Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling: Q2 1973
Here’s a look at the 2nd quarter of 1973 in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. We look at the talent roster, title histories, the big feuds in the territory, and a schedule of all known house shows.
I’d like to thank Dick Bourne and Mark Eastridge of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway for providing the bulk of the house show records I used to compile this data. The Gateway, which is updated regularly by David Chappell, is an invaluable resource. I strongly encourage you to visit (and bookmark!) it: http://www.midatlanticgateway.com
WHAT’S IN A NAME
It is important to note that while we refer to this territory as “Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling”, it was not always known by that name. Like many wrestling territories, the various television programs had generic names such as “All-Star Wrestling” or “Championship Wrestling” and posters or newspaper ads might just simply say “Wrestling” in big bold letters. The brand name “Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling” made occasional appearances in newspaper advertisements and articles as early as 1972. But it wasn’t until over a year later, when the television was consolidated to one taping site (Raleigh), that the name became prevalent in all forms of advertising and promotion.
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Here’s a look at the talent roster using our exclusive SPOT Rating metric. The SPOT (Statistical Position Over Time) Rating measures a wrestler’s average position on the cards and provides a “depth chart” of sorts. SPOT is a number between 0 and 1 expressed as a two-digit decimal, with a 1.00 meaning the wrestlers was ALWAYS advertised in the main event of shows they were booked on.
If you're visiting this blog for the first time, you can find more details on the SPOT Rating here: http://www.chartingtheterritories.com/2020/05/a-guide-to-spot-ratings-and-feud.html
Before we take a look at some of the changes to the roster, we must note the single biggest event in the territory during the quarter occurred early on. Jim Crockett Sr., who had been promoting wrestling in the region since the mid-1930s, passed away in the early morning hours of Sunday April 1st at the age of 64. The card scheduled for the following day in Charlotte was cancelled, but it appears all of the other scheduled events did occur. Crockett’s son-in-law, John Ringley, who was already being groomed to take over the business, took the reins. Soon thereafter, Jim’s oldest son, Jim Crockett Jr., took over.
ROSTER NOTES
Newcomers: Among the newcomers during the second quarter were Bob Roop, Bobby Starr (this was a young Ron Starr), Amazing (Argentina) Zuma, and Brute Bernard.
Departures: Among the wrestlers who left the territory during the second quarter were George Scott, Bobby Shane, Freddie Sweetan & Mike DuBois, Jim Dillon, Bobby & Terry Kay, and Buck Robley.
OTHER WRESTLERS NOT LISTED IN THE SPOT RATINGS
NATIONALLY KNOWN STARS
Dory Funk (Sr.), Jack Brisco, Joe Louis, Man Mountain Mike, Paul Jones, Terry Funk, Tim Woods, and Wahoo McDaniel
The Funks came in for a match with Jack & Jerry Brisco on April 26th in Greensboro, with Jerry scoring the deciding fall over Terry. Three weeks later on May 19th, Jerry beat Terry (again in Greensboro) in a match for Jerry’s Eastern States Heavyweight title. On that same card, Jack Brisco beat Rip Hawk while Killer Karl Kox scored a victory over Wahoo.
Joe Louis was brought in for several appearances, primarily as a special referee. On April 20th in Richmond, however, he was part of a six-man tag. Joe teamed with Art Nelson & Johnny Weaver to face Gene & Ole Anderson & The Menace. Louis wore one boxing glove during the bout, which saw him KO Gene.
PART-TIMERS
Alex Medina, Angelo Poffo, Black Jack Slade, Bobby Williams, Chuck Grogan, Chuck Riley, Greg Lake, Lanny Carvis (Lanny Poffo), Mike Paidousis, and Ron Hunt
WOMEN WRESTLERS
Belle Starr, Donna Christianello, Dottie Downs, Fabulous Moolah, Jan Sheridan, Joyce Grable, Lilly Thomas, Peggy Patterson, Penny Banner, and Tippy Wells
(their overall SPOT Rating was a .67 this quarter)
MALE MIDGET WRESTLERS
Frenchy LaMont, Haiti Kid, Little Tokyo, and Wee Willie Wilson
(their overall SPOT Rating was a .66 this quarter)
FEMALE MIDGET WRESTLERS
Baby Doll Sue, Darling Dagmar, and Diamond Lil
(their overall SPOT Rating was a .69 this quarter)
MANAGERS
Homer O’Dell continued to manage Rip Hawk & Swede Hanson
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TITLE HISTORIES
The promotion had two titles at this time. The singles title was billed as the Eastern States Heavyweight title and the tag belts were the Atlantic Coast Tag Team titles.
Two title changes are reported to have happened during the 2nd quarter. This information comes from wrestling-titles.com and wrestlingdata.com, with both of the switches listed as happening on the weekly TV shows taped at WRAL-TV in Raleigh. The dates of the title changes refer to when the match was actually taped; the matches likely aired in different markets at different times, beginning with the first Saturday after the taping.
Ole Anderson defeated Jerry Brisco on May 9th to win the Eastern States Heavyweight title.
Brisco got his revenge two weeks later (May 23rd) when he teamed with Thunderbolt Patterson to win the Atlantic Coast Tag Team titles from Ole & Gene Anderson.
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Next up is a look at the biggest “feuds” in the territory during the quarter. These use another proprietary metric called the FEUD (Frequent Encounters Using Data) Score. It measures not only how often a specific match occurs, but how those matches are distributed over time.
Here’s a look at three of the biggest feuds and how they progressed in each city/market. Details and match stipulations are listed where known, but keep in mind that this information is often incomplete.
1) ART NELSON & JOHNNY WEAVER vs GENE & OLE ANDERSON
Norfolk VA
1/4 Both teams battled to a draw
3/1 Nelson & Weaver won a non-title match
Spartanburg SC
2/24 Gene & Ole won
3/17 Nelson & Weaver won a non-title match
Winston-Salem NC
3/3 Gene & Ole beat Nelson & Weaver to win the Atlantic Coast Tag Team titles
3/24 Nelson & Weaver won by disqualification in a title match
Richmond VA
3/9 Nelson & Weaver won a non-title match
3/30 Nelson & Weaver won by disqualification in a title match
4/6 In a title match advertised to have two referees, “the referee ended the bout [in the third fall] because he couldn’t control it any more”
9/7 Double disqualification
9/14 Nelson & Weaver won a taped fist match
Raleigh NC
3/13 Nelson & Weaver won a non-title match
Charleston SC
3/16 Double disqualification – title match
Columbia SC
4/3 Nelson & Weaver won by disqualification
4/10 Nelson & Weaver won by disqualification
Roanoke VA
4/21 Results unknown
4/28 Results unknown – title match “last week The Menace jumped into the ring and helped Gene and Ole out” and “the belts…were taken away from the Andersons until the conclusion of tonight’s match”
Charlotte NC
4/23 Nelson & Weaver won by disqualification in a title match
4/30 Nelson & George Scott (sub for Weaver) won by disqualification; bout originally advertised as a title match
5/14 Nelson & Weaver won in a match for the “Brass Knuckles Tag Team titles”, which were acknowledged in the territory briefly, with Nelson & Weaver having won them the previous summer
5/28 Card cancelled due to power failure; scheduled as a Brass Knuckles Tag Team title match
Fayetteville NC
5/21 Nelson & Weaver won by disqualification in a title match
Kingsport TN
9/5 Results unknown
North Wilkesboro SC
9/20 Nelson & Weaver won by disqualification
Burlington NC
9/27 Results unknown
2) JERRY BRISCO vs OLE ANDERSON
Asheville NC
3/7 Brisco defeated Ole
Richmond VA
5/11 Brisco defeated Ole
5/25 Title match – both wrestlers “disqualified for fighting outside the ring”
6/1 Brisco defeated Ole by disqualification
Columbia SC
5/15 Brisco defeated Ole in a non-title match (Brisco billed as champion going in; unsure if title change taped the previous week was acknowledged)
6/5 Brisco defeated Ole by disqualification in a title match (Ole billed as champion)
6/12 Brisco defeated Ole by disqualification in a title match
7/3 Brisco defeated Ole to regain the Eastern States Heavyweight title
7/24 Brisco defeated Ole by disqualification in a non-title match
7/31 Brisco defeated Ole in a title match
Raleigh NC
5/22 Brisco defeated Ole
6/19 Ole defeated Brisco in a title match
Anderson SC
5/31 Brisco defeated Ole in 60 seconds in a non-title match
Roanoke VA
6/2 Brisco defeated Ole in two minutes in a non-title match
6/9 Results unknown – title match
7/14 Results unknown – title match (Brisco acknowledged as new champ going in)
Charleston SC
6/8 Results unknown
Greenville SC
6/11 Both wrestlers “were counted out outside of the ring” in a title match
9/24 Brisco defeated Ole
Greensboro NC
7/26 Brisco defeated Ole in a title match
3) JOHNNY WEAVER vs KILLER KARL KOX
Charlotte NC
3/12 Kox beat Weaver by disqualification
4/16 Kox beat Weaver in a match that could only be won by brainbuster (Kox) or sleeper (Weaver)
6/4 Weaver defeated Kox in a no-disqualification match
6/11 Weaver defeated Kox by countout in a no-disqualification match
6/18 Weaver defeated Kox in a Texas death match
Norfolk/Portsmouth VA
4/26 (Norfolk) Kox beat Weaver by disqualification
6/14 (Norfolk) Both wrestlers were “disqualified for being outside the ropes” in a match billed as no-disqualification
6/21 (Portsmouth) Weaver defeated Kox in a Texas death match
Raleigh NC
5/15 Kox beat Weaver by disqualification
5/29 Kox and Weaver “both were counted out” in a no-disqualification match
6/5 Weaver defeated Kox
6/12 Weaver defeated Kox in a Texas death match
Danville VA
5/22 Weaver defeated Kox
Hampton VA
5/26 Results unknown – match can only be won by brainbuster or sleeper
Charleston SC
6/1 Weaver defeated Kox
Richmond VA
6/8 Weaver defeated Kox
Roanoke/Salem VA
6/16 (Roanoke) The two wrestled to a “no decision”
6/23 (Salem) Results unknown
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Here is a calendar of all known house shows in the territory during the quarter.
Match listings and results from many of these shows can be found in various places. In addition to the Mid-Atlantic Gateway, I recommend the following sites for wrestling results:
