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DIRECTIONS TO THE MOORESVILLE NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY
R.O.s is the NEW Official BBQ of GeorgeSouth.com!
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DATELINE: CHARLOTTE NC SEPTEMBER 17 , 2008
YOU CAN'T HOLD BACK THE JACK In case you've been under a rock lately and missed the big news in the wrestling world, Blackjack Mulligan is the new EWA Florida Heavyweight Champion. Yes, that Blackjack Mulligan. The legend. The icon. The west Texas outlaw who terrorized the WWWF and the Mid-Atlantic in the 1970s and the state of Florida in the 1980s, blew in on the razor sharp edge of a west Texas wind and defeated Mr. Florida for the title. Trying to chronicle the events of the last couple of days is nearly impossible to do without rubbing your eyes and saying - -"Did I really just see that?" To understand what led to Blackjack Mulligan winning the EWA Florida heavyweight championship, we have to go back and quickly revisit the events of this past six weeks:
August 9, 2008 - Charlotte NC Ricky Steamboat Jr. upsets Mr. Florida to win the Florida heavyweight title in Steamboat's first main event match. Steamboat had earned a title shot via several key victories this summer over George South (who bears an eerily striking resemblance to Mr. Florida), and left the Mid-Atlantic for Florida hoping to take the state title from the masked champion. But Mr. Florida refused to defend the title against him, even ignoring an executive order to do so directly from the EWA Board of Directors. This defiance so angered EWA Commissioner Joe Graham, he ordered Mr. Florida to bring the Florida title to North Carolina and defend it against Steamboat in his hometown of Mooresville NC . . . or be stripped of the championship. Mr. Florida balked again, this time seeking relief in the form of a court injunction to prevent him from having to defend the Florida title outside the state of Florida. On the surface, this makes sense, although there is precedent: Bobby Eaton has defended the Georgia Heavyweight title in North Carolina on two prior occasions under special sanction from the EWA board. The judge in the case made a compromise ruling, granting Mr. Florida's wishes to not defend the title in Steamboat's hometown, but allowing commissioner Joe Graham to select another town in North Carolina. Graham selected nearby Charlotte, which in a sense backfired on Mr. Florida because Charlotte was the long time base of operations for Steamboat's dad, and the Hawaiian Punch Ricky Steamboat has quite a following to this day in Charlotte. No amount of protesting or legal wrangling could help Mr. Florida this time. Under protest, he defended the title at the Sugaw Creek Recreation Center in Charlotte and Steamboat Jr. scored the stunning upset win, with his parents and grandparents all present to see him do it.
August 29, 2008 - Mooresville NC Steamboat defended the title several times in Florida, and even secured a defense back in his hometown of Mooresville NC as a way to thank fans who were denied the earlier opportunity to see him win the title. But on 9/29 in the Mooresville Armory (with its symbolic military ties to the Fort Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Florida), the referee for the match went literally bat-shit crazy and the end result was Steamboat pinning a distracted Mr. Florida, but another official at ringside having to make the count. Mr. Florida seized on the opportunity of this controversial finish and again filed for injunctive relief, suggesting Steamboat was in on th whole thing, and requesting the title be held up. September 4, 2008 - Charlotte NC A special meeting of the EWA Board of Directors was hastily convened, and in a private little back room of a Japanese steakhouse in Charlotte (the same room where the Four Horsemen got together nearly two decades earlier in preparation for Starrcade 87), commissioner Joe Graham issued an order that held up the Florida championship due to the actions of the referee in the ring in Mooresville. Accompanying Steamboat Jr. at this meeting was his father Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. George South represented Mr. Florida who refused to attend the meeting, plus there were rumors of an outstanding warrant on the masked man, and he may not have wanted to enter the sate of North Carolina. Graham's decision was firm, Steamboat Jr. surrendered the title belt, and a a tournament would be held back in the state of Florida to determine the new champion. September 15, 2008 - Groveland FL In another controversial move, Mr. Florida was successful in having the Florida title tournament scheduled less than two weeks later, during a week when Steamboat Jr. was unavailable due to prior bookings he had in Eldon, MO for promoter Harley Race. In a one-night eight-man tournament, Mr. Florida once again regained the the sunshine state's championship in the Groveland Recreation Center in Groveland FL. on Monday 9/15.
So that brings us to the most improbable turn of events that took place the next night. What led to Blackjack Mulligan being involved to begin with was the sponsorship of the tournament on 9/15 by his Main Street Auto Sales in nearby Mascotte FL. Mulligan had put up a Chevy Suburban to be awarded to the tournament winner, in addition to the prized Florida heavyweight title belt. The next night at the new champion's press conference, Blackjack awarded the keys to the Suburban to Mr. Florida, but the proceedings turned sour when Mr. Florida made a snide reference to Mulligan being "washed up." Mulligan naturally took exception to the remark and said he thought he had just enough in the tank for one more big push if Mr. Florida wanted to accept the challenge. Florida responded by saying he'd whip Mulligan on the spot! Commissioner Joe Graham, so excited about the prospects of having Blackjack Mulligan involved in an EWA sanctioned match, decreed that if both men agreed, the match could be fought under WWE-style 24/7 Hardcore rules, meaning the title could be defended and a man could be pinned anywhere and at anytime the two were able to get together. Mr. Florida popped off, "Fine by me!" No sooner than the words were out of his mouth, Mulligan slapped on his famous claw hold and in less than an Eagle pass minute, Mr. Florida was out! Under terms of the 24/7 hardcore rules, Blackjack Mulligan had just won the EWA Florida Heavyweight Championship!
Photos from the 9/16 Press Conference in Mascotte FL: Frame #1: Mulligan congratulates Mr. Florida on winning the tournament and presents keys to the Chevy Suburban. Frame #2: Florida disrespects Mulligan, calling him "Washed up." Frame #3: Mulligan points to the title belt and challenges Mr. Florida to a title match. Frame #4: After commissioner Joe Graham orders the match under 24/7 hardcore rules, Mulligan slaps on the claw hold, and Mr. Florida submits! Needless to say, the reverberations of this will be felt throughout the state of Florida and the EWA. Mulligan stated in a subsequent press conference he had no immediate plans to defend the title, and it is not clear what commissioner Joe Graham has in mind, either.
One thing is for certain: Mr. Florida hasn't been heard from since.
AROUND THE CIRCUIT In other title news, Jason Jones defeated George South Jr. for the EWA Jr, Heavyweight title in a recent match in Charlotte. Jones and South Jr. are both EWA veterans and a rematch will most certainly be on the horizon . . . . The "Asian Sensation" Mike Lee is back in action after as long hiatus, and is rumored to be after a Jr. title shot as well . . . . Ivan Koloff continues on his impressive win streak as he defends the EWA Heavyweight championship across the region. George South is looking to recapture the title for a record setting sixth time, but the Russian Bear won't be easy to topple now that he has his firm grip on the title . . . . Bobby Eaton has recently defended the EWA Georgia title against long time rival Ricky Morton and rising superstar Charlie Dreamer . . . . Ricky Steamboat Jr. has left the Mid-Atlantic and headed for the Missouri territory in hopes of winning the EWA Missouri state title . . . . Former NWA World Champion Tommy "Wildfire" Rich is said to be negotiating for an upcoming EWA title match with Ivan Koloff . . . . The Masked Superstar Bill Eadie will be defending the Mid-Atlantic Heritage title in the EWA again soon . . . . Former champ Brad Armstrong has also made recent noise about coming back into the alliance. Armstrong recently told the Mid-Atlantic Gateway in an exclusive interview, "I believe I've got one good drop kick left in me." Armstrong would love a shot at the EWA title, a championship he has held before. |
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