Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame
Inductees
Table:
#

Year

Ring name
(Real name)[a]

Inducted for

Notes[b]

1

1994

Tommy Gilbert[1][2]

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)

2

1994

Al and Don Greene[1][2]

Wrestling

Won the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (10 times) and NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time)

3

1994

Jerry Jarrett[1][2]

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)

4

1994

Lance Russell[1][2][10]

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

5

1994

Sputnik Monroe
(Rosco Monroe Merrick)[1][2]

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)

6

1995

Jackie Fargo
(Henry Faggart)[1][2]

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)

7

1995

Eddie Gilbert
(Thomas Edward Gilbert, Jr.)[1][2][6][7]

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)

8

1995

Phil Hickerson[1][2][11]

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)

9

1995

Joe LeDuc
(Michel Pigeon)[1][2]

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)

10

1995

Billy Wicks[1][2]

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 Wars period.[12]

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Thomas Edward Tommy Gilbert Sr. ( January 15 , 1940 - November 26 , 2015 ) was an American professional wrestler . He wrestled for Continental Wrestling Association and throughout the South as Tommy Gilbert . He was the father of wrestlers Doug Gilbert and Eddie Gilbert .
Professional wrestling , often shortened to pro wrestling or simply wrestling , is a form of performance art and entertainment that combines athletics with theatrical performance . It takes the form of events , held by touring companies , that mimic a title-match combat sport . The unique form of sport portrayed is fundamentally based on and evolved from classical and catch wrestling , with modern additions of striking attacks , strength-based holds and throws and acrobatic maneuvers . Much of these derive from the influence of various international martial arts . An additional aspect of combat with improvised weaponry is sometimes included . The matches have predetermined outcomes to heighten entertainment value and all combative maneuvers are executed with the full cooperation of those involved and carefully performed in specific manners intended to lessen the chance of actual injury . These facts were once kept highly secret but are now publicly acknowledged by both performers and promotions . To promote and sustain the willing suspension of disbelief by maintaining an aura of verisimilitude , the performing company avoids discussing the true nature of the performance in official media . Fan communications by individual wrestlers and promotions through outside media ( i.e. , interviews ) often directly acknowledge the dramatic and fixed nature of the spectacle . [ citation needed ]
In professional wrestling , a referee is an authority figure present in or near the ring during matches . The referee 's on-stage ( kayfabe ) purpose is similar to that of referees in combats such as boxing or mixed martial arts , that is , as an arbiter of the rules and the person charged with rendering decisions . In reality , the referee is , like the wrestlers , a participant in executing a match in accordance with its script including its pre-determined outcome , and is responsible for controlling the flow of the match and for relaying information or instructions from backstage officials to the wrestlers . Like wrestlers , referees are also responsible for maintaining kayfabe , and must render decisions in accordance with the promotion 's kayfabe rules .
A professional wrestling promotion ( also federation or fed ) is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling . Promotion also describes a role which entails management , advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event ( see promoter ) . Within the convention of the show , the company is a sports governing body which sanctions wrestling matches and gives authority to the championships and is responsible for determining the divisions , rankings , etc . of wrestlers . In truth , the company serves as a touring theatre troupe , as well as event promotion body for its own events . Currently , the major national wrestling organizations in the United States are World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) , All Elite Wrestling ( AEW ) , Impact Wrestling ( Impact ! ) , Ring of Honor ( ROH ) , Major League Wrestling ( MLW ) and National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) . The major Mexican lucha libre promotions are Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre ( CMLL ) and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide ( AAA ) . The top Japanese puroresu promotions are New Japan Pro-Wrestling ( NJPW ) , All Japan Pro Wrestling ( AJPW ) , Pro Wrestling Noah , DDT Pro-Wrestling , and Dragon Gate . Additionally , there are smaller Independent promotions or territories around the world .
The NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title defended in the US states of Tennessee and Alabama . The title began in 1957 and lasted first 1980 when it was first abandoned when Jerry Jarrett took over the Mid-American titles from Nick Gulas . Jarrett revived it in 1981 , making it a part of the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association , and it then lasted until 1987 when it was unified with the newly created CWA ( now renamed Championship Wrestling Association ) Heavyweight Championship .
The NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title for lighter wrestlers , board-controlled by the National Wrestling Alliance since December 1949 . It originally was used by various promotions across the Southeastern United States , most prevalently in NWA Mid-America based Tennessee . In August 1974 , it was renamed the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship ( Memphis version ) . The title was revived by the NWA in December 1999 , and is used in the NWA Mid-South promotion , based in Humboldt , Tennessee .
The AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s . It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship ( Mid-America version ) from its inception through 1977 , when it was renamed ( as was the Southern Heavyweight Championship , also previously an NWA title ) the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship due to a partnership with the American Wrestling Association . The title existed until 1988 when it was replaced with the Continental Wrestling Association Tag Team Championship . The title was also referred to as the Mid-Southern Tag Team Championship to avoid confusion with the various other versions of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship in Championship Wrestling from Florida ( 1960-1970 ) , Georgia Championship Wrestling ( 1951-1968 ) , Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling ( 1955-1966 ) , Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling ( 1953-1969 ) , and Southern Championship Wrestling ( 1981-1982 ) .
The NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship was a secondary tag team title promoted as the name indicates mainly in the Tennessee region from 1967 until 1977 , first by Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling and occasionally NWA Mid-America from 1967 to 1974 then by its successor Southeast Championship Wrestling from 1974 to 1977 when it was abandoned . Because the championship was a professional wrestling championship , it was not won or lost competitively but instead by the decision of the bookers of a wrestling promotion . The championship was awarded after the chosen wrestler won a match to maintain the illusion that professional wrestling is a competitive sport .
The NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) and originally promoted in the NWA Mid-America territory based out of Tennessee . Originally called the NWA Six-Man Tag Team Championship NWA Mid-America promoted the title from 1974 until 1981 . In 1984 another NWA territory , Jim Crockett Promotions , brought the concept back , this time as the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship which it promoted until 1989 . The Championship was briefly revived in 1998 by NWA 2000 . As the name indicates the championship was exclusively for three man teams that competed in six-man tag team matches . Because the championship was a professional wrestling championship , it was won or lost by the decision of the bookers of a wrestling promotion .
The Heavenly Bodies was a professional wrestling tag team that wrestled in the Tennessee area . The team consisted of Al Greene ( real name Al Denney ) and Don Greene . They were 7 time NWA Southern Tag Team Champions and wrestled as a tag team from October 6 , 1955 to June 28 , 1973 .
The Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship was a regional professional wrestling championship for tag teams that was used in the National Wrestling Alliance 's ( NWA ) NWA Mid-America professional wrestling promotion from 1957 until 1977 . [ G1 ] [ G2 ] The championship , promoted by Nick Gulas , was one of many NWA World Tag Team Championships in existence in the period between 1949 and 1992 , each of which was a regional championship restricted to an NWA territory and not a true world championship . At one point in 1957 there were at least 13 different , concurrently promoted NWA World Tag Team Championships across the United States . [ Championships ] The Mid-America version was in use for 20 years , the second longest of any of the NWA World Tag Team Championships of that era , only behind the Central States version . Being a professional wrestling championship , the NWA World Tag Team Championship was not won or lost in competitive matches , but determined by the decision of the bookers of NWA Mid-America . The Mid-America version was primarily defended in the Tennessee/Alabama territory , occasionally also being defended in surrounding states . The first recognized champions of the Mid-America branch of the championship were the Corsicans ( Corsica Joe and Corsica Jean ) , who were presented as champions on February 5 , 1957 . Records do not specify if the team won a tournament of if they were simply awarded the championship by promoter Nick Gulas . [ G1 ] [ G2 ] There were at least 148 championship reigns between 1957 and 1977 , when the championship was abandoned , split between 77 different teams and a total of 99 individual wrestlers . Mike Graham and Kevin Sullivan were the last Mid-America-recognized NWA World Tag Team Champions , having won the championship in April 1977 , a short time before NWA Mid-America abandoned the championship . [ G1 ] [ G2 ] At that point the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship became the main championship in the territory . The reign of Len Rossi and Bearcat Brown from October 2 , 1969 until some time in May 1970 , lasted at least 211 days and possibly as long as 241 days , making it the longest individual reign on record .
Jerry Winston Jarrett ( born September 4 , 1942 ) is an American retired professional wrestling promoter and professional wrestler . Along with his long-term business partner Jerry Lawler , Jarrett is a key figure in the history of professional wrestling in the Mid-Southern United States . Described as a wrestling genius , he was inducted into the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame in 2009 . Jarrett founded the Memphis , Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association in 1977 . In 1989 , Jarrett merged his promotion with the Dallas , Texas-based promotion World Class Championship Wrestling , creating the United States Wrestling Association , which Jarrett sold to Lawler in 1997 . He made another foray into promoting in 2002 when he co-founded NWA : TNA with his son Jeff Jarrett , selling his controlling interest to Panda Energy International later that year .
An entertainment promoter works in entertainment industries , including music and sports , as an individual or organization in the business of marketing and promoting live , or pay-per-view and similar , events , such as concerts/gigs , sports events , festivals , raves , and nightclub performances .
Continental Wrestling Association ( later the Championship Wrestling Association ) was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett . The CWA was the name of the governing body for the Championship Wrestling , Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling or the Memphis territory . This promotion was a chief NWA territory during the 1970s and early 1980s while operating out of Tennessee and Kentucky . The CWA was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance until 1986 and affiliated with the American Wrestling Association until 1989 . In 1989 , the CWA merged with the World Class Wrestling Association to form the United States Wrestling Association thus ceasing to exist as a separate entity . Lance Russell and Dave Brown were the television commentators and hosts for the Memphis territory , including the Continental Wrestling Association .
The United States Wrestling Association ( USWA ) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis , Tennessee . The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrestling Association .
The CWA World Tag Team Championship was a major professional wrestling tag team title defended in the Continental Wrestling Association . It lasted from 1980 through 1983 .
The NWA Mid-America tag-team championship was a tag-team title promoted by the NWA Mid-America promotion that ran more or less exclusively in Alabama , Tennessee , and Kentucky , United States , from the 1940s until 1980 . Originally the NWA Mid-America promoted their version of the NWA World Tag-Team titles but when they became defunct in 1977 the Mid-America title became the main title for the promotion .
Lance Russell ( March 18 , 1926 - October 3 , 2017 ) was an American sports broadcaster and ring announcer , primarily serving as a professional wrestling announcer and commentator in the Memphis region from 1959 to 1997 . In NWA Mid-America and its descendant , the Continental Wrestling Association Russell 's primary announcing partner was Dave Brown . He is included in the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) 's Hall of Fame and Hall of Heroes . In addition , he is in the United States Wrestling Association ( USWA ) 's Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame and Wrestling Observer Newsletter 's Hall of Fame .
A ring announcer is an in-ring ( and sometimes on-camera ) employee or contractor for a boxing , professional wrestling or mixed martial arts event or promotion , who introduces the competitors to the audience . In boxing and mixed martial arts bouts , introductions occur after both fighters have entered the ring or cage . Along with each fighter 's name , the announcer typically also announces their height , weight , town , nickname , win/loss record and any current or past titles the fighter has won . In MMA , the fighting discipline is usually announced . In professional wrestling , wrestlers are similarly introduced , though usually before or as they come to the ring . In-ring introductions are sometimes used for title matches or other major bouts , to add a big fight feel . The ring announcer often states the rules of the match . In boxing and MMA , this is usually limited to the number of scheduled rounds and the length of each round . In professional wrestling , the variations are much more numerous and so the announcer may have to explain significantly more to the audience . When an MMA or boxing bout concludes , the ring announcer announces the winner , time of finish and method . If the fight lasts all scheduled rounds , the announcer will read the fight judges ' scorecard totals , before announcing a unanimous , majority , or split decision victory for one of the fighters , or a draw . This is typically done from inside the ring or cage .
In sports broadcasting , a sports commentator ( also known as sports announcer , sportscaster or play-by-play announcer ) gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time , usually during a live broadcast , traditionally delivered in the historical present tense . Radio was the first medium for sports broadcasts , and radio commentators must describe all aspects of the action to listeners who can not see it for themselves . In the case of televised sports coverage , commentators are usually presented as a voiceover , with images of the contest shown on viewers ' screens and sounds of the action and spectators heard in the background . Television commentators are rarely shown on screen during an event , though some networks choose to feature their announcers on camera either before or after the contest or briefly during breaks in the action .
Formed in 1948 , the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) was the most recognized brand and largest governing body in professional wrestling . Under the control of the NWA Board of Directors ( consisting of various prominent , regional promoters ) , the organization acted as a governing body for the NWA 's national territory system which recognized one world champion , participated in talent exchanges , and collectively protected the territorial integrity of member promotions . There is a difference between territories and independent promotions : Independent promotions work alone while some collaborate and recognize other promotions . By 1974 , the territories were very well defined while the NWA had a great deal of influence throughout the professional wrestling industry . In 1993 , the territories were reorganized following the withdrawal of World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling . In August 2012 , the NWA discontinued its memberships and became a private organization that licensed the NWA to wrestling promotions . Beginning in October 2017 , the NWA was no longer a governing body and gradually evolved into a singular wrestling promotion thus ending any semblance of a territory system . The following is a list of all past NWA-affiliated promotions and/or territories .
Roscoe Monroe Brumbaugh ( born Rosco Monroe Merrick ; December 18 , 1928 - November 3 , 2006 ) better known by his ring name Sputnik Monroe , was an American professional wrestler . He was a headliner in many territories , and was best known in Memphis , Tennessee , where he and Billy Wicks set an attendance record that lasted until the Monday Night Wars boom period .
The NWA Tennessee Heavyweight Championship was the primary championship in the National Wrestling Alliance territory promotion NWA Top Rope , based in Lebanon , Tennessee . The Championship was created in 2005 and was active until 2013 when NWA Top Rope closed . That version of the championship was preceded by the original NWA Tennessee Heavyweight Championship that existed from the late 1950s into the 1960s , promoted by NWA Mid-America . Because the championship is a professional wrestling championship , it is not won or lost competitively but instead by the decision of the bookers of a wrestling promotion . The championship is awarded after the chosen wrestler wins a match to maintain the illusion that professional wrestling is a competitive sport .
Henry Faggart ( June 26 , 1930 - June 24 , 2013 ) was an American professional wrestler , better known by his ring name Jackie Fargo . He competed in Southeastern regional promotions and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1950s , 1960s and 1970s . A mainstay of NWA Mid-America ( later the Continental Wrestling Association ) , he served as a mentor to Jerry The King Lawler and The Fabulous Ones , among other wrestlers in the Memphis area . He was known for his blonde hair and Fargo Strut mannerism , and held 45 tag team championships during his career , with Don Fargo , Sonny Roughhouse Fargo , amongst others .
Thomas Edward Eddie Gilbert Jr. ( August 14 , 1961 - February 18 , 1995 ) was an American professional wrestler and booker , better known by his ring name , Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert .
The AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling title in the Continental Wrestling Association during the 1970s and 1980s . The title is part of a long lineage that was started when the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship , in use since 1939 , was renamed the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship ( Memphis version ) in 1974 . The title 's name changed again in 1978 , when it was renamed the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship due to a partnership with the American Wrestling Association . It was also called the Mid-Southern Heavyweight Championship in Pro Wrestling Illustrated and its sister publications , in order for this title to not be confused with Championship Wrestling from Florida 's version of the title . The title was revived in the United States Wrestling Association from 1989 until 1997 when the USWA closed . It was known as the USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship and later simply the USWA Heavyweight Championship during that time ; however , unlike the previous Southern title in Memphis , this one played a secondary role to the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship . It was revived in Memphis Championship Wrestling as the MCW Southern Heavyweight Championship in 2000 and 2001 . It was later revived and renamed in 2004 for use in Memphis Wrestling as the Memphis Wrestling Southern Heavyweight Championship , where the last recorded champion was Brian Christopher , winning the championship on November 4 , 2010 but with no recorded championship matches since then . Memphis Wrestling held their last regular in 2009 . On October 5 , 2019 , USA Championship Wrestling is bringing back the Southern Heavyweight Championship with a tournament happening at USA Championship Wrestling 's Southern Justice taking place at Oman Arena .
The AWA International Heavyweight Championship , originally known as the CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Championship ( also identified as the Mid-Southern International Championship and the AWA International Championship ) was a major professional wrestling title defended in the Continental Wrestling Association . It was created in 1983 from the CWA 's partnership with the American Wrestling Association . The title lasted until 1987 , when it was unified with the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight and AWA Southern Heavyweight championships , creating the CWA Heavyweight Championship .
The USWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary professional wrestling tag team championship promoted by the Memphis , Tennessee based United States Wrestling Association ( USWA ) . The Continental Wrestling Association and World Class Wrestling Association ( WCWA ) merged in 1989 to form the USWA . In the merger the USWA replaced both the WCWA World Tag Team Championship and the CWA Tag Team Championship with the USWA version . [ a ] [ b ] The promotion awarded Cactus Jack and Scott Braddock the championship after they won the WCWA championship on AUgust 4 , 1989 . The USWA closed in 1997 , with PG-13 ( J.C. Ice and Wolfie D ) as the final champions . There were a total of 116 reigns in the eight year lifetime of the championship . [ c ] The final champions , PG-13 , holds the record for most championship reigns as they held the belts on 15 different occasions across the years , in addition each member also held the championship with a different partner , making them tied for most overall reigns for an individual . [ c ] The Moondogs ( Spot and Spike ) reign as champions lasted between 123 and 152 days , the longest of any championship team . In April 1992 Moondog Cujo replaced SPike , but records are unclear as to what date the change was made . [ d ] The teams of Jim and Ron Harris , [ e ] Tommy Rich and Doug Gilbert , [ f ] and Flash Flanagan and Nick Dinsmore , all lost the championship on the same show that they won the championship , [ g ] tying them for the shortest reign . As it is a professional wrestling championship , the championship was not won not by actual competition , but by a scripted ending to a match determined by the bookers and match makers . [ h ] On occasion the promotion declares a championship vacant , which means there is no champion at that point in time .
The USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship formed in 1988 , which consisted of the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship from World Class Championship Wrestling and the AWA World Heavyweight Championship from the American Wrestling Association . The title was unified on December 13 , 1988 , when AWA World Champion Jerry Lawler defeated WCWA World Champion Kerry Von Erich in a unification match . The title was primarily recognized by and defended in the United States Wrestling Association until 1997 , when the company ceased operations . However , the AWA withdrew its recognition of the championship shortly after the unification match when Lawler was stripped of the AWA world title . The title was also contested in a non-televised match prior to the World Wrestling Federation 's King of the Ring event in 1993 .
The CWA Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling title defended in the Championship Wrestling Association . It was created through the unification of the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight , AWA Southern Heavyweight and CWA/AWA International Heavyweight championships . The title was thus considered the most important title in the promotion until Jerry Lawler won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on May 5 , 1988 . On December 13 , 1988 , Lawler defeated Kerry Von Erich to win the World Class Heavyweight Championship and effectively rename the latter title the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship and make it the new top championship in Memphis . The CWA title continued as the secondary title until late 1989 when it was replaced with the USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship .
Michel Pigeon ( August 31 , 1944 - May 1 , 1999 ) was a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name , Jos LeDuc . Wrestling with a lumberjack gimmick , he debuted in Stampede Wrestling with his kayfabe brother , Paul LeDuc . The pair later won several titles in Montreal , where they feuded with the Rougeau wrestling family , and Florida , where they held the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship . After an injury ended Paul 's career , LeDuc competed as a singles wrestler and involved in a heated feud with Dusty Rhodes . LeDuc then moved to Tennessee , where he had a rivalry with Jerry Lawler over the NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship , notably legitimately breaking Lawler 's leg when he threw him over the top rope onto the announcer 's desk . LeDuc spent many years traveling between Florida and Tennessee , and he won belts in both locations as a singles wrestler and as a tag team competitor . He also spent time on wrestling tours of Japan and New Zealand . One of LeDuc 's biggest storylines was with manager Oliver Humperdink , whom LeDuc had accused of stealing his money . This led to a feud , during which LeDuc won the NWA Television Championship from one of Humperdink 's wrestlers . LeDuc continued to split his time between singles and tag team wrestling , and he resumed his feud with Lawler in Tennessee . In his later career , LeDuc competed in Puerto Rico and had a brief stint in the World Wrestling Federation . Altogether , LeDuc held 32 championships - 15 singles belts and 17 tag team titles .
The AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling title in the Continental Wrestling Association during the 1970s and 1980s . The title is part of a long lineage that was started when the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship , in use since 1939 , was renamed the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship ( Memphis version ) in 1974 . The title 's name changed again in 1978 , when it was renamed the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship due to a partnership with the American Wrestling Association . It was also called the Mid-Southern Heavyweight Championship in Pro Wrestling Illustrated and its sister publications , in order for this title to not be confused with Championship Wrestling from Florida 's version of the title . The title was revived in the United States Wrestling Association from 1989 until 1997 when the USWA closed . It was known as the USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship and later simply the USWA Heavyweight Championship during that time ; however , unlike the previous Southern title in Memphis , this one played a secondary role to the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship . It was revived in Memphis Championship Wrestling as the MCW Southern Heavyweight Championship in 2000 and 2001 . It was later revived and renamed in 2004 for use in Memphis Wrestling as the Memphis Wrestling Southern Heavyweight Championship , where the last recorded champion was Brian Christopher , winning the championship on November 4 , 2010 but with no recorded championship matches since then . Memphis Wrestling held their last regular in 2009 . On October 5 , 2019 , USA Championship Wrestling is bringing back the Southern Heavyweight Championship with a tournament happening at USA Championship Wrestling 's Southern Justice taking place at Oman Arena .
The Monday Night Wars were a period of mainstream televised American professional wrestling where the World Wrestling Federation 's ( WWF , now WWE ) Monday Night Raw and World Championship Wrestling 's ( WCW ) Monday Nitro were broadcast opposite each other in a battle for Nielsen ratings each week . The ratings war lasted from September 4 , 1995 , to March 26 , 2001 . The rating war was part of a larger overall struggle between the two companies , originating in personal animosity between WWF owner Vince McMahon and WCW-owner Ted Turner . The rivalry between the companies steadily escalated throughout the 1990s to include the use of cutthroat tactics and the defections of employees between the two companies . Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) , while not a party to the rating battle , was also involved as a tertiary player . Throughout the wars , the WWF and WCW would both adopt different concepts and narrative techniques innovated by ECW ; meanwhile , both companies would establish both formal and informal partnerships with the company , with ECW performers either appearing on WWF and WCW shows while still under contract , or outright leaving ECW to work for one of the other two promotions . While WCW was the dominant promotion for much of the mid-1990s , a variety of factors coalesced to turn the tide in the WWF 's favor at the end of the decade , including a radical rebranding of their formerly family-friendly product to highly sexualized and violent shows geared towards older teens and adults . WCW ultimately ran into financial difficulties as a result of the amount of money they had promised wrestlers during a hiring binge in the early and middle part of the decade , which had been aimed at acquiring large portions of the WWF 's talent roster . Despite efforts to salvage the company , it was ultimately sold to Vince McMahon , ending the Monday Night Wars . In retrospect , wrestling commentators have come to see the era of the Monday Night Wars as a golden age of wrestling , with the feud between the two companies bringing out their best quality product both in terms of creativity and the performances of their wrestlers . Notably , as of 2020 , no other company has ever emerged as a viable competitor to WWE since the acquisition of WCW , and WWE itself has never again enjoyed the same level of mainstream success in North America that it did during the Wars .