I saw BJ tear up Flair's robe on Worldwide Wrestling on late night tv on WLOS-TV in Asheville. N.C. Great memories of the NWA territory days. My uncle bought a ten foot dish in 1982 and invited me over for Saturday night wrestling. The first time we watched was World Class Championship Wrestling and it was Flair versus Kerry Von Erich two out of three falls for the belt in Reunion Arena in Dallas. One of the greatest matches I've ever seen, the after match brawl was awesome, JCP never did things like that. As a kid I saw there were other great territories out there, great memories.
First time I saw Ric Flair on TV was either in late 1984 or early 1985 when Jim Crockett Promotions broke into the Philly market. Watching Flair in his prime was something else... he used to utter "now we go to school" before applying the figure four!
Christmas night in 1978, my aunt and cousin took me to see Flair and Blackjack in the cage in Charlotte. I was 8. It was brutal and amazing. I went to the bathroom after the show and took a wrong turn coming out. I ended up right outside a room where Flair was getting his head sewn up. That match put the hooks in me, and I stayed hooked through the dark days of Jim Herd all the way up to the demise of WCW. Growing up in the Charlotte area, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling was must-see Saturday afternoon TV and guys like Flair, Blackjack, Dusty and Steamboat were the ones who got it to that level.
@@yoholmes273 Andre didn't beat him when they had their drunk fight. More of a draw. Also Blackjack didn't let Andre take liberties in the ring. How many guys stood up to the Giant? Not many. Blackjack was big and strong enough for Andre not to just push him around like he did to alot of guys. Nothing will convince me he ever was scared of Andre.
It sure was. And if Jim Crockett Junior had the infrastructure office people accountants, and Dusty Rhodes knew how to pay attention to a bottom line Midl Atlantic championship wrestling will still be running the day. That how good that they had.
@Johnny.1965 it's hard to believe that a company that was that good and had so much talent could fall so fast. It hurts my feelings thinking about it. At least we have our memories. These young fans don't know what a real wrestling show was.
NWA was far superior?!? Many of the wrestlers moved back and forth between the two companies. Every NWA guy would give their left nut to go to the WWF and get that money and spotlight. The NWA was the minor leagues. If Ric Flair was in the WWF, he’d have had the Honky Tonk Man’s spot at best.
Being human we sometimes forget things in life and i always new that blackjack mulligan was a big man but just look at how big he is next to ric.. not trying to take anything away from ric but man was he huge ... this was the best wrestling ever and I miss it 😢...
I agree with ya when you say Flair is the purest form. The guy was just as popular as a good guy as he was as a heel he personifys what the Professional wrestling sports entertainment industry is. Got alot of respect for him and all you wrestlers who gave your all night after night. you mde my era of wrestling the best era there ever was. Thank you all!
I finally got to hear the backstory on the hat stepping and robe tearing angle with Mulligan and Flair. I watched it happen when I was about 12. Also, Mulligan wrestled in WWWF, AWA and NWA, he would know who the best is.
Lots of good points and stories from a true legend of the business with kids and grandkids that came after. The thing about the wrestling business is the fans that fill or filled the arenas and shows. While this all had it's up and down years, these performers still had to travel, which became more grueling as time wore on, after 9/11, and the fact that no matter how many people showed up these guys still took serious bumps. The bigger they are the harder they fall is true. Ric Flair knew exactly how to take bumps in that ring. So much has been said about his abilities as an entertainer, his wrestling ability, the psychology and the way he spoke, dressed the part, strutted around, so many catch phrases traced back to just him, not Buddy Rogers, although part of his character derived from Rogers. His durability and physical conditioning were at the top of the ladder and his ability to take bumps. All of this overshadowed by far any criticism of repetition in the ring. When you go for as long as Flair did in terms of years, miles, time spent in many matches, time spent training, put that all together. It sort of blows your mind. The Horseman became the first well known stable in wrestling. Match finishes derived from that tandem. Great shows and a stable with virtually one function, to keep the belt on Flair and keep fans interested and salivating in anticipation for what would come next.
I was a young boy in the 70s and remember well . Watching wrestling on Saturdays when Ric destroyed Blackjack’s cowboy hat. I learned how to put someone in an arm bar , sleeper hold and figure four.
When I hear stories about Rick Flair being arrogant, or screwing over people, I think, 'That's exactly what the character would do. Rick Flair became the character.'
The NWA was a thousand times better than the WWWF. NWA concentrated more on the wrestling side of things and WWWF concentrated more on the entertainment side until it became a ridiculous cartoonish like entertainment like having a talent like Terry Taylor dress up like a chicken. The NWA had talent like Gene and Ole Anderson,The masked Superstar, Dick Slater,Wrestling 1 and 2 the masked Assassins that entertained you by wrestling and great interviews.
Precisely the reason I never attended a wrestling show again in Toronto was after the the NWA left town I Iost interest. Frank Tunney was a great promoter who worked with all the territories, but Toronto was NWA. Frank had Bruno and Verne Gagne defend their belts at Maple Leaf Gardens as well, but during my youth our Champions were Gene Kiniski, Dory Funk Jr, Jack Brisco, Terry Funk and Harley Race.
As a kid, I became a WWE fan because of the cartoonist characters. As soon as I became a teenager, I was NWA. Even stood by WCW to the last day. Southern wrestling is REAL professional wrestling.
1976 was the first time I'd ever seen Ric Flair. He was wrestling Wahoo MacDaniel and Flair hit Wahoo with a table leg. Flair didn't know a nail was sticking out and Wahoo needed over 40 stitches! A few weeks later Blackjack was wrestling Burrhead Jones who was said to be Rufus R Jones brother. Blackjack was beating Burrhead pretty bad and Rufus got in the ring and Blackjack beat Rufus up and tore off his suit. The MidAtlantic was rough in those days. 😊
Blackjack put on his claw glove for the interview, just in case the interviewer or the camera man got out of line. I urge people to watch the "Crusher cuts up Maddog Vachon" video. BlackJack was one of the trainee stage hands that ran in to separate the two. It was odd to see a stage hand that was larger than the stars.
Hogan was that way in AWA and Vince seen Hogan had the IT factor and AWA days and Vern missed out if he had pushed Hogan like Vince we may be watching AWA today and not the WWF
Someone please dig up big golds debut so the people can understand its Ric Flairs title not WcW or NWA or WCCW It was to NWA what the Million dollar title was to WWF
Welp, you know the old saying, Don't over stay your welcome. Flair's last match showed he has over stayed his welcome. He looked like he was dying in the ring. Flair should just enjoy his legacy but instead with his drinking he's getting into trouble ( thrown out of a pizza joint) and embarrassing himself and his family.
Blackjack ruled the 1975-79 Mid Atlantic.Was surprised when Flair became "World Champ". Steamboat was better too.Flair took shortcuts that Pat Patterson, Terry Garvin, and Mel Phillips would've been proud of.No shame in the Nature Boy's game.1977-78 Flair would fit in perfectly with the Democrats,Harris',and Walz's sexual agenda.Fruitcake champion of the Mid Atlantic and more.Look a Vinny Mac.There's a reason they were peas in a pod.
@@gary6754 my deceased cousin.She was a waitress near Richmond Coleseum in the late 1970s at an Italian restaurant.Flair was a regular when the show was in town.No children were involved but neither were women.She,Joanie,was certain.
You do know Flair is a Trump loving dude right? First right in with 34 time felon who grabs women by their whoo haha and wants to do some wild stuff with his daughter. Oh forget scamming you guys. So keep throwing stones dude your delusional.
I saw BJ tear up Flair's robe on Worldwide Wrestling on late night tv on WLOS-TV in Asheville. N.C. Great memories of the NWA territory days. My uncle bought a ten foot dish in 1982 and invited me over for Saturday night wrestling. The first time we watched was World Class Championship Wrestling and it was Flair versus Kerry Von Erich two out of three falls for the belt in Reunion Arena in Dallas. One of the greatest matches I've ever seen, the after match brawl was awesome, JCP never did things like that. As a kid I saw there were other great territories out there, great memories.
That was the Hat and the Robe angle. Flair tore up Mulligan's hat and Mulligan tore up his robe. Great stuff.
I remember he jumped on Rufus r Jones’s crown after ripping his clothes off , born and raised on mid Atlantic wrestling
@@jaymckever8420 I loved Mid-Atlantic. Went to many house shows at the Cumberland County memorial Coliseum.
@@litehouse6, I remember watching that like it was last week. Time flies.
me 2
First time I saw Ric Flair on TV was either in late 1984 or early 1985 when Jim Crockett Promotions broke into the Philly market. Watching Flair in his prime was something else... he used to utter "now we go to school" before applying the figure four!
Christmas night in 1978, my aunt and cousin took me to see Flair and Blackjack in the cage in Charlotte. I was 8. It was brutal and amazing. I went to the bathroom after the show and took a wrong turn coming out. I ended up right outside a room where Flair was getting his head sewn up. That match put the hooks in me, and I stayed hooked through the dark days of Jim Herd all the way up to the demise of WCW. Growing up in the Charlotte area, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling was must-see Saturday afternoon TV and guys like Flair, Blackjack, Dusty and Steamboat were the ones who got it to that level.
I gave it up when the Stamford scam turned it into kindergarten wrestling. Way to hang in there.
Blackjack was one of the very few guys who wasn't afraid of Andre. That says alot right there about what a badass he was.
He was once he tried Andre.
It all true
@@yoholmes273 Andre didn't beat him when they had their drunk fight. More of a draw. Also Blackjack didn't let Andre take liberties in the ring. How many guys stood up to the Giant? Not many. Blackjack was big and strong enough for Andre not to just push him around like he did to alot of guys. Nothing will convince me he ever was scared of Andre.
I sure Harley wasnt afraid either
@@vernrussell99 Harley Race feared no man on God's Green Earth.
He teeters back and forth on the line of kay-fabe. Real stories mixed with storylines. Very entertaining guy.
Ric made me tune in back in the day. Even as a kid i saw the NWA was far superior to WWF in the wrestling department.
It sure was. And if Jim Crockett Junior had the infrastructure office people accountants, and Dusty Rhodes knew how to pay attention to a bottom line Midl Atlantic championship wrestling will still be running the day. That how good that they had.
@@richardclark7224 agreed
I agree, flair and race WERE the nwa...(When I was a kid)
@Johnny.1965 it's hard to believe that a company that was that good and had so much talent could fall so fast. It hurts my feelings thinking about it. At least we have our memories. These young fans don't know what a real wrestling show was.
NWA was far superior?!?
Many of the wrestlers moved back and forth between the two companies. Every NWA guy would give their left nut to go to the WWF and get that money and spotlight.
The NWA was the minor leagues.
If Ric Flair was in the WWF, he’d have had the Honky Tonk Man’s spot at best.
The whole angle with the Mulligan's Hat along & with Flair's Robe will always be a top five for me. I wish they had footage here on YT of it.
Thanks for the memories Blackjack and you and your sons. Barry looks like dad.
Being human we sometimes forget things in life and i always new that blackjack mulligan was a big man but just look at how big he is next to ric.. not trying to take anything away from ric but man was he huge ... this was the best wrestling ever and I miss it 😢...
I agree with ya when you say Flair is the purest form. The guy was just as popular as a good guy as he was as a heel he personifys what the Professional wrestling sports entertainment industry is. Got alot of respect for him and all you wrestlers who gave your all night after night. you mde my era of wrestling the best era there ever was. Thank you all!
Good Lord the pop from that crowd!!!!!!!! I hate that wrestling will never be like that again.
wrestling to me is unwatchable today. pure trash. those were the greatest times in wrestling.
timz7171- I agree with you- I wouldn't say trash,- but for sure not as good as it used to be! 😢
Yeah....back when crowds were real people and not just dork nerd Marks saying words like "pop'.
@@yoholmes273 you feel better now bud?
I'm in headphones and I just said: The POP is crazy!!!
Barry Windham n Dustin Rhodes was around the gods of wrestling as kids 🤣
"He looked like Curly from the Three Stooges", talking about Ric Flair 😅
I finally got to hear the backstory on the hat stepping and robe tearing angle with Mulligan and Flair. I watched it happen when I was about 12. Also, Mulligan wrestled in WWWF, AWA and NWA, he would know who the best is.
Lots of good points and stories from a true legend of the business with kids and grandkids that came after. The thing about the wrestling business is the fans that fill or filled the arenas and shows. While this all had it's up and down years, these performers still had to travel, which became more grueling as time wore on, after 9/11, and the fact that no matter how many people showed up these guys still took serious bumps. The bigger they are the harder they fall is true. Ric Flair knew exactly how to take bumps in that ring. So much has been said about his abilities as an entertainer, his wrestling ability, the psychology and the way he spoke, dressed the part, strutted around, so many catch phrases traced back to just him, not Buddy Rogers, although part of his character derived from Rogers. His durability and physical conditioning were at the top of the ladder and his ability to take bumps. All of this overshadowed by far any criticism of repetition in the ring. When you go for as long as Flair did in terms of years, miles, time spent in many matches, time spent training, put that all together. It sort of blows your mind. The Horseman became the first well known stable in wrestling. Match finishes derived from that tandem. Great shows and a stable with virtually one function, to keep the belt on Flair and keep fans interested and salivating in anticipation for what would come next.
I was a young boy in the 70s and remember well . Watching wrestling on Saturdays when Ric destroyed Blackjack’s cowboy hat. I learned how to put someone in an arm bar , sleeper hold and figure four.
I was in Greensboro when Tully slapped Babydoll. One of the best days of my life.
word
When I hear stories about Rick Flair being arrogant, or screwing over people, I think, 'That's exactly what the character would do. Rick Flair became the character.'
The NWA was a thousand times better than the WWWF. NWA concentrated more on the wrestling side of things and WWWF concentrated more on the entertainment side until it became a ridiculous cartoonish like entertainment like having a talent like Terry Taylor dress up like a chicken. The NWA had talent like Gene and Ole Anderson,The masked Superstar, Dick Slater,Wrestling 1 and 2 the masked Assassins that entertained you by wrestling and great interviews.
Precisely the reason I never attended a wrestling show again in Toronto was after the the NWA left town I Iost interest. Frank Tunney was a great promoter who worked with all the territories, but Toronto was NWA. Frank had Bruno and Verne Gagne defend their belts at Maple Leaf Gardens as well, but during my youth our Champions were Gene Kiniski, Dory Funk Jr, Jack Brisco, Terry Funk and Harley Race.
To be exact Taylor wasn’t a chicken he was a rooster
I liked it all. I liked the entertainment part of it, without that the other part wasn't that interesting
Nwa for ever
As a kid, I became a WWE fan because of the cartoonist characters. As soon as I became a teenager, I was NWA. Even stood by WCW to the last day. Southern wrestling is REAL professional wrestling.
Imagine being the person living in between Flair and Mulligan.
(RIP) TRIPLE OUTSTANDING GENTLEMAN, BOBBY JACK WINDHAM/BLACKJACK MILLIGAN 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🤠🤼🤼🤼🤼🤼🤼🤼🤼🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Wow!
That last segment... the crowd was going nuts!
What could've been,Blackjacks vs. The Minnesota Wrecking Crew.
Who's the heel?
2 of the greats
1976 was the first time I'd ever seen Ric Flair. He was wrestling Wahoo MacDaniel and Flair hit Wahoo with a table leg. Flair didn't know a nail was sticking out and Wahoo needed over 40 stitches! A few weeks later Blackjack was wrestling Burrhead Jones who was said to be Rufus R Jones brother. Blackjack was beating Burrhead pretty bad and Rufus got in the ring and Blackjack beat Rufus up and tore off his suit. The MidAtlantic was rough in those days. 😊
Seeing Mulligan carrying Flair on his back down 421 in Winston Salem nc and Flair passed out naked? Weird lol
Seen them in Greenville many times !!
Blackjack _"Hot Dollar"_ Mulligan
Blackjack put on his claw glove for the interview, just in case the interviewer or the camera man got out of line. I urge people to watch the "Crusher cuts up Maddog Vachon" video. BlackJack was one of the trainee stage hands that ran in to separate the two. It was odd to see a stage hand that was larger than the stars.
I remember him ripping up that robe lol
Hogan was that way in AWA and Vince seen Hogan had the IT factor and AWA days and Vern missed out if he had pushed Hogan like Vince we may be watching AWA today and not the WWF
Love how he keeps it kayfabe 👍
Ric Flair is the only true world champion going all over the world
Harley Race. Even Flair admits, Race was thee top level
Race and Flair were the only true traveling world champions.
@@rolltide9547 There were several great NWA traveling champions. Lou Thez, Dory Funk Jr., Terry Funk, and Jack Brisco were great too.
@stealthbomber2127 Love and respect those guys but did very little traveling compared to Flair and Race
@@rolltide9547 They traveled the entire globe as NWA Champ back then, it was required and it was usually long time limit draws too.
Nwa was the first birth place of NC period
I hated Ric Flair when I was a kid, I still don't like him.
💯
Someone please dig up big golds debut so the people can understand its Ric Flairs title not WcW or NWA or WCCW It was to NWA what the Million dollar title was to WWF
Welp, you know the old saying, Don't over stay your welcome. Flair's last match showed he has over stayed his welcome. He looked like he was dying in the ring. Flair should just enjoy his legacy but instead with his drinking he's getting into trouble ( thrown out of a pizza joint) and embarrassing himself and his family.
Bray Wyatt's and Uncle Howdy's grandfather..
thats Barry
Is that a question or a statement?
@@GregBailey-h8j Lol. 😅😊. Yeah. Because that's most definitely not Barry.
@@ChrisHughes-q1v manilow? lol
Black Jack looks good for his age!
@@joedale7776 He's been dead for 8 years.
make nwa great again
The 4 horseman: Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and the other guys.
That upside in the corner thing got old as hell
Bruggers was a great football player with the Miami Dolphins? Uh, no, actually he sucked. And a little trivia, he recently died.
@apostasiaelegcho5612 He was primarily a backup, he was not "great."
@SiberianHusky666 Doesn't matter. He made the team. No one that makes the team, sucks. You've never made anything.
@apostasiaelegcho5612 I've made a pecan 🥧, and it was *DELICIOUS.* So bite me.
Blackjack ruled the 1975-79 Mid Atlantic.Was surprised when Flair became "World Champ". Steamboat was better too.Flair took shortcuts that Pat Patterson, Terry Garvin, and Mel Phillips would've been proud of.No shame in the Nature Boy's game.1977-78 Flair would fit in perfectly with the Democrats,Harris',and Walz's sexual agenda.Fruitcake champion of the Mid Atlantic and more.Look a Vinny Mac.There's a reason they were peas in a pod.
Question: When you typed that, were you drunk, high, or both?
You obviously enjoy having other people think you're a complete moron.
You should really get off of the internet.
i dont doubt it
but
source?
@@gary6754 my deceased cousin.She was a waitress near Richmond Coleseum in the late 1970s at an Italian restaurant.Flair was a regular when the show was in town.No children were involved but neither were women.She,Joanie,was certain.
You do know Flair is a Trump loving dude right? First right in with 34 time felon who grabs women by their whoo haha and wants to do some wild stuff with his daughter. Oh forget scamming you guys. So keep throwing stones dude your delusional.
I agree with every word blackjack said