PART THREE

 

 


PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE


 

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Chappell: Another well-kept secret, is that Doug Gilbert was the man under the hood of Spoiler # 1. Gilbert had been wrestling in the area under his own name and without a mask prior to his transformation into Spoiler # 1. What are your thoughts and opinions on Gilbert as a tag team partner?

Left: Doug Gilbert, the man behind the mask of Spoiler #1

Right: Spoiler #1 and Spoiler #2 in Richmond VA

(Bill Janosik photos)

 

Vachon: He was a wonderful partner.

 

Chappell: Why was Gilbert chosen for the role as Spoiler # 1?

 

Vachon: He was willing; others were not.

 

Chappell: You were highly involved on a day that will never be forgotten by Mid-Atlantic Wrestling fans…the day of the October 4, 1975 plane crash in Wilmington, NC. You and Spoiler # 1 were scheduled to wrestle Danny Miller and Bob Bruggers on that Wilmington card. Bruggers, of course, was in the crash. Take us through that roller coaster of a night in Wilmington, and how the matches were conducted that fateful night.

 

Vachon: I traveled from [Richmond], VA, and arrived late. I wrestled three times that night.

 

Chappell: As could certainly be expected, the territory was devastated after the plane crash. Describe the territory immediately after the crash.

 

Vachon: Johnny Valentine never wrestled again. Fans and coworkers were devastated!

 

Chappell: With the area’s two top heels, Valentine and Flair, going down in the crash, you certainly were important in picking up the slack, so to speak. From October until the end of the year, you wrestled all of the territory’s top babyfaces. Let me ask you about several. First off, what was it like wrestling the late Chief Wahoo McDaniel?

 

Spoiler #2 battles Wahoo McDaniel (Bill Janosik photo)

 

Vachon: I managed to escape with my scalp!!

 

Chappell: Both before and after the plane crash, you wrestled ‘Mr. Wrestling,’ Tim Woods. At that time, Woods was wrestling without a mask. What are your recollections of the late Tim Woods?

 

Vachon: Mad Dog suggested the mask. Woods was a great wrestler, but lacked facial expressions.

 

Chappell: Woods was banged up pretty badly, but he still continued to wrestle soon after he was injured in the plane crash. You were one of his early opponents after the crash. How badly hurt was Woods when he got into the ring so soon after the crash?

 

Vachon: The injuries he sustained were serious, but he was in good physical shape and recovered enough to keep going.

 

Chappell: You had a number of battles against the ultra popular Rufus R. ‘Freight Train’ Jones. How was it being in the ring with the unorthodox Rufus Jones?

 

Vachon: Wonderful guy, but VERY  unorthodox.

 

Chappell: Rufus was a large man, but you were much bigger. You were introduced in the Mid-Atlantic area as weighing 345 pounds. Was that about right?

 

Vachon: Yes, this is true.

 

Chappell: You certainly used your weight to your advantage. I remember you jumping onto your opponent’s stomach with both feet to take the air out of him, and then finishing him off with the Stomach Claw. Was the Stomach Claw the favorite finishing maneuver for Spoiler # 2?

 

Vachon: Yes.

 

Chappell: The Stomach Claw worked well for you?

 

Vachon: I found it to be quite effective.

 

Chappell: You and Spoiler # 1 continued to wrestle as a team into the fall of 1975. You two faced various combinations of top-flight tag team talent such as Wahoo, Rufus, Ken Patera, Woods and Paul Jones. But the team the Spoilers faced most often was a young duo that was getting quite a push at the time, Steve Keirn and Tiger Conway, Jr. What do you recall about the tag matches with those youngsters?

 

Vachon: They were superlative. Tiger Conway, Sr. and I have remained good friends.

 

Chappell: How would you rate the Keirn/Conway combination?

 

Vachon: Superb.

 

Chappell: The Spoiler’s tag team seemed to be de-emphasized as the fall of 1975 wore on, and some new talent came into the territory on the heel side. Blackjack Mulligan, Angelo Mosca, Steve Strong and Superstar Billy Graham all came into the area as heels soon after the plane crash. Why do you think the tag team of Spoiler’s # 1 and # 2 petered out relatively quickly? Was it due in part to this influx of new talent that was brought in?

 

Vachon: There was an inner circle, a clique, that we were not part of.

 

Chappell: When the veteran Johnny Weaver returned to the area later in the fall of 1975, you had a number of bouts with him. What is your opinion of Weaver?

 

Vachon: I have no opinion of him. Not impressed either way.

 

Chappell: Your last program as Spoiler # 2, and probably your biggest, was in late December 1975 and early January 1976, when you wrestled in a series of ‘Mask versus U.S. Title’ matches against United States Heavyweight Champion Paul Jones. Tell us about wrestling the much smaller Paul Jones.

 

Spoiler #2 and Paul Jones had several "Mask vs. US Title" bouts. (R: Bill Janosik photo)

 

Vachon: Pound for pound, Paul Jones was ‘THE BEST’ in his prime. Paul Jones was an all-time great.

 

Chappell: Jones prevailed in those ‘Mask versus Title’ bouts, which ended your run in the Crockett area. Do you recall anything in particular about the matches where you had to unmask, such as in the area’s big towns of Greensboro, Richmond and Greenville?

 

Vachon: It was something of a relief to unmask. Definitely a lot cooler!

 

Left: Paul Jones tries to rip the mask off Spoiler #2.

Right: Spoiler #2 retaliates by trying rip the head off Paul Jones!

(Bill Janosik photos)

Chappell: After unmasking in several towns and leaving the territory, you never returned and wrestled in the Mid-Atlantic area. Why not?

 

Vachon: The business took me elsewhere, and I loved to travel.

 

Chappell: What is your most lasting memory about wrestling in the Mid-Atlantic area as Spoiler # 2?

 

Vachon: I enjoyed my time there. Good camaraderie and southern hospitality.

 

Chappell: Does it surprise you that so many people still remember Spoiler # 2, despite his relatively brief stay in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling….and that people still speculate about who was under the hood of Spoiler # 2?

 

Vachon: Yes, it is surprising. I’m glad I touched some lives and left an impression.

 

Chappell: Well, the Gateway really appreciates your ‘unmasking’ for us almost 29 years after Spoiler # 2 first appeared in the Mid-Atlantic area! Thank you so much for answering some questions about Spoiler # 2 and Paul ‘The Butcher’ Vachon’s time in Jim Crockett Promotions.

 

Vachon: Merci, it has been a damn pleasure!

 

 

* * * * * * 

SPECIAL NOTE: 

At Spoiler # 2’s request, this interview was conducted by written questions posed in advance, and responded to in writing in kind by Spoiler # 2.


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