Viewpoint: Mid South Wrestling Library – A Good Thing for WWE Fans

Forget being professional here for a few minutes while I tell this story. I feel like a little kid and want to share that excitement with you.

Several days ago, Trevor and I were discussing the SmackDown taping in Evansville, Indiana. Since I’m much older than he, I sent him the following email:

Some history on the Lawler/Swagger bit on Smackdown. The King made his fame in what was called Mid-South Wrestling based in Memphis, his hometown. Each week, yes each week – Mid South did shows in Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, and Evansville (where Smackdown was taped). There was a weekly program that aired in our area on Saturday morning that was done in studio and was not from the weekly arena shows (even though they sometimes would show something very significant). The Saturday program would set the scene for the upcoming weeks matches and the interviews were done specific for each of the markets. It was some of the best wrestling that I have ever watched.
 Many WWE Superstars came through Mid-South wrestling back in the day. Sid, Undertaker (Mean Mark Callus – not sure on spelling), Lawler, Jimmy Valient, CoCo B Ware, and many others.
I’m sure that was WWE’s way of getting Lawler a good pop in front of his old faithful fans. I thought it was an excellent touch by WWE!.
Forgive me if my spelling was off on some of the names, it was a personal email and not intended for publication. This was a few days before Trevor sent me a link to Jr’s Weekly blog  were JR makes the following comment:
Now that WWE has purchased the Mid South Wrestling library, fans will get to step even farther back in time as I expect WWE to produce a Mid South DVD at some point in the future. Bill Watts produced one of the best, one hour, weekly and episodic, wrestling shows ever with the sole focus of selling tickets to live events which meant getting the stars established and embellishing the personal issues that existed.

Imagine my excitement when I realized there will be future opportunities to watch Mid South Wrestling once again! Every week was action packed. With only one hour including commercials, there non-stop action. So many things I can remember just off the top of my head and without the use of a search engine to find:

Heel turns so plentiful that you never knew who was friends with who if you missed a week, Lawler throwing fire, Dirty Dutch Mantel bringing his bull whip with him, the announcers enter action with the wrestlers while the match was happening (since it was right in studio), The Boogie Woogie Man making his entrance. I’m so excited writing about it – that my objectivity is no where to be found.  This is my childhood flashing in front of my eyes.

If you grew up on Mid South Wrestling like I did, I’m sure you too are looking forward to what the WWE has in store. If you’ve never heard of or seen Mid South Wrestling, don’t miss out when that chance comes and no I don’t get commission on video sales

Ed Boston

One thought on “Viewpoint: Mid South Wrestling Library – A Good Thing for WWE Fans”

  1. Ed, I am 40 years old and remember 80’s wreslting very fondly. But the area you are talking about was Not Mid-South it was Mid-Southern once owned by Jackie Forgo and then by Jerry Lawler. It covered the Memphis area. Mid-South cover the Louisiana, Mississippi,etc… Mid-Southern was a great territory but growning up in Louisiana I had first hand access to Bill Watts Mid-South Wrestling. I sat front row to alot of its shows. Mid-South and its wreslters, JYD, Butch Reed, Hacksaw Duggan, Rock and Roll Express, Mid-Night Express, MAgnun TA, Mr Wrestling II, Terry Taylor and the like were like a part of my family. I was a young kid who thought that wrestling was “REAL” and long for the days before the curtain was pulled back. Thanks for writing about two of territories that bring me back to a time when wrestling meant something.

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