, but
this duo was very impressive. They
captured several upset wins around
the circuit during the Christmas
and New Year's season.
The fourth quarter of 1977 will
be remembered for a number of
things. First and foremost, the
month of October! This month may
go down as the most eventful
single month in the history of Jim
Crockett Promotions. Of course,
the return of Wahoo McDaniel and
his classic series of revenge
matches with Greg Valentine that
got underway in November cannot be
forgotten. Nor can the series of
U.S. Title changes, with the big
Texan Blackjack Mulligan bearing
down on Ricky Steamboat at the end
of the year be diminished. All in
all, the last quarter of 1977 was
so good that it may have been the
high water mark set for
Mid-Atlantic Championship
Wrestling. How could 1978 or
beyond ever top it??
WHO'S HOT
1. Wahoo McDaniel-The
big Chief emerged better than ever
during the fourth quarter of 1977,
targeting Greg Valentine who had
put him on the shelf with a broken
leg. Wahoo was impressive when he
first returned in November in tag
matches, and towards the end of
the quarter he was coming
perilously close to defeating
Valentine for the coveted
Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title.
Yes, the Chief was definitely
back!!
2. Blackjack Mulligan---Another
star who came back to the area
during the fourth quarter of 1977,
was also red hot! As soon as he
came back from his tour of Japan,
Mully immediately challenged best
friend Ric Flair for the U.S.
Title. While those matches never
came off, Blackjack soon
thereafter dominated a short feud
with the Mighty Igor before
setting his sights on new U.S.
Champ Ricky Steamboat.
3. Masked Superstar---The
Superstar embarrassed fan favorite
Paul Jones by cutting his hair
during a match in Greensboro. For
most of the rest of the quarter,
Superstar battled Jones in
"revenge" matches, more
than holding his own against the
enraged Jones. Superstar was also
an effective tag team competitor
with various partners during the
fourth quarter.
WHO'S NOT
1. Mighty Igor---Igor
came off a punishing feud with the
Masked Superstar entering the
fourth quarter of 1977. The
strongman from Poland then became
embroiled in a feud with Blackjack
Mulligan in November, but did not
fare well against the big Texan
from Eagle Pass. After the program
with Mulligan, Igor's stock
rapidly plummeted with the
promotion and he would leave the
area in early 1978.
2. Bobo Brazil---Bobo came
back to the area in November after
a several month absence. When
Brazil returned, he was never in
any major angles and participated
primarily in mid-card matches. He
would never come close to
duplicating the success he had in
July of 1977 where he became a
transitional U.S. Champ between
the reigns of Blackjack Mulligan
and Ric Flair. Brazil would leave
the area completely early in 1978.
3. Professor Boris Malenko---The
"Professor" wound down a
long stint as the Masked
Superstar's manager and a
successful mid-card wrestler
during the fourth quarter of 1977.
The Superstar would wrestle often
times without Malenko during the
fourth quarter, and Malenko would
never be a Mid-Atlantic managerial
or mid-card fixture after 1977
ended.
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David Chappell /
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
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