The History of The CWA & MEMPHIS Wrestling

[@stb2017]

Living in Tennessee, CWA is still alive and well in the memories of those who witnessed it. All the old folks I know have amazing memories of Jerry Lawler and his show that bring smiles to my face.

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

And that's what makes good memories special, they are an honor to have them

[@jannylavin]

i live in the philippines, and one of my early memories of being a wrestling fan was watching old reruns of memphis wrestling and mid south on a local channel every saturday after lunch in the late 80s. glad i stumbled onto your content. great stuff.

[@ryanjohnson5343]

This is insane, I literally just finished watching the Broken Skull Sessions episode with Jerry Lawler and now the King Dave Uploads this

[@kathyd4421]

I'm from the Memphis area and grew up watching wrestling. You did an awesome job covering the history. Thank you so much!

[@savvv5416]

You know why Kauffman got it? Because that was his comedy style he didnt tell jokes to entertain the crowds, he pulled jokes on the crowd to entertain himself.

[@funkyweapon1981]

He was the original troll.

[@archstanton4365]

Indeed

[@Rockhound6165]

Which is precisely why South Park is so successful.

[@ohlord3650]

I was born and raised in Memphis and I vividly remember watching USWA as a very small child. Thanks for covering this Dave.

[@jamescoker2773]

The CWA was a big part of my childhood. Bigger than life heroes!

[@rogermorris9696]

A good example of getting massive heal hear in Memphis by doing very little is Exotic Adrian Street. The way he just looked, spoke and acted in promos would have got atomic heat back then.

[@Unlitedsoul]

The old CWA. In the 80s it became the proving grounds before you got your shot at the WWF, AWA, or Crockett. The place where even Flair tried to avoid, because he could never eclipse Lawler's stardom there. Every Saturday morning at 10:30 AM... WMC (the NBC affiliate at the time) would wrap up the morning cartoons, air a half-hour paid program, then it was live studio wrestling for an hour. We would do the weekly shopping runs on Saturdays. Out around 9:30, the first stop was usually a Kroger grocery store near the house. Next stop was a flea market that we'd walk around for an hour (ironically enough, the same flea market where Memphis Wrestling would move to before shutting down). It was remarkable how we always seemed to get there right about 10:25, and 8 out of 10 booths had a TV showing CWA Championship Wrestling. Never really bought much at that flea market, and we always stayed just long enough to see the show go off the air. Then it was onto Piggly Wiggly. Years later, I tried my hand at it all. High school football and baseball player, going to Bill Dundee's wrestling school during the summer with a few friends just to stay in shape in some other way than just push ups and running around the neighborhood. Guess I caught on, as I began doing jobber work for some of the closer-to-home live shows by the end of the summer. Tore my knees up that December playing football, and pretty much ended that.

[@fuckthepolice.9410]

Dave please keep doing more of these! I love learning about the history of wrestling (well, history in general). Love love love learning about the territories and just the early days of pro wrestling. Thanks Dave for the great video please do more covering the history of territories and stuff like that. Maybe history of pro wrestling in other countries as well!

[@Juicedude502]

Hearing my hometowns of Evansville Indiana and Louisville Kentucky is satisfying thank you for mentioning us we were wrestling hot beds back in the day

[@danieloneill2114]

I just discovered this channel and you've already got me hooked! Wrestling AND Tom T. Hall lyrics?! Count me in!!

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

I am glad there is another fan of both out there

[@danieloneill2114]

@Dave Knows Wrestling absolutely! He's one of my favorite songwriters/singers. If you're a fan of his, you should check out Charley Crockett! He covers a ton of older Country music, including Tom T. Hall. You have earned yourself a new subscriber, my friend. Keep up the great work.

[@Backwoods_Squatch]

Great Vid , Dave! This goes a long way towards the "Dave Knows the Territories". Keep em comin' buddy!

[@archstanton4365]

Well done! This is my jam, being from the Nashville area. Cheers!

[@MrKinzer420]

Wrestling bios sent me.You are awesome.

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

Thanks to WB and You for being here!

[@AJDaEnvoy]

Haha Dave, it's funny this video comes out since we were talking about old school Memphis storytelling in the live streams! This is a great video, keep it up man.

[@LeonAddison1974]

Thanks for great history of pro wrestling 🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠

[@williambanks2223]

I love watching the old Memphis clips on KZbin. Memphis let their stars get away with things that would shut down a wrestling show today.

[@chadk890]

The REAL Jerry Lawler was in Memphis, not the WWE version

[@lilrano]

Mid South Coliseum

[@themastabastard1744]

Absolutely

[@johntaylor6837]

Thank you Dave for doing these segments. Do you have episodes on: Andy Kaufman USWA And McMephis : sorry Brian Zane lol.

[@jamminmusicman]

Awesome video Dave 💯 ... I would love to see you do a video on the USWA and Power Pro 🤘

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

I may just have to do that at some point. Thanks for letting me know

[@Filmation77]

Thank you so much, cause I never really knew the story of this company and wanted to know more as a kid

[@angandtor]

Am I the only one that wants to make a beat from the commercial swipe?.....great ep dave.....those monthly shows from the mid south Coliseum were awesome to watch.....

[@Gendoshands]

Great episode! In my mind out of all of southern rasslin' Memphis was the best, I think only Bill Watts Mid-South comes close.

[@funkyweapon1981]

Mid-South was great!

[@fuckthepolice.9410]

Yes please do a video on Lawler vs Andy...I'd live to learn about the whole feud...

[@williamhild1793]

Another A/PLUS wrestling history story. Thanks, Dave!

[@shorsbigmouth]

Love your videos bro!!

[@plainbrownwrapper]

Thanks, Dave. I grew up on this style!

[@charisglaze6843]

What gets me about CWA/USWA is that they had all of the big names

[@roodboy606]

This is awesome, I literally just mentioned on your last video about how Memphis influenced the attitude era!

[@fehner27]

You really do see how Memphis influence Heyman and Tod Gordon for ECW.

[@six65nine]

DAVE, love the song reference man, one of my all time favs dude, lol.

[@hitemwithaclothesline7561]

Love your videos bro

[@greenlawler]

This video was great. Missing three words though....Tupelo Concession Stand

[@lilrano]

Everyone big came through Memphis, Lawler put them over. Love my city!!

[@jamesmwrighttv]

Excellent video

[@ericdabronze151]

I remember watching CWA on Saturday evenings on WTVY Channel 4 in Dothan,Alabama. The show was the first time I heard Eddie Murphy and Rick James’ “Party All The Time” at the opening and closing of the program.Good memories.

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

Never thought I would hear that song referred to as a good thing

[@ericdabronze151]

@@DaveKnowsWrestling Lol. I was a 5 year old kid then. I was young and dumb.

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

Do you also rock out to "I Was A King" too?

[@ericdabronze151]

@@DaveKnowsWrestling Nah. Smartened up by then.😂😂😂😂

[@ericdabronze151]

Correction: I confused CWA with Herb Welch’s CWF. It was the CWF that used the instrumental version of Murphy’s Party All The Time as it’s theme

[@ricardosolistyx]

Great job Dave!!!!!

[@davidwalden309]

Born and raised in Tennessee.....the Memphis territory and Gulas territory stuff is what I grew up on...There was also a Studio wrestling show out of chattanooga on channel 12 hosted by Harry Thornton.....reckon he was Gulas's partner in the chattanooga area.....if you can find any footage of he old channel 12 show outta Chattanooga.....you got somethin....that was just as popular in chattanooga as cwa was in memphis...good luck on finding any video

[@mringram]

Great content

[@coreygarland9453]

Memphis Wrestling was at its very peak when Jerry Lawler was their top star

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

When you think Memphis and wrestling, you think Jerry Lawler

[@SHANKDAWGBABY]

My Saturday morning routine as a kid was cartoons until 10 am followed by wcw at 10, superstars at 11 and uswa at noon then outside the rest of the day. Ecw got added later on but it came on later in the day like 6 pm.

[@kinggold5378]

Dave ....I'm catching up .. I've been watching a LOT of "Wrestling Bios" lately ...Being a Wrestling Fans is a Damn Job now...😂😂😂😂😂...Anyway Im soooo glad you covered that "Southern Wrasslin" on here !!

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

It is such a grind trying to keep up with all the wrestling now

[@kinggold5378]

@@DaveKnowsWrestling I know I just got back into ROH ...

[@Votedjt2024]

I am growing up watch the original memphis wrestling my favorite wrestler all time is double j Jeff Jarrett and Jerry the king Lawler and Jimmy hart and Doug Gilbert and Tommy Gilbert and Eddie Hotstusuff Gilbert

[@MemphisCast]

I'm thinking of starting a memphis wrestling podcast next year. I'm in the UK so would be cool to look at it from this side of the pond

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

That would be really cool to see how it is viewed from overseas

[@MemphisCast]

@@DaveKnowsWrestling it's out now Dave, Memphis Continental Wrestling Cast available on Spotify iTunes and Podcast Addict

[@korywilliamsO.G.1]

BRAVO!!!! Finally someone has truly explained the concept of Memphis wrestling. The only thing missing was the REAL reason for the Gulas/Jarrett split was that Nick wanted Jerry to use George on the Memphis end and Jerry refused because to put it nicely..............George SUCKED!!!!! #daddysaidsell

[@charisglaze6843]

I’m from Memphis Tennessee I watched wmc5 every Saturday morning as a kid after cartoons at 11:AM during the late 80’s & early 90’s my grandfather took me to the mid south coliseum to see matches but the feuding started with the tv studio it’s amazing how our style of wrestling 🤼‍♀️ changed the game in the WWF and in WCW especially with Hulk Hogan him and Shawn Michaels outside of The King 👑 gotta be our favorites and I can’t Steve Austin Scott Hall the UnderTaker Sting 🦂 The Warrior my era was Jeff Jarrett and Bryan Christopher PG13 JT ice 🧊 Wolfy D 🐺 Jessie James Kurt Angle Sid Vicious it’s too many too name but anyway WWF ripped Memphis wrestling 🤼‍♀️

[@Ilriz817]

We need a video about Bill Watts

[@SantaPorter420]

Think it's crazy how Lawler and Jarratt(Jerry) used to switch off booking every 6 months Clean break, no matter what wrestlers were getting pushed at the time, full switch

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

Yeah sometimes interesting strategies can do pretty well

[@SantaPorter420]

@@DaveKnowsWrestling yeah but you'd think it would be a transitional period or something, I remember reading about it and just going , well that's one way to do it

[@Brando-Lee3725]

Not only would they regularly sell out the mid south building , they would have large crowds there and several other venues in Tennessee , Kentucky etc... EVERY WEEK same night of the week , every week for years and years !!!! Amazing how on fire THEY and wrestling in general was back then ! When the Wrestlers believe , the fans believe ! And it shows ! Hint hint WWE and AEW etc..

[@DreamWorldSyd]

Yeah we out here. #grindcity

[@tropicalgetawaystravel]

Memphis was also unique in the use of fire.

[@tomwellman4500]

Nothing about Bill "Superstar" Dundee?

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

Looses Creditability by not naming the SuperStar

[@violagreene4643]

Apparently, Dave knows ... Tom T. Hall

[@jasonclark6879]

In my area the cable co never ran it JCP was ruled my area

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

Ah the limitations of local TV, glad we have more access now

[@TG5455]

I'm just stunned that Andy Kaufman is not in the WWE Hall of Fame before Drew Carey. Come on WWE what's the hold-up?

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

WWE tends to want their celebrities in the HoF to be around to pop the crowd. It's about press not recognition for them

[@wessparkmon2395]

For anyone who never saw Jimmy Hart in Memphis and only saw him in WWF and WCW, go back and watch him in Memphis. There is where you see that he wasn't just the goofball with the megaphone. He was a nasty little bastard who you wanted to see get his feet stuck in his ears. If you want to see how good he was at it when he was forced into the ring, look up The Fabulous Ones and Jackie Fargo vs. Bobby Eaton, Koko Ware, and Jimmy Hart. To modern fans, nothing happens, but the crowd is so electric it doesn't matter.

[@yayforeffort]

Please make a video on the Jerry Lawler/Andy Kaufman feud. Kaufman was cutting master class promos and acting like the archetypal chicken shit heal. Lawler was the home town hero face, not taking any of his shit. It is possibly one of the best feuds ever.

[@maraviyoso8473]

Wrestling in Puerto Rico was very influenced by Memphis, but with its own flavor

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

True, Memphis influence went around the world

[@ROIDEDCAPS7868]

JERRY JARRETT BEFORE BECOMING A HISTORIC PROMOTER WAS THE INVENTOR OF THE BANANA SEAT FOUND ON1970'S SCHWINN BICYCLE'S.

[@coreygarland9453]

Jimmy Hart was a great manager

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

He was

[@joshuawaldorf9559]

CWA had its strengths but also had its weaknesses. Its strength was its booking but its weakness was its character gimmicks and passing the titles around like hot potato.

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

Well everyone has their pluses and minuses

[@LegendKiller03000]

Memphis best territory!! Who’s who of wrestling was there.

[@emiliosereni1864]

Lawler

[@TBone2000Man]

Memphis wrestling is a great old school wrestling territory to me nwa georgie Florida Memphis midsouth were the best territory,s ever

[@abuhassan9321]

Jerry Lawler sold out the Mid South Coliseum more times than Elvis

[@harisnasir656]

the southern Rasslin

[@michaellay8954]

Every big name came through memphis to learn before they hit the big time.

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

And they came thru for the better for the most part at that

[@punkfitness53]

Memphis wrestling in a way was the original ecw.

[@technounionrepresentative4274]

Hmmm the first six seconds of the video seem oddly sensual

[@juaneduardo504]

Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin'

[@princesstamika]

I prefer Bill Dundee. He would bring in Adrian Street, Billy Robinson and Tony Charles and depart from the usual style of CWA matches and put on a wrestling clinic. He's criminally underrated.

[@DaveKnowsWrestling]

Superstar Bill Dundee was absolutely great. Ultimately I think his height is what held him back

[@stevecrawford3009]

Jarrett brought in Billy Robinson and Tony Charles. Dundee wasn't booking in 1979. Dundee did bring in Adrian Street when he was the booker. When Lawler pulled a power play in late 1982/early 1983 to become co-owner of the territory, Dundee was removed from the booker slot.