Hello wrestling fans... my name is Dennis McCaslin, and I am the new regional correspondent for the Tri-State promotion that thrived in the Arkansas/Oklahoma/Louisiana region for a fantastic 20 year run under the guidance of the legendary Leroy McGuirk.

The cards in Fort Smith were originally held in the National Guard Armory and moved to the Jimmy Lott Sports Arena –located in the 500 block of Towson Avenue – sometime in the late 60’s. The weekly Wednesday matches were held until the early 70’s when Jimmy and Stella Lott finally retired and moved to Florida.

My father worked for Lott in Fort Smith for a number of years, in the late 60's and early 70's. I also worked the arena as a pre-teen and teenager, doing everything from concessions to cleaning dressing rooms.

I carried the robes back to the dressing room for Danny Hodge, "Cowboy" Bill Watts, Skandor Akbar, Treach Phillips, Sputnik Monroe, "Fireman" Red McKim, Silento Rodriquez, Johnny War Eagle, Buck Robley, "Professor" Dale Lewis, and many other greats of the era. I served as a timekeeper at the age of 13 when the regular time-keeper didn't show. By the time I was 14, I could set up a ring and tear one down by myself.

Regional wrestling in our area died out about the time I graduated from high school. For years, I was out of contact with the world of wrestling except for the televised matches from Atlanta and the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

As an adult, I have promoted professional boxing and ultimate fighting cards in Fort Smith and the surrounding area, but have longed for the day when I could either start up or become a part of a small promotion that would promote local wrestling cards on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the market just doesn’t seem to be there anymore, which is a sad realization when you consider the rich history of the sport in this area over the years.