Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
December 5, 1981
Charlotte, NC
(taped on 12/2/81)

THANK YOU, WWE 24/7!

Your hosts are Bob Caudle and David Crockett.

NWA representative Sandy Scott is here to get some issues straightened out. He announces that Ray Stevens is subbing for an injured Gene Anderson today for an NWA world tag team title match. However, Gene Anderson will be allowed at ringside. Also, Sandy Scott says he is working on getting the best wrestlers from here there and everywhere to compete in a tournament where the winner gets a brand new Cadillac worth $20,000. Inflation calculator tells me that’s over $46,000 in 2009 money!

Tommy Young is *your* referee for the duration of the program.

• Jake Roberts & Blackjack Mulligan Jr. vs. Jerry Prater & Tony Russo

Jake Roberts and Barry Windham – quite the interesting tag team. Anyways, Jake and Blackjack Jr work on Prater’s arm like crazy people. They wear Russo down with a headlock. Once Prater’s back in, they go right to the arm. Hammerlock slam followed by a jumping knee drop by Mulligan gets the win at 4:10.

After the break, Caudle interviews Big John Studd. He’s ANGRY at the Blackjack Mulligan family. Studd tells the producer to go to a clip of him slapping Mulligan Jr across the face while his buddies hold him back. Studd just wants a FIGHT. With all this Mulligan talk, Caudle almost makes the mistake of calling Studd Mulligan! Be careful, Bob.

• Big John Studd vs. Tony Anthony
  

If you’re watching, Studd brings the NWA Canadian heavyweight belt with him to the ring. Speaking of mistakes, Crockett calls Tony Anthony Tim Horner. Whoops. Anthony tries a waistlock and a slam, but yeah Studd is just TOO big. Studd lifts Anthony up off the mat a few times. Anthony regroups, but he gets caught anyway and stuck in the Canadian Backbreaker for the submission at 2:47. Just remember one thing – Big John Studd doesn’t like rednecks.

More with Sandy Scott. He makes sure to tell Gene Anderson that he better not interfere in the tag title match. Now concerning the issue between Ricky Steamboat and Roddy Piper over the Mid-Atlantic title. Steamboat comes out and shows the folks watching at home proof that people have been sending him TONS of letters asking to see this match and showing him support. Looks like we’ll see a contract signing. Roddy Piper’s the Mid Atlantic champ at this point. Being the awesome rebel that he is, Piper causes a disturbance because someone is telling him what to do. This will be a nice quiet respectful contract signing, says Sandy Scott. If there’s going to be a problem, the NWA will strip him of the belt. Fine. Crockett makes sure to hand him *his* pen, in case Piper has some invisible ink or something I’m assuming. Piper gives in and signs the contract. When he starts to give Steamboat some lip, Sandy Scott sends him away. Steamboat thanks the fans and tells them now he’s going to deliver what they want. Awesome contract signing. It showed off the personalities involved perfectly and that’s really all it needs to do. Now of course we all know contract signings over the last 25 years have consisted of clichés like turning tables over and beatdowns, but the business has certainly changed since 1981.

• Pvt. Jim Nelson (w/Sgt. Slaughter) vs. Tim Horner

The US champ Sgt. Slaughter’s here to show just what his trainee can do. Blackjack Mulligan comes out for a moment just to let Slaughter know he’s here. After some feeling out stuff, Nelson hits a backbreaker for two. He tosses Horner out at Slaughter’s feet, but he actually doesn’t mess with him. Back in, Horner escapes a chinlock and mounts a comeback, but misses a corner charge. Back elbow smash and a backdrop only gets nearfalls, but then Nelson whips Horner into the ropes and hits him coming off with a standing clothesline. Horner has enough of that at 4:55.

Head to the Charlotte Coliseum tonight at 8pm for a gigantic battle royal to determine the pairings for the 1982 Cadillac! Stars include Nikolai Volkoff, Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine, Big John Studd, Paul Jones, Jake Roberts, Ricky Steamboat, and many more! Plus, the US champ Sgt. Slaughter will battle Blackjack Mulligan Jr.!

That leads into a Sgt. Slaughter interview. He bowed out of the battle royal just to beat up Blackjack Mulligan Jr. If his daddy doesn’t like how he’s treating him, then just wait until this match. Ole Anderson stops by to explain the rules and how good he’s going to look in the Cadillac when he wins. Out of nowhere, Roddy Piper shows up on the screen and says that anybody could wrestle anybody in this match – even him and Ole. Ole says if that happens, that means HE will be driving the Cadillac. Oh, this is good. Piper says that Ole can drive his Cadillac anytime he wants with him in the backseat. Ole Anderson is strongly considering punching Roddy Piper in the mouth, but he calls over Gene instead. Okay, THAT was magic.

• Jay Youngblood vs. Jeff Swords

Swords looks like a WCW jobber I’ve seen from the early ’90s. He’s got long blonde hair and a dark beard. I can’t think of his name to save my life. They go to the mat a few times, but it all becomes moot. Youngblood starts to fight back after some forearm shots, but Swords counters a headlock with a backbreaker! That just serves to get Jay’s Indian blood all FIRED UP. Wahoo chop sets up the diving double chop for the 1-2-3 at 3:47.

Caudle has Blackjack Mulligan Jr and Jake Roberts for interviews. Mulligan Jr expresses his desire to take the US gold away from Sgt. Slaughter and while Jake has Mulligan’s back, he wants to dismantle the Minnesota Wrecking Crew. Typical Jake – he spouts off a proverb and says LOOK OUT OLE! Blackjack Mulligan stops by and shows his support for these boys aaaaand to run down Sgt. Slaughter. Supposedly, he’s checked up on Slaughter and found out he was a potato peeler in Okinawa. Then he takes his hat off and promises some bad things are going to happen to Big John Studd if he doesn’t stop messing around with his boy. Mulligan is just SO good on promos.

• NWA World Tag Team Champions Ole Anderson & Ray Stevens (w/Gene Anderson) vs. Paul Jones & Buddy Landel

Landel and Ole start the match. Ole has enough of a headscissors and tags in Stevens. Landel tries the same thing on Stevens, but he slips out into a headlock. Too bad Landel made that blind tag. Jones comes in and grabs a surprise headlock on Stevens. Ole gets a blind tag, but that doesn’t work too well as Jones immediately blocks a forearm blow and takes Ole over to his corner. The challengers keep Ole on their side of town, but only for a moment. Stevens gets a tag and rabbit punches Jones. As Jones fires back, Landel punches him into a right hand by Jones! A pair of slams to Stevens doesn’t put him away though as he slips out of a Landel headlock and tags Ole. Time to work the arm. As Landel starts to punch out of the corner, Ole grounds Landel and bends the elbow into positions it’s not supposed to go. Landel makes several attempts to get away, but the champs continue to cut the ring in half. Finally, Landel punches Ole away and makes the HOT TAG TO JONES! It breaks down and during the chaos, Ole sacrifices Stevens by driving Landel’s head into *his* head! It’s an Anderson trademark, but Stevens is NOT an Anderson. Ole covers Landel and Stevens pulls Ole off the pin! As Ray continues to get in Ole’s face, Ole decides to leave. While Gene is messing with Jones on the apron, Landel telegraphs a backdrop and takes a knee lift from Stevens for the 1-2-3. (7:59) Classic formula stuff with a cool angle brewing to boot. **½

Afterwards while Ole celebrates retaining the tag titles, Ray Stevens has the other tag belt and dares him to come and get it. Ole is IRATE and when he extends his hand, he gets back a big wet loogie from Stevens.

Caudle advertises the Charlotte Coliseum show tonight. Paul Jones, Ricky Steamboat, Jake Roberts explain just how chaotic Mid-Atlantic wrestling is right now. Just think how CRAZY this gigantic battle royal will be! Blackjack Mulligan Jr has some last minute words for Sgt. Slaughter.

• Carl Fergie vs. Larry Hamilton

Hamilton gives Fergie a good fight while Crockett and Caudle discuss the previous match. Hamilton does the flip over out of the hammerlock and tries a O’Connor roll, but Fergie hooks the ropes and sends Hamilton down onto his neck. Naturally, a swinging neckbreaker gets the win at 2:41.

Bob Caudle gets a word from Ray Stevens. He says Ole has cost him money in the past – including a world title match. Stevens didn’t take too kindly to being sacrificed for a victory like Ole’s stupid brother. Doesn’t matter where you are, he’s going to kick your can, Ole. If you want your belt, come and get it.

See, THIS is an awesome promotion. I mean Ric Flair is off being the NWA world champion, but MACW was still strong enough to carry on without him. Only 49 minutes of a show and I’m already incredibly interested in what happens next week.