NWA Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling

[agentofenton]

Pro Wrestling Illustrated October 1985

September 2, 1985. Jay Youngblood died in a very tragic series of events. Youngblood was experiencing abdominal pain and went to hospital where he was diagnosed with hemorrhagic pancreatitis. He started to develop abdominal sepsis and kidney failure before suffering a series of heart attacks. He was in a coma for two weeks before dying on September 2, 1985. He is buried at Llano Cemetery by Cox Funeral Home at Amarillo, Texas, beside his parents Ricky and Stella Marrujo Romero. {Taken almost entirely from Wikipedia.}

The National Wrestling Alliance shouts from the mountain tops SUCCESS! The Great American Bash tour was a huge success for the promoters and territories of the NWA. Most notably Jim Crockett’s Mid Atlantic region, along with Lutte Internationale based out of Montreal. HUGE stadium shows did very well business for a first time undertaking like this. Talks are already in place for next year and another big tour for the summer time.

The big talk coming out of the tour was the double digit title defenses that World Champion “Nature Boy” Ric Flair had on the tour. He defended the title at every challenge. The only blemish on the champ’s record was against Rick Martel, who got a countout victory over the World Champion in Montreal. This sparked tension between the two, which has been heated in Lutte Internationale throughout the month of August. These two have brought their rivalry to Mid Atlantic through September on TV where it’s even gotten hotter between the two, especially the beat down that happened on World Wide Wrestling in late September. Magnum and the Hart Brothers made the save for Martel before he was really injured long-term. After the beatdown, Flair and his men showed up at the interview set with David Crockett and Tony Schiavone. Arn Anderson proclaimed them the Four Horsemen of wrestling. Arn said “Not since the four horsemen of the apocalypse have so few wreaked so much havoc on so many.” Tony Schiavone has been using that name on TV since this was said. The previous week, Ric Flair had placed a $100,000 bounty on Rick Martel’s career. This was the first attempt on that, but the Horsemen didn’t finish the job with the interference from Magnum and the Hart’s. On a World Wide Wrestling TV taping, Rick Martel, Magnum TA & Roddy Piper defeated Tully Blanchard & The Andersons in Mid-October. This win opened up the opportunity to face Ric Flair one more time. The next week, it is announced on World Championship Wrestling, that at Starrcade Rick Martel will challenge the World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair. This is a MAJOR announcement for MACW and the NWA. Lutte Internationale’s Rick Martel will challenge for the World Championship at Starrcade. More on that huge event later on.

The next bit of business comes in the form of a quickly heated feud between Magnum TA and Tully Blanchard. We start back to the week after the Bash tour on the World Championship Wrestling program. Tully Blanchard was bragging about his long reigning run as the NWA Television Champion. He sticks around to brag on commentary. The following match was the newly crowned US Champion Magnum TA. He quickly defeated his opponent, and comes over to the set for his scheduled interview. Tully still brags being the TV champ. Tully challenges Magnum to come out at the end of that show to watch him defend his title, and prove why Tully’s the best in the business. In the main event of that show, Sam Houston defeated Tully Blanchard to win the title. Houston starts off hot, with Tully backing off during the opening moments. Tully gains the advantage and really starts the trash talking from the ring. Magnum is at the announce position chatting with Tony and David. Tully keeps pointing at him and telling him how he is so much better than Magnum. The cockiness gets the better of Tully as he tries to set up for the Slingshot Suplex and Houston inside cradles him for the pinfall. Tully goes crazy in the ring as Magnum comes to the ringside and congratulates Houston on the title win. Two weeks later on World Wide Wrestling, when Magnum finished with a non-title match, Tully comes through the crowd and attacks TA. He tosses him to the floor and posts him, opening Magnum up. Tully continues the attack until some wrestlers from the back break it up. The next physical altercation takes place on World Championship Wrestling, during an interview with David Crockett, Magnum shows up and brawls with Tully all over the back of the arena. The brawl into the parking lot as the show goes off the air. The following week we see the last bit of the fight, as we see officials and some cops break it up. They do have a US title match at the Fall Brawl event at the end of September, but that match goes to a double DQ when both men toss the referee away while they brawled in mid ring. The next time these two hook up on TV is that World Wide Wrestling main event where Martel, Magnum & Piper defeated Blanchard and the Andersons. Martel pinned Ole to earn the victory, but TA and Blanchard battled to the locker room again. The wrestlers broke it up once again. It was recently announced that they will battle in a rematch on Clash of the Champions in a match for Magnum’s US Championship. They have assigned a special guest referee for the match, but the name of that person has yet to be announced.

The Clash of the Champions show at the end of October will also be the beginning of a month long tournament to determine MACW’s challenger’s to the NWA World Tag Team Championships at Starrcade. There will be a sixteen team tournament to determine who will have the right to challenge for the titles. The brackets will be announced at Clash of the Champions: Halloween Havoc.

Other quick stories being told on TV is a battle between the Mid Atlantic champion Pete Doherty and TV champion Sam Houston. The idea being that Doherty pinned Houston on GAB tour, and now wants to be a double champion in the NWA. Houston’s on a roll after getting the big upset and has been on fire since regaining the confidence he didn’t have since his return to MACW

The Vachon’s and the Irwin’s are having a house show rivalry, something fun for the opening half of the shows.

The Foreign Legion has been battling Cpl. Kirchner, with various partners, but they have vowed to bring him to a stop at the Clash of the Champions event.

Terry Funk has been on the fan favorite side of things since the Great American Bash, and Magnum and Roddy Piper has even asked him for help against the Horsemen, but Funk hasn’t responded to this request.

Results from the closed circuit event at the end of September {Fall Brawl}

NWA World Champion Ric Flair retained the championship over Roddy Piper. Piper wins the match via a countout, but the title stays with Ric Flair.

Magnum TA and Tully Blanchard went to a double DQ over the US title.

The Foreign Legion defeated Jay Strongbow and Cpl. Kirchner to retain the US Tag Team Championships.

Sam Houston retained the TV title over John Tatum.

Mid Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Pete Doherty defeated “Superstar” Graham to retain the title. This match was a loser leaves town, so Superstar Graham has left Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling.

The Hart Brothers retained the World Six-Man Tag Team Championships over Fuji’s Clan.

Terry Funk defeated Dick Slater.

Masked Confusion defeated Ray Stevens and George Steele.

Ricky Santana defeated Pedro Morales.

Mag Dog & Butcher Vachon defeated Bill & Scott Irwin in the opening contest.

 

 

Dirt Sheet News

Mr. Fuji has left the territory. Gary Hart has come into the territory, and for right now has taken over all of Fuji’s men. The plan going forward is to change up the stable to fit Hart.

 

Superstar Graham has left the company as well.

The ladies have left the MACW roster to pursue a Ladie’s division. They have not been replaced with any talent as of this writing.

Masked Confusion will end their tour of MACW by the end of October. They have had a decent run being mid card heels, but they don’t think they’ll keep the heel persona’s where they are headed next.

The Anderson’s, Ole and Arn, will look to be a team going forward, and focusing on getting the NWA World Tag Team titles.

Baby Doll quietly entered the NWA and Mid Atlantic over the early fall days, but hasn’t appeared on TV just yet. We hear she’s been helping with putting shows together as a way to get to know some of the talent she’s not familiar with and to set up a good place for her in the coming weeks.

Mid Atlantic has upped their tours to seven different loops starting right after the Great American Bash. They have added new towns and ventured into areas that didn’t have a big focus from the top promotions as a way to build their fan base.

With a renewed focus coming in MACW, there looks to be a few roster shake ups planned, but nothing is for sure. The big focus is to get to Starrcade, the NWA’s biggest night of the year, and then march forward into 1986.

 

{{ I will be updating roster information in the next day or so, when I get everything else caught up.}}

[SirEdger]

So great to see you back on here, my man!

[GeneJackson95]

Welcome back!

[kevinmcfl]

Welcome back! Love your story lines going forward.