Memphis wrestling

Records of professional wrestling matches in Memphis, Tennessee date back to the 1930s.

Until the end of that decade the dominant promoter was Tom Packs, followed by the Welch Promotions group, which became NWA Mid-America. Between promoters Roy Welch and Nick Gulas the territory that covered Memphis, Nashville and surrounding cities flourished until the 1970s. It was successful in making money for those who ran it, but was notoriously low paying for its wrestlers. Money would be the source of a split that changed the landscape of the sport in the city forever.

## Television

Wrestling was first broadcast on Memphis television in 1949 on WMC-TV. For a time the final match from the Monday night cards at the Ellis Auditorium was shown live on the station. When WMC moved to a new location in February 1959 it added broadcaster Jack Eaton to its commentary team. The program aired from 5pm to 6pm on Saturday afternoon, coming at a time where the promotion was hot thanks to a feud between Sputnik Monroe and Billy Wicks. The show only lasted a few months, in October, WMC began showing a program from Texas.

To capitalise on the local market, rival station WHBQ-TV began airing a Memphis based studio show on Saturday 7 November, 1959, taped in the morning and airing 12:30pm to 1:30pm. It was hosted by Lance Russell. A few months later WMC's Texas show was dropped. WHBQ was the undisputed leader in wrestling in the city for nearly 18 years.

## 1977

Jerry Jarett was not only one of the territory's best known wrestlers, promoter Roy Welch had taken him under his wing several years earlier, and by 1976 Jarrett controlled the most profitable part of the territory, including Memphis. He began to fall out with Nick Gulas in late 1976 when the promoter complained that his son George wasn't being used in Memphis and other key cities. Jarrett was clear that George simply wasn't a good enough wrestler, despite Gulas' ongoing attempts to portray his son as a star.

The dispute led to a split. On February 14, 1977, Jerry Jarrett resigned from the Gulas-Welch promotion. Over the next month he worked to build a new promotion, fortuitously signing the biggest star in the area Jerry Lawler. He tried to wrest the WHBQ television slot away from the Gulas promotion, instead the station got out of the wrestling business altogether, worried about a legal battle between the two factions. WMC-TV returned to the fray, employing Lance Russell and showcasing Jerry Lawler as the promotion's top star. The new show debuted on Saturday 19 March, 1977.

Gulas was not inclined to lie down, promoting cards at the Mid-South Coliseum with familiar, still loyal, names like Jackie Fargo and Tojo Yamamoto. Without the support of television the battle of Memphis was quickly lost, eaving Jarrett in control fo Memphis, Louisville, Evansville and Lexington, and Gulas in Nashville, Chattanooga, Birmingham and Huntsville. Gulas tried to keep Jarrett out of Lexington through the courts but lost. Other than Nashville, Jarrett would never gain a firm foothold in any of the other cities, even after the war was over.

Between the star power of Jerry Lawler, who had been in a hot feud with Rocky Johnson, and the eventual transfer of Lance Russell to the new broadcast, Jarrett had won Memphis, and the two sides generally left each other alone in their cities after that.

The Jarrett territory took off courtesy of a feud between Bill Dundee and Jerry Lawler that became so heated that even Dundee's wife Beverley lost her hair. Later in the year Jimmy Valiant entered the area, starting a 15 year on-and-off association with the area.

## 1978

After a year of relatively peaceful co-existance, tension broke out between the Jarrett and Gulas clans again . The seeds of trouble started when Jarrett TV started in Chattanooga in April, leading to him running a card in the city on 11 July. Gulas responded by restoring a live wrestling program to the city instead of rebroadcasting the Nashville show. He had the great Lou Thesz on his side, and would air footage of Jackie Fargo beating Jerry Lawler to attack Jarrett's credibility.

Ads for the competing promotions would run side-by-side in local newspapers, and on July 30, Jarrett struck a major blow, announcing that Thesz would be appearing on his show. The legend felt he was being shortchanged by Gulas and jumped ship. It wasn't a decisive blow, he didn't draw big crowds in the city and his TV show went off the air in October. He conceded the city, but kept the status quo by turning back a Gulas attack on Louisville. It left the sides with the same territory they had a year earlier.

## 1979

Despite a brief run for the Gulas televisions how in Memphis early in the year, the groups began to share talent again.  Jackie Fargo returned to Memphis in late January, and both Jerry Lawler and Bill Dundee worked for 'the opposition'.

That year Jarrett began promoting as the Continental Wrestling Association, even naming Nick Gulas the figurehead president of the organization. The promotions continued to share some talent until the NWA Mid America promotion stopped promoting in 1981. Gulas sold his promotions and its titles to Jarrett, leaving the CWA as the only major game in town.

## Shop

* Memphis Heat - The True Story of Memphis Wrassin' (Amazon.com)
* Top 100 Monday Nights of Memphis Wrestling - 1974 to 1989 (Amazon.com)

## References

1. ↑ Cagematch.net
2. ↑ Kayfabe Memories
3. ↑ Memphis Wrestling History - 05/01/2015
4. ↑ Kayfabe Memories - 1976
5. ↑ Kayfabe Memories - 1977
6. ↑ Kayfabe Memories - 1978
7. ↑ Kayfabe Memories - 1979