Happy Birthday Magnum TA

June 11th was the 55th birthday of Terry (Magnum TA) Allen.  

The former star of the NWA (Jim Crockett promotions) was most famous for his "I Quit" match at Starrcade 85 with Tully Blanchard.  He then ventured into another legendary and lengthy feud with the "Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff for the United States Heavyweight Championship.

Sadly a terrible car accident ended his skyrocketing career in October of 1986.   He still remains a legend among fans everywhere and is often seen at reunion shows.

WE LOVE PRO WRESTLING

Magnum T.A.

2 time NWA US Heavyweight Champion

(March 23rd 1985 defeated Wahoo McDaniel)

(November 28th 1985 defeated Tully Blanchard at "Starrcade 85")

The Four Horseman Part 8, 9, 10

The Four Horseman Part 2

Here is the 2nd Part of the "Four Horseman" collection

Four Horsemen part 1

Part one of the "The Four Horseman"

1st Annual Crockett Cup Tournament

Today in 1986 the NWA held the 1st annual Jim Crockett Sr Memorial Tag Team Tournament at the Superdome in New Orleans Louisiana.  The heavily favored Road Warriors made it to the finals where they met the team of Magnum TA and Ronnie Garvin.
The Warriors would "win" the "Million dollar prize"  and the Crockett Cup trophy.



  The tournament featured 24 teams. The results were:
First round:
- Wahoo McDaniel and Mark Youngblood defeated Bobby Jaggers and Mike Miller
 - Sam Houston and Nelson Royal defeated The Batten Twins (Bart and Brad).
- The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers) defeated The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane).
- The Sheepherders (Butch Miller and Luke Williams) defeated Chavo and Hector Guerrero.
 - Manny Fernandez and Jimmy Valiant defeated The Barbarian and Baron Von Raschke.
- Terry Taylor and Steve Williams defeated Bill Dundee and Buddy Landel. - Buzz Sawyer and Rick Steiner defeated The Italian Stallion and Koko Ware.
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Black Bart and Jimmy Garvin defeated D.J. Peterson and Brett Wayne.
Second round:
 - The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) defeated Wahoo McDaniel and Mark Youngblood.
 - NWA World Tag Team Champions The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton) defeated Sam Houston and Nelson Royal.
- The Fantastics defeated NWA World Television Champion Arn Anderson and NWA National Heavyweight Champion Tully Blanchard.
- The Sheepherders defeated The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton).
 - NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Ivan and Nikita Koloff defeated Manny Fernandez and Jimmy Valiant.
- Terry Taylor and Steve Williams defeated Dino Bravo and Rick Martel.
- Ron Garvin and NWA United States Heavyweight Champion Magnum T.A. defeated Buzz Sawyer and Rick Steiner.
- Giant Baba and Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa) defeated NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Black Bart and Jimmy Garvin.
Quarterfinals:
- The Road Warriors defeated NWA World Tag Team Champions The Midnight Express.
- The Fantastics and The Sheepherders were both disqualified, giving The Road Warriors a bye to the final match.
- NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Ivan & Nikita Koloff and Terry Taylor & Steve Williams fought to a draw.
 - Ron Garvin and NWA United States Heavyweight Champion Magnum T.A. defeated Giant Baba and Tiger Mask to advance to the final match due to the previous draw.
 Finals: -
The Road Warriors defeated Ron Garvin and NWA United States Heavyweight Champion Magnum T.A.

Non-tournament matches
 - Mid-South North American Heavyweight Champion Jim Duggan defeated Dick Slater to retain the title.
 - NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes by DQ to retain the title.

SuperClash 1985

In September of 1985 the AWA and NWA co-promoted a "super card" from Comiskey Park in Chicago Illinois, called SuperClash.  
This was to compete with the fast growing WWF and was part of Pro Wrestling USA.

The Co Main Event was this:

AWA World Heavyweight Title

Champion Rick Martel  vs  Stan "Lariat" Hansen




NWA World Heavyweight Title

Champion "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair   vs  Magnum TA

Match of the Day

Today's match is from Starrcade 85 (The Gathering) and one of the biggest matches of that year and any other year was the culmination of the fued between Magnum TA and Tully Blanchard.   The "I Quit" match in a cage became legendary for its violence and controversial finish.

This is what wrestling today is missing, a long, great feud that has a great payoff finish at the biggest PPV of the year.

Starrcade 1986 (Skywalkers)

Today in 1986 the NWA(WCW) held its annual Starrcade PPV. It was held at 2 different cities, Greensboro NC and Atlanta GA.
It was almost a thrown together main event of World Champion Ric Flair defending the NWA World Heavyweight title against the Russian Nightmare Nikita Koloff.
On October 14th of 1986 the #1 contender and soon to be World Champion Magnum T.A. was involved in a one car accident in Charlotte NC that left him severely injured and unable to wrestle in the Starrcade main event. The injuries Magnum suffered were so severe that they would end his wrestling career. NWA promoter Jim Crockett would turn Nikita Koloff from hated Russian into a beloved hero to face Ric Flair in Magnum's place.

The co-main event would be the first ever (for the NWA and PPVs) scaffold match featuring the Road Warriors w/Paul Ellering against The Midnight Express w/Jim Cornette, thus giving the title "Night of the Skywalkers" to the PPV.
Here is the complete card from 1986
Starrcade (1986): Night of the Skywalkers

• Tim Horner and Nelson Royal defeated Don and Rocky Kernodle
• Hector Guerrero and Baron Von Raschke defeated Shaska Whatley and The Barbarian
• Wahoo McDaniel defeated Rick Rude (with Paul Jones) in an Indian Strap match
• Jimmy Valiant (with Big Mama) defeated Paul Jones in a Hair versus Hair match with Manny Fernandez locked in a cage
• Tully Blanchard (with James J. Dillon) defeated Dusty Rhodes in a First Blood match to win the NWA World Television Championship
• The Rock 'n' Roll Express defeated Ole Anderson and Arn Anderson in a Steel Cage match to retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship
• Brad Armstrong fought Jimmy Garvin (with Precious) to a draw
• The Russians (Krusher Khruschev and Ivan Koloff) defeated The Kansas Jayhawks (Bobby Jaggers and Dutch Mantel) in a No Disqualification Match to retain the NWA United States Tag Team Championship
• Sam Houston defeated Bill Dundee by DQ to retain the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
• Big Bubba Rogers (with Jim Cornette) defeated Ron Garvin in a Street Fight

The Road Warriors (with Paul Ellering) defeated The Midnight Express (with Jim Cornette and Big Bubba Rogers) in a Skywalkers match

• • Jim Cornette was injured in the match when he landed wrong after falling from the underside of the scaffold.

• NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair and NWA United States Champion Nikita Koloff wrestled to a double disqualification.

Match of the Day

From 1986 (a great year for wrestling) this is the 4th match of the best of 7 series for the US Heavyweight Title.
Today in 1986, Nikita would win the 7th match and claim the title in Charlotte, NC.



Before his accident, Magnum was being groomed to replace Ric Flair as the next big thing and heavyweight champ of the future.