NWA Florida Tag Team Champions (1970s)

NWA Florida Tag Team Champions

Dominic DeNucci and Tony Parisi

Defeated Dick Slater and Toru Tanaka on December 28th 1974 in Tampa, FL. and held the titles until February 4th 1975.  They lost the belts to Dick Slater and J.J. Dillon.

Magazine Cover of the Week

Today in Wrestling History (January 5th)

January 5th 1974 Jimmy & Johnny Valiant defeated Dick the Bruiser & Bruno Sammartino to win the WWA tag team championships in Indianapolis, Indiana

WE LOVE PRO WRESTLING!

The Valiant Brothers

(Luscious Johnny and Handsome Jimmy)

WWA Tag Team Champions (January - May 1974)

WWF Tag Team Champions ( May 1974 - May 1975)

NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions (July - September 1976)

NWA (San Francisco) World Tag Team Champions (Dec 1976 - Feb 1977)

NWA (Florida) US Tag Team Champions (January 1978)

Wrestling Magazine Cover of the Day

Inside Wrestling 

(November 1974)

featuring Those Incredible Garvins

(Ronnie, Jimmy and Terrance) 

The Big Cat Ernie Ladd

Today would have been the 75th birthday of "The Big Cat" Ernie Ladd.

Ernie Ladd was a world class athlete and attended Grambling State University on a basketball scholarship but ended up getting drafted by the San Diego Chargers to play in the young American Football League in 1961. One of biggest men to play the game at 6 foot 9 nine inches tall he dominated the defensive line and led the Chargers to 4 AFL championship games and won the AFL Title game in 1963.  He started wrestling professionally during the AFL offseason but after stints in Houston and Kansas City his knee injuries forced him to retire and he went into wrestling full time in 1969.
He quickly became a top draw as a heel fueding against the biggest names in wrestling including Andre The Giant, Mr. Wrestling II, Wahoo McDaniel, Bruno Sammartino and Dick the Bruiser.  He also had the distinction of challenging 3 WWF champions in the 1970s, first was Sammartino, then Pedro Morales and finally Bob Backlund in 1978.   He became famous for using his taped thumb as a weapon to win controversial matches but wherever he went he would be the #1 contender to face the top babyface (good guy).
In 1986 due to ongoing knee injuries "The Big Cat" retired from the ring for good and in 1995 was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame.  He was also inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame in 1981.
He succumb to colon cancer at the way too young age of 68 in 2007.

Bobby "Pretty Boy" Heenan with his WWA Tag Team champions:

Baron Von Raschke and Ernie Ladd in 1973

Today in Wrestling History December 4th

1969 - Dory Funk Jr. defended his NWA World Heavyweight Title in a 60 minute draw against Antonio Inoki.
This was the first title defense by a World Champion in Japan since 1957.





1974 - Giant Baba wins his first NWA World Heavyweight Title by defeating then champion Jack Brisco in Kagoshima, Japan. Baba would lose the title back to Brisco a week later.

Match of The Day

From WWF tv in 1974  the WWF Tag Team Champions The Valiant Brothers take on the team of Dean Ho and Tony Garea.
This is the time period I remember the Valiant Brothers from and their trips to Indianapolis to take on Dick the Bruiser and whoever he had as partner at the time.   I really did love to hate the Valiants, they were just so dang good at being bad and getting the crowd worked into a frenzy.

This Week in Wrestling History July 4th

1966 - Don Leo Jonathan & Haystacks Calhoun defeat John Tolos & Tony
Borne to win the NWA Canadian Tag Team Title.

1974 - Ric Flair & Rip Hawk defeat Paul Jones & Bob Bruggers in Greensboro, North Carolina to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title.

1983 - World Class Championship Wrestling held their "Independence Day Star Wars" event in Fort Worth, Texas, with the following results:
- Michael Hayes defeated Iceman King Parsons in a Lights Out match.
- Bruiser Brody vs. Kamala ended in a double disqualification.
- David Von Erich defeated Jimmy Garvin to win the vacant World Class Texas Heavyweight Title.
- The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin & David) defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) in a three falls match when Kevin pinned Hayes to win the deciding fall.

1987 - Jim Crockett Promotions holds the main show of their 1987 Great American Bash tour in Atlanta, Georgia at the Omni, featuring the debut of "War Games: The Match Beyond". The match features two rings, side by side, covered by a large steel cage with a roof. The bout saw The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard & Lex Luger) & manager JJ Dillon vs. Dusty Rhodes , Nikita Koloff, The Road Warriors & manager Paul Ellering. The match started with Rhodes vs. Anderson for five minutes, then the teams alternated sending in a wrestler in two minute intervals.
Once both teams were completely inside the cage, the match could only end by submission or surrender. Dillon surrendered after being bloodied by the Warriors and Ellering, giving Rhodes' team the victory. Dillon was injured during the match, and was replaced in the other War Games matches on the Bash tour by "The War Machine" (Bubba Rogers under a mask). The match would become a staple of Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW for years to come.
Here are results from the rest of the card:
- Kendall Windham defeated Gladiator #1.
- Sting defeated Thunderfoot #1.
- Lazertron defeated Spike of the Mod Squad.
- Jimmy Valiant defeated Basher of the Mod Squad.
- UWF Western States Champion Barry Windham defeated Rick Steiner.
- Ronnie & Jimmy Garvin defeated Vladimir Petrov & The Barbarian.
- UWF Tag Team Champions Tim Horner & Brad Armstrong defeated Big Bubba Rogers & Angel Of Death.
- Chris Adams defeated Black Bart via DQ.
- The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) defeated Ivan Koloff, Manny Fernandez & Paul Jones.
- NWA World Tag Team Champions The Rock N' Roll Express defeated The Midnight Express via DQ.
- Steve Williams defeated Dick Murdoch in a Texas Death Match.


1984 - World Class Championship Wrestling held their "Independence Day Star Wars" event in Fort Worth, Texas, with the following results:
- Killer Khan defeated Mike Reed.
- Scott Irwin & The Missing Link defeated Jose Lothario & Buck Zumhoffe.
- World Class American Heavyweight Champion Gino Hernandez defeated
Jules Strongbow.
- Kelly Kiniski defeated George Weingroff.
- The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) defeated The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin & Mike) to win the World Class Six-Man Tag Team Title when Hayes pinned Kevin.
- Iceman King Parsons defeated Bill Irwin in a singles match to win the World Class American Tag Team Title. Parsons chose Buck Zumhoffe as his partner.
- Gino Hernandez won a "Pole Battle Royal" in which a check was affixed to the top of a pole in the corner of the ring and the wrestlers had to try and climb the pole to be the first to get it.
- Chris Adams & Stella Mae French defeated Jimmy Garvin & Precious in a Loser Leaves Town steel cage match when Adams pinned Garvin.

1985 - World Class Championship Wrestling held their "Independence Day Star Wars" event in Fort Worth, Texas, with the following results:
- Steve Casey defeated Jack Victory.
- Brian Adidas vs. Jim Powers ended in a no-contest.
- The Fantastics defeated Rip Oliver & Kelly Kiniski in a three falls match in two straight falls.
- Iceman King Parsons defeated Tim Brooks.
- Kerry Von Erich defeated The One Man Gang in a Chicago Death Match.
- The Great Kabuki defeated Chris Adams.
- Sunshine defeated Jim Cornette. Cornette had to wrestle with one arm tied behind his back and a blindfold on.
- Chris Adams & Gino Hernandez defeated Kerry & Kevin Von Erich when Adams pinned Kerry.

1986 - World Class Championship Wrestling held their "Independence Day Star Wars" event in Dallas, Texas, with the following results:
- The Grapplers defeated Brad & Bart Batten.
- Buzz Sawyer defeated Brian Adidas to win the World Class Texas Heavyweight Title.
- Abdullah the Butcher defeated The Great Kabuki to win the World Class
Brass Knuckles Title.
- Sunshine defeated The Raven.
- Steve Simpson defeated Tim Brooks.
- Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah The Butcher ended in a double disqualification.
- Chris Adams defeated Rick Rude to win the World Class World Heavyweight Title.
- World Class Six-Man Tag Champions The Von Erichs (Kevin, Mike & Lance)
defeated Butch Reed, Buzz Sawyer, & Matt Borne.

1990 - John Tatum defeats Bill Dundee in Dallas, Texas to win the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title for a third time, ending Dundee's third reign, and putting an end to a back and forth series of title switches between the two.