That was wrestling booking at its finest and Valentine made it work because he was so legit. 

Johnny Valentine always took him time in the ring. He was never in a hurry at anything he did. Harley Race was cut from the same piece of cloth. Race and Valentine had two marathon matches in Greensboro that both went fifty plus minutes. The first match Valentine won the US Title. That was a first in Greensboro on two counts. It was the first time the US strap changed hands and it was the first time Johnny Valentine was cheered. Race was brought in as Handsome Harley Race from Florida. Those two guys were arguably the two toughest wrestlers in the world at that time and the matches were like two powerful old bulls knocking the crap out of each other. Harley Race really brought out the best in Valentine every time they wrestled. This title change marked a turning of power in the NWA. And the Crockett's became real power players after that match. 

The next big Valentine matches were against Dusty Rhodes and these matches were brilliant in that they were the set up matches towards the biggest most remembered feud in the 1970s, Johnny Valentine versus Wahoo McDaniel. Rhodes came into Greensboro just before his American Dream run and challenged Johnny. The first match was very odd because Dusty kicked the hell out of Valentine. The match was stopped on a countout with Valentine keeping the title. As Valentine was being helped out of the Coliseum by the referee, Dusty jumped off the ring apron and hit Valentine in the back of his head knocking him four rows into the crowd. Nobody had ever done that before and a rematch was signed next month. 

Everyone knew that was a match not to be missed and the Greensboro Coliseum was a near sell out. Dusty Rhodes got three and a half minutes of offense and then Valentine beat the hell out of him for twenty-five. This match was an assassination and Rhodes was the victim and Valentine was the angel of death. Dusty began to bleed from his head and his arm. And Johnny Valentine took sadistic glee in not attempting a pin. The referee asked Valentine to pin him and he shook his head no. He wanted to keep punishing Rhodes for the last match embarrassment and the crowd went from entertainment to amazement to fear for Rhodes' well being. Valentine then climbed to the second rope and dropped an elbow on Rhodes head and that was not a move Valentine ever did before in Greensboro. I counted at least fifteen straight elbow smashes to Dusty Rhodes that night and back then Valentine would have pinned his opponent with just one. Valentine began to do these falling fist punches right into Rhodes bleeding arm and blood soon covered them both. Then Valentine started to bite Dusty and the blood just flowed. This match really began to get serious life and death overtones and the crowd began to yell for the match to be stopped. There was then a ref bump and no one was left to stop the carnage. Valentine just kept pounding Rhodes. Rhodes was a bloody mess and could not fight back. Suddenly, Tiger Conway did a run in and he was wearing his street clothes. Valentine saw him coming and he dropped a forearm smash on him and he fell off the ring apron in a heap. 

Valentine slowly walked over to Rhodes and dropped another elbow on him for good measure. Then out of the back came running Wahoo McDaniel to help Rhodes. Wahoo was wearing brown slacks, no shirt and loafers. Valentine grabbed Wahoo and ran him down into the ring post juicing him. Wahoo began to trade chops with Valentine on the ring apron. 

Then the drama really began.  

Out from the back came the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, Ole and Gene Anderson. They began to attack Wahoo. As they began to trash Wahoo, Ole told Valentine to return to beating Rhodes. And he did. After a couple of minutes all of the wrestlers on the card ran down to stop the match. Ole, Gene and Valentine fought everyone all across the ring with Dusty being dragged by Valentine. As Dusty was being dragged, a smear of blood ran across the ring. It looked like a Spielberg effect and added to the need to end this match.  It was THE moment for me as a wrestling fan. These three guys just reaching out, grabbing a wrestler and punching him in the face as  Valentine continued to drag the fallen Rhodes across the ring. As a group Ole, Gene and Johnny leaped out of the ring right into a storming crowd of cops and fans. Drinks and punches were thrown both ways. Fans began taking a swing and the wrestlers and cops firing right back. They had to fight their way back to the dressing room in a hail of drinks, popcorn and punches.  

It was genius. 

I ran down to ringside and the EMTs asked me if it was time for them to go to the ring and help Dusty. Why they asked me is still a mystery. I guess it was because I am so tall and looked like I knew what was going on. I told them to wait. Soon a Crockett employee waved them to ring for the Rhodes stretcher job.  

Man, he was a mess.  

Then came the Wahoo versus Valentine feud and I am telling you, nobody that saw a match between these two ever forgot it. Every night they put on a physical display of personal destruction that really defies description and sanity. I got to talk with Wahoo one night and I gave him a choice of a wrestling poster that he could keep. One was Jack Brisco and the other was Johnny Valentine.  

"I'll take Valentine! He is the one guy who everyone asks about."  

So I asked him about that feud and he was happy to get the poster so he was very candid with me. Wahoo told me about his start down in Texas and his first big feud was against Valentine. Wahoo figured that Valentine just hated his professional football background and just wanted to prove to him that this was a tough business. So he beat the hell out of him every night. Wahoo said that he really fought for his life that first night and it never seemed to get any easier. So he soon left for the Carolinas   

" And, damn it! Valentine soon followed!" 

I said that there was no way any two guys could hit each other any harder than they did and what was the story?  Wahoo said and I quote, " Hell, I don't know. One night I hit him so hard I thought that I knocked his head off and he just stood there. I swear he had chilly bumps on his arm and I think he liked it. He really got off on the contact. I can't begin to explain it. It just was."  

I guess the poster was worth that story.  

Then came the famous plane crash and the Champ never wrestled again.  

That is an abrupt way to end this column but that is how the great Johnny Valentine ended his. To wrestling fans of the Mighty Mid-Atlantic, it was never quite the same.  

Johnny's son Greg tried to replace his father but the reality is he looked like cardboard in comparison. Greg sold for his opponents that made him look weak. Johnny Valentine's persona was to always stand strong and deliver and take extreme amounts of punishment. Greg soon stood out with his tag team partner Ric Flair. 

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