|
Blackjack Mulligan first
won the US Heavyweight Championship on March 13, 1976 in Greensboro,
North Carolina. He defeated Paul Jones, and the two feuded over the
title off-and-on for the rest of that year. His interviews that
followed painted a specific portrait of how much it meant to hold that title,
and made that belt more
important to fans in the Mid-Atlantic area than even the NWA World
Title.
It also didn't hurt that
months earlier, Jim Crockett and booker George Scott put the belt over
in a major way with the tournament for the title vacated after Johnny
Valentine's career ending injury in the Wilmington plane crash. Scott
brought in major talent from all over the country to vie for the title
in Greensboro, with "outsider" Terry Funk winning the
championship. Three weeks later on the annual Thanksgiving night
spectacular, Paul Jones took the title from Funk. Funk would two weeks
later upset Jack Brisco for the NWA title in Miami Beach, Florida on
December 10. Jones' win over the now World Champion elevated the title
another notch.
Mulligan took the title
from Jones three months later. The big Texan, who had been brought in by
George Scott to be the number one heel in the company and a mentor for
the young, rapidly developing Ric Flair, would put the title over in a
huge way in his feuds with Jones, Dino Bravo, Rufus R Jones, Ricky
Steamboat, and Bobo Brazil among others.
For Mully, holding that title
proved to the fans he was number one. Keeping the title meant
everything. And Blackjack made sure he got that point across at every
opportunity.
Learn more about
Blackjack's four reigns as US Champion in the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling
Almanac on the
Mid-Atlantic
Gateway website (using the
title history on this
site as a cross-reference), as well as a special feature on
Blackjack's first US title win, including the newspaper ad, event
poster, and much more.
-Dick Bourne
|
