- Jason Hess

Houston Wrestling

Hello Kayfabe Memories fans!!!  Welcome to the first installment of Houston Wrestling on KayfabeMemories.com.  My name is Jason Hess, and I hope that you enjoy our look back on a very unique area of professional wrestling that was at times red hot, and at times, real cold.  As you scroll down this first installment, you will understand the uniqueness of Houston Wrestling, a brief history, and the main players that brought Houston Wrestling to the fans.

Uniqueness of Houston Wrestling:  

Houston Wrestling was unique in the territorial days, because it was almost a territory within a territory until 1986.  Although Houston Wrestling was affiliated with Bill Watts’ Mid-South territory, it was not uncommon to find stars from other territories to come in for cards, and run mini-feuds solely for Houston.  During their respective title reigns, Harley Race, Ric Flair, Bob Backlund, and Nick Bockwinkel all made appearances at the bi-weekly Houston Wrestling cards.  In fact, Ric Flair and Nick Bockwinkel made title defenses within the same year.  As well, Houston had (has) a large Mexican community, and Mexican legends Mil Mascaras and Dos Caras were regulars on Houston Wrestling cards.  North Texas stalwarts such as Johnny Valentine, Fritz Von Erich, and later the Von Erich brothers were frequent guests in Houston, receiving great crowd responses.  Another unique feature was that Houston Wrestling would show matches from the syndicated Mid-South show, and matches from Houston house shows, complete with promos and all!!!  It was the best of both worlds, as we saw some of the best wrestlers from Mid-South, and some of the best wrestlers in the world. Houston Wrestling was truly unique!!  

A Brief History of Houston Wrestling in the 1980’s: