Appearing in area rings during this time were stars such as Giant Frazier, Les Thatcher, Bob Hamby, The Masked Satin Medics, Ron Hayes & Don Hayes, Al Greene, Jerry Myatt, Jack Smith, The Masked Blue Shadow, Corsica Joe, Bobby Jones, Rip & Slim: The Scufflin' Hillbillies, Herb Welch, Don Greene, Mack York, The Masked Blue Terror, Frankie Cain, Rowdy Red Roberts, Jackie Fargo, Mephisto & Dante, The Masked El Diablo, Johnny Swift Arrow, Ray Lewis and more.

Cora Combs appeared at this time billed as U.S. Ladies champion. Challenging Combs at this time were such stars as Carmen Monge and Kathy Branch. Branch was married to wrestler Tom Renesto, who worked elsewhere as a tag partner to Jody Hamilton. Together, Renesto & Hamilton were known as The Masked Assassins.

Among the hottest feuds in the area at the time were the battles pitting The Masked Mighty Yankees against varying combinations of Dennis Hall, Ken Lucas & Johnny Walker. On the western end, Herb Welch feuded hot and heavy against Don Greene.

Debuting in much of the territory during this time was Jerry Jarrett. Jarrett's mother, Christine, worked in the Nashville office of promoters Nick Gulas and Roy Welch. Jerry had worked as a referee and promoting spot shows for Gulas and Welch. A detailed interview with Jerry Jarrett discussing his early days in the business is on-line here at Kayfabe Memories.  

Nashville , Tennessee , Wednesday, January 29, 1969

·        The Masked Mighty Yankees I, II & III vs. Johnny Walker, Len Rossi & Dennis Hall

·        Don Greene vs. Tojo Yamamoto

·        Ken Lucas vs. Johnny Long

·        Les Thatcher vs. Jack Smith (billed as an ex-Blue Demon)  

Memphis , Tennessee Auditorium, Monday, February 24, 1969

·        Indian Chain Match: Herb Welch over Don Greene

·        Little Bruiser over Cowboy Lang

·        Joe Sky & Bill Sky over Mack York & The Blue Terror

·        Ken Lucas, Dennis Hall & Johnny Walker over The Masked Mighty Yankees I, II & III  

Chattanooga , Tennessee Memorial Auditorium, Thursday, March 13, 1969

·        The Masked Mighty Yankees (Southern tag champions) lose titles to Johnny Walker & Ken Lucas

·        Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long (World tag champions) lose titles to Len Rossi & Don Carson-2/3 falls

·        Jackie Fargo over The Masked El Diablo

·        The Great Mephisto over Les Thatcher

·        Attendance: 5086  

Title changes and controversies during January-March 1969

January 6

·        The Southern tag titles are won by The Masked Mighty Yankees as they trip Bobby Fields & Lee Fields in Memphis .  

January 18

·        In Chattanooga , The Masked Mighty Yankees lose the Southern tag titles to Ken Lucas & Dennis Hall. TV announcer and Chattanooga co-promoter Harry Thornton served as special referee for the match. The Yankees would regain the titles before month's end although the switch back to the masked team has gone undocumented as of press time. If the switch back to the Yankees did not occur, which is also possible, then the promotion were using the Yankees as tag champions in cities where title switches had yet to occur and would switch them in those cities later.  

February 2

·        Ken Lucas & Johnny Walker win the Southern tag titles from The Masked Mighty Yankees in Memphis . The Yankees would regain the titles shortly thereafter again in a probable undocumented title change.  

February 27

·        Joe Sky & Bill Sky trounce The Masked Mighty Yankees in Lexington , Kentucky to win the Southern tag titles. The Yankees would regain the titles in early March in another probable undocumented title change.  

March 12

·        In Nashville , Joe Sky & Bill Sky regain the Southern tag titles by downing The Masked Mighty Yankees.  

March 13

·        Despite the title change in Nashville the previous night, Johnny Walker & Ken Lucas down The Masked Mighty Yankees, who entered the match billed as champions, to capture the Southern tag titles in Chattanooga .

·        Len Rossi & Don Carson win the World tag titles in Chattanooga by defeating Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long.  

April-May 1969

The World tag titles were in the possession of Len Rossi & Don Carson until the masked team of Mephisto & Dante won them. Mephisto & Dante were the latest team with Gentleman Saul Weingeroff as manager. The masked team though dropped them to Rossi and his new partner Johnny Walker. Weingeroff's team regained the belts then lost them to Walker & Bearcat Brown. Mephisto & Dante regained the belts before June ended.

The Southern tag titles began this quarter held in some limbo. On April 28 in Memphis , Johnny Walker & Bob Ramstad downed Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long to lay claim to the titles. Yamamoto & Long would snatch back the titles in May then lose them to Walker & The Sundown Kid before regaining them in June.

Tojo Yamamoto did make some Southern Junior Heavyweight title defenses in the area during this three month span.

Others working on cards for promoters Nick Gulas and Roy Welch were such as The Masked Mighty Yankees, Dennis Hall, Ken Lucas, Ken Lucas, Ray Lewis, Eddie Marlin, Ray Duran, Jesse Morales, Johnny Swift Arrow, Jerry Myatt, Mike Demetral, Al Greene, Jim Hyde, Lee Hyde, Corsica Joe, Joe Sky, Danny Dusek, The Masked Destroyers, Chief White Eagle, Jerry Jarrett, Eddie Sullivan, The Mongol, Mr. Ota and more.

The fabulous ladies of the mat world also worked some in the area at this time. Among those working area cards were Diamond Lil, Little Darling Dagmar, Ramona Isbell, Marva Scott, Cora Combs and Ann Jeanette. Male midget stars Little Bruiser and Wee Willie Wilson worked some at this time.

Likely the hottest feud in the area at this time was between the masked combination of Mephisto & Dante with manager Gentleman Saul Weingeroff against Len Rossi & Johnny Walker . In some cities the feud pitted Mephisto & Dante against Rossi & reformed heel Don Carson.

During this time frame and throughout 1969 and over the next few years, several of the regulars from John Cazana's Knoxville promotion appeared some from time to time for Gulas-Welch. The popular Whitey Caldwell was among those who worked some for Gulas-Welch, mostly in cities on the east end of the territory such as Chattanooga and Huntsville . Also appearing were the team of Ron and Don Hayes. For some reason the promotion used the last name of "Hayes" for these two mat veterans who were better known in Knoxville, and later in cities where they appeared for Gulas-Welch, as Ron and Don Wright. As Ron Hayes, Wright received a pretty good push in some cities including a shot at newly crowned NWA champion Dory Funk, Jr. in March in Chattanooga . Later on, Knoxville veterans such as Rick Conner, Ed Wolfe and Tony Peters would work some for Gulas-Welch. Of course, Knoxville promoter John Cazana supplemented his Knoxville cards with Gulas-Welch booked talent over the years. An example of a typical Knoxville card, one closely associated with the Gulas-Welch territory although not officially part of it, during this time frame is included below.

The area's first regular African-American headliner made plenty of waves in the area beginning during the mid-year of 1969. Bearcat Brown copped the World tag titles with partner Johnny Walker during this time. Brown, of course, had worked off and on in the area in previous years under the name of Matt Jewell. Although such African-American stars such as Tiger Conway, Luther Lindsay, Tom Jones and Art Thomas had worked in the area over the years they were usually pitted against each other and rarely against other headliners of a different skin color (there were a handful of exceptions). With Brown's ascent to the top of the cards he would be paired with fan favorites of a different skin color and against those of a different skin color making him the first regular African-American headliner for the Gulas-Welch promotion. Although he formed a successful team with Johnny Walker during the summer of 1969, it would be in the fall when Brown would find his best known tag mate when he was paired with Len Rossi. Rossi & Brown rank as one of the area's top tag teams and maybe the most popular tag team ever in Birmingham .         

Chattanooga Tennessee , Memorial Auditorium, Thursday, April 10, 1969

·        Mephisto & Dante managed by Saul Weingeroff<<no contest>>Len Rossi & Johnny Walker

·        The Masked Mighty Yankees over Ray Lewis & Ken Lucas

·        Tojo Yamamoto over Ray Duran

·        Bob Ramstad over Jesse Morales

·        Attendance: 5240  

Chattanooga Tennessee , Memorial Auditorium, Saturday, May 31, 1969

·        Southern tag titles vs. beard of Yamamoto & hair of Long:  Johnny Walker & Bob Ramstad (Southern tag champions) lost to Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long-2/3 falls

·        Len Rossi & Don Carson over The Masked Destroyers

·        Ray Lewis drew with Chief White Eagle (advertised as The Masked Mighty Yankee II vs. Ray Lewis)

·        Jerry Jarrett over The Masked Destroyer (advertised as Jerry Jarrett vs. Chief Little Wolf)  

Chattanooga Tennessee , Memorial Auditorium, Saturday, June 21, 1969

·        Mephisto & Dante (World tag champions) lose titles to Johnny Walker & Bearcat Brown

·        The Masked Destroyers over Len Rossi & Ray Lewis in two straight falls

·        Tojo Yamamoto over Corsica Joe

·        Johnny Long over Jerry Jarrett (advertised as Long vs. Ken Russell)

·        Attendance: a new record of 6481. The previous record of 6022 is reported as having stood for 32 years.  

Knoxville , Tennessee Chilhowee Park , Friday, June 27, 1969

·        Whitey Caldwell & Les Thatcher over Ron Wright & Don Wright-Ron loses his hair

·        Don Greene & Valentino over The Masked Destroyer & Sandor Jackson

·        Ed Wolfe over The Bulgarian Lion  

Title changes and controversies during April-June 1969

April 26

·        Mephisto & Dante with manager Gentleman Saul Weingeroff defeat Len Rossi & Don Carson in Chattanooga to win the World tag titles.  

Late April

·        Johnny Walker & Bob Ramstead are recognized as Southern tag champions.  

May 19

·        Memphis mat fans eyewitness Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long wrestle the Southern tag titles away from Johnny Walker & Bob Ramstead.  

June 9

·        Johnny Walker & The Sundown Kid travel to Memphis to upend Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long for the Southern tag titles.  

June 16

·        Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long regain the Southern tag titles with a Memphis win over Johnny Walker & The Sundown Kid.  

June 21

·        Johnny Walker & Bearcat Brown win the World tag titles in Chattanooga by pasting Mephisto & Dante.  

June 28

·        Mephisto & Dante regain the World tag titles in Chattanooga by defeating Johnny Walker & Bearcat Brown.  

July-September 1969

The Southern tag titles began this time period in the hands of Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long. Johnny Walker & Dennis Hall would capture the belts for a time. There is some evidence to suggest Walker & Hall dropped the belts back to Yamamoto & Long in September although such a title change has not been uncovered in research.

Johnny Walker & Bearcat Brown downed Mephisto & Dante to win the World tag titles in July. Before this feud ended Dante was unmasked as Eddie Baker. By September, the Masked Spoilers copped the championship although whether they defeated Walker & Brown for the title isn't clear.

The Southern Junior Heavyweight title appears dormant during this time frame. Cora Combs did defend the U.S. Ladies title in the area though.

Wrestlers working the circuit at this time included newly crowned NWA champion Dory Funk, Jr., Roughhouse Fargo, Les Thatcher, The Masked Destroyers, Mr. Ota, Jim McDonald, Mack York, Eddie Sullivan, Len Rossi, Gentleman Saul Weingeroff, Jerry Jarrett, Bobby Jones, Don Carson, Rex Allen, Don Barnes, Jim Dalton, Buddy Hackney, Guillotine Gordon, The Masked El Diablos, Dick Dunn, Chief Little Wolf, Buddy Wayne, Mike Pappas, Leon Ogle, Duke Savage, Corsica Joe, Bobby Pitts, Don Greene, Professor Ito, Jackie Fargo, Ramon Torres and others.

Boxing great Joe Louis worked some area cards again as a special referee. Special attractions such as Ann Jeanette, Barbara Galento, Wee Willie Wilson, Bobo Johnson, Mighty Atom and Little Bruiser also were active in the territory at this time.

The feud on top during the summer involved Mephisto & Dante with Gentleman Saul Weingeroff as their manager against Johnny Walker & Bearcat Brown. As the fall crept in, Brown cemented his tag team with Len Rossi and they began a feud against The Masked Spoilers.

Certain cities in the territory seemed to be privy to certain talent that rarely made visits to other cities on the circuit. While Whitey Caldwell and Ron & Don Wright often appeared on cards close to the John Cazana Knoxville promotion, Memphis often saw veteran Herb Welch on a fairly exclusive basis. Birmingham often saw Tom Drake exclusively. Buddy Wayne often worked on the western ( Memphis ) and southern ( Birmingham ) ends of the territory as he often promoted towns in those areas. He also worked some under the name Dwayne Peale.  

Chattanooga Tennessee Memorial Auditorium, Saturday, July 26, 1969

·        Bullwire match, titles vs. leaving the state, special referee:  Dennis Hall:  Johnny Walker & Bearcat Brown (World tag champions) over Mephisto & ex-Dante Eddie Baker-Baker loses deciding fall, so he must leave

·        Titles & $300 vs. masks, no time limit, no DQ:  Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long (Southern tag champions) over The Masked Destroyers-unmasked as Jim Dalton & Buddy Hackney

·        Dennis Hall over Rex Allen

·        Mr. Ota over Don Carson

·        Len Rossi drew with Eddie Sullivan (advertised as Pat Kelly vs. Eddie Sullivan)

·        Attendance: 5161  

Chattanooga Tennessee Engel Stadium, Saturday, August 9, 1969

·        Non-title match:  Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long (Southern tag champions) lost to Johnny Walker & Bearcat Brown-2/3 falls

·        Dennis Hall & Les Thatcher over Guillotine Gordon & Eddie Sullivan

·        Mr. Ota over Jim Dalton

·        Les Thatcher drew with Eddie Sullivan

·        Attendance: 5011  

Birmingham , Alabama City Auditorium, Monday, September 22, 1969

·        Loser must unmask, no time limit, no DQ: The Masked Spoilers managed by Saul Weingeroff over The Masked Mighty Yankees-unmasked as Pepe Lopez & Tony Russo

·        Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long (Southern tag champions) were DQed against Dennis Hall & Johnny Walker

·        Len Rossi & Bearcat Brown over Mr. Ota & Professor Ito

·        Saul Weingeroff over Don Carson

·        Attendance: 5082

·        Next week: NWA champion Dory Funk, Jr.  

Title changes and controversies during July-September 1969

July 5

·        In Chattanooga , Johnny Walker & Bearcat Brown trip Mephisto & Dante to regain the World tag titles.  

August 11

·        Johnny Walker & Dennis Hall whip Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long in Memphis to win the Southern tag titles.  

September

·        The Masked Spoilers managed by Gentleman Saul Weingeroff are recognized as World tag champions.  

Late September

·        Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long are recognized as Southern tag champions.  

October-December 1969

The Southern tag titles were held by either Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long or Johnny Walker & Dennis Hall as October began. Yamamoto & Long were billed as champions on cards on the eastern end in late September while it isn't clear if those cities recognized the title run of Walker & Hall around the same time. The veteran team of Don Greene & Al Greene won the titles in Memphis during the first week of October when they downed Walker & Hall. A few weeks later, Jackie Fargo & Dennis Hall win the belts from the Greenes. The Greenes would rebound to take the titles back before losing them to Les Thatcher & Bearcat Brown. Undeterred, the Greenes would down Thatcher & Brown but would lose the titles to the unusual team of a babyface Hall & Johnny Long, who worked as a heel most of his career. Long & Hall though were short-lived champions and lost the titles back to the Greenes before the year ended.

The Masked Spoilers were World tag champions at this point in 1969. They were upended though by Len Rossi & Bearcat Brown. There is some evidence to suggest that Buddy Wayne & Bob Ramstad held the tag titles at some point late in 1969, especially on the Birmingham end of the promotion.

The Southern Junior Heavyweight title again appears dormant at this point in the territory. Ron Wright & Don Wright did defend the Tennessee tag championship in some Tennessee cities. This championship was usually only defended in Knoxville and on cards run by promoter John Cazana.

Stars traveling the circuit at this time included Rick Sanchez, Jimmy Golden, Jerry Myatt, The Masked Green Shadow, Gentleman Saul Weingeroff, Bob Armstrong, Danny Dusek, Eddie Marlin, Chief Little Wolf, Mike Pappas, Dick Dunn, Giant Frazier, Duke Savage, Mack York, Ray Duran, Professor Ito, Eddie Sullivan, Jim Dalton, Rex Allen, The Masked Black Monster, The Masked Black Menace, Pepe Lopez, Rip Tyler, Randy Tyler, Darrell Cochran, Jerry Jarrett, Crusher Kowalski, Sam Bass, Carlos Montes, Tony Russo, Rick Miller, Nick Adams, George Harris, Frank Martinez and more.

Also working in the area at this time were Little Darling Dagmar, Diamond Lil, Donna Christanello, Rita Boucher and Gentleman Ben the Wrestling Bear.

The hottest feud in the area during this time was likely the continuation of the feud between The Masked Spoilers and Len Rossi & Bearcat Brown. In mid-November, Tojo Yamamoto turned face in part of the territory and began feuding against the Spoilers with a variety of partners.

Another interesting attraction working the various territories during 1969 was the tag team of George Strickland and Dr. Sam Sheppard. Sheppard discovered his pregnant wife murdered on Independence Day 1954. Prior to Christmas of 1954, an Ohio jury returned a guilty verdict for second degree murder and Sheppard was sentenced to life in prison. A series of appeals were attempted and failed. In 1966 though the United States Supreme Court ruled Sheppard's 1954 trial was not fair. At Sheppard's retrial, he was found not guilty and was released from prison. The publicity surrounding the crime and related events made Sheppard something of a celebrity. Sheppard's plight inspired the TV show The Fugitive. After his release, Sheppard would eventually marry the sister of wrestler George Strickland. Strickland was a ring veteran. During 1969, Shepherd joined his brother-in-law and traveled various wrestling territories as something of a sideshow attraction as fans were encouraged to come see the famous or infamous, depending on your view of the ordeal, Sheppard. Shepherd's finishing maneuver was the mandible claw, made famous a few decades later by the WWF's Mankind. Although Sheppard & Strickland worked many of the territories, their value as a drawing card was mainly limited to a one-time deal. In April of 1970, just a few short months removed from the appearance in the area by Strickland & Sheppard, Sheppard would die. Strickland would work in the area, generally low on cards, throughout the next few years.

One of the watershed moments for the territory occurred in November 1969 when longtime heel Tojo Yamamoto turned into a fan favorite. Likely, he turned differently in different cities. In Chattanooga , Yamamoto rescued fan favorite Dennis Hall from an attack from Gentleman Saul Weingeroff's Masked Spoilers. The move aligned Yamamoto with Hall and Bob Armstrong in various combinations against Weingeroff and his team over the next few months. The move also briefly turned Yamamoto's regular tag partner, Johnny Long, into a fan favorite for a brief time also. In Memphis (at a later time), Yamamoto turned in a clever way. Upstart Jerry Jarrett began making noticeable improvement in-ring. When queried by announcer Lance Russell, Jarrett refused to divulge his new mentor. That mentor was revealed to be Yamamoto after Jarrett was attacked on TV by Don & Al Greene and Yamamoto rescued him. Yamamoto, one of the territory's leading heel attractions became a beloved fan favorite with these moves and the team of Yamamoto & Jarrett would stretch forth in storylines for this promotion and into Jarrett's subsequent promotion for several more decades. 

Chattanooga Tennessee Memorial Auditorium, Thursday, October 2, 1969

·        Titles vs. masks:  Len Rossi & Bearcat Brown (World tag champions) lost titles to The Masked Spoilers managed by Saul Weingeroff-2/3 falls

·        Johnny Walker drew with The Masked Mighty Yankee I

·        Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long over Dennis Hall & Rick Sanchez (advertised as Yamamoto & Long vs. Hall & Les Thatcher)

·        Jimmy Golden ( Chattanooga debut) over Jerry Myatt  

Birmingham , Alabama , Sunday, November 3, 1969

·        The Masked Spoilers managed by Gentleman Saul Weingeroff (World tag champions) vs. Tojo Yamamoto & Johnny Long

·        Ten round boxing match: Len Rossi vs. Eddie Sullivan

·        Buddy Wayne & Bob Ramstad vs. Professor Ito & Jim Dalton

·        George Strickland & Dr. Sam Sheppard vs. Gentleman Saul Weingeroff & Duke Savage.  

Chattanooga Tennessee Memorial Auditorium, Thursday, December 11, 1969

·        Masks at stake:  The Masked Spoilers managed by Saul Weingeroff over Dennis Hall & Bob Armstrong seconded by Tojo Yamamoto

·        Johnny Long & Tony Russo over Ron Wright & Don Wright

·        Crusher Kowalski over Rex Allen

·        Mike Pappas over Rick Miller  

Title changes and controversies during October-December 1969

October 2

·        Len Rossi & Bearcat Brown spoil the evening for Saul Weingeroff's Spoilers in Chattanooga by lifting the World tag titles from the masked team.  

Early October

·        Don Greene & Al Greene are recognized as Southern tag champions.  

October 20

·        Jackie Fargo & Dennis Hall defeat Don Greene & Al Greene for the Southern tag titles in a Memphis match.  

November 3

·        Don Greene & Al Greene regain the Southern tag titles in Memphis by topping Jackie Fargo & Dennis Hall.  

November 10

·        In Memphis , Les Thatcher & Bearcat Brown capture the Southern tag titles from Don Greene & Al Greene.  

November 15

·        On Chattanooga TV, the Masked Spoilers pummel Dennis Hall. Hall is rescued by longtime heel Tojo Yamamoto. Yamamoto's turn places him in a feud against the masked team and their manager Gentleman Saul Weingeroff, Yamamoto's former manager.  

November 17

·        Don Greene & Al Greene get the Southern tag titles back by defeating Les Thatcher & Bearcat Brown in Memphis .  

December 15

·        Dennis Hall & Johnny Long get past Don Greene & Al Greene in Memphis to win the Southern tag titles.  

December 23

·        Don Greene & Al Greene pound Dennis Hall & Johnny Long to win the Southern tag titles in Memphis .  

Also

·        During the year, a U.S. tag championship was featured on some area cards. Research has not determined the exact lineage of the championship at this time. Among those teams recognized as holding this title during the year were Les Thatcher & Bearcat Brown, The Masked Mighty Yankees and Les Thatcher & Dennis Hall.  

Title Histories

Courtesy of Duncan & Will's Wrestling Title Histories and The Great Hisa's Puroresu Dojo web site http://www.wrestling-titles.com/  

Thanks

Edsel Harrison and David Williamson  

Further information on the Dr. Sam Sheppard case can be located at Court TV's web site: http://161.58.153.3/sheppard/ which served as a resource for the information presented here.

NEXT MONTH:

1970