The week following the studio cancellation Opening the Vault of Classic Memphis Wrestling debuted and ran for a time. At press time, TV studio wrestling appears to be a thing of the past even in Memphis. Wrestling is back on WMC on Saturday mornings but the show is videotaped at a Mississippi casino. 

Dave Brown

Dave Brown continued to host the TV show into the 1990s. He would be joined by Corey Maclin as his co-host on the show. Brown also continued to be the main meteorologist for WMC-TV, Memphis’ NBC affiliate. In 1997, Dave Brown left the show after disagreements with USWA General Manager Larry Bertman. After Brown’s departure, Lance Russell would return and work the show for awhile. Brown would eventually return to the TV show and continue as co-host with Maclin in the various promotional incarnations that would follow. In 2001, when WMC-TV pulled the plug on the studio show Brown and Maclin joined forces with Jerry Lawler and Jimmy Hart to rescue the tradition of Memphis wrestling. The foursome worked developing the Opening the Vault of Classic Memphis Wrestling and had plans to promote cards in the area over time. While the venture did feature a fairly successful card at the Mid-South Coliseum, the idea of running a regular house show schedule seems unlikely at press time as Brown and Maclin continue to struggle to find ways to place a TV show in place of the old studio show.

Sputnik Monroe

One of the first major stars of wrestling in Memphis from the 1950s who helped shape the territory in the decades to follow retired from the business in the early 1980s. Ever colorful, Sputnik would reemerge on occasion for various nostalgia shows promoted in the area including the one promoted in Memphis in 2001. 

The Rock n Roll Express

Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton bounced back in the 1990s to receive some of the fame that achieved in the 1980s. After they returned to WCW for a time they would work for Smoky Mountain Wrestling and become the promotion’s lead babyface team. As Smoky Mountain worked with the WWF, Morton & Gibson also worked some WWF shows. Over the course of time though the team feel out of the mainstream and presently work independent shows as contracted. Robert’s brother, Ricky, a prominent star in the 1970s and into the early 1980s, would wrestle in the mid-1980s but injuries would force his retirement from the ring.

The Sheepherders

In various combinations The Sheepherders were one of the most successful teams in Memphis area history. The tag team most fans recall as The Sheepherders was the combination of Luke Williams & Butch Miller. This team went on to some success in the Crockett and Watts territories before landing in the WWF. In the WWF, McMahon turned them into the babyface Bushwhackers. The team would have a great amount of success in the WWF and eventually retire from the business. They would return in 2001 for a Memphis nostalgia card and work a match against The Moondogs.

Rip Morgan worked the territory some as the Sheepherder billed as Bigfoot. Morgan would work various circuits in the business, even for a time as flagbearer for the Williams & Miller Sheepherder team, before landing in WCW. In WCW, Morgan’s greatest fame would be as part of a tag team with Jack Victory. The team was first known as the New Zealand Militia and then later as The Royal Family. As the Royal Family, the team was managed by the legendary midget star Lord Littlebrook.

The best known Sheepherder in the area though was Jonathan Boyd. Boyd was one of the most underrated heels and effective interviews ever in the territory. Boyd would pass away in 1999 at the age of 56. 

Christine Jarrett

The first lady of area wrestling, Christine Jarrett seemed to take a backseat after her son Jerry rose to power by opening his own company in 1977. Christine though remained active with her son’s promotion by working in the office for him as she had for Nick Gulas. Christine also continued to nurture some of the cities she and Jerry opened up for Gulas and Roy Welch, particularly Louisville, Lexington and Evansville. Christine also worked for years on Saturday nights at the box office at the weekly Nashville card. This truly brought her career in wrestling full circle as her first job in wrestling was selling tickets for Nick Gulas in Nashville. In 1995, Louisville’s A Night to Remember card not only featured a tribute to Jackie Fargo but also honored Christine Jarrett, a longtime unsung hero for the promotion and a major reason wrestling did so well over the years in Louisville and in the territory. In November 1998, Miss Christine passed away at the age of 75.

Bill Dundee

The Scotsman turned Australian turned Tennessean also worked the old home base for the next few years. For a time, Dundee operated a wrestling school, closely associated with the Jarrett promotion, in the Nashville area. In 1992, though Dundee would hook up with WCW and worked as part of their booking committee and as a road agent for the company. Beginning in 1993 while still in WCW, Dundee served as ringside manager Sir William to Steven Regal (the WWF’s William Regal). Dundee’s son, Jaime mostly billed as JC Ice, would become part of one of the area’s top tag team of the 1990s, PG-13. After his WCW run ended Dundee continued to work area cards from time to time often reprising his long-running feud with Jerry Lawler. When he and Lawler weren’t feuding they often teamed together. Dundee still appears in the ring from time to time but also dabbles in other business ventures in the west Tennessee area.

Nick Gulas

Nick Gulas’ health declined in the late 1980s and into the early 1990s. In January 1991, Nick passed away. At one time, Nick Gulas had been one of the most wealthy promoters in the wrestling business in the 1960s and 1970s. Gulas and partner Roy Welch ran wrestling in cities such as Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Evansville, Louisville, Lexington, Jackson, Tennessee, Birmingham, Huntsville and many other mid-sized cities for years under the National Wrestling Alliance banner often drawing full houses. After selling the remnants of his promotion in 1980, Nick and son, George, would often run independent shows in Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky to very little sustained success. His failed ventures after his 1980 sell out teamed with his poor health drained him of most of any resources he had left. Nick’s health became so bad he had to be cared for in a state-run nursing facility. It has been reported that George sold his father’s false teeth for money prior to Nick’s passing. When he died, Nick Gulas was 76 years old.

Tojo Yamamoto

Tojo Yamamoto remained in the business into the early 1990s. He often worked as a manager of Jerry Jarrett managing such stars as PY Chu Hi (Phil Hickerson), Billy Joe Travis, Eric Embry and others. From time to time, Yamamoto would still work matches although they were usually short matches. Yamamoto though faced serious health problems with his kidneys and from diabetes. As Yamamoto’s health faltered the promotion would no longer use him. This seemed to shatter Yamamoto.

On February 20, 1992 in the Nashville suburb of Hermitage, Harold Watanabe, better known to generations of area wrestling fans as Tojo Yamamoto, shot himself committing suicide instead of facing a world outside of what he had known all his life. Watanabe’s exact age was uncertain with different sources claiming different ages. It is believed that Watanabe was in his sixties when he passed away. Longtime tag partner and employer Jerry Jarrett delivered Watanbe’s eulogy and longtime area personalities Tommy Rich, Don & Al Greene, Phil Hickerson, Tommy Gilbert and Dave Brown, among others, were in attendance at the service. Yearly, the Nashville promotion presents a Tojo Yamamoto Memorial Show.

Jackie Fargo and the Fargos

Jackie Fargo retired to North Carolina. About once a year after 1989 Jackie would pop back in Memphis in some form or another. In 1991 he returned as a referee for some matches that pitted Lawler and partners against Fargo’s old superteam of The Fabulous Ones with manager Jim Cornette. During the height of the feud between The Moondogs and Jerry Lawler & Jeff Jarrett, Jackie returned to serve as a referee for a couple of matches. Oddly enough, when the promotion honored it’s rich history in 1994 with Monday Night Memories, Jackie Fargo did not attend. In 1995 though he did making appearances at Monday Night Memories II and Louisville’s A Night to Remember. In Louisville, Jackie was inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame. In 1999 and into 2000 Fargo, in his mid-sixties, returned to work the Nashville-based Music City promotion. In Nashville he reprised his long-running feud against Jerry Lawler and eventually lost a loser loses his hair match to Lawler. In 2001, Jackie returned to Memphis for a special card as the Opening the Vault… TV show began getting off the ground. Jackie served as Jerry Lawler’s manager as Lawler took on Humongous (Emory Hale) with his manager Jimmy Hart.

Jackie’s real life brother, Sonny, also retired to live in North Carolina. Although many fans in the old Gulas-Welch and Jarrett-Welch area recall Sonny better as Roughhouse or Nuthouse, fans elsewhere knew him in a different way. Sonny worked for years as a referee for Jim Crockett’s promotion based out of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Don Kalt, aka Don Fargo, returned to the promotion in 1992 and introduced a new generation of Fargos to the area. Don introduced Jackie Fargo, Jr. and Don Fargo, Jr. to the area. Don was gone within a week and the new Fargos followed a few weeks later. Pat Rose and Paul Lee two wrestlers who were working indys at the time were the new Fargos. Rose and Lee were from the Chattanooga area and were well aware of the Fargo legacy in the area no doubt having watched some version of The Fabulous Fargos in some form through the years. Don Kalt retired from the business and lives in the Pensacola, Florida area.

(In the initial article of this series, this writer indicated that none of the Fargos were related. Since then it has come to the writer’s attention that Jackie and Sonny are actually brothers [Jack Faggart and Sonny Faggart]. Dispelling another rumor that has often cropped up, Jackie is not part of the Welch family.)

Jim Cornette

Jim Cornette opened up the east Tennessee based Smoky Mountain Wrestling promotion in 1992. The promotion, a true throwback to territorial-style wrestling, and similar to the old Gulas-Welch and Jarrett styles Cornette was so familiar with, thrived for several years.

Cornette left WCW in 1990 and worked independents for a time. In 1990, he returned to the Jarrett promotion with The Fabulous Ones: Steve Keirn & Stan Lane in tow. In a matter of weeks, Cornette and the Fabs turned heel to feud against Jerry Lawler and a series of partners. Briefly, Cornette even served as an announcer for the LPWA (Ladies Pro Wrestling Association).

In 1991 and into 1992, Cornette began getting SMW off the ground. Cornette used many Memphis-area veterans on his SMW cards including The Rock n Roll Express: Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton, The Moondogs, The Bruise Brothers (Ron & Don Harris), Brian Lee, The Mongolian Stomper, Kevin Sullivan, Bob Armstrong, Nitro Danny Davis, The Dirty White Boy Tony Anthony & The Dirt White Girl, Terry Gordy, Tom Prichard, Stan Lane, Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden and others. Cornette also was able to get Jerry Lawler to work some dates for SMW and in early 1995 Lawler won the SMW title for a time.

In the summer of 1993, Cornette shocked the wrestling world by showing up in the WWF. Cornette stepped into a prominent slot with the company as he became spokeman for lead heel and WWF champion Yokozuna (Rodney Anoia, who worked in 1988 in Memphis as Kokina). Cornette’s SMW team of The Heavenly Bodies: Tom Prichard & Jimmy Del Rey also came along for the ride. For the first time in years, the WWF actually acknowledged another promotion on their own telecasts, Cornette’s SMW, a feat even the USWA could not accomplish with their working agreement with the WWF. 

Over time Cornette would wind up as a manager and announcer with the WWF, an alliance that helped SMW financially and talent-wise, but a move that would also seal the fate of the promotion as fans began perceiving the WWF stars who made occasional SMW appearances as more special than the regular SMW crew. SMW also ran into some financial woes which hastened the end of the promotion. In November 1995, SMW closed their doors. 

One of the most interesting and enjoyable runs SMW had was earlier in 1995 when SMW and the USWA ran angles with each other in a promotion versus promotion feud. The feud highlighted with excellent matches between SMW’s The Rock n Roll Express: Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton and the USWA’s PG-13: JC Ice & Wolfie D. The Rock n Rolls were often managed by SMW referee Mark Curtis while PG-13 was often managed by announcer/company representative Randy Hales. The feud also brought longtime area star Bob Armstrong back to the area for some appearances and also featured Bob’s youngest son, Brian, who worked in the WWF as Jeff Jarrett’s roadie. After SMW’s departure Cornette continued to work with the WWF in various roles. With the Memphis area seeing new promotions pop up in the wake of the demise of the USWA, Cornette would show up a few times as part of various working agreements the group would share with the WWF. Eventually Cornette would settle back in his native Kentucky where he, along with Memphis veteran Danny Davis, would help train wrestlers with Ohio Valley Wrestling, a developmental promotion with ties to the WWF.

Dutch Mantell

Wayne Cowan, better known as Dutch Mantell, would test the waters of several major promotions over the years ahead. Mantell would pop up in WCW in 1990 and remain there for a time. He not only wrestled there but also worked as an announcer for a time. In 1991, WCW saddled him, Black Bart and Deadeye Dick (Randy Colley) with the Desperadoes gimmick. The three went on a search for Stan Hansen. After a few weeks the plug was pulled on the project with no resolution shown. 

Mantell also worked with Smoky Mountain Wrestling mostly as an announcer, along with former Mid-Atlantic and WCW announcer Bob Caudle. Mantell though did manage The Stud Stable team of Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden for a time. He also stepped into the ring himself on occasion for SMW. Dutch would return to Memphis from time to time as well including in 1992 when he reappeared in drag as Big Bertha.

In late 1993, Mantell was set to return to the USWA. Prior to his return though he appeared as a guest on Mike Tenay’s national radio show Wrestling Insiders. The radio show dealt fairly openly with the business of wrestling. When Jerry Lawler heard Mantell had appeared on the show he appealed to Jerry Jarrett to not bring in Mantell since appearing on such shows went against the grain of what wrestlers generally did. A few short weeks later though the shoe was on the other foot as Lawler battled legal issues stemming from his Louisville indictment. Lawler  then appeared on Tenay’s show and presented his side of the story to members of wrestling’s underground press. Mantell would return briefly to Memphis before leaving for Puerto Rico to serve as IWA booker.

In 1995, Mantell would land in the WWF billed as Uncle Zebiciah, manager to Jacob & Eli Blu, who were Memphis vets Ron & Don Harris. Mantell would work independents around the U.S. and pop back into Memphis some during this time frame. He would also venture back to Puerto Rico where he would again book wrestling there. 

Ole Anderson

Wrestling’s ‘Rock’ from another generation worked in-ring some during the late 1980s and into 1990. Anderson would eventually get a shot at leading the creative end of WCW for a time in 1990. The Bill Watts-led WCW era saw Ole return to be a “troubleshooting” referee. Behind the scenes, Anderson did have some pull creatively as well. Over time though that would end. As SMW got running Ole’s son, Bryant Anderson, wrestled some there and Ole came along to work as his manager. Bryant’s stint there did not last long. Ole is out of the business today, living in Georgia, but attends some of the wrestler reunions held annually.

Rick Rude

Injuries would slow Rick Rude’s career in the 1990s after an incredible run as one of the last great heels of the twentieth century. It is difficult though to get the wrestling business out of one’s blood. Rude would reappear in wrestling for ECW before returning to the WWF and then WCW, all in non-in-ring roles. Sadly, Rick Rude died in 1999 from a heart attack at the age of 40.

Jesse Barr (Jimmy Jack Funk)

Jesse Barr’s career after his Memphis run saw him work mostly in Texas and in his native Pacific Northwest. With the business slowly killing the territories Barr would not get another chance to test his abilities on a national scale.

Jesse Ventura

After his 1983 run in the territory, Ventura left and returned to the AWA. It wasn’t long though before Ventura left the AWA for Vince McMahon’s expanding WWF. While he first appeared as a wrestler, health problems forced Ventura to retire from active competition. Ventura then settled into the role many fans identify him with, a heel announcer. For most of the 1980s, Ventura entertained many fans by playing devil’s advocate for the heels against various commentators, most often Vince McMahon. Ventura would also land several movie roles over the years broadening his own appeal. Ventura left the WWF but wound up with WCW for several years as an announcer. Ventura also embarked on a political career, first becoming mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota then becoming governor of Minnesota.

The Grapplers/Dirty White Boys

The team that worked these two gimmicks received pushes in various territories in the mid-1980s. Len Denton mostly ended up working in the Pacific Northwest. His booking there revived the territory from time to time. Denton’s tag partner was Tony Anthony, who became a major singles force in Memphis area wrestling beginning in 1989 and on into the early 1990s. Anthony and the Dirty White Girl would headline numerous cards in the area. Anthony’s biggest run in the 1990s though was with Smoky Mountain Wrestling where Anthony was paired with the legendary Ron Wright as his manager. Anthony worked with the promotion until it closed in 1995. For a time, Anthony worked for the WWF as evil plumber T.J. Hopper. Since then Anthony has worked independents in the South and often works the nostalgia shows that pop up from time to time.

Terry Taylor

After leaving Memphis and mostly working World Class and for Bill Watts in the 1980s, Taylor would wind up with the WWF in the disastrous role of The Red Rooster. Taylor would bounce back and forth between the WWF and WCW much of the 1990s. Along the way, Taylor would gain ground with those behind the scenes in creative positions. Eventually, Taylor would work behind the scenes in both the WWF and WCW in that capacity. Taylor also worked briefly with the Music City promotion in-between the WWF and WCW stints at one time in the late 1990s. Taylor remains available for independent wrestling dates as well as for a creative position with a new promotion should one open.

Scott Hall

The lumbering Floridian would bounce around the independent scene after his 1988 run ended in Memphis. In 1989, Hall would have a short run with WCW. In 1991, though he would return to WCW billed as The Diamond Studd with manager Diamond Dallas Page. A few months later, Hall would jump ship to the WWF and debut there as Razor Ramon. Over the next few years, Ramon would become one of the most popular WWF stars of the 1990s. At the same time, Hall and his cronies including Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash would create a locker-room atmosphere that would nearly destroy the WWF. Hall and Nash would eventually leave the WWF and sign huge contracts with WCW and in turn would help resuscitate the career of Hulk Hogan when he joined Hall and Nash in the New World Order. Of course, the atmosphere created by Hall and his buddies that nearly destroyed the WWF helped, along with total ineptitude in the leadership roles in the company, destroy WCW and stunt the careers of many talented mid-level wrestlers with the company. Along the way, Hall would battle major personal demons. Despite the baggage Hall brings along to any situation, the WWF has revived the New World Order gimmick in 2002 with Hogan, Nash and Hall as part of the package.

Eddie Gilbert and the Gilberts

Eddie Gilbert would figure prominently in Memphis area wrestling during the 1990s. He would work as a wrestler and booker often. Likely Eddie’s most remembered Memphis angle from the 1990s is from 1990 when he and brother Doug hopped into a car on the WMC-TV show and ran down Jerry Lawler on live TV. Eddie Gilbert would pass away in 1995. An extensive bio of Eddie’s career, including information about his days in the USWA after 1989, can be found elsewhere on this site.

Tommy Gilbert often worked under a mask after 1988 in the area although he cut his ring appearances down greatly. Tommy retired from the business and lives in his hometown of Lexington, Tennessee. Tommy has appeared on various cards in the area over the years that celebrated the glory years of area territorial wrestling.

Doug Gilbert would work a great deal in Memphis during the 1990s and beyond. Doug often teamed with brother Eddie’s one-time New Fabulous Ones tag partner Tommy Rich in the area. Doug often though found himself at odds with those who retained power in the various promotions working in Memphis (read: Jerry Lawler and Randy Hales) and often worked elsewhere instead of in his own backyard.

Missy Hyatt would remain married to Eddie Gilbert until they divorced in 1990. Hyatt worked the next several years for WCW as an announcer mostly although she did manage The Nasty Boys: Brian Knobs & Jerry Sags for a time. Hyatt would leave WCW and work various independents for years to follow. She also did have a run with ECW in the late 1990s. Hyatt had a book published in 2001 entitled The First Lady of Pro Wrestling.

The Mongolian Stomper

Archie Gouldie worked a number of Southern promotions after the national expansion in the mid-1980s. Capitalizing on his runs in the area in the 1970s and early 1980s, Gouldie as The Mongolian Stomper worked for promotions in Tennessee and Alabama. He also worked some shows in the 1990s for Jim Cornette’s Smoky Mountain Wrestling. Gouldie is retired in east Tennessee and works training police officers. Remaining in excellent shape, Gouldie will work the occasional independent wrestling card.

Lou Thesz

The true icon of wrestling lives a quiet life in Florida. He remains legendary in Japan and is still revered by fans in America who recall him. In the early 1990s Thesz, with Kit Bauman, published the book, Hooker, a must-read for any serious wrestling fan which includes Thesz’s take on some of the events regarding the promotional war waging in 1978 between Nick Gulas and Jerry Jarrett including his involvement in the split at that time. Thesz hosts a forum on the Wrestling Classics web site.

The Poffo Family

Angelo Poffo stepped away from wrestling’s limelight as his sons stepped into greater limelight after leaving the Memphis territory. Angelo lives in Florida and was inducted in WCW’s Hall of Fame at the Slamboree ’95 pay-per-view.

Lanny Poffo worked for a number of years in the WWF. Mostly, Lanny served as a solid undercard wrestler. In 1989 and into 1990 though, Lanny’s highest profile WWF run occurred as he served as tag partner and manager to Mr. Perfect. Lanny was then billed as The Genius.

Randy Savage reached the highest levels of pro wrestling in the U.S. during the 1980s and 1990s. Savage ended up holding the WWF title and the WCW title. His feuds with Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair rank as some of the most enjoyable feuds of the last fifteen years of the twentieth century. Savage’s name continues to pop up as receiving one final national ride although at press time it seems likely that Savage will work with various fledgling promotions.

Sylvester Ritter

Sylvester Ritter would become one of wrestling’s top attractions in the 1980s as Junkyard Dog. As JYD, Ritter settled for a long successful stay with the WWF in 1984 and left in late 1988. JYD then popped up briefly with WCW on several occasions throughout the years. Mostly, JYD became a popular fixture on the growing American independent scene relying on the reputation he made for himself in Mid-South in the early 1980s. He would stop over again for a time in Memphis during the USWA days first in 1990. Ritter of course worked early in his career for Jerry Jarrett under the name of Sylvester Ritter and later for Nick Gulas under the name Leroy Rochester.  Ritter would pass away in an automobile accident in 1998. His last major wrestling appearance was on an ECW pay-per-view.

The Funk Brothers

Dory Funk, Jr. would not return to the Memphis promotion after his 1988 appearance. Dory would continue to work tours in Japan and select independent dates in the US. Dory and brother Terry made a number of appearances for Jim Cornette’s SMW group and later for Paul Heyman’s ECW. Dory would open up a training facility in Florida that for a time was affiliated with the WWF. In 1993, Dory appeared on the WCW pay-per-view Slamboree and wrestled former AWA champion Nick Bockwinkel to a twenty minute draw. Dory remains active training future wrestling superstars.

In 1989, Terry Funk’s career was revived in the U.S. when he signed with WCW and engaged in a lengthy and exciting feud with NWA champion Nature Boy Ric Flair. Terry would then work for a time as a WCW announcer. In 1990, Terry would return to Memphis as part of a USWA title tournament. Jerry Lawler would win the tournament but Terry would win the title a few weeks later and hold on to it for several months. Terry would return in 1994 for the Monday Night Memories show. In 1995, Terry was inducted into WCW’s Hall of Fame at that year’s Slamboree pay-per-view event. Terry would work for both WCW and the WWF during the 1990s and beyond. He though will likely be best remembered for his incredible runs in ECW including capturing the ECW title on the company’s initial pay-per-view. A portion of the legend that is Terry Funk is captured in the movie Beyond the Mat which highlights the star turn of Memphis veteran Cactus Jack, himself a devotee of Terry Funk.

Tom Renesto

One of wrestling’s top heels as one of the masked Assassins (with Jody Hamilton) became one of the business’s top bookers in the 1970s and into the 1980s. Renesto was responsible for Nick Gulas’ last great promotional run in the old territory in 1978 and 1979 by booking creative angles around Terry Gordy & Michael Hayes, Dutch Mantel, Randy Savage, Ken Lucas, Bobby Eaton, Dennis Condrey and others. In 1985, Renesto got a shot at booking the Memphis territory. Although he wound up not booking the territory totally during his stay, his heel manager role was one of the year’s highlights. Renesto retired from the business totally. In 2000, Tom Renesto passed away after several years of failing health. He was 72 years old.

Stan Frazier

Stan Frazier, one of the area’s long running stars, continued to wrestle into 1990. In February 1990, Frazier wrestled USWA champion Jerry Lawler in Memphis in a title match. It would be one of Frazier’s final major matches. Frazier, who had been Jerry Lawler’s tag partner and later rival, and then had become a variety of characters for the promotion over the years was slowing down due to mounting health problems. Stan Frazier would pass away in Biloxi, Mississippi on July 1, 1992.

Jimmy Hart

After his departure from the promotion in 1985, Hart embarked on a long stay with the WWF. There he managed such stars as The Hart Foundation: Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart, Greg Valentine, The Honky Tonk Man (Memphis vet Wayne Farris), The Nasty Boys: Brian Knobs & Jerry Sags  and others. While Hart never achieved the success in the WWF that he did with Jarrett’s group, his Mouth of the South persona was seen by millions over the years. 

In 1992, as the WWF and the USWA reached a working agreement, one of the first WWF stars to venture to Memphis was Jimmy Hart. Hart returned first via a taped interview and then a few weeks later live in the studio. Hart’s return was to briefly reestablish his long-running feud with Jerry Lawler. Prior to leaving the WWF Hart aligned himself with longtime friend Hulk Hogan (Hart managed Hogan in the territory in 1981) in March 1993. In June 1994 Hulk Hogan debuted with WCW and Hart was in tow. While Hart initially worked with Hogan, he would eventually mostly work as a heel manager for the company and often against Hogan. Much like he had done in his WWF days, Hart also worked behind the scenes in WCW, creating some of the entrance music for various wrestlers. Hart would remain with the company until it was sold to the WWF in 2001. 

In 2001, Hart, along with Dave Brown, Corey Maclin and Jerry Lawler attempted to resurrect Memphis wrestling. They hosted a series of shows in the old Saturday morning time slot that ran clips from the past. The show, Opening the Vault of Classic Memphis Wrestling would be accompanied by a couple of area cards to gauge interest in running a regular promotion again. While at press time that possibility still exists to some degree, Hart also became involved in XWF, a fledgling promotion.

Don Bass & Roger Smith

The tag team that worked many of the major tag team feuds of the 1980s is no more. Roger Smith, who also worked as Dirty Rhodes at various times is retired from the business. His tag partner, Don Bass, still wrestles on occasion. Bass would pop back up in Memphis at various times during the 1990s much like he had the previous fifteen years.

The Welch Family

After Roy Welch’s passing in September 1977, this family still remained a powerful one in the business for many years. Edward Welch, aka Buddy Fuller, worked with Jerry Jarrett for a number of years in the promotion.  Buddy though would eventually get out of the business. He would retire to Pensacola, Florida and dabble in real estate ventures. Buddy Fuller would pass away in 1996 at the age of 71.

Buddy’s sons, Ron and Robert, would continue to make noise in the business. Robert worked in and out of Memphis much of the early 1990s. He also had a brief run with the South Atlantic promotion in the early 1990s. In 1993 he became Colonel Robert Parker and began managing Sid Vicious in WCW. Robert’s managerial run in WCW also saw him manage cousin Jimmy Golden, renamed Bunkhouse Buck, as well as others such as Arn Anderson, Terry Funk and Meng, who worked for Nick Gulas as Prince Tonga but was more well known for his time in the WWF as Haku. Robert would later have a short run with the WWF as Jeff Jarrett’s manager, Tennessee Lee. After his WWF run, Robert would work independents around the South, as would Golden.

Ron mostly shied away from the wrestling business after the Continental promotion folded for good in 1989-90. Previously, though Ron had remained in the business as owner of the Southeastern group in Knoxville until late 1979 and into 1980. Ron also owned the Southeastern promotion in Alabama and ran it under a few different names most of the 1980s. Ron, who had made some shrewd business moves including owning a semi-pro hockey team, would return to the mat game and run weekly cards in the summer of 2000 in Knoxville. The cards often included talent imported from the Ohio Valley promotion, which had WWF ties, and would also include many Southern wrestling vets such as The Bullet (Bob Armstrong), The Dirty White Boy (Tony Anthony), Jimmy Golden, Buddy Landell and more. Ron would make an appearance in 2001 on the Birmingham Terry Gordy Memorial show. Ron would appear as manager for his son, Chad, who teamed with Bob & Scott Armstrong to battle Robert Fuller, Jimmy Golden & Jerry Stubbs. Ron & Chad would turn heel on the Armstrongs as another generation of one of wrestling’s most prominent families made his ring debut.

Jimmy Golden wrestled for most of the prominent Southern independent promotions in the 1990s. He did hook back up with cousin Robert Fuller for a run as The Stud Stable in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. Later, Golden would debut for WCW as Bunkhouse Buck, a persona he would use on the independent circuit after leaving WCW. Golden still works independent cards in the South at the time of this writing. He resides just outside Knoxville.

Herb Welch passed away in March 1999. At the time of this writing, Lester Welch is alive and has attended the Gulf Coast Wrestlers reunion which is held each March.

Don and Al Greene

The first Heavenly Bodies combination likely spanned the most years together as a tag team in the area dating back to the late 1950s until the mid 1970s. The Greenes likely faced every top tag team in the old Gulas-Welch circuit. Both have since retired from the business and live in the Nashville area although they both have made appearances over the years at fan reunions.

Tommy Rich

Tommy was one of Jerry Jarrett’s main stars in 1977 when he opened his own office. Tommy would of course achieve great success elsewhere over the years. Rich though would come back to Tennessee in the 1990s fairly regularly to create havoc again. Rich often teamed with Doug Gilbert. In 1995, Tommy’s mother, Peggy, returned to the Memphis TV show (she appeared in a memorable 1980 angle which helped turn Tommy into a fan favorite again and turn Jimmy Valiant and Tojo Yamamoto into heels). Peggy used spray paint on Wolfie D to heat up the Rich & Doug Gilbert feud with PG-13. Although he had a run with WCW in the early 1990s, Rich is likely better remembered by newer fans for his run in ECW in the late 1990s.

Austin Idol

Austin Idol would pop into Memphis for many years but rarely on a regular basis. Idol usually came back in for special appearances as Jerry Lawler’s tag partner. Idol remained in the Gulf Coast area where he lives now. In 1993, Idol briefly tried running a promotion in South Alabama called USA Wrestling. The promotion failed after about a month. Idol rarely makes any wrestling related appearances and did not appear on any of the most recent nostalgia shows in Tennessee or Alabama.

Buddy and Ken Wayne

Although he worked as a wrestler and manager for both Nick Gulas and Jerry Jarrett for years, Buddy Wayne was one of the more prominent town promoters Jerry Jarrett employed. Wayne, who also wrestled under his real name of Dwayne Peale, often ran cards in a number of cities and small towns for Jarrett for many years and had done the same for Nick Gulas and Roy Welch prior to the 1977 split. Wayne is now retired from the business and lives in Memphis.

Buddy’s son, Ken, who worked the area as Ken Wayne, Speed, one of the Nightmares (1984), one of the Galaxians, Tiger Mask and a few other masked gimmicks, still works the occasional independent card in the South. Another son, Greg, worked some for the promotion in the 1990s as a referee. Greg’s wife, Vicki, worked for the promotion on some occasions billed as Viscous Vicki.

Guy Coffey

Another longtime institution with Memphis wrestling, Coffey retired from the business several years ago. Coffey served the promotion in various capacities over the years and has appeared at various legends cards promoted in the area.

Jerry Calhoun and Paul Morton

The most recognizable referees for the promotion during it’s glory years are both no longer involved in the business. Calhoun lives in west Tennessee while Morton lives in the Nashville area.

Jerry Jarrett

Jerry Jarrett would continue to co-own the promotion with Jerry Lawler. Jarrett though began taking a mostly hands-off approach with the promotion. At times, he was sought after for a creative job with WCW but it was the WWF who would eventually call. In 1992 Jarrett and Vince McMahon began a working relationship that saw some WWF talent stop over in the Memphis territory for awhile. This allowed the area’s two top stars, Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett, to make in-roads in the WWF.

Over time Jarrett would sign on with the WWF and was in place to help run the company from a creative standpoint in the days when Vince McMahon faced the steroid trial. Jarrett remained on as a consultant before returning to Memphis. He would also work for a time as a consultant to WCW. Jarrett would sell his end of the Memphis promotion, which would, over time, prove to be the final straw in the continuation of the promotion. Jarrett would branch out into the construction business and become successful in that endeavor. At times though his name reappears as having interest in working with a wrestling promotion again. Prior to the WWF buying WCW, Jarrett and a group had worked up a plan to buy WCW but the proposal fell  through. In 2002, Jarrett reached an agreement with the InDemand pay-per-view company to promote weekly wrestling shows on pay-per-view which will likely highlight Jeff Jarrett. At press time, the future of this endeavor is still up in the air.

“Monday Night Memories”

Found a program tucked back in my drawer.  
It was faded, it was torn. 
I couldn’t wait ‘til I looked inside 
Some are gone, some are still alive 

I watched them every Saturday on TV
I couldn’t wait ‘til they climbed in the ring
Monday night memories are all I have to remind me of you

Jerry Lawler, he’s the king
Austin Idol, Superstar Dundee
Handsome Jimmy, he’s so cool
Jimmy Hart, acting like a silly fool

I watched them every Saturday on TV
I couldn’t wait ‘til they climbed in the ring
Monday night memories are all I have to remind me of you

Jackie Fargo said ‘Put up your dukes’
The girls thought the Fabulous Ones were cute
Sputnik Monroe, Don and Al Greene
The Gilberts and The Funks, I thought they were so mean

I watched them every Saturday on TV
I couldn’t wait ‘til they climbed in the ring
Monday night memories are all I have to remind me of you

Jerry Jarrett, Tojo Yamamoto, when he died it hurt me so
Eddie Marlin, Buddy Wayne, Guy Coffey, hope they never change
Lance Russell, they call banana nose
Dave Brown was his sidekick, everybody knows

Monday night memories are all I have to remind me of you
Monday night memories are all I have to remind me of you.
ã Words by Jimmy Hart, 1994

Dedicated

As this article was being written, Troy Thompson, better known to area fans as The Dream Machine Troy Graham, passed away at the age of 47 in Memphis. This article is dedicated to his memory and the memories he made for many wrestling fans.

Special note

Due to the nature of life and the business of professional wrestling, the information contained in Aftermath, Part One and Aftermath, Part Two will change over time. The articles were written in the early part of 2002 and reflect information available at that time. 

NEXT MONTH: