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.
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.
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)
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.
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Mid-Atlantic Gateway
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