Mid-Atlantic Gateway | Favorite US Champions

The Mid-Atlantic Gateway presents

Our Top 5 Favorite

U.S. Champions

Who are your Five Favorite U.S. Champions?

The voting is in.

Champions eligible 1975-1986: Harley Race, Johnny Valentine, Terry Funk, Paul Jones, Blackjack Mulligan, Bob Brazil, Ric Flair, Tim Woods, Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Snuka, Greg Valentine, Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, Wahoo McDaniel, Dick Slater, Magnum T.A., Tully Blanchard, and Nikita Koloff.

This feature is the first in a series. Look for more "Favorite" features upcoming.

THE PANEL

Dick Bourne

Thom Brewer

David Chappell

Mike Cline

Carroll Hall

Peggy Lathan

Jim Nelson

Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Resource Center

David Chappell and I decided to pick our top five favorites in a number of different categories, beginning with championships in the Mid-Atlantic area, and the U.S. title in particular. We then asked five others to join in with us and pick their favorites, too, and we totaled up points for a Gateway Top 5 Favorite US Champions.

We are picking our personal favorites, and not ranking them as the "best" wrestlers or champions, or best draw or best anything else. It's all about who were our favorites. (And of course, this list of guys would be on any list of the greatest ever, it goes without saying.)

Points were awarded for the top five choices: 5 points for the number one spot down to 1 point for the number five spot. After all seven on the panel had voted, we totaled up the points and list the top five here.

THE UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

The U.S. title was established here in 1975. The time frame for choosing favorites who held this title is 1975-1986, when the "Mid-Atlantic" era ended.

Here are the top five based on votes from the 7-member panel, along with their individual votes and comments listed below.

OUR TOP 5 FAVORITE U.S. CHAMPIONS IN THE MID-ATLANTIC ERA

Others getting votes (points): Tully Blanchard (7), Greg Valentine (7), Sgt. Slaughter (5), Roddy Piper (3), Ricky Steamboat (2)

Individual Panel Member Votes

Panel Members listed alphabetically.

DICK BOURNE

Co-Founder & Publisher, Mid-Atlantic Gateway

(grew up a fan watching the Greenville, Spartanburg, Asheville market)

1. Blackjack Mulligan - There was Blackjack Mulligan and then there was everybody else.

2. Tully Blanchard - I loved Tully Blanchard as U.S. champ, he carried any title with such class.

3. Paul Jones - Mully vs. Jones was my favorite US title feud.

4. Wahoo McDaniel - Wahoo makes my list for his brilliant heel turn in 1984 over this belt.

5. Roddy Piper - Piper was one of the most entertaining champions ever, especially in his feud with Ric Flair.

THOM BREWER

Longtime Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Fan and Historian (grew up a fan Roanoke VA)

1. Blackjack Mulligan - You knew the title was important because he would do absolutely anything to hold on to it.

2. Paul Jones - PJ and Blackjack Mulligan elevated the title with their long standing feud.

3. Ric Flair - Flair became THE MAN when he first won the US Title. It proved what we thought all along. Ric Flair was going places.

4. Ricky Steamboat - Flair always said “To be the man, you have to beat the man,” and that's just what Steamboat did. That put Steamboat on the map.

5. Johnny Valentine - Valentine was the toughest man ever. When he brought the US Title into the MACW area, you knew no one would ever beat him for it. And nobody ever did.

DAVID CHAPPELL

Co-Founder of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway (grew up a fan in Richmond VA)

1. Blackjack Mulligan - For much of 1976 through 1978, Blackjack either held the U.S. Title or was the top contender.

2. Paul Jones - Jones matched up with Mulligan perfectly...the smaller, gritty opponent whose sheer will to win kept him in the game with Mulligan.

3. Greg Valentine - Greg would often call himself 'The Greatest U.S. Champ Of All Time' and he was certainly in that discussion.

4. Ric Flair - With the Nature Boy's many NWA World Title reigns, it's understandable that his holding of the U.S. belt gets minimized a bit.

5. Wahoo McDaniel - Wahoo's lust for the U.S. Title pushes him to do the unthinkable...turn into a bad guy!

MIKE CLINE

Publisher of Mid-Atlantic Grapplin' Greats (grew up a fan in the Charlotte area)

1. Ric Flair

2. Johnny Valentine

3. Tully Blanchard

4. Blackjack Mulligan

5. Sgt. Slaughter

The more "heat" attached to a championship, the better. These guys created the most "heat."

CARROLL HALL

Co-Publisher of Wrestling Memories and publisher of All-Star Championship Wrestling

(grew up a fan in the Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point area)

1. Blackjack Mulligan

2. Paul Jones

3. Ric Flair

4. Wahoo McDaniel

5. Sgt. Slaughter

PEGGY LATHAN

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling SuperFan and lifelong friend of many of the Mid-Atlantic Legends

(grew up a fan in the Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville area)

1. Ric Flair - He was the "Naitch." Nuff said.

2. Johnny Valentine - He was a tough SOB and his matches were brutal, but fun to watch.

3. Wahoo McDaniel - Ditto.

4. Roddy Piper - He was so entertaining.

5. Blackjack Mulligan - Tough SOB, too!

Honorable Mention - Ricky Steamboat - because he was so handsome!

JIM NELSON (Boris Zhukov)

20 Year Pro-Wrestling Veteran (grew up a fan in the Roanoke VA area)

The real expert on this panel because he was a fan like us, and then wrestled against most of these guys, too.

1. Johnny Valentine - The greatest of them all. He carried the belt and made it what it was.

2. Greg Valentine - Both father and son were tough as nails!

3. Sgt. Slaughter - One of the all-time greats! And a great teacher.

4. Blackjack Mulligan - He let me slam him once. Kind of like Andre, you only slammed Blackjack if he let you slam him.

5. Ric Flair - Of course!

These were agonizing choices! I had such great respect for all these men.

Gateway Readers Weigh In:

Your Five Favorite United States Champions!

First place votes in parenthesis.

1. Ric Flair 184 (21)

2. Blackjack Mulligan 143 (14)

3. Wahoo McDaniel 119 (3)

4. Johnny Valentine 67 (6)

5. Ricky Steamboat 65 (2)

Others getting votes: Paul Jones 50 (2), Roddy Piper 49 (3), Magnum TA 45 (4), Greg Valentine 44 (2), Tully Blanchard 40, Jimmy Snuka 19, Sgt. Slaughter 14, Mr. Wrestling 8, Nikita Koloff 5, Bobo Brazil 4, Terry Funk 3, Harley Race 2, Dick Slater 1

Thanks to everyone who voted here or on our Facebook page.

U.S. Champion Jimmy Snuka with manager Gene Anderson, circa 1980.

(Photo courtesy Brad Anderson)