EASTERN
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
TITLE HISTORY
Missouri Mauler
(Larry Hamilton)
10/13/70 - Announced
on TV (Aired 10/17/70) that Mauler won title
from Pat O'Conner
Mauler's first match
back for Crockett in 1970 was on 10/12/70 in
Charlotte NC. At WGHP TV studios on the
following day 10/13/70, Mauler makes the
announcement that he defeated O'Conner for the
Eastern title. The earliest reference to an
Eastern title match we've found is in
Lexington NC on 10/17/70 vs. Al Torres.
This title change is
generally accepted to be a fictional change
for the purposes of creating the title.
Danny Miller
7/15/71 Greensboro
Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
NEWSPAPER
AD & RESULT
Missouri Mauler (2)
9/20/71 Charlotte Park
Center, Charlotte, NC
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE, AD, AND RESULT
Jack Brisco
11/30/71 WGHP TV
Studio, High Point, NC (TV Air Date:
12/4/71)
MISSOURI
MAULER SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED TITLE ON MONDAY
11/29 IN GREENVILLE SC. WGHP TAPED TV ON
TUESDAYS, AND WHILE NO RECORD EXISTS OF
MATCHES ON THAT TAPING ON 11/30, NEITHER
LARRY HAMILTON (MAULER) NOR JACK BRISCO WERE
ON HOUSE SHOWS TUES 11/30 HELD IN RALEIGH OR
COLUMBIA.
CARROLL
HALL (WHO ASSISTS US WITH TITLE HISTORIES) SAW
THE SWITCH ON WGHP TV AND KNOWS IT WAS AROUND
THE THANKSGIVING WEEKEND. IT COULD NOT HAVE
BEEN THE TUESDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING (11/23)
BECAUSE MAULER IS STILL CHAMP ON 11/29, PLUS
BOTH MAULER AND BRISCO WERE IN COLUMBIA THAT
NIGHT. IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN TWO WEEKS LATER
ON TUES. 12/7 BECAUSE MAULER WAS IN COLUMBIA
THAT NIGHT.
THIS
ONLY LEAVES TUESDAY 11/30 AT WGHP IN HIGH
POINT AS THE POSSIBLE DATE OF THE SWITCH, AND
THAT DATE IS NOW CONSIDERED CONFIRMED BASED ON
THE INFORMATION ABOVE
Rip Hawk (1)
2/14/72 Charlotte Park
Center, Charlotte NC
BASED ON INFORMATION
FOUND IN THE NEWSPAPER AD FOR THIS SHOW, RIP
HAWK APPARENTLY WON A TOURNAMENT TO EARN THE
TITLE SHOT FROM EASTERN CHAMPION JACK BRISCO.
HE TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY,
WINNING THE TITLE THIS NIGHT IN CHARLOTTE.
NEWSPAPER AD, PREVIEW, AND RESULTS
Jack Brisco (2)
4/10/72 Charlotte Park
Center, Charlotte NC
NEWSPAPER AD, PREVIEW, AND RESULTS
Rip Hawk (2)
Sometime between 4/25
and 5/25/72, Site Unknown
This may be a
"phantom" switch.
No record yet of any
match between these two during those dates.
Jerry Brisco
6/13/72 Township
Auditorium, Columbia, SC
NEWSPAPER AD AND RESULT
Rip Hawk (3)
8/28/72 Memorial
Auditorium, Greenville, SC
NEWSPAPER AD AND RESULT
Jerry Brisco (2)
9/4/72 Memorial
Auditorium, Greenville, SC
NEWSPAPER
AD AND RESULT
Rip Hawk (4)
12/28/72 Greensboro
Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
NEWSPAPER AD AND RESULT
Jerry Brisco (3)
3/3/73 Memorial
Coliseum, Winston-Salem, NC
NEWSPAPER AD AND RESULT
Ole Anderson
5/23/73 WRAL TV
Studio, Raleigh NC
Wrestling Revue
magazine has an interview with new Eastern
Champion Ole Anderson. The interview states
that he won the title at WRAL TV.
On Thursday 5/17,
Brisco defended the title successfully against
Terry Funk. On Friday 5/25/73, new
Champion Ole Anderson defended title against
challenger Jerry Brisco in Richmond VA. TV was
taped at WRAL on Wednesdays, so that confirms
(as close as possible) the 5/23/73 date.
Jerry Brisco (4)
7/3/73 Township
Auditorium, Columbia, SC
On
7/3/73, Jerry wrestles Ole Anderson for the
title in Columbia. Ole is billed as the
champion and Jerry as the former champion.
There were no results in the newspaper.
However, further research shows no references
to the Eastern title from 7/3 until 7/14. On
the 14th, Jerry defended the Eastern title
against Ole in Roanoke VA. Unless we uncover
evidence to the contrary, this confirms
Columbia 7/3 as the site and date for the
change.
NEWSPAPER
AD plus REFERENCE CLIPPING
Title Retired
Becomes Mid-Atlantic
Heavyweight Championship
9/6/73, Greensboro
Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
Jerry Brisco is final
Eastern Heavyweight Champion
New Mid-Atlantic
Championship Belt is presented to Jerry Brisco
See also: Origin of the
Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship
Eastern
Heavyweight Champions Photo Album
The Briscos: Common
Thread
The only two men to
have held both the Eastern and Mid-Atlantic
Titles.
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