R.I.P., Blackjack Mulligan

[Gonzo]

http://www.wwe.com/article/blackjack-mulligan-passes-away?sf23930795=1

WWE is saddened by the news that Robert Windham, aka WWE Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan, has passed away at age 73..

Considered to be one of the toughest competitors of his day — only his rival Andre the Giant could overshadow the 6-foot-9, 345-pound stud from Eagle Pass, Texas — Mulligan served as a U.S. Marine in Guam and played for the New York Jets before gaining fame in the ring. With his signature all-black gear — from his cowboy hat to his leather glove — and his thick western mustache, Mulligan cut the figure of a dangerous outlaw in the ring and proved every bit as treacherous with his feared iron claw hold.

[ChrisM]

My dad would always talk about The Blackjacks(Mulligan and Lanza) doing battle with Dick The Bruiser and The Crusher. I only really remember him from his mid-80's WWE run, including when he donned the mask as one of the Machines. 

He was definitely an icon, though. 

[The Natural]

This sucks. R.I.P. Blackjack Mulligan. Thoughts go out to his family and friends.

[odessasteps]

 

[joseph2112]

I remember being terrorized by Blackjack in the WWF, and I thought there was no way Backlund could beat him. That was the days of the dreaded "red x" over the blood coming from the application of the claw.

RIP.

[J.T.]

This one hurts.  Blackjack was one of my favorite workers.    Funny how you when you get older you begin to appreciate the effort of a guy that scared the living shit out of you as a child.

[BurningBeard]

RIP to the toughest cowboy wrestler to ever put on the boots. Flair had said he was in a bad way but was just too tough to die so I'm glad he's now at peace.

I remember reading about his Mid Atlantic feud with Masked Superstar and how brutal the matches were, always wished I could have seen them

[jstout]

He was part of one of my favorite wrestling moments: http://www.midatlanticgateway.com/2015/07/legend-of-hat-and-robe.html

You see, if I saw this going down today, I'd know what was gonna happen from a mile away, but at the time, I was nine years old, and wrestling was WAY real to me, dammit. I couldn't believe it. Ric tore up Blackjack's hat, and then Blackjack upped the ante by destroying one of Ric's robes? That was hyoooooge to me as a kid, and I've smiled and thought about that every time someone brings out something that you just know is gonna get destroyed. Blackjack's reunited with his hat.

 

[Playa Shunna Ver 3.0]

Meltzer had some great stories on today's audio.  The WWE Network needs to do a sit com based on the Shag Van that Blackjack and Flair took around towns.  

[colonial]

I first watched wrestling in 1982 or so, finding WWF Championship Wrestling and All-Star Wrestling one Saturday morning, once I realized I had grown out of Saturday morning cartoons

Blackjack Mulligan was the first wrestler to absolutely scare me. I recall my parents turning the TV off once the dreaded "Censored X" popped up on the screen. I honestly had no idea at the time why they did that -- only that whatever Mulligan was doing was pretty awful. They were pushing Mulligan-Andre at the time and, in my eight-year-old mindset, I could imagine Blackjack taking out Andre with "that awful thing".

Fast forward to 1987 and watching Mulligan as a face, wearing a big red shirt and being a good old cowboy who loved the fans. A complete 180 on his part, showing me that he could succeed as both a face and a heel.

[Web Conn]

 

[BurningBeard]

I got a big laugh out of the story Flair told about Blackjack working as an agent for all of two weeks and quitting after Lex Luger questioned why he would work against Dutch Mantell

 

13 hours ago, Playa Shunna Ver 3.0 said:

Meltzer had some great stories on today's audio.  The WWE Network needs to do a sit com based on the Shag Van that Blackjack and Flair took around towns.  

 

Is there a link or is it paywalled?