Welcome to the initial installment of Tri-State wrestling memories. My name is Bob Miller, and I have been both a wrestling observer and writer for most of my 43 years. Over the next several issues, I hope to give fans who may have heard about this part of southern rasslin' history a broader appreciation for what I have always believed to be the best of all the independent NWA promotions.

The geographic area of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, referred to hereafter as the Tri-State region, was home to some of the finest pro wrestling of the 20th century (Note: Mississippi towns were added to the promotions arm later in its history, but the term "Quad-States" doesn't seem appropriate). Many of the seminal names of the modern version of the sport - Thesz, Lewis, Rogers, Gorgeous George, to name a few - spent significant time wrestling in the large arenas and small armories that comprised the precursor to this far-flung territory during the 40's and 50's. The Tri-State area was also the cradle for the development of future greats of wrestling, numbering among these Danny Hodge, Bill Watts, Jack Brisco and Ted DiBiase.

These hallmarks are noteworthy on their own merits, but do little to convey the enjoyment that so many thousands of wrestling fans experienced during the heyday of Tri-State wrestling. As a fan who attended weekly matches for almost 12 years, I can assert that though the talent rosters may have been more star-studded in other territories, the effort put forth by wrestlers to entertain the fans in this region was matchless. Whether selling out 8000 seats in the Tulsa Convention Center, or playing to 55 in a converted auto repair barn in Mena, Arkansas, these boys were masters of the art of sending them home buzzing.

The region first became a singular entity during the '50's under the influence of the Tulsa promoter Leroy McGuirk. He had been a star wrestler for local promoters for many years, and had held the Jr. Heavyweight Title for eleven years. His career came to an unfortunate end in 1950 due to losing his eyesight in an auto accident. The then Tulsa promoter, Sam Avey, brought McGuirk on as an apprentice to learn the business, then finally sold it to him.  More...