# Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame

The Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame was a professional wrestling hall of fame maintained by the United States Wrestling Association. The induction ceremony for the Class of 1994, the inaugural inductees into the Hall of Fame, took place at the USWA's "Monday Night Memories", a tribute show, held at the Mid-South Coliseum on March 7, 1994. Tommy Gilbert, a longtime Memphis wrestler, referee and promoter, led the class, which included wrestlers Sputnik Monroe, Al and Don Greene, commentator Lance Russell, and promoter Jerry Jarrett.
The success of the first "Memphis Memories" show, attended by over 8,300 fans, resulted in Randy Hales being made head booker of the USWA. Ironically, Eddie Gilbert, with much of the event revolving around his feud with Jerry Lawler, was upset at having been passed over for the position and left the promotion within a few weeks.
On June 10, 1995, the Class of 1995 was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Like the previous ceremony, it was held during a wrestling event, Memphis Memories II, at the Mid-South Coliseum. Wrestler Jackie Fargo's induction led the Class of 1995, which consisted of wrestlers "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert, Phil Hickerson, Joe LeDuc, and Billy Wicks. In addition to the inductees, the event featured a special "legends introduction" of Memphis wrestling stars including Corsica Joe, Tommy Gilbert, Gypsy Joe, Jerry Jarrett, Sara Lee, Eddie Marlin, Frank Morell, Buddy Wayne, and Jim White. The 1995 edition was attended by 3,850 fans. Only one inductee, Eddie Gilbert, was inducted posthumously. Overall, there were ten inductees; one commentator, and promoter, and eight wrestlers.
The hall of fame ceased being maintained following the close of the USWA in 1997, however, there have been attempts to revive the idea in recent years. Since 2002, the website KayfabeMemories.com has fan-based voting, similar to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, for each of the various "territory-era" promotions, including the Memphis wrestling territory, covered by the website. From 2008 to 2010, the website RasslinRiotOnline.com also presented its own version of the Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame.
In 2017, the Hall of Fame was reactivated. Since then, they hosted two more ceremonies: one in 2018 and one in 2021. A new website was launched in 2021. Memphiswrestlinghalloffame.com

## Inductees

| Year | Ring name (Real name) | Inducted for | Notes |
| 1994 | Tommy Gilbert | Wrestling, Refereeing, and Promoting | Won the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship (6 times), NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (11 times), NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (4 times), and NWA Six-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times) |
| 1994 | Al and Don Greene | Wrestling | Won the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (10 times) and NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) |
| 1994 | Christine Jarrett | Promoting | |
| 1994 | Jerry Jarrett | Wrestling and Promoting | Owner of the Continental Wrestling Association and the United States Wrestling Association; won the CWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (10 times), NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time), NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (1 time) |
| 1994 | Lance Russell | Ring announcing and commentating | Longtime ring announcer and commentator for NWA Mid-America and the Continental Wrestling Association; first commentator for the CWA's Championship Wrestling television program |
| 1994 | Sputnik Monroe (Rosco Monroe Merrick) | Wrestling | Won the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time), NWA Tennessee Heavyweight Championship (2 times), and NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (2 times) |
| 1994 | Tojo Yamamoto | Wrestling and Manager | ICW United States Tag Team Championship (1 time), AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (12 times), Long time manager in the Memphis territory |
| 1995 | Jackie Fargo (Henry Faggart) | Wrestling | Won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (3 times), NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (5 times), NWA Six-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times), NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship (5 times), NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (22 times), and NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (15 times) |
| 1995 | Eddie Gilbert (Thomas Edward Gilbert, Jr.) | Wrestling | Posthumous inductee; won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time), AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (4 times), CWA International Heavyweight Championship (2 times), USWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time), USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time), USWA Tag Team Championship (1 time), and USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (4 times) |
| 1995 | Phil Hickerson | Wrestling | Won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (9 times), CWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time), CWA International Heavyweight Championship (3 times), NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) |
| 1995 | Joe LeDuc (Michel Pigeon) | Wrestling | Won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (2 times), AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time), and NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) |
| 1995 | Billy Wicks | Wrestling | Won the NWA Tennessee Heavyweight Championship (2 times) and NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version); a popular star in Tennessee during the 1950s, his 1959 match against Sputnik Monroe at Russellwood Park was attended by 13,000 fans and held the attendance record for the city of Memphis for nearly 50 years before the Monday Night War period. |
| 2017 | Dave Brown | Commentator | Hosted Memphis Wrestling and Championship Wrestling for 25 years |
| 2017 | Lance Russell | Commentator |
| 2017 | Jerry Calhoun | Referee |
| 2017 | Bill Dundee | Wrestling | AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (9 times), AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (14 times), AWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times), CWA International Heavyweight Championship (4 times), CWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time), CWA Southwestern Heavyweight Championship (1 time), CWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), CWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version) (1 time), NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (3 times), NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times) |
| 2017 | Tommy, Eddie and Doug Gilbert | Wrestling | Professional wrestling family that often wrestled as a tag team. Tommy and Eddie Gilbert held the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship together twice. |
| 2017 | Jimmy Hart | Manager | Long time manager in the Memphis territory |
| 2017 | Jerry Lawler | Wrestling and promoting | Won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (58 times), CWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), CWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (3 times), NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version) (7 times) |
| 2017 | Koko B. Ware | Wrestling | AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (7 times), NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (6 times), NWA Mid-America Television Championship (1 time), USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), USWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) |
| 2017 | The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey, Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane with Jim Cornette) | Tag Team | Various versions of the team head the team held the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship, CWA World Tag Team Championship and the NWA World Tag Team Championship |
| 2018 | Mick Foley | Wrestling | Won the CWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) |
| 2021 | Bert Prentice | Wrestling, promoting and managing | Manager and wrestler for several promotions; also promoted NWA Music City Wrestling and NWA Worldwide. |
| 2021 | Randy Hales | Promoting | Founder of Power Pro Wrestling |
| 2021 | Kurt Angle | Wrestling | Won the PPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) |
| 2021 | Scott Steiner | Wrestling | Won the CWA Tag Team Championship (3 times). |
| 2021 | Tommy Rich | Wrestling | Won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (2 times), AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (4 times), CWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time), CWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times), NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (2 times), NWA Six-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times), NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version) (2 times), NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) |
| 2021 | Tony Falk | Wrestling | Won the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (1 time), USWA Television Championship (1 time) |
| 2021 | Reggie B. Fine | Wrestling | Won the USWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) |
| 2021 | Downtown Bruno | Managing | Long time manager in the Memphis territory |
| 2022 | Don Bass | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | The Snowman | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Big Red | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Kerry Von Erich | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Gypsy Joe | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Nick Gulas | Promoting | |
| 2022 | Guy Coffey | Promoting | |
| 2022 | Eddie Marlin | Wrestling and Promoting | |
| 2022 | The Moondogs (Spot, Rex and Cujo and Spike) | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Dr. Frank | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Lord Humongous | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Ox Baker | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Mongolian Stomper | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Killer Karl Krupp | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Ricky Gibson | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Leon Spinks | *Celebrity Wing | |
| 2022 | Curt Hennig | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Nick Bockwinkel | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Yokozuna | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Mabel | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | King Kong Bundy | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Plowboy Frazier | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | San Diego Chicken | *Celebrity Wing | |
| 2022 | Junkyard Dog | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Bam Bam Bigelow | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Bob Armstrong | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Buddy Wayne | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Paul Morton | Referee | |
| 2022 | Luna Vachon | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Sherri Martel | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Candi Devine | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Scott Bowden | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Randy Savage | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Rick Rude | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Jim Neidhart | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Andy Kaufman | Entertainer and performance artist | |
| 2022 | Billy Joe Travis | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Buddy Landel | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Scott Hall | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Dream Machine | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Adam West | *Celebrity Wing | |
| 2022 | Corey Maclin | Announcer | |
| 2022 | Brickhouse Brown | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Kamala | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Rocky Johnson | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Tracy Smothers | Wrestling | |
| 2022 | Brian Christopher | Wrestling | |
| 2024 | Jimmy Valiant | Wrestling | |
| 2024 | The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) (Richard Morton and Ruben Cain) | Wrestling | |
| 2024 | PG-13 (J. C. Ice and Wolfie D) (James Dundee and Kelly Warren Wolfe) | Wrestling | |
| 2024 | The Spellbinder | Wrestling | |
| 2024 | Sir Mo | Wrestling | |
| 2024 | Michael Saint John | Ring announcing | |
| 2024 | Terry Golden | Promoting | |
| 2024 | Dirty White Boy | Wrestling | |
| 2024 | Tom Prichard | Wrestling | |
| 2024 | Nightmare Danny Davis | Wrestling | |

## Footnotes

* $^a$ – Entries without a birth name indicates that the inductee did not perform under a ring name.
* $^b$ – This section mainly lists the major accomplishments of each inductee in the Memphis wrestling territory.