Welcome to another edition of Kay's Korner.
I was sitting here pondering on what my next column would be. With a smirk and a smile, I decided that a Cowboy and an Indian would be the topic of this particular column. I know you are sitting there scratching your head wondering, "What is she talking about?" Grab a chair, get comfortable, and enjoy. We're heading down memory lane.
Back in the NWA days, when the Crockett family owned it, they had several Cowboy and Indian gimmicks. Hopefully there are a few of you out there who will remember the two wrestlers that this column will be based on. I really hope so because these two were great wrestlers in their time. If you have never had the opportunity to check these wrestlers out, I strongly recommend that you do so.
Blackjack Mulligan:
Blackjack Mulligan was a cowboy in the true sense of the word. Blue jeans, cowboy hat, and cowboy boots were his way of life. He was a former pro football player from Texas that could cut a promo like nobody had ever seen in those days. Trained by Joe Blanchard (Tully Blanchard's father) and Wahoo McDaniel, he seemed to be a monster in the making. With the gift of gab and almost seven feet tall, along with his dark piercing eyes and a wickled looking black mustache, he was a sight to behold. He could also be a 'face' or a 'heel', which at that particular time (70's & 80's) in professional wrestling, took a gifted wrestler in order to pull it off. Needless to say, Blackjack was a gifted wrestler.
I look back fondly at him not just because of his wrestling ability, which was in a class by itself, but because he is one of my dad's all time favorite wrestlers. He was also one of the few wrestlers that my dad actually had to look up to literally. My dad is over 6 feet tall so for him to have to look up to somebody, well that was just a miracle in itself. My dad actually got to shake his hand one time (which was also huge) and he still gets a kick out of telling everybody that story.
Blackjack had some really great feuds in the NWA. One of the more known feuds was the one with him and Ric Flair, his tag team partner at the time. Flair turned on Blackjack by telling him that his time had come and gone. Needless to say, to a man like Blackjack, that wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear from his so-called best friend. It didn't take long after that for the fight (and for them to lose the tag team belts) to be on. Especially after Flair had stolen Blackjack's favorite cowboy hat and destroyed it on national television while Blackjack was having a match, who was unaware of it until after the match.
In retaliation, I can remember one particular Saturday morning show that had Blackjack coming out wearing Flair's robe while Flair was having a match. I thought Flair was going to have a heart attack seeing his beloved robe on Blackjack's back. (Of course, I was on Blackjack's side because Flair had just gotten too cocky for my liking. I giggled and laughed because I had never seen such a small robe on such a large man before.) Of course, Flair's robes are part of his history and only a few men could pull off wearing robes like that in the world of professional wrestling. Flair really lost it when Blackjack tore his robe to pieces on television and he was unable to stop him. Blackjack had gotten his revenge but the feud was just starting to warm up.
Up to that point, Blackjack had been a 'heel'. This was the turning point to his 'face' phase that lasted pretty much the rest of his career. Blackjack eventually made his way down south to the sunshine state of Florida, which is where he currently resides, though he is retired from the wrestling business. Blackjack did have his time in the WWF but in my mind, some of his greatest matches, feuds, and promos were done in Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling.
Blackjack's finishing move was the claw. Now for those of you unfamiliar with the term, let me explain it as well as I can, not having any wrestling training. Imagine taking your hand and opening it up but bending your fingers slightly. Apply your hand to your face with your thumb and pinky finger to the sides of your face right beside of your eyes. The other three fingers are placed on top of your head at the beginning of your hairline. This makes your hand into a claw and I can tell you from personal experience (yeah dad, I remember) that this can be painful. You must remember that wrestlers like Blackjack felt the need to make sure that everybody paid their dues. When you were put in the claw by Blackjack, you knew that you were paying your dues to the wrestling world.
In the modern world of professional wrestling, you don't see cowboy gimmicks any more. Sure, a few of them pop up every now and then, but not very often. To be honest, there's not very many gimmicks in the professional world of wrestling like there were years before. Blackjack Mulligan was a cowboy in every sense of the word. It wasn't just a gimmick to him; it was his way of life. If I had a cowboy hat on, I would take it off in honor of the one and only Blackjack Mulligan.
Wahoo McDaniel:
Wahoo McDaniel was also a former professional football player. He turned to professional wrestling as a side job that soon became his full time career, once his football career ended. Wahoo had the privilege to be trained by Dory Funk, Sr. who is the father of Dory, Jr. and Terry. He also made sure that Wahoo knew that promotors, in that day and time (60's & 70's) would rob a man blind. Thanks to Dory, Sr. taking him under his wing, Wahoo never had that problem.
In the world of cutthroats and back-stabbers in professional wrestling during the 70's and 80's, Wahoo was definitely the real deal when it came to being a good man behind the scenes. He always went above and beyond his call of duty. He also took his Indian hertiage very seriously and expected everybody else to respect his bloodline. He also had the special gift of being a 'face' or a 'heel'.
Walking out to the ring in his full Indian headgear, Wahoo had an air about him that I've never seen duplicated in the wrestling world. He was also a feared warrior of the squared circle and it showed in his opponent's eyes. He could look into their eyes and you could see that they were intimated immediately. There are not very many wrestlers that can do that with one look the way Wahoo did when he was in Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling.
One of his more memorable feuds was the one with Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine. To say that these two beat the hell out of each other would be an understatement. It was a very violent bloody feud that lasted for years. The start of this feud began when Wahoo was the special guest referee in a Tag Team Championship match between Ole & Gene Anderson against Valentine & Ric Flair, who were the tag team champions at the time. (Please note this was before the Four Horseman faction was put together.) Wahoo tripped Flair up during the match, which caused the Andersons to win the belts.
The feud began and it was very brutal. It also stayed about even as far as the win/lose ratio goes. Both men gave it their all in the matches and it showed. Unfortunately, about mid way thru the feud, Valentine broke Wahoo's leg.
With Wahoo out of commission, Valentine took great pride in telling everybody that he broke Wahoo's leg. He even had t-shirts made that said, "I broke Wahoo's leg" on one side and "No More Wahoo" on the back. (Some of the t-shirts that he had made were just the exact opposite with "No More Wahoo' on the front and "I broke Wahoo's leg" on the back.) Wahoo wasn't around to defend himself and Valentine took full advantage wearing his t-shirts the whole time Wahoo was gone to the keep the crowd's heat on himself.
Needless to say, Wahoo was one pissed off Indian when he came back. The feud picked up right where it left off and Wahoo absolutely wore Valentine out. I think this may have been the best feud that Wahoo ever had. He and Valentine had great ring chemistry and their matches were never dull. Sadly in today's world of professional wrestling, some wrestlers have the same match over and over again, the only difference being the opponents. Wahoo never had the same match twice.
I can remember him doing the Indian War Dance in the ring. I also remember his Tomahawk Chops, which sounded and looked like it hurt like hell. This move is now associated wtih Ric Flair, among other wrestlers, but it was Wahoo who made it famous first. A lot of people don't know that. (Now you do.)
His finishing move was usually one of two holds: the Sleeper and the Indian Deathlock. The sleeper is still commonly used in wrestling but I haven't seen the Indian Deathlock in a pretty good while. Imagine being pushed on your back. Once you are in that position, imagine Wahoo folding your legs as if you were sitting Indian Style, while still lying on your back. Wahoo would then place his knees on your shins and apply pressure with his weight. I've seen more than one wrestler cry over being put in this move. (Again, I do NOT recommend trying this at home.)
Unfortunately Wahoo is no longer with us. Complications from diabetes and other health problems caused him to leave this world way too soon. I've always looked back fondly at the memories that Wahoo left behind. He is one of the few 'real' Indians in the wrestling world that fans adored and for good reason. The fans knew a good wrestler when they saw one. If I had an Indian headband, I would take it off in honor of the one and only Wahoo McDaniel.
That's it for this edition of Kay's Korner. I hope you have enjoyed reading. I feel that as an 'old school' fan, I need to keep the memories alive and well. If you have never seen either of these men and you get the opportunity to watch some of their old tapes, I highly recommend that you do so. Their work is the kind of work that has and will stand the test of time. All feedback can be sent to lilwrestlegrl@yahoo.com.
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