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The
month of March
1975 saw
significant
changes and
movements of
wrestlers in Jim
Crockett
Promotions. Two
of the biggest
names in the
history of
Mid-Atlantic
Championship
Wrestling would
enter the area
in March, while
two other big
stars from 1974
and early 1975
would be
de-emphasized.
March also saw a
blockbuster feud
reach its
conclusion,
while perhaps
the greatest tag
team feud in
Mid-Atlantic
history got
kicked into high
gear later in
the month. March
of 1975 would in
many ways shape
the promotion
for the
remainder of
this eventful
year.
New
faces abounded
in March, and
immediately as
March began fans
in the area got
their first
glimpse of the
big man from
Eagle Pass,
Texas, Blackjack
Mulligan.
Blackjack
wrestled his
first match in
the area on
March 3, 1975 in
Greenville,
South Carolina
easily disposing
of Charlie Cook,
and Mulligan was
first on
Mid-Atlantic
television for
the TV tapings
at the WRAL
studios in
Raleigh, North
Carolina on
March 5, 1975.
Billed as being
six feet nine
inches tall and
weighing over
three hundred
pounds, Mulligan
brought a
reputation just
as large into
the Mid-Atlantic
area. Blackjack
spent much of
March beating up
an assortment of
the area’s mid
card “good
guys”
decisively, but
much bigger
things would
soon be in store
for the huge
Texan.
At
the end of
March, another
tremendous
addition to Jim
Crockett’s
talent roster
entered the
area. Rufus R.
“Freight
Train” Jones,
hailing from
Dillon, South
Carolina, made
his first
appearance in
the area in
years when he
wrestled in the
WRAL TV studios
on March 26,
1975, beating
Cowboy Parker on
the Mid-Atlantic
Championship
Wrestling show
and later that
Wednesday night
teamed with Ken
Patera to defeat
Parker and Ken
Dillinger on the
taping of the
Wide World
Wrestling show.
Rufus had his
first arena
match in the
area in
Charlotte, North
Carolina on
March 31st,
when he quickly
dispatched Frank
Morrell. While
the “Freight
Train” was
just getting
started in the
month of March,
it would not
take Rufus long
to establish
himself as a
main event
performer, and
one of the most
popular
wrestlers ever
in the
Mid-Atlantic
area.
1974
NWA Rookie of
the Year Steve
Keirn also
entered the
Mid-Atlantic
area in March of
1975. The
promoters
immediately
booked Keirn
against the
area’s
toughest “bad
guys” in
televised
matches, and
while losing,
the youngster
held up
surprisingly
well. Steve also
looked good in
his early arena
matches against
a number of the
territory’s
most experienced
opening card
wrestlers. Big
things looked to
be ahead on the
horizon for this
talented
youngster from
Florida.
March
was not nearly
so kind to Tiger
Conway. After
almost a year of
headlining cards
for the
promotion,
Conway dropped
quickly into the
mid card ranks
during March.
Unable to beat
Ric Flair for
the Mid-Atlantic
Television
Title, or to
recover from
losing the
Mid-Atlantic Tag
Team Titles to
Gene and Ole
Anderson, Tiger
tried to get
back on track
and put
everything on
the line in a
“Loser Leaves
Town” match
against Ole
Anderson in
Spartanburg,
South Carolina
on March 29,
1975. To the
dismay of his
many fans, the
hated Anderson
prevailed and
sent Tiger
packing. While
Ole ran Tiger
out of the area,
when Conway
finally came
back to
Mid-Atlantic
Championship
Wrestling later
in 1975, he
would give Ole
and brother Gene
some real
“payback.”
The
captivating feud
between the
Avenger and the
Super Destroyer
played out to
its thrilling
conclusion
during the month
of March 1975.
Throughout the
month in the
larger venues in
the area, these
two masked stars
battled before
packed houses in
“ No
Disqualification—No
Time
Limit—There
Must Be A
Winner”
climactic
battles. The
Super Destroyer
used his
superior size to
finally wear
down and subdue
the game
Avenger, who was
unmasked as
Reggie Parks.
After these
decisive matches
in March, the
masked Avenger
continued to
wrestle around
the area for
most of the
remainder of
1975, but never
wrestled higher
than mid card
matches after
these
devastating
loses to the
Super Destroyer.
These March
battles took
their toll on
the Super
Destroyer as
well, as the
“Super D.”
could only
muster one final
mediocre program
with Sonny King
before leaving
the area during
the summer of
1975, actually
leaving Jim
Crockett
Promotions
before the
Avenger did.
Ken
Patera continued
his rapid rise
in Mid-Atlantic
Championship
Wrestling during
the month of
March. In his
first full month
in the area, Ken
was firmly
establishing
himself as a
main event
performer as he
was starting to
meet and defeat
the best and
toughest the
territory had to
offer. Patera
was showing the
fans his amazing
strength in
amazing ways,
and with his
Olympic
background and
engaging
personality, he
was fast
becoming an
exceedingly
popular star.
During March
another former
Olympian, 1972
bronze medal
wrestling
winner, Chris
Taylor made a
brief pass
through the
area. At this
point in their
careers, though,
both Taylor and
Patera were
“good guys,”
so there would
be no battles
between these
Olympians.
There
were no title
changes in the
Mid-Atlantic
area during the
month of March.
However, that
did not mean
that there were
not many
tremendous title
matches that
occurred during
the month. In
fact, each of
the three titles
in the territory
had their share
of great moments
in the month of
March!
Ric
Flair defended
his Mid-Atlantic
Television Title
impressively in
March. The
“Nature Boy”
turned back the
challenges of
Tiger Conway,
and was
developing quite
a rivalry with
former champion
Paul Jones over
the TV Title.
Hanging tough
with the veteran
Jones, the
youngster Flair
was growing up
in a hurry and
becoming a
champion to be
reckoned with.
The
champion of all
champions,
Johnny “The
Champ,”
Valentine, had a
busy month.
Maintaining his
iron grip on the
Mid-Atlantic
Heavyweight
Championship,
Valentine
defended his
title in a
number of
spectacular
bouts against
Paul Jones
during March.
“The Champ”
was also
successful in
several
Mid-Atlantic
Title bouts
against top
challenger Sonny
King. Add to all
this activity,
Johnny also
traveled to the
St. Louis area
in March for a
series of great
matches out
there!
NWA
World Tag Team
Champions Gene
and Ole Anderson
were rapidly
finding out in
March how much
pressure is
associated with
being the top
tag team in the
country. The
Anderson’s had
their share of
tough tussles in
March with the
teams of Wahoo
McDaniel and
Paul Jones, and
also the
formidable duo
of Wahoo and
Sonny King. In a
rare main event
caliber match
that was
wrestled on
Mid-Atlantic
Championship
Wrestling
television,
Wahoo and Paul
Jones battled
Gene and Ole in
a non-title bout
on March 26,
1975 in the WRAL
TV studios in
Raleigh. This
match would
truly launch
these two teams
into violent
competition over
the NWA World
Tag Team Titles
that would last
through nearly
the rest of
1975. A tag team
feud for the
ages was just
getting started!
Just
as March is a
transitional
month between
winter and
spring, March of
1975 saw Jim
Crockett
Promotions
transition out
of one major
feud featuring
the Super
Destroyer and
the Avenger, and
into a great new
budding feud
between Wahoo
and Paul Jones
against Gene and
Ole Anderson.
March also
brought in with
it two terrific
stars of the
future in
Blackjack
Mulligan and
Rufus R. Jones,
and effectively
said goodbye to
two major stars
in Tiger Conway
and the Avenger.
Like the
changing of the
seasons,
Mid-Atlantic
Championship
Wrestling was
alive, vibrant
and ever
evolving, and
the spring of
1975 brought
forth the
promise of even
more excitement
for all its many
fans!
WHO’S
HOT
1.
SUPER
DESTROYER---The
“Super D.”
finally
prevailed in his
memorable
program with
fellow masked
wrestler, the
Avenger. This
feud, perhaps
because it was a
rare mask versus
mask
confrontation,
seemed to really
captivate the
Mid-Atlantic
fans. Just when
it seemed the
Avenger had the
Super Destroyer
on the run, the
Super D. came up
with the final
answer.
2.
BLACKJACK
MULLIGAN---The
big man from
Eagle Pass,
Texas looked
largely
unstoppable as
he roared into
the territory in
early March. His
massive size
along with a
mean streak that
just wouldn’t
quit was
downright
frightening.
Everybody was
waiting to see
how the Texan
would fare when
he stepped up to
tougher
competition.
3.
KEN
PATERA---The
strongman from
Oregon proved to
everybody that
he was for real,
as he faced
tougher
competition in
March and
continued to
impress. Showing
off his
incredible
strength, along
with a sharp
intellect,
Patera looked to
be a sure
Mid-Atlantic
area main event
fixture for the
foreseeable
future.
WHO’S
NOT
1.
TIGER
CONWAY---Tiger
went from main
event performer
in early March
to out of the
area completely
by the end of
the month.
Losing a
“Loser Leaves
Town” match to
Ole Anderson on
March 29th
shocked Tiger
and all of his
many
Mid-Atlantic
fans. Everyone
was asking,
“How could he
fall so fast?”
2.
AVENGER---The
masked man we
learned was
Reggie Parks
gave it his all
in a dynamic
feud with the
bigger and
stronger Super
Destroyer. This
was a feud where
it was a real
shame either man
had to lose.
Unfortunately,
the Avenger
never fully
recovered from
the loss and
slipped to mid
card status
almost
immediately.
3.
SWEDE
HANSON---The
big Swede
continued to
battle
valiantly, but
his slow but
steady slide
down the
Mid-Atlantic
Championship
Wrestling totem
pole continued.
Victories that
several months
ago were
plentiful, were
fast becoming
more and more
difficult to
attain for the
aging grappler.
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©
David
Chappell /
Mid-Atlantic
Gateway
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