Wahoo vs. Ole in an Indian Strap Match

[Baltimore Jack]

Did it ever get any better? Wahoo McDaniel battling Ole Anderson in an Indian Strap Match. The thing that made these battles so classic was that Ole fought Wahoo so close in these battles. He was the one guy you thought might actually beat Wahoo in one of these strap matches.

I love this Bill Janosik photo. Ole had no choice but to sell that shot from the Chief! Old school referee Angelo Martinelli, the Mid-Atlantic emblem on the turnbuckle covers, those unique Anderson boots, Wahoo putting everything into that chop. Great photo.

More great photos by photographer Bill Janosik in his photo album on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway:
Bill Janosik Photography

More photos from this particular match here:
Wahoo McDaniel vs. Ole Anderson

I'd love to hear anyone's memories of Wahoo in these matches. He had memorable strap matches against Flair, Mulligan, Valentine, Ole, and others.

**LATE CORRECTION: Referee in this photo is Johnny Heideman

[lobo]

I bet that match really defined the word "stiff"

[bobbyryates]

i personally have never cared much for strap or chain matches. but by the time i got to witness them it was in the '80's and they were just so routine. too predictable. but i think that may be in the booking. i mean, when they spend so much time doing the low blows for comedy and ALWAYS getting to the 3rd turnbuckle and then the more than predictable superman comeback so that the 4th one was never touched....it left a lot to be desired.
BUT, given that you are talking about the '70's, it may have been different. i always hear how those bouts were chopfests, blood, and violent. i always looked at what i saw in the '80's as time killers instead of a match that really meant something.
the first strap match i ever saw was on 8/7/83 in greensboro. wahoo-roddy piper vs greg valentine-dick slater. piper was attached to valentine and wahoo to slater. this was a great one. blood was everywhere.
this was of course, the only one i ever saw before the "invasion" of the new booker a few months later so that one stands out as the best. because the ones after the new booker...they are the ones i could care less about ever seeing.

[greatbologuy]

Great photo indeed, but the referee is actually JCP workhorse Johnny Heideman, not Angelo Martinelli.

[gwlee7]

greatbologuy said:

Great photo indeed, but the referee is actually JCP workhorse Johnny Heideman, not Angelo Martinelli.

Yep, Angelo at least had a little bit of hair

These strap matches were brutal. The Super Destroyer and Johnny Valentine were two other singles wrestlers that I thought had a chance against Wahoo in a strap match.

[Baltimore Jack]

Oops, my mistake on the referee, thanks for clearing it up!

[phinney]

Great photo. ;D

[Flair81]

I know Flair wrestled Wahoo in several strap matches.
Wonder if Flair ever wrestled in any "chain matches"?
Besides the strap match the only other gimick match
Flair did a lot was the cage match. He and Dusty
did a few "street fights". He must have worked well
with Wahoo to do so many strap matches.

[b0dyguard]

Another Great Photo

Thanks for sharing

[ncringfan]

Those are great pictures on he gateway. I loved the old way they would drag with the strap, wrap the hands up and then pull hands and all, and not 10 feet between them, which ruins the illusion of dragging a guy to all 4 corners.

When did Ole and Wahoo have a singles feud? I remember the tag feuds. I was just wondering what led to them having this singles feud.

[MacWRichmond]

Wahoo and Ole had a couple of brief singles feuds in MACW...nothing of a long duration but they were intense and involved Indian Strap Matches.

In September/October 1975, Ole and Wahoo started going at it in singles as the great tag team feud between Ole and Gene and Wahoo and Paul Jones was winding down. Ole got some title matches against Wahoo when Wahoo held the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title in the late summer of 1975. Ole and Wahoo also had a great Indian Strap Match in Richmond the night before the plane crash in Wilmington, NC. in early October of 1975.

About a year later in August/September 1976, Ole and Wahoo went at it again as singles, and this program helped usher Ole (and Gene) out of the area as Mid-Atlantic regulars. This program came about because Ole was wearing a cast on his arm (for many months), and hit Wahoo in the head with it when Ole was a Lumberjack in a Lumberjack Match between Wahoo and Ric Flair. Wahoo asked for, and was given, a series of Indian Strap Matches with Ole. Soon thereafter, Ole and Gene left the area and went to Georgia.