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NWA WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE HISTORY
RETURN TO THE MID-ATLANTIC GATEWAY LOBBY
SPECIAL NOTE: No one would like to prove this change happened more than me. I would love to credit the Anderson Brothers, my favorite team of all time, with an additional title reign. At least one person we've spoken to says they remember seeing this happen in Charlotte. Steve Keirn has mentioned on at least one documented occasion that it happened. But we can find no evidence of the change, and until we do (and again, I hope we do!), we maintain that no such title change took place. We will continue to provide evidence here on this page that supoports either side of the argument. - D. Bourne, Jan. 2007
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A Closer Look at a Title Myth: The Lost Title Reign of Tiger Conway, Jr. and Steve Keirn by Dick Bourne
One of the great myths in NWA world tag team title history involves a purported NWA tag team title change between Gene and Ole Anderson and the team of Tiger Conway, Jr. and Steve Keirn in November of 1975.
For many years most title histories (including briefly the Gateway) reported a November 1975 title switch between the teams following an upset win on Mid-Atlantic television that September. Further research has debunked the dates of these reported changes and have yielded no evidence of a change on any other date.
The myth of a title exchange between these two teams likely has roots in an upset win Conway and Keirn had over the Anderson Brothers on September 17, 1975 at the WRAL television studios. The match took place on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in front of a wild studio crowd (read David Chappell's report in The Almanac.) Conway and Keirn defeated the Andersons cleanly in one of the most shocking outcomes of a televised match ever at that point. It's possible some folks remember this match and confuse it with a title change, but the Gateway has audio tape of that event which confirms it was a non-title match.
This win by Conway and Keirn of course set up several months of title matches with the Anderson Brothers at buildings all over the territory.
Will & Duncan's Wrestling Title Histories, one of the most respected title history books ever, as well as most Web-based title history sites (including WrestlingTitles.com at the time of this writing) list 11/3/75 in Charlotte as the date and location of a Conway/Keirn win. The newspaper reports from that card indicate a victory by Keirn and Conway but do not indicate a title change. But the explanation and the real clarification that the title did not change hands actually came in the next weeks report from the rematch on 11/10 where it was explained that the Anderson's were disqualified for "unnecessary roughness with the referee" in the previous week's event on 11/3.
Charlotte Observer Newspaper results from matches held at the Charlotte Park Center on 11/3/75 (L) and 11/10/75 (R).
The 2nd clipping above, from the 11/10/75 Park Center show, demonstrates clearly that the title did not change hands on 11/3 or 11/10.
Further, the published title histories (mentioned earlier) indicate that the Andersons regained the title in Charlotte on the 11/17/75 Park Center show. The newspaper result from that show mentions the Anderson win while making no mention of the title.
Charlotte Observer Newspaper results from matches held at the Charlotte Park Center on 11/17/75
Booker George Scott's day planner/datebook from 1975, while not always noting title changes, does note most of them, and there is no mention of a title change between these two teams in 1975. Additionally, there are some additional notes from that planner that would indicate no change during the reported 11/3-11/17 period:
11/7/75 Charleston SC
Steve Keirn recently confirmed for us (via Charles Robinson) that he and Tiger Conway did not win the world tag titles from the Andersons. Ole Anderson has maintained that as well. However, Keirn had stated in earlier interviews (one in the late 90s with Wrestling Classics) that they did hold the titles, so it isn't clear where he really stands on that.
With wrestling title histories, it often seems that very little is absolute. But evidence of a title win for Keirn and Conway simply isn't there, at least as best as we can determine. We welcome evidence to the contrary, and would be glad to present it here. At the very least, it has been established that the dates widely published (11/3 and 11/17/75) were not dates of NWA World Tag team title changes.
I eagerly solicit feedback and opinion on this subject at midatlanticgateway@gmail.com.
-Dick Bourne Originally published September 6, 2006 Updated January 2, 2007 Clippings from the Mark Eastridge Collection Thanks also to Carroll Hall, Charles Robinson, and George South
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