Championship Wrestling on Friday Night

During most of the 1967-68 tv season, Championship Wrestling aired at 6 p.m. Friday nights on WGHP 8 in High Point, NC. This show was taped Tuesday night Nov. 21, 1967. It aired Nov. 24, 1967.

Gene Gordon in Wrestling Guide Magazine

Longtime JCP photographer, the late Gene Gordon, wrote this letter to editor Tommy Kay. At that time Mr. Kay worked for Wrestling Guide, Official Wrestling, Big Book of Wrestling, Complete Wrestling Round-Up and several other sports publications. Note: Swede Hanson was out of action from the end of July 1973 until early November 1973. Bobby Shane came in to team with Rip Hawk while Swede was out of action. They were managed by General Homer O'Dell.

Championship Wrestling in Charlotte,NC on November 18, 1967

This show was taped on Wednesday night November 15, 1967 in the WBTV channel 3 studio. As the show opened each week, the host Big Bill Ward would tell the viewers at home about the matches they were about to see. As the wrestlers were announced a camera would zoom in on photos such as you see here. Many of those photos were shot by the late Gene Gordon.

Championship Wrestling on WBTV 3 in Charlotte, NC

This show was taped in the WBTV channel 3 studio on Wednesday night November 6, 1968. The show was hosted by Big Bill Ward also had been airing on sister station WBTW 13 in Florence, SC since January 1967.

September 7, 1968 in Charlotte, NC

These matches were taped Wednesday night September 4, 1968 at the WBTV 3 studio in Charlotte, NC. Gene Kiniski may very well have wrestled on more of the JCP studio shows than any other NWA World Heavyweight Champion in the 1960's and early 1970's. Note: this show aired two hours earlier than usual because CBS was doing live 4:00 p.m. coverage of a U.S. Open Tennis match .

April 22, 1955 in Mount Airy, NC at the Star Theatre

June 22, 1955 in Asheville, NC

Championship Wrestling June 18, 1966

This show was taped Wednesday night June 15, 1966 at the WBTV 3 studio in Charlotte, NC.

Championship Wrestling on WBTV 3 February 24, 1968

      This tv taping took place on Wednesday night February 21, 1968 in the studio of WBTV 3 in Charlotte, NC. Hiro Matsuda lost to Johnny Weaver when he was disqualified because of the outside interference of the Missouri Mauler. Also of note, that was Bob Nandor vs Missouri Mauler.

Championship Wrestling on WGHP May 14, 1966

Taped Tuesday night May 10, 1966 in the studio of WGHP 8 in High Point, NC.

Championship Wrestling on May 14, 1966

Taped Wednesday night May 11, 1966 in the studio of WBTV 3 in Charlotte, NC. That was Rudy Kay ( of the Cormier brothers from Canada ) teaming with Abe Jacobs against Gene and Lars Adnderson.

Championship Wrestling on May 28, 1966

Taped Wednesday night May 25, 1966 in the studio of WBTV 3 in Charlotte, NC.

Championship Wrestling on February 10, 1968

Taped Wednesday night February 7, 1968 at the WBTV 3 studio in Charlotte, NC.

Championship Wrestling on Saturday February 5, 1966

The WBTV 3 show was taped  2/2/1966 in Charlotte, NC. The WGHP 8 show was taped 2/1/1966 in High Point, NC.

Championship Wrestling on January 31, 1970

This show was taped on Wednesday night January 28, 1970 at the WBTV 3 studio in Charlotte, NC. The show started airing on sister station WBTW 13 in Florence, SC during January 1967. That continued until this show stopped taping in Charlotte, NC in June 1974.

Gene Anderson gets suspended from Asheville, NC in 1972

Sunday morning newspaper memories

    I woke up this Sunday morning thinking back to the 1960’s. I am especially remembering Red and Alice Frye on this particular day. Red and Alice Frye had a store in the Pipers Gap area near the North Carolina/Virginia border not that far from where we live.

    On Sunday mornings, Red or Alice or sometimes both, would deliver our copy of the Journal and Sentinel newspaper that was published in Winston-Salem. The first section I read was the sports. The reason for that was if there was a Jim Crockett wrestling show at the Lexington, NC YMCA on Saturday night, there would be a nice article about the matches. If we were lucky, there might also be a nice ad about the upcoming matches in Greensboro or Winston-Salem.

    Red and Alice also sold comic books at their store during that time. Besides Bill Whitaker at the Canteen newsstand on Main Street in Mount Airy, Red’s store was another place I could buy “funny books” as most people called them back then, for a nickel, which was below retail prices. You see, the retailers had to cut the top third of the comic book covers that they did not sell, then send those back to the distributors. After that the unsold copies were to be disposed of. Red would get these unsold comics from stores such as Nowlin’s  (spelling may be incorrect) Supermarket who sold National Periodical Publications (DC) comics and Jim Young’s Toast Supermarket who sold Charlton comics. Both of these stores were located near each other on Highway 89 in the Toast, NC area.

    Today I say thank you to Red and Alice Frye for providing me with so many great memories.

January 4, 1974 in Richmond, VA

January 4, 1962 in Danville, VA

January 3, 1970 in Lexington, NC

January 1, 1971 in Richmond, VA

January 1, 1972 in Spartanburg, SC