The Mid-Atlantic era by
name did not have an official starting date,
nor did it cease to exist on a certain
official date. However, the time boundaries
that mark the beginning and end of
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (by
name) line up nicely at 1973 and 1986
respectively, based on certain events that
took place in those years.
The earliest official documented
reference to "Mid-Atlantic" Wrestling was
actually in March of 1972 when the
designation started showing up in newspaper
ads for shows in the Joe Murnick towns of
Raleigh and Norfolk. (Learn more here.)
But in 1973, the branding became
complete when the two TV shows taped in
Raleigh ("Championship Wrestling" for the
Raleigh market and "All-Star Wrestling" for
all other markets) changed names to
"Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling".
During this same year the Charlotte and High
Point TV studio tapings were discontinued
and all TV for the territory was
consolidated to Raleigh.
In September of 1973, the Eastern
Heavyweight Championship (the top singles
title in the territory) was renamed the
Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship and a
new belt presented to the reigning champion
Jerry Brisco. In October, the Atlantic Coast
tag team titles were renamed to Mid-Atlantic
tag team championships.
In the documentary "Jim Crockett
Promotions: The Good Ol' Days", produced by
Michael Elliot, David Crockett revealed that
it was John Ringley (then Jim Sr.'s
son-in-law) who actually came up with the
name "Mid-Atlantic" Wrestling. The "Crockett
Sports Promotions" page on Facebook
described it this way:
"Jim Sr. and
John Ringley had been traveling the
circuit for concerts and the
Globetrotters. Every TV wrestling show
called itself Championship Wrestling. They
decided they needed to have their own
identity to set apart from the rest. On
their way to the WBTV station in Charlotte
for a wrestling show, they were discussing
graphics that were being shipped from the
Mid-Atlantic. Sitting at the corner of
Morehead and McDowell, John asked "Where
is Mid-Atlantic?". Jim Sr. said "I don't
know, and that is what we are going to
call it".
By January of 1974, the promotion now
led by Jim Crockett, Jr. had effectively
switched all references to the promotion to
the name "Mid-Atlantic Championship
Wrestling." The promotional materials,
including event posters and newspaper ads,
all said Mid-Atlantic Championship
Wrestling.
In December of 1986, the Mid-Atlantic
Heavyweight Title was vacated for good, and
the television show that was Mid-Atlantic
Championship Wrestling had been
renamed NWA Pro Wrestling. Crockett
Promotions had begun expanding nationally
and there was no longer a regional component
or reference to the Mid-Atlantic area, thus
the appropriate point to mark the end of the
Mid-Atlantic era, the primary focus of our
web site.
-
Dick Bourne & David
Chappell