Wrestling

[mississippi fan]

Down here in Central Mississippi back in the 1970s we have Tri-States (McGuirk-Watts), then Mid-South then UWF carried out of Jackson, Miss. We had the Mobile, Ala. promotion Gulf Coast Wrestling airing on several South Mississippi tv stations until 1977. The independent ICW for 2 years that ran statewide until late 1979. The we got syndicated WWF, World Class, Memphis, Continental (Alabama) in the mid to late 1980's. Then everything was off of cable then the satellite.

 

[oldvnewschool]

Growing up in Nashville we had local wrestling sent via videotape until 1997 from WMC-TV 5. Then several local promotions tried for up to 15 years to only fail to get tv traction. Other than that: WWE, WCW, ECW, Impact, ROH, AWA, MLW

 

[CTListener]

Growing up in Nashville we had local wrestling sent via videotape until 1997 from WMC-TV 5. Then several local promotions tried for up to 15 years to only fail to get tv traction. Other than that: WWE, WCW, ECW, Impact, ROH, AWA, MLW

The Memphis promotion also ran its TV show in Louisville and Evansville, all using the same tapes from WMC with interviews advancing weekly Memphis angles replaced with material that would tie in with what the promotion was doing locally. WMC aired wrestling live on Saturday mornings in a 90-minute format, but the tapes to the other cities were edited down to 60. Lots of late '70s/early '80s Memphis wrestling is available on YouTube, much of it recorded on a home VCR by a young Jim Cornette in Louisville -- Cornette, of course, became a major star in the business as a manager and later behind the scenes.

 

[LibSuperstar]

The Memphis promotion also ran its TV show in Louisville and Evansville, all using the same tapes from WMC with interviews advancing weekly Memphis angles replaced with material that would tie in with what the promotion was doing locally. WMC aired wrestling live on Saturday mornings in a 90-minute format, but the tapes to the other cities were edited down to 60. Lots of late '70s/early '80s Memphis wrestling is available on YouTube, much of it recorded on a home VCR by a young Jim Cornette in Louisville -- Cornette, of course, became a major star in the business as a manager and later behind the scenes.

Speaking of Cornette do you listen to his podcasts Drive-Thru or Experience? He talks about his time in Memphis often. Also, I was curious what were the top tag teams during the WWWF yrs? I know of the Wild Samoans, Valiant Brothers and Mr. Fuji/Prof. Toru Tanaka.

 

[Mr Tony]

Speaking of Cornette do you listen to his podcasts Drive-Thru or Experience?

When I see the words "Cornette" and "Drive Thru" all I think back is when he went nuts at the Dairy Queen in Hyden, KY after a show that was "heavily promoted" locally and did a massive 300 people at the Richard M Nixon center. As it says "After a Smoky Mountain Wrestling show in 1994 6 Hungry Men Jimmy Del Rey, Jim Cornette, The Thrillseekers (Chris Jericho and Lance Storm), J.R. Benson, and Ron Hed set out on a journey for food reaching there destination.....Dairy Queen. They order food and wait in line for 20 minutes to learn that the workers have not fixed there food yet because they thought it was a rib and Corny goes off."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WngpAHJNDhQ

 

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

And in the late '60s, the Boston Globe always listed the wrestling show that aired on Sunday afternoon on WMUR Manchester, NH, as "Big Time Wrestling." But it wasn't -- it was the WWWF show from Washington, DC, which was titled "Heavyweight Wrestling."

Yup, Sunday afternoons at 1pm on WMUR, all during the 70-80s!
But I thought I read somewhere that that auditorium was in (Allentown?) PA somewhere?

I watch WWE I have tried to watch others and they seem lame. I’m speaking of their acting part, when they do all that show boating. Even the ring announcers sound boring.

Yes! The only other wrestling show I remember was on WTBS (WCW/GCW) with Gordon Solie (with the ring in-studio?)—boy, was that LAME!!!

 

[LibSuperstar]

If anybody is interested in submitting nominations for my WWE-based HOF PM me.

When I see the words "Cornette" and "Drive Thru" all I think back is when he went nuts at the Dairy Queen in Hyden, KY after a show that was "heavily promoted" locally and did a massive 300 people at the Richard M Nixon center. As it says "After a Smoky Mountain Wrestling show in 1994 6 Hungry Men Jimmy Del Ray, Jim Cornette, The Thrillseekers (Chris Jericho and Lance Storm), J.R. Benson, and Ron Hed set out on a journey for food reaching there destination.....Dairy Queen. They order food and wait in line for 20 minutes to learn that the workers have not fixed there food yet because they thought it was a rib and Corny goes off."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WngpAHJNDhQ

That story is classic.

Yes! The only other wrestling show I remember was on WTBS (WCW/GCW) with Gordon Solie (with the ring in-studio?)—boy, was that LAME!!!

Just didn't appeal to your tastes?

 

[Mr Tony]

Yup, Sunday afternoons at 1pm on WMUR, all during the 70-80s!
But I thought I read somewhere that that auditorium was in (Allentown?) PA somewhere?

correct. WWWF ran shows in Allentown PA for many years

Yes! The only other wrestling show I remember was on WTBS (WCW/GCW) with Gordon Solie (with the ring in-studio?)—boy, was that LAME!!!

There were plenty of shows that were in Tv studios back in the day. AWA was in the WTCN (now KARE) building and also in the KMSP building. Memphis was in a studio for years. Always interesting to see like 50 people in the crowd for those weekly shows.

 

[CTListener]

correct. WWWF ran shows in Allentown PA for many years


There were plenty of shows that were in Tv studios back in the day. AWA was in the WTCN (now KARE) building and also in the KMSP building. Memphis was in a studio for years. Always interesting to see like 50 people in the crowd for those weekly shows.

Pittsburgh's weekly TV show was actually called "Studio Wrestling"! It originated from a studio at WIIC.

 

[CTListener]

Yup, Sunday afternoons at 1pm on WMUR, all during the 70-80s!
But I thought I read somewhere that that auditorium was in (Allentown?) PA somewhere.

Jn the '60s and early '70s, the show that aired on WMUR was taped at the National Arena in Washington. Those tapings ended in 1972, which is when Allentown entered the picture. There was also a Philadelphia hour, from the Philadelphia Arena, that aired on WKBG/WLVI Boston on Saturday. Eventually, those tapings were moved to Hamburg, Pa.

 

[LibSuperstar]

Anybody looking forward to TLC? Who do you think will be the Royal Rumble winners?

 

[CTListener]

Anybody looking forward to TLC? Who do you think will be the Royal Rumble winners?

This is a radio/TV discussion board. I'm trying to keep my contributions to this thread television-related. Not sure speculation about upcoming events works in this context.

 

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

Yes! The only other wrestling show I remember was on WTBS (WCW/GCW) with Gordon Solie (with the ring in-studio?)—boy, was that LAME!!!

Just didn't appeal to your tastes?

.​

There were plenty of shows that were in Tv studios back in the day. AWA was in the WTCN (now KARE) building and also in the KMSP building. Memphis was in a studio for years. Always interesting to see like 50 people in the crowd for those weekly shows.

.​

It just seemed that you would see the big auditorium matches (e.g., Allentown) with all of the hoopla, then see a rinky-dink studio match with Gordon Solie overdramatically feigning shock and surprise about a move, then two sentences later changing the subject to an upcoming event, all the while looking around, seeing if he is looking in the right direction and trying to appear to be totally engrossed in the moment, and the ring and audience being in about a 100x100ft studio! P=)

 

[CTListener]

.​

It just seemed that you would see the big auditorium matches (e.g., Allentown) with all of the hoopla, then see a rinky-dink studio match with Gordon Solie overdramatically feigning shock and surprise about a move, then two sentences later changing the subject to an upcoming event, all the while looking around, seeing if he is looking in the right direction and trying to appear to be totally engrossed in the moment, and the ring and audience being in about a 100x100ft studio! P=)

For an announcer known for calling matches move for move as if he were watching an NCAA championship or Olympic match, Solie's reactions to "surprising" turns of events were uniformly inarticulate: "Uh-aaaaah! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Wait just a minute! Anderson has just attacked Dusty Rhodes! Wait just a minute!"

 

[LibSuperstar]

It just seemed that you would see the big auditorium matches (e.g., Allentown) with all of the hoopla, then see a rinky-dink studio match with Gordon Solie overdramatically feigning shock and surprise about a move, then two sentences later changing the subject to an upcoming event, all the while looking around, seeing if he is looking in the right direction and trying to appear to be totally engrossed in the moment, and the ring and audience being in about a 100x100ft studio! P=)

Kind of gave things away, huh?

 

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

It just seemed that you would see the big auditorium matches (e.g., Allentown) with all of the hoopla, then see a rinky-dink studio match with Gordon Solie overdramatically feigning shock and surprise about a move, then two sentences later changing the subject to an upcoming event, all the while looking around, seeing if he is looking in the right direction and trying to appear to be totally engrossed in the moment, and the ring and audience being in about a 100x100ft studio! P=)

Kind of gave things away, huh?

LOL! P=)

 

[LibSuperstar]

LOL! P=)

Did you ever attend any of the Allentown shows or any other house shows?

 

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

Did you ever attend any of the Allentown shows or any other house shows?

Nah, no such luck—I was only 14 in 1980! P=)

 

[LibSuperstar]

Did anybody watch Raw or SmackDown?