August 15, 1959 in South Hill, Virginia

Wrestling debuts at the Moose Lodge in South Hill, VA.

48 years ago tonight in Greensboro, NC

       Thursday November 5, 1970 at the Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.

Joe Murnick explains a rare cancelled show

            This show was scheduled for June 12, 1972 in Charleston, West Virginia. Promoter Joe Murnick tells us about a very rare cancellation of a Mid-Atlantic wrestling show.

Wrestler and referee injured at Raleigh, NC tv tapings

       At least during it's first year on the air, wrestling on WRAL 5 was taped on Thursday night. I have not yet been able to determine when they switched to Wednesday night tapings. In the second clipping below that was Karl Von Hess vs. Bob Boyer in the match where the referee got injured.

Wrestling at the Galax, VA YMCA in 1959-1960

Airdate: Saturday Aug. 25, 1962 on WBTV 3 in Charlotte, NC

       National Wrestling Alliance Heavyweight Champion Buddy Rogers had an upcoming defense of his belt on Monday August 27, 1962 at Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, NC. The challenger would be Haystack Calhoun. Buddy Rogers appeared at the Wednesday Aug.22, 1962 WBTV 3 studio taping in Charlotte, NC. The champion wrestled George "Two-Ton" Harris in that tv match. Buddy Rogers stated that if he could put the figure four on Two-Ton, he could do the same to Haystack Calhoun. Buddy did defeat Two-Ton with the figure four in that tv match but I did not see the title match on Monday night. I wonder how successful he was with Haystack? The tv show aired on Sat. Aug. 25, 1962. The photos and the article from the Lexington, NC newspaper come from my collection.

TV Wrestling on May 1, 1965

Championship Wrestling with host Big Bill Ward on WBTV 3 in Charlotte, NC. Championship Wrestling on WGHP 8 in High Point, NC with host Charlie Harville. This is one of those nights when the tv channel knob received a lot of wear and tear between 6:30 and 7 because we did not want to miss any of the action. The Clancy/Kozack vs Murphy/Bernard was a real Pier Six brawl.

March 14, 1959 in Spartanburg, SC

July 7, 1971 in Asheville, NC

            I scanned the results from Gene Anderson's 1971 journal in 2005. A big thank you to Gene's son Brad for allowing me to read his Dad's records from 1971-1972.

Live Wrestling Debuts on WDBJ 7 in Roanoke, Virginia

           On Saturday June 8, 1957. Live Wrestling premiered on WDBJ  channel 7 in Roanoke, Virginia. It was promoted by Pete Apostolou.

Mr. and Mrs. James Allen Crockett

Jim and Elizabeth Crockett were married exactly two years after Jim Crockett promoted his first Greensboro, NC wrestling show. A little bit of trivia, it was reported in newspapers in 1945 that they owned a chicken farm outside of Charlotte. They also owned a restaurant during that time.

Ringley & Crockett Inc.

     The earliest newspaper reference I have mentioning John Ringley as President of Ringley & Crockett Inc.was published on January 28, 1971. The last was published on August 29, 1974. During the early 1970's, John Ringley conducted some of the filmed interviews with wrestlers during the Crockett tv shows. I would like to hear from anyone who has additional information on this.

     As of April 1975 John Ringley was promoting for Eddie Graham in Melbourne, Florida.

R.I.P. Paul Jones

     This 1968 photo Paul Jones with Nelson Royal is how I want to remember Paul Jones. Paul came to Jim Crockett Promotions in January 1968 and would work for them over the next 20 years until the promotion was sold in 1988. He would travel to other promotions over the years but would always return.

      I saw Paul Jones wrestle countless times on tv and at live shows. Some of the times I treasure most are the times Paul appeared on spot shows in my home county of Surry. I was able to talk to Paul about this at the 2005 Charlotte Fanfest. He actually remembered his October 1969 appearance during the Autumn Leaves Festival. He told me that while he and Nelson Royal were walking up Main street for an autograph signing at Belk department store, the "moonshine still" they passed on the way is what stood out in his mind. Paul Jones and Nelson Royal beat Tom Bradley and Johnny Heidman  later that night at the YMCA.

Rest in peace Paul Jones.

August 17, 1975 in Greensboro, NC

    Johnny Valentine had defeated Harley Race for the U.S. Heavyweight title in Greensboro on July 3, 1975. Mr. Valentine also won the rematch over Harley Race on July 26, 1975. For the August 17, 1975 Greensboro card it was announced during the local promos that a former U.S. champ was coming in. A short clip of the Sheik was shown during those promos. I hoped that this would lead to a series of matches between the Sheik and Johnny Valentine. It was not to be. After the plane crash, during one of the early promos for the upcoming U.S tournament, Jim Crockett Jr. told the fans that the Sheik had expressed an interest in entering the tournament. Jim Jr. then said that he had informed the Sheik that he would have to post an appearance bond if he wished to enter. If my memory is correct, the figure Jim Jr. mentioned was ten thousand dollars.

All Star Wrestling on WCSC 5 in Charleston, SC

During this period, All Star Wrestling hosted by Bob Caudle aired in Charleston, SC 24 days after being taped in Raleigh, NC at WRAL channel 5.

Saturday March 31, 1973 on WRAL 5 in Raleigh, NC

Championship Wrestling on WRAL 5 in Raleigh, NC

Saturday July 13, 1968. The wrestlers you see in the photos are George "Two-Ton" Harris and George Becker.

February 26, 1972 in Lexington, NC

Tribute to Promoter Paul Winkhaus

Promoter Paul Winkhaus was associated with Jim Crockett Promotions from the early 1960's until shortly before his death in 1974. His primary towns were Greenville, SC and Asheville, NC. The first two images appeared in the February 25, 1968 edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times.

February 25, 1967 on WBTV 3 Charlotte, NC

This show was taped in the WBTV channel 3 studio in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday night February 22, 1967. Big Bill Ward was the host and George Harben was the ring announcer. Amazing Zuma wrestled the Mummy in a match not listed in this newspaper ad.

July 12, 1957 in Richmond, VA - Virginia State Tag Team Championship

Richmond promoter Bill Lewis came up with a Virginia State Tag Team Trophy in 1957. The teams of George Becker and Dick Steinborn against George and Sandy Scott were tapped to face each other with the winning team to be the first champions. George Becker and Dick Steinborn won the match and the trophy.

May 23, 1973 in Raleigh, NC

I have always remembered seeing this match on the WGHP 8 High Point, NC show. I believe the reason for that is the tape of this match aired on that show the following week building to Greensboro matches between the two teams, This confirms that Jerry Brisco and Thunderbolt Patterson won the the Atlantic Coast Tag Team belts from Gene and Ole Anderson on Wednesday night May 23, 1973 at WRAL channel 5 in Raleigh, NC. I saw the Anderson brothers win the belts back from Jerry Brisco and Thunderbolt Patterson in Greensboro, NC on Thursday night July 5, 1973.

Saturday July 23, 1966 on WBTV 3 Charlotte, NC

This episode of Championship Wrestling hosted by Big Bill Ward was taped on Wednesday July 20,1966.