Classic Memphis Wrestling

An infamous unscripted interview featuring Joe LeDuc and Lance Russell took place on a live Saturday morning broadcast on August 5, 1978, in Memphis. During this iconic segment, LeDuc shockingly used his axe to swear an oath to defeat Jerry Lawler. Lance had no idea why the crazy lumberjack was carrying his ax to the interview.

Fans wondered for years if it was real. Russell recalls, "Hey, let me tell you... It was real alright! I nearly had a heart attack!" The following Monday night at the Coliseum, Joe LeDuc beat Jerry Lawler for the Southern Title. 8,764 fans attended.

Adrian Street, Miss Linda & Jim Cornette vs. Bill Dundee in a very funny and entertaining Lumberjack Strap Match at the Cook Convention Center (formerly Ellis Auditorium) in Memphis on February 6, 1983.

The lumberjacks outside the ring are Jerry Lawler, Terry Taylor, Stan Lane & Steve Keirn (the Fabulous Ones). Bill Dundee was the booker. The referee was Jerry Calhoun. Commentary by Jim Cornette has been injected.

Manager Sonny King expresses his grievances with Lawler, Dundee and the powers that be while Joe LeDuc paces in the background occasionally stopping to eyeball and intimidate Lance and allow the camera a fleeting glimpse into the eyes of the crazy Canadian lumberjack. April 22, 1978.

Note: The card was changed to Dundee & Valiant (instead of Lawler) vs. Joe LeDuc & John Louis on the following Monday night at the Coliseum. Results: Dundee & Valiant beat the champs for the Southern Tag Title.

The final 10 minutes of the legendary 60-minute draw between Jerry Lawler and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis on December 11, 1977. The grueling title match drew a massive crowd of 10,800 fans.

This match is considered one of the defining moments in Memphis Wrestling history. It pitted the gritty, legitimate toughness of NWA Champion Harley Race against the fiery hometown favorite, Jerry Lawler. After going to the 60-minute time-limit draw, Race retained his championship, but the epic bout solidified Lawler as a world-class main-eventer.

The intense rivalry did not end there. The very next week, on December 18, 1977, they met again in a No DQ rematch for the NWA title. This match is infamous for an angle where Jimmy Valiant interfered, injuring Lawler so he was unable to continue the match. The controversial finish resulted in Race being declared the winner, and set the stage for a feud between Lawler and Valiant.

The September 26, 1981 Tag Title Match featuring Rick Gibson vs. The Nightmare & Speed is a famous piece of Memphis Wrestling history. The match was scheduled as a Southern Tag Team Championship defense. However, because Rick's younger brother and tag team partner, Robert Gibson, was sidelined with an injury, the elder Gibson had to fight both opponents alone in a handicap match.

The Gibson Brothers were a premier babyface tag team in the CWA territory. When Robert was injured, the heels capitalized on the numbers advantage. "Nightmare" (Danny Davis) and "Speed" (Ken Wayne) were a prominent heel duo managed by Jimmy Hart. Despite the overwhelming odds, Rick Gibson put up a fierce, fiery defense, taking down both The Nightmare and Speed until they were able to open him up.

Stay tuned until the end of the match to see referee Jerry Calhoun jump Jimmy Hart and wail on him until The Nightmares pull him off and piledrive him.

Tojo Yamamoto is claiming that his Japanese tag team—Atsushi Onita and Masa Fuchi—has been mysteriously kidnapped. Jimmy Hart then reveals that he had outsmarted Tojo by signing Onita and Fuchi to his villainous First Family stable. August 15, 1981.

Jimmy Hart clowns around on the mic with the Nightmares (Danny Davis & Ken Wayne) until Tojo Yamamoto interrupts the ranting heel manager's interview, bringing his own Japanese tag team out (Masa Fuchi and Atsushi Onita) and 300 dollars trying to get Lance to book another match for his boys. Hart finds that hilarious and pushes his luck with the veteran Yamamoto, who puts him on the deck. May 2, 1981.

Jerry Lawler, a humbled and disgraced former Southern Heavyweight Champion, explains how he lost his belt to that wimp Jimmy Hart. Includes some highlights of the match. June 27, 1981.

After Wayne Farris' cocky Blond Bombers interview, Jerry Lawler is compelled to haul his ungrateful cousin back down to Earth. If the interview comes across as a shoot, that was the intention. Everything the King says is a fact. June 23, 1979.

Lance interviews the Blond Bombers (Wayne Farris & Larry Latham), who are all smiles and quite pleased with themselves as CWA's new top heel team, having won the Southern Tag Title at the Tupelo Concession Stand Brawl vs. Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee on June 15, 1979. The following Monday, their first title defense at the Coliseum, they battled Lawler and Dundee in a no contest brawl that Wayne humorously describes as "a chicken killing". June 23, 1979.