September 23rd in the Time Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
El Santo 1917
Ed Miller 1931
Melanie Pillman 1965
Happy Birthday:
Kurt Beyer (65)
Matt Hardy (51)
Romeo Roselli (44)
Kairi Sane (37)
Angel Garza (33)
RIP Memorial: We stop & remember those who have passed on this day and gave themselves to the business for us, the fans. We salute you and thank you.
Stanislaus Zbyszko 9-23-1967 at the age of 88
Jack Curtis 9-23-1989 at the age of 78
Don Manoukian 9-23-2014 at the age of 80
Percival A. Friend 9-23-2015 at the age of 70
55 Year Flashback
9-22-1970: Paul Jones & Nelson Royal defeated Ole & Gene Anderson (ch) in a Submission Match for the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Titles at the Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
Prior to 1973, Jim Crockett Promotions' territory in the Carolinas and Virginia was known as a "tag team territory. During this period, they featured Rip Hawk & Swede Hanson, Gerry Brisco & Sandy Scott, Johnny Weaver & George Becker, The Masked Infernos with JC Dykes and others.
This match is also listed in some records as an "I Quit" match, but either way, without specific records of the finish, either Ole or Gene gave up or submitted giving Jones & Royal the titles. At this time, the primary tag belts were the NWA Atlantic Coast titles, which were established in 1968. They would be re-naming the "Mid-Atlantic Tag Titles" in 1973, when JCP re-branded the territory and the company and began moving to a more singles-driven territory.
This Jones\Royal vs The Anderson feud was hot and after winning the championships, the booking started splitting the two teams up into singles matches such as on September 24th in Norfolk on the next regular weekly Thursday night cards, Jones defeated Gene Anderson in an Amateur Rules match, where the pros worked a match simulating amateur wrestling. On the same card, Royal defeated Ole in a 2 out of 3 falls, No DQ match.
This then led to a 2 out of 3 falls Texas Royal Tag Team Match in Richmond on Friday night, all in one week!
Royal & Jones would hold the titles for a total of 78 days until 12/9/1970 before dropping the belts to Rip hawk & Swede Hanson.
One Thing I Learned Today About Pro Wrestling History
Jack Curtis teamed with George Curtis to win the NWA Southern Tag Team Championships in 1954.
Thank You for Reading
I'm Tony Richards, Pro Wrestling Historian, Author and Storyteller. I share pro wrestling historical items in each issue of the Time Tunnel Pro Wrestling History Newsletter. Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my information on select events, matches and insights, please share it with folks you think might like to be a subscriber!
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