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The
hot
summer
of
the
bicentennial
year
of
1976
was
approaching
its
midpoint
when
Jim
Crockett
Promotions
rolled
into
town
on
Friday
night,
July
30,
1976.
And
a
standing
room
only
crowd
estimated
at
11,000
in
the
Rich
mond
Coliseum
was
geared
up
to
see
two
simmering
feuds
that
were
about
ready
to
sizzle
like
the
hot
summer
weather.
This
six
bout
extravaganza
was
highlighted
by
two
grudge
matches
that
everybody
was
anxious
to
see.
Neither
of
the
bouts
billed
as
Main
Event
matches
would
disappoint
the
huge
crowd
in
attendance!
In
fact,
they
in
very
large
part
made
this
card
one
of
Rich
mond’s
all
time
best.
In
one
Main
Event,
Rufus
R.
Jones
battled
United
States
Heavyweight
Champion
Blackjack
Mulligan
in
a
No
Disqualification
Match.
The
week
before,
in
the
Rich
mond
Arena,
Blackjack
and
Rufus
met
with
Mulligan
getting
disqualified.
Rufus
made
it
clear
in
his
promos
for
this
No
DQ
match,
that
Blackjack
couldn’t
run
this
time.
Blackjack
countered,
saying
that
Rufus’
head-butts
had
made
his
head
swell
up
twice
its
normal
size,
but
that
the
No
DQ
stipulation
would
ensure
that
there
would
be
a
decisive
winner
in
this
match.
This
bitter
feud
had
begun
in
earnest
when
Blackjack
put
Rufus’
cousin,
Burrhead
Jones,
in
the
hospital
several
weeks
before.
Rufus
was
out
to
avenge
the
beating
Blackjack
gave
to
Burrhead,
but
Rufus
also
had
his
eyes
on
Blackjack’s
prized
U.S.
Title.
While
this
match
was
a
non-title
bout,
Rufus
still
had
a
lot
of
incentive
to
really
get
after
the
big
Texan.
In
the
other
Main
Event,
Wahoo
McDaniel
wrestled
Mid-Atlantic
Heavyweight
Champion
Ric
Flair
in
a
Fence
Match.
About
two
months
before
this
Fence
Match
in
Rich
mond,
Flair
defeated
Wahoo
for
the
Mid-Atlantic
Title
in
the
infamous
“table
leg
and
40
stitches
match,”
which
was
the
1976
Match
Of
The
Year
voted
by
the
Mid-Atlantic
Gateway
website
visitors.
Flair
and
Wahoo
had
two
wild
“post-40
stitches”
matches
in
Rich
mond
before
this
one,
but
neither
one
of
them
seemed
to
settle
the
issue.
So,
the
NWA
ordered
a
Fence
Match,
which
typically
ended
major
feuds.
However,
this
was
no
normal
feud,
and
as
it
would
turn
out,
the
battles
between
Flair
and
Wahoo
would
continue
to
rage
through
the
remainder
of
1976.
The
promos
leading
up
to
this
match
gave
a
hint
as
to
the
amazing
intensity
that
would
be
exhibited
during
the
match
itself.
The
normally
calm
McDaniel
was
clearly
agitated
while
talking
about
the
upcoming
match.
Wahoo
said
a
Fence
Match
was
the
match
everybody
wanted
to
see…and
that
he
wanted
it
too.
He
was
out
to
get
revenge
for
the
40
stitches,
and
he
said
he
was
sick
of
Flair
running
out
of
the
ring.
With
this
Fence
Match,
Wahoo
said
the
only
way
Flair
could
get
out
was
if
he
decided
to
push
Ric
through
one
of
the
two
inch
squares
of
the
cage!
Wahoo
said
Flair
was
going
to
regret
the
day
that
he
crossed
the
Indian.
For
his
part,
the
“Nature
Boy”
was
as
out
of
control
during
the
promo
for
this
match
as
I’d
ever
seen
him.
He
said
that
Wahoo
was
out
to
kill
him,
and
that
everybody
connected
with
the
NWA
ought
to
be
put
in
jail
for
setting
up
this
match.
Ric
said
he
wasn’t
a
dog,
and
that
with
his
style
and
sophistication
he
should
not
be
locked
up
in
a
cage.
At
the
end
of
the
promo
interview,
foaming
at
the
mouth,
Flair
said
Mulligan
and
a
lot
of
his
friends
would
be
in
Rich
mond…and
that
Wahoo
wouldn’t
get
away
with
this!
MAIN
EVENT---Ric
Flair
Versus
Wahoo
McDaniel
In
A
Fence
Match
While
Ric
Flair’s
Mid-Atlantic
Heavyweight
Championship
was
not
on
the
line
in
this
match,
something
much
more
important
was…Flair’s
life!
Both
Wahoo
and
the
massive
crowd
at
the
Coliseum
were
out
for
Flair’s
blood
on
this
night---and
they
got
a
LOT
of
it!
Once
the
door
of
the
fence
was
shut
and
locked,
Flair
was
running
around
frantically,
trying
to
figure
out
an
escape
plan.
On
this
night,
there
would
be
no
escape
from
the
Chief!
Flair
could
only
run
so
far
within
the
confines
of
the
fence,
and
Wahoo
caught
him
several
minutes
in,
and
the
battle
began
in
full
force
soon
thereafter.
Wahoo
dominated
the
early
portion
of
the
encounter
with
a
chop-fest
that
had
the
fans
howling
for
more!
Flair
begged
off
several
times,
but
there
was
no
mercy
shown
by
Wahoo
on
this
night.
Within
ten
minutes,
Flair
was
thrown
into
the
fence,
and
after
being
down
for
a
brief
period
of
time,
came
up
bleeding.
Bleeding
more
than
I
had
ever
seen
anybody
bleed
in
a
wrestling
match.
Wahoo
kept
Flair’s
blood
flowing
with
repeated
flings
against
the
fence
and
vicious
chops
to
the
Nature
Boy’s
head.
Flair
got
his
only
sustained
offense
of
the
night
going
at
about
the
fifteen
minute
mark
when
he
caught
Wahoo
with
a
low
blow.
From
there,
Ric
threw
Wahoo’s
head
into
the
cage
and
opened
up
a
bloody
cut
on
Wahoo
as
well.
Though,
the
Chief
never
bled
as
profusely
as
the
Nature
Boy
did.
Wahoo
turned
the
tables
on
Ric,
when
he
caught
Flair
after
an
unsuccessfully
attempted
backdrop
after
throwing
the
Chief
into
the
ropes.
After
a
brutal
series
of
chops,
where
Ric
returned
some
of
the
fire
with
hard
punches
himself,
Wahoo
maneuvered
Ric
into
position
for
a
beautiful
suplex
which
the
bloody
Flair
kicked
out
of…but
a
fraction
of
a
second
AFTER
the
count
of
three.
While
still
not
the
Mid-Atlantic
Heavyweight
Champion,
Wahoo
nevertheless
thrilled
the
rabid
crown
with
a
clean
victory
over
the
Nature
Boy.
While
matches
like
this
one
would
have
ended
most
normal
feuds,
this
one
only
seemed
to
intensify
the
bad
blood
between
Ric
Flair
and
Wahoo
McDaniel!
SEMI-FINAL---Blackjack
Mulligan
Versus
Rufus
R.
Jones
In
A
No
Disqualification
Match
The
No
DQ
stipulation
didn’t
seem
to
have
much
effect
on
Blackjack
Mulligan,
as
the
U.S.
Champion
immediately
left
the
ring
soon
after
the
opening
bell!
Rufus
would
have
none
of
those
shenanigans,
and
was
on
Mulligan’s
tail
throughout,
making
sure
Blackjack
would
have
to
stay
in
the
ring
and
fight.
Once
in
the
ring,
the
action
was
back
and
forth
for
the
first
ten
minutes
or
so
of
the
contest.
Mulligan
took
control
with
a
vicious
kick
to
Rufus’
head,
and
taunted
the
crowd
as
he
pummeled
the
“Freight
Train”
over
the
next
several
minutes.
Rufus
would
finally
rise
up,
aided
by
the
deafening
roar
of
the
crowd,
and
stopped
Mulligan
for
the
time
being
with
a
double-fist
to
the
big
Texan’s
head.
The
middle
portion
of
the
match
had
tons
of
action
outside
of
the
ring
on
the
floor,
much
of
which
would
have
led
to
disqualifications
of
both
combatants
if
not
for
the
stipulation.
After
some
time,
and
some
very
questionable
tactics,
Mulligan
gained
the
edge
on
Rufus
and
threw
the
Freight
Train
back
into
the
ring.
Once
inside,
Blackjack
got
the
dreaded
claw
hold
on
Rufus,
and
Jones
looked
like
a
goner
for
the
longest
time.
But,
feeding
off
of
the
energy
of
the
crowd,
Rufus
shook
and
wiggled
his
way
to
the
ropes—finally
causing
the
referee
to
break
the
hold!
Buoyed
by
that
escape,
Rufus
found
a
second
wind
and
took
control
of
the
action.
One
final
attempt
to
escape
led
Blackjack
to
be
slung
into
the
ropes
hard,
and
when
Mulligan
bounced
back
toward
the
center
of
the
ring,
he
immediately
ran
full
force
into
Jones’s
“Freight
Train,”
full
of
steam!
Down
from
the
Freight
Train
maneuver,
Rufus
was
able
to
blast
Mulligan
with
TWO
head-butts---and
get
a
hard
earned
three
count
for
the
win!
The
crowd
went
wild
over
Rufus’
clear-cut
victory.
While
it
was
not
a
U.S.
Title
bout,
the
Freight
Train
still
got
a
measure
of
revenge
over
Blackjack
and
his
treatment
of
the
Jones
family
in
this
wild
encounter!
WOMAN’S
WORLD
TITLE
MATCH---The
Fabulous
Moolah
(Champion)
Versus
Vicki
Williams
Typically,
most
cards
at
the
Coliseum
had
at
least
one
title
match
of
the
area’s
regular
Mid-Atlantic
belts
at
stake.
But
on
this
night,
the
only
title
match
was
a
rare
defense
of
the
Woman’s
World
Title,
featuring
an
appearance
by
the
legendary
Fabulous
Moolah.
This
bout
seemed
to
have
more
viciousness
and
intensity
than
your
typical
woman’s
match.
The
challenger
actually
gained
an
early
edge,
with
some
impressive
mat
wrestling
that
kept
Moolah
at
bay.
But,
at
the
same
time,
the
Champion
became
more
and
more
frustrated.
Slowly,
Moolah
seized
control,
and
was
an
expert
at
pulling
the
hair
of
Williams
from
every
conceivable
angle
without
it
being
detected
by
the
referee!
Moolah’s
tactics
became
more
and
more
harsh
as
the
match
progressed,
to
where
outright
chokes
became
commonplace.
After
one
brief
offensive
flurry
by
Williams
at
around
the
fifteen
minute
mark,
Moolah
moved
in
for
the
kill.
After
a
punishing
backdrop,
Moolah
used
a
series
of
fists
and
elbows
to
put
away
her
game
rival.
In
one
of
her
infrequent
visits
to
the
Coliseum,
Moolah
once
again
proved
that
she
was
as
tough
and
ornery
as
they
came!
And
on
this
night,
Vicki
Williams
clearly
showed
that
she
was
a
worthy
opponent
for
the
longtime
Champion.
OTHER
MATCHES
In
an
excellent
and
entertaining
match,
the
strongman
from
Roanoke,
VA,
Tony
Atlas,
bested
the
rugged
German
Hans
Schroeder.
At
this
time,
both
of
these
men
were
solid
mid
card
performers
and
this
one
could
have
gone
either
way.
Atlas
frustrated
Schroeder
with
his
amazing
strength
and
funky
gyrations,
and
seemed
to
have
the
big
German
off
of
his
game
most
of
the
night.
While
Schroeder
mounted
his
share
of
offense,
he
eventually
fell
victim
to
Atlas’
Sleeper
hold.
These
two
put
on
a
strong
showing;
very
much
on
a
Main
Event
type
level.
In
the
only
tag
team
match
of
the
night,
the
up
and
coming
duo
of
Randy
and
Lanny
Poffo
got
the
victory
over
the
tandem
of
Manuel
Soto
and
Danny
Miller
.
Manuel’s
normal
partner,
Roberto
Soto,
had
recently
been
injured
by
Blackjack
Mulligan.
The
Poffo
Brothers
were
outstanding
in
this
bout,
particularly
in
terms
of
teamwork
and
the
athleticism
of
Lanny.
The
Soto/
Miller
team
had
the
look
of
a
team
that
had
just
been
thrown
together…which
it
had
been!
The
match
was
competitive,
but
the
Poffo’s
remained
in
relative
control
throughout,
and
came
out
with
an
impressive
“W.”
The
curtain
raiser
saw
veteran
Bill
While
wrestle
Steve
Bolus
to
a
20
minute
draw.
Very
few
opening
performers
could
get
a
crowd
going
early
on
like
White
could,
and
this
night
was
no
exception!
White’s
antics
got
the
fans
into
it
early…and
they
never
quieted
down
the
rest
of
the
night!
Bolus
was
his
typical
solid
self
as
well.
A
terrific
opening
bout,
in
what
would
turn
out
to
be
one
of
Rich
mond’s all-time largest crowds…and one of its greatest cards ever!
Up
Next:
Ten
Other
Great
Rich
mond
Cards
That
Didn’t
Quite
Crack
The
Top
15!
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