THE BEALE STREET BULLIES
When MSW came into existence in 1973, three men immediately began to terrorize the promotion with their arrogance and unabated attacks on the area’s top faces. Those three men – “Memphis” Matt Willis, Gerry “Hangman” Wyatt, and “Tough” Tony Donovan – quickly came to be known as the Beale Street Bullies. They were appropriately named, as the trio would bully officials, other wrestlers, and announcers every week. It would be the beginning of a group that defined MSW throughout the 1970’s, and helped put them on the wrestling map.
From June 1973 through November 1975, the Bullies found themselves opposed by the likes of George Rogers, Junebug Walker, Hambone McGee, “Leapin'” Lance Armstrong, Gino Lorenzo, “Jersey” Joe James, and Verne Macintosh. Their battles often involved MSW championship gold as combinations of Willis, Wyatt, and Donovan would hold the Southern Tag Titles nine times. Those three men would also lay claim to the Southern Heavyweight Title nine times during that timespan.
Of course, their actions would have repercussions. In September 1973, Willis would receive a 60-day suspension for attacking MSW head honcho Jimmy Tate. Donovan would receive a 30-day suspension in April 1975 for breaking Gino Lorenzo’s leg after a vicious parking lot attack. All three men paid their share of hefty fines.
Their strongest competition – in both singles and tags – came in the form of George Rogers (father to former EMWC star Adam Rogers). A strong fan favorite draw in the area, Rogers was the one man who always seemed to be able to overcome the Bullies’ schemes. An outstanding technical wrestler, Rogers would find ways to force his foes’ hands and get them to agree to outlaw closed fists and other questionable-but-normally-legal tactics the Bullies would use.
Another competitor in the tag ranks was local favorite Junebug Walker. Wildly popular with the Memphis fanbase, Walker’s schtick included getting beaten to a pulp in a match, then looking at his fists as if he remembered they were there and mounting a crowd-pleasing comeback. Walker and partner Hambone McGee would prove to be a burr in the Bullies’ saddle on more than one occasion.
In November 1975, Wyatt and Donovan both left the territory. Wyatt would begin working in Texas, while Donovan headed to Florida. Willis had recently brought in a new manager by the name of Lonnie Ward to the disapproval of Wyatt and Donovan. The three would split amicably, though it was clear neither Gerry or Tony were happy with the decision to bring in Ward.
Willis took little time in introducing the two men who would fill the shoes of Wyatt and Donovan. On one of MSW’s biggest events of the year, the traditional Christmas night show, Willis along with new partners “Vicious” Homer Vincent and “Iron Hawg” Harley Edwards ran in on a Walker & McGee title defense against The Masked Medics and left the champs a bloody mess. The battle was begun anew, with the new Bullies proving they were every bit as mean as the old ones.
The Beale Street Bullies were riding high in January 1976. Willis entered the year as the Southern Heavyweight champion, and on January 12, Willis and Vincent claimed the Southern Tag Team straps from Walker & McGee. However, Willis’ stronghold on the Southern title would begin to loosen in February. Tired of Matt’s cheating ways, owner Jimmy Tate would strip Willis of the title two nights after he regained it from Verne Macintosh due to the fact that Willis was caught using a roll of quarters to KO Junebug Walker in a title defense. Tate took it a step further, preventing Willis to compete for the title for an astonishing six months. Willis filed a lawsuit against Tate, but lost the case via a judge’s decision delivered on the popular Saturday morning TV program.
Willis and Vincent would focus on the Southern Tag Titles, while their partner Edwards would set his sights on the Southern Title. Edwards would finally get his hands on the gold on June 22, 1976, defeating the legendary George Rogers (thanks to Willis’ powder in Rogers’ eyes). He would hold it until Halloween, when newcomer Wildman Baines would defeat him for the gold. The unpredictable Baines, however, would leave the territory one week later, vacating the title. Rogers would regain the title for a record fifth time, defeating Edwards in the tournament finals. It would also be the beginning of a huge turn of events in Memphis wrestling.
THE WEST MEMPHIS ASSASSIN
About two months prior to Rogers’ win, a masked wrestler known as The West Memphis Assassin arrived on the scene. Never saying a word, the Assassin would make short work of opponent after opponent. However, it was hard for anyone – fans, announcers, and wrestlers alike – to get a read on the WMA. He’d simply show up for his match, quickly get in the ring and dismantle his opponent, and just as quickly leave the studio or the arena. No one knew anything about him aside from thefact that he was very, very good in the ring.
Jimmy Tate took notice, and offered the WMA (who hadn’t lost since his debut) a shot at the Southern Title, which the Assassin accepted with a mere nod of his head. On December 5, 1976, The West Memphis Assassin would hook up with George Rogers in a classic match. The fans were behind Rogers, but many were cheering for the mysterious Assassin as well. The match appeared to be going in Rogers’ favor when referee Bill Calhoun was knocked to the floor accidentally. Matt Willis suddenly appeared from under the ring and went after the Assassin. Rogers, always interested in fair play, went after Willis but ended up taking a fireball in the face. Thanks to Willis, The Assassin was able to score a huge upset win.
Or so everyone thought. After the match, Willis was still hanging around and yelling “why don’t you take off your mask?” at the Assassin. The West Memphis Assassin did.
And revealed himself to be Gerry “Hangman” Wyatt.
The fans immediately went nuts. Willis and Wyatt immediately went to work on Rogers, continuing to do damage to the Memphis legend. But it didn’t end there, as the third member of the original Beale Street Bullies – “Tough” Tony Donovan – came down the aisle. Wyatt and Willis, though surprised to see him, encouraged Donovan to join in on the beating. Donovan observed the downed Rogers and then, to one of the loudest cheers in Mid-South Coliseum history, attacked his former partners. Three weeks later, Donovan would take the Southern Heavyweight Title off of Wyatt’s waist. His return to Memphis would be short-lived, however, as he exited in late February 1977 after a dispute with Tate over money. Fans were left wondering how good the feud between Donovan and Willis/Wyatt could have been. Tate was no doubt left wondering how much money he ended up losing over it.
As 1977 went on, Willis & Edwards battled with George Rogers, Gino Lorenzo, & Junebug Walker over the Southern Tag Titles. Wyatt would chase the Southern Heavyweight Title, but come up short as a wave of newcomers like “Tombstone” Trevor Valiant, “Iron” Jim Blair, Bill “Crusher” Vaughn, and The West Memphis Assassin II all came to MSW.
In September 1977, the unthinkable happened. George Rogers and Matt Willis, still engaged in a bitter feud, competed in a match where the loser would have to leave MSW for six months. It took every dirty trick in the book for Willis, but he indeed pinned Rogers and sent him backing from Memphis. Broken-hearted fans sent letter to Jimmy Tate, begging with him to allow Rogers to return before his time was up because of Willis’ actions. Tate came on TV two weeks later and said that, as much as he hated it, a rule was a rule. George Rogers would be gone for six months.
THE WEST MEMPHIS ASSASSIN II
Much like The West Memphis Assassin did in late 1976, the WMA II entered MSW with little (or no) talk and a lot of action. Steamrolling through opponent after opponent, the new Assassin was quickly making a name for himself in Memphis. However, II would communicate a little more than the WMA did as he would bring in a young, energetic manager by the name of Billy Hunt. Hunt would do the talking for him, and would eventually approach Matt Willis about giving II a spot in the Beale Street Bullies.
There were always three members of the Bullies, dating back to June 1973. With Willis, Wyatt, and Edwards currently there, the group was all filled up according to Willis. But Hunt insisted, going so far as to say that Gerry Wyatt had outlived his usefulness. When II won the Southern Title from Bill “Crusher” Vaughn on October 31, Hunt would point out that Wyatt hadn’t held the title – or any title for that matter – in nearly a year.
That was enough to get Willis’ attention and create a rift between the two longtime partners. On Christmas 1977, II regained the Southern Title from Vaughn. In the next match, Wyatt would face Junebug Walker, and would lose. That was the last straw for Willis, who would along with II attack Wyatt after his match, kicking him out of the Bullies.
Wyatt would demand a match with II, and would get it – if he agreed to leave MSW for a full year should he lose. Wyatt agreed, and the match was set for January 7, 1978. Willis and Hunt promised a win for II. Wyatt, a face for the first time in ages, reflected upon his relationship with Willis and how Matt was more concerned with himself than his partners. The Memphis newspaper even did a feature story on the match.
The sold-out Mid-South Coliseum was expecting a match to end all matches, and that’s exactly what they got. For 45 minutes, Wyatt and II battled in and out of the ring, neither man willing to give an inch. In the end, Wyatt was able to hit his infamous Hangman Neckbreaker on II and score the pin. Much like they did for Donovan one year earlier, the packed house went crazy for their new hero, Gerry Wyatt.
II would regain the title three weeks later thanks to interference by Hunt. Wyatt, finding himself in the odd position of being outnumbered, turned to an interesting source for help. In a February 19 match, Wyatt and a mystery partner would battle II and Harley Edwards. If Wyatt was pinned, he would be shaved bald. If II was pinned, he lost his title to the person who pinned him. Wyatt had made so many enemies, people wondered who would team with him.
Junebug Walker would be Wyatt’s mystery partner, and would be the one to score the pinfall on II, giving the popular Walker his first reign as Southern Champion. II would regain the title in a rematch one week later. Wyatt would lobby for another title shot, and Hunt finally gave in and allowed it on the condition that, if Wyatt lost, he would not receive another shot at the Southern Title ever. Wyatt agreed, and on March 17 won the title for a record 6th time.
Hunt demanded a rematch, and would get it next week, but now Wyatt was calling the shots and stipulated a title versus mask match. Despite interference from both Hunt and Willis, Wyatt would get assistance from Walker and won the match. Hunt ranted, raved, and did everything he could to keep II from unmasking, but eventually II stopped him, speaking for the first time when he said, “I want these people to know who I am.”
He removed the mask to reveal George Rogers.
You could have heard a pin drop in the packed Mid-South Coliseum that night. Rogers took the microphone and berated Jimmy Tate for forcing him to leave when he was one of the biggest names in wrestling, and berating the fans for so quickly forgetting about him. The unthinkable had again happened in MSW. George Rogers was one of the Beale Street Bullies. Hunt joined the group with him as the new manager, as Lonnie Ward had left the area a few months previous.
Rogers’ run as a heel would be successful but short-lived. He regained the Southern Title on May 11, 1978, only to immediately vacate it and leave MSW, saying he didn’t like the person he had become. “Iron” Jim Blair would claim the title after defeating Willis in the tournament finals, but would drop the title to Wyatt on the annual July 4 card, who would turn on Blair and rejoin Willis. However, with Harley Edwards leaving the area, the Bullies were down to two in number but still managed to wreak their brand of havoc in MSW.
Wyatt would battle with Gino Lorenzo for the Southern Title, losing it to him on September 12, 1978. Willis, without a tag team partner, found himself embroiled in a bloody feud with “Iron” Jim Blair that saw Willis drop a hair-versus-hair match on August 19. Wyatt would be unable to pry the belt off of Lorenzo’s waist in multiple rematches. The Bullies’ strangehold on MSW was slipping, but no one would realize that a new terror was about to run roughshod through the Mid-South.
THE COLD WAR HITS MEMPHIS
On November 24, 1978, Gino Lorenzo was scheduled to defend the Southern Title against Bill “Crusher” Vaughn. Vaughn. however, did not show up for the match. The popular Lorenzo, a fighting champion, issued an open challenge to defend the title because “that’s what these people paid to see.” Little did he know that open challenge would be the beginning of a new reign of terror in MSW.
A man never before seen in the Mid-South stalked the ring. His head was shaved bald. His physique was unlike any other seen before in Memphis. And he wore a red singlet with a Russian hammer and sickle on the front. Ivan Kostovich, who would quickly earn the nickname of “Soviet Terror”, destroyed Lorenzo in under five minuntes to win the Southern Heavyweight Title. Lorenzo had to be taken from the ring on a stretcher after Kostovich hit him with his devastating Russian Hammer.
For the next six months, the Soviet Terror would destroy any and all competition, including a returning George Rogers. No one seemed to be able to even slow down Kostovich, much less defeat him. That is, until an upstart Native American newcomer by the name of Chief Thunder Mountain proved to be a difficult challenger. Kostovich, once he realized Chief Thunder Mountain was giving him a run for his money, began to attempt to get into his opponent’s head. He would constantly remind Chief Thunder Mountain of the way that the U.S. treated his people. Eventually, Ivan invited him to “convert” to communism and fight alongside him against the evil America.
Chief Thunder Mountain initially resisted Kostovich’s offers, but began to wear down. Kostovich, to drive home his offer, would attack other wrestlers at will but would leave the Chief alone. In a Chief match against Crazy Hillbilly Jug, Kostovich would interfere on the Native American’s behalf. And week after week, Ivan would remind him of the oppression of his people.
Kostovich was also having issues with George Rogers and his new protege Robert “the Regent” Royale, so much so that Ivan needed a partner. He asked Chief Thunder Mountain to take that spot, claiming that no one else was worthy to be his partner. Weeks of propaganda had seemingly gotten to Chief Thunder Mountain, and he agreed to be Ivan’s partner much to the dismay of the Memphis fans. It all turned out to be a ruse, as Ivan attacked Chief Thunder Mountain when he was about to pin Royale. Rogers had already been taken out by Kostovich, and Royale had been beaten down by the Chief, which meant no one would be able to immediately save the Chief from Kostovich’s attack. Using the massive Russian chain he would bring to the ring with him, Ivan bloodied Chief Thunder Mountain before help arrived.
This would lead to a match for the Southern Title on May 14, 1979. Kostovich put his title on the line against the long hair of Chief Thunder Mountain. In a brutal match that saw both men bleed buckets, Chief Thunder Mountain became the first man to pin Ivan Kostovich’s shoulder to the mat. The Mid-South Coliseum erupted, but the new champ’s celebration was short-lived as Ivan recovered and blindsided Mountain again with the chain.
An angered Mountain wanted another chance to defeat Kostovich, who was claiming his the Chief’s win was nothing but pure luck. A rematch was set for the huge July 4 card, with each man getting to name one stipulation. Kostovich said the match had to be a Russian Chain match. Chief Thunder Mountain stipulated that Kostovich would have to leave MSW if he beat the Russian again.
It had become to hottest feud in MSW since the Beale Street Bullies and Tony Donovan. The Mid-South Coliseum sold out the day the match was announced. The Chief would begin bringing a big chain with him to the ring, to interviews, everywhere. Kostovich would laugh at him for accepting the stipulation. And, as expected, Ivan would defeat Chief Thunder Mountain to regain the Southern Title. The anti-American, the communist, winning on the 4th of July sent the fans into a near riot. Kostovich was literally lucky to escape with his life that evening.
Kostovich would begin a new reign of terror, thwarting the challenges of Rogers, Royale, Jim Blair, and a returning Verne Macintosh. But one man he hadn’t faced in over a year in MSW was, ironically, the one man who was probably the face of the company – Junebug Walker. On a Saturday morning in November, as Kostovich was cutting a promo, he was confronted by Walker, who challenged him to a match. In a rather controversial moment, Kostovich replied by saying that he doesn’t fight blacks. That would set off a heated feud between the Memphis mainstay and the Soviet Terror.
The match was set for the annual Christmas night card at the Mid-South Coliseum, again full with a capacity crowd. The undercard featured some fantastic action, with The Dixie Fireballs retaining the Southern Tag Titles against The Crazy Hillbillies, a newcomer tag team known as The Fiends thrashing the young duo of Freight Train Kluszewski and Dutch Malone , Robert Royale defeating new Beale Street Bully “Bounty Hunter” Butch Jones, and another epic battle in the long-running feud between Matt Willis and George Rogers.
As the main event approached, the crowd grew hotter and hotter. When Junebug Walker entered the arena (in a VW Bug convertable), the crowd went crazy. Kostovich attacked before the bell, and administered a beating to the fan favorite. Within minutes, Walker was bleeding. He fought back valiantly, but it seemed as though the big Russian was too much. Even Walker’s signature comeback didn’t work, as Kostovich shrugged off Junebug’s punches and leveled him with a vicious clothesline.
But Walker, despite Ivan’s best efforts, would not be pinned. As the match went on, Kostovich would become more and more frustrated, nearly drawing a DQ at one point when he shoved referee Jerry Ballard into a corner. Kostovich’s anger is what proved to be his downfall, as the stubborn Walker finally got in the knockout blow with a big headbutt. Junebug Walker became only the second man to pin Ivan Kostovich in over a year. Fans jumped the guardrails to try to get in the ring and congratulate Walker. In his postmatch promo, with tears in his eyes, Walker thanked the fans of Memphis for always believing in him andstanding behind him.
Unfortunately, Walker’s reign was a short one, as Kostovich regained the title three weeks later as a new decade began. While Kostovich promised that he would rule Memphis for the next ten years like the Soviet Union would soon rule the U.S., a challenger Ivan has seen before emerged, but clearly much better than he was in their last meeting: Robert Royale.
Royale, the protege of George Rogers, was coming into his own and had defeated each of the three Beale Street Bullies (Willis, Butch Jones, and a returning Harley Edwards) in recent months. Royale began speaking out against Kostovich. Just like Russia is losing the cold war, he’d say, Kostovich is losing his cold war in MSW. Not happy with the youngster’s brash attitude, Ivan confronted him on a Saturday morning TV show in March of 1980, and Royale surprised everyone by knocking the Soviet Terror flat on his back with one punch.
Embarassed, Kostovich would attack Royale in the parking lot the very next week, bodyslamming him onto the windshield of a car before throwing him headfirst through the driver’s side window. The brutal attack would put Royale out of action for several weeks, and it also earned Kostovich a 29-day suspension. It was initially going to be a 30-day suspension, but Royale pleaded with new owner Earl Kincade to make it 29, so Kostovich wouldn’t be stripped of the Southern Title (all titles had to be defended within 30 days according to MSW rules).
Ivan returned before Royale, and immediately had to deal with Royale’s mentor, George Rogers. The aging Rogers was able to hold his own at times against the powerful Russian, but could never defeat him for the title. One Saturday morning in late May, as Kostovich attacked Rogers and hung him over the top rope with the chain, Royale dashed into the studio and saved his mentor. Royale was back, and that meant Kostovich had to deal with him.
Kostovich, however, refused to defend the Southern Title against Royale. So Royale and Rogers resorted to a bit of trickery. A fan (who was actually Teddy Ritter, a wrestler yet to debut) approached Ivan with a petition against the United States government, and he wanted Kostovich’s signature. Ivan quickly signed, as Royale and Rogers emerged from the dressing rooms. The fan handed the papers to Rogers, who then revealed what the document actually was: a contract to defend the Southern Title against Royale on July 4.
Kostovich was incensed, but became even moreso when Rogers unveiled the final blow. If Kostovich lost, he had to leave MSW. Since he was the champion, Earl Kincade had little choice but to agree to add a stipulation requested by Kostovich: if he won, then George Rogers had to leave MSW and Robert Royale would become his protege.
The match was on, drawing the largest gate in MSW history on the night of July 4, 1980. The undercard was again spectacular. Rogers and Junebug Walker battled Harley Edwards and Butch Jones for the Southern Tag Titles (Jones and Edwards won). Matt Willis turned back the challenge of an upstart youngster named Benny “the Thumper” Watkins. “Terrific” Tommy Hayes debuted with a win over another newcomer, Teddy Ritter. And the Royale/Kostovich match did not disappoint.
Royale turned out to be the first person to really be able to match up with Kostovich. Whatever the Russian tried, Royale had a counter for it. And even though he was a fan favorite, Royale didn’t mind bending or breaking a few rules himself. After forty-plus minutes of blood-spilling action, Robert Royale sent Kostovich to the mat with a devastating superplex to score the win and send Kostovich – a man who had terrorized Memphis for nearly 18 months – packing.
THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
Royale would have little time to savor his incredible win over Kostovich, as he was immediately challenged by Matt Willis. Afterseveral months without partners, the Bullies were no more and Willis was on his own with manager Billy Hunt. With Kostovich running wild, Willis was relegated to a role he hadn’t been in before – living in someone else’s shadow. So when Royale ridded Memphis of the Russian, Willis was glad to pick up where he left off.
On the Saturday morning TV show following Royale’s victory, the new champ was approached by Willis, who asked for a title shot. Royale didn’t agree, pointing out that Willis – who had lost a series of matches to Junebug Walker – hadn’t exactly been tearing it up lately. Surprisingly, Willis agreed and said he’d wait his turn. What Royale didn’t know is that Willis intended to force his turn much earlier than Royale wanted to give it. As Royale and George Rogers came out for a tag team match, Willis entered with not two, but three men in tow. With him were former Bullies Gerry Wyatt, Harley Edwards, and Butch Jones. The four men hit the ring and laid waste to Royale and Rogers. The Beale Street Bullies were back in greater numbers than ever before.
Willis got Royale’s attention. Robert quickly demanded a match, and after a series of matches that ended in DQ, Willis would take the Southern Title from Royale on September 10, 1980. That, however, would prove to be about the only high point in the new incarnation of the Bullies.
In August, Butch Jones’ cousin, Jack Jones, came into MSW. Butch wanted Willis to get his cousin into the group, but Willis wanted Jack to prove himself first. And besides, he said, “the Bullies have always been three people. We’re pushing it now with four plus Billy (Hunt).” Butch was upset, claiming that Willis would allow a family member of Wyatt or Edwards into the group, and that Willis always treated him differently than the other two. Tension was riding high, and eventually Butch would begin to team with Jack while still a Bully. The tandem would even win the Southern Tag Titles ten days after Willis won the Southern Title.
At this point, Butch demanded that Jack be let into the Bullies, as he had certainly proven himself now. Willis, however, had other ideas. Instead, Matt suggested that Jack give his half of the titles to Edwards for defending so the Bullies could have all the MSW gold. Proving that blood is thicker than water, Butch refused and was attacked by Willis, Edwards, and Wyatt. Willis would play a big role in the Jones cousins dropping the titles to The Chicago Hitmen on Christmas 1980 as he would throw a fireball in Butch’s face while the official was down.
Willis, meanwhile, lost the Southern Title to George Rogers on November 25. As 1980 came to a close, the Bullies were again without titles, though they were still strong contenders. Unfortunately, the feud with the Jones cousins would end before it could take off, as the two had a dispute over money with new promoter Earl Kincade, and would head to St. Louis.
BLOOD, FIRE, AND MOONSHINE
In March 1978, a new tag team would debut in MSW. The duo had an interesting look, wearing tattered blue jeans and had shaggy white hair and beards. They rarely talked, but didn’t have to as they did their talking in the ring. Jug and Virgil – The Moonshiners – tore their way through the tag ranks, winning the Southern Tag Titles from the duo of Junebug Walker & Hambone McGee on May 17. They would spent a good portion of the summer and fall of 1978 with the titles, losing them to Walker and Danny Tattle, only to regain them and drop them to the tandem of Rudy Tyler and The McMinnville Mauler. In November, Virgil disappeared and was replaced by Zeke. Zeke and Jug would retake the tag titles on December 30.
This incarnation of The Moonshiners would stay in the mix for the Southern Tag Titles through 1979, passing them back and forth with combinations of Walker, Tattle, and Dutch Malone. However, on November 24, a new team got into the mix when The Dixie Fireballs beat The Moonshiners for the titles. That match would kickstart a feud that would, off-and-on, last through 1988. But the early portion of the feud also had another team interjected into the mix, a team that would be revolutionary at the time.
With full facepaint and KISS-like ring gear, The Fiends proved to be a force to be reckoned with upon their arrival into Memphis. Taking it upon themselves to work their way into title consideration, Blood and Ghoul would interfere in matches of both The Moonshiners and the Fireballs. On New Year’s Day 1980, The Fiends would capture the Southern Tag Titles from The Dixie Fireballs.
The three-way feud was interesting as each of the teams were basically heels, and heel-vs.-heel feuds were very unheard of in those days in any territory. Of the three, the fans warmed up more to the Fireballs than the other two, though the Fiends developed a cult following of fans who would show up with their faces painted like their heroes.
The Fireballs regained the titles a month later only to lose them back to The Fiends on February 25 in a match that saw Ghoul breathe fire in the face of Dixie Fireball #2. Though the Fireballs were masked, the fire burned through the mask and ended the career of #2 on that night. But a new Fireball (#3 of course) debuted on March 15 and got the pinfall on Blood to win the titles. During this time, The Moonshiners got shots at each team but came up empty while also feuding with the upstart team of the Young Americans (Tommy Russell and Bobby Scott).
The feud between the Fireballs and The Fiends continued to escalate, meanwhile, getting more brutal every week. Fireball #1 swore a red-hot revenge for taking his first partner out of commission, while Blood and Ghoul showed no remorse for their actions. The Fireballs essentially became the de facto faces while holding off the Fiends in several rematches over the next two months. But a match on May 27 in the Mid-South Coliseum would change the direction of their feud forever.
The match – contested under “Lights Out” stipulations – took little time to spill onto the floor, into the crowd, the concession stand, the vendors’ tables, pretty much everywhere. Referee Jerry Ballard quickly threw out the match, but the fight continued for a good 20 minutes anyway and finally ended when Dixie Fireball #1 made good on his promise of revenge, throwing a fireball into the face of Ghoul in the center of the ring. The locker rooms immediately emptied, faces and heels alike, as they all pitched in to separate the two teams before any more damage was done – as if there were anything left to damage.
On the weekly TV show the following Saturday, Kincade ran down a laundry list of damages done by the two teams and the subsequent bill that the owners of the Coliseum had given him. As a result, Kincade said, both teams would be suspended from MSW indefinitely. The Moonshiners, meanwhile, had also disappeared from the area, bringing to an end the first and most brutal chapter of the feud among the teams.
The Fiends would be the first to return, and they did so with a new member in their ranks – Vampire. They quickly destroyed the new championa, the Young Americans, on May 10, 1981, one month into their return to the Mid-South. With three Fiends now, they would interchange for each match (though Kincade would not allow them to do so when they were Southern Tag champions, always making the two that won the titles defend them), making it doubly hard for opponents to prepare.
The Moonshiners were the next to return in late 1981, taking the tags from Junebug Walker and The Buffalo Soldier on January 13, 1982. It didn’t take long for old feuds to be rekindled as The Fiends immediately attacked the ‘Shiners at the next TV show the following Saturday. One month later, Blood and Vampire teamed up to take the titles from Jug and Zeke and began a reign of dominance that had been unseen to that point in MSW. The duo held the tag titles for a staggering ten months.
In early December, however, promos started to run from a new team coming to the Mid-South. The unnamed team’s manager, Randall E. Lee, immediately began challenging The Fiends, using every insult possible to try to rile their anger enough to accept a challenge for the Christmas night show. The Fiends refused at first, but were finally “convinced” at accept after their beloved KISS-like ring attire was vandalized and destroyed. Ecstatic, Lee promised a big surprise for The Fiends, a perfect Christmas present if you will. And indeed it was a surprise as this “new team” turned out to be the returning Dixie Fireballs.
With Lee nowhere to be seen, the Fireballs won in what was an innovative match at the time, a match billed as the “Hell On Earth” Scaffold Match. It was called that because the use of fire was legal in the match, and with these two teams it was also expected. The Fireballs scored the win when, with #3 knocked down, the Fiends decided to get a little payback on #1 for what he did to Blood two years ago. With Blood holding the arms of a battered #1 behind his back, Vampire breathed fire at him. But #1 escaped the grasp and ducked, allowing the fire to go directly into Blood’s face. #1 was then able to quickly send Vampire to the mat below, giving the Fireballs the titles again. That match would be the last time that The Fiends would be seen in MSW.
The Fireballs held the titles for five months, now full-fledged faces, and feuded with the Moonshiners for the majority of those five months. The ‘Shiners finally got the titles off the Fireballs on May 15, and as quickly as they had returned, the Fireballs left the area again. The Moonshiners took a page out of The Fiends’ book and added another “cousin”, Cletus, to the mix. Cletus was the only one of the three who talked, and he didn’t do it very well. The trio spent the next 18 months feuding with the Young Americans, winning the titles on three more occasions.
The Moonshiners’ fourth reign proved to be a long one, as team after team lined up to take their shots only to fall short. Cletus had transitioned into a purely managerial role, and spent much of his time interfering to make sure the titles stayed with his cousins. The Young Americans could not regain the titles and eventually left for bigger things in Atlanta in January of 1986. The popular team of newly-turned face Freight Train Kluszewski and Junebug Walker took their best shots but came up empty. Other teams took shots here and there with the same results. The ‘Shiners were on their way to a record tag title run, it appeared.
But then a familiar face re-emerged – Randall E. Lee.
Lee confronted Cletus on the Saturday morning TV show and announced that the Dixie Fireballs were returning to MSW to finish off the one team they still hated more than any other. They’d already run off The Fiends years ago, Lee said, and the Moonshiners were next on the list. Cletus quickly called for back-up as Jug and Zeke appeared to flank him. Dixie Fireball #1 then came out of the back to even up the sides little bit.
But where (or “whar”), Cletus asked, was the other Dixie Fireball? Seemed to him like it was a Dixie Flameout. Lee promised that they would find out soon enough where the other Dixie Fireball was.
The first match this time around was scheduled for July 12, 1986. If the ‘Shiners retained, they would set the record for the longest tag reign in MSW history. And it appeared it might be pretty easy when only Lee and Fireball #1 made their way to the ring. Fans were stunned when #1 climbed into the ring by himself and asked for the bell to be rung. Jug and Zeke didn’t bother waiting to find out if there was a catch, immediately attacking him and taking the fight right to #1. But even with the advantage in numbers, the Moonshiners couldn’t seem to get the pinfall as #1 kept fighting back.
Finally, after 20 minutes of frustration. the ‘Shiners had worn #1 down and had him set up for their finishing move. But as Jug lifted him into the air, Lee slid underneath the bottom rope…
…and slipped on a Dixie Fireball mask.
An unaware Jug ate a dropkick to the back of the head, leaving Lee (aka Dixie Fireball #3) alone with Zeke, and the fresher Lee made quick work of him to get the win and the titles for the Fireballs as the Mid-South Coliseum went crazy.
The two teams would war over the Southern Tag Titles for the next two years solid. The ‘Shiners won the titles back on Christmas night 1986, but the Fireballs (technically known then as Dixie Fireball #1 and Randall E. Lee) took the straps back two months later. The win started the longest tag title reign in MSW history. The Fireballs held the straps for exactly one year, a record that still stands to this day.
The feud ended for good on February 15, 1988. The bitter rivalry had carried on for two years, with wrestlers from both sides receiving numerous injuries and fines along the way. Finally, Kincade said enough was enough and declared that the match on the 15th would be under losers-leave-MSW rules as well as no DQ rules. The battle raged on for 45 minutes and went to every corner of the Mid-South Coliseum before Dixie Fireball #1 was pinned after Cletus hit him squarely in the forehead with their signature soup bone. A hush fell over the arena, but the damage was done – the Dixie Fireballs were no more, and the final chapter in the epic feud was written.
A ROYALE PAIN
George Rogers was the Southern Heavyweight Champion as the calendar flipped over to 1981, but most affiliated with MSW would admit that the future of the territory rested with Rogers’ protege – Robert “the Regent” Royale. Royale had shown his promise by defeating Ivan Kostavich in 1980 and holding his own against any and all members of the Beale Street Bullies.
Royale, though under Rogers’ tutelage, was still a brash youngster and at times seemed to make veiled comments in the vein of being a better wrestler than his mentor. But Royale remained loyal, fighting by the side of Rogers in his battles with the Bullies and helping him maintain an upper hand through much of 1980.
The problem was the fact that Royale was clearly the top contender to the Southern Title as 1981 opened. Royale knew it, Rogers knew it, owner Earl Kincade knew it, and the fans knew it. Many fans started to clamor for a Rogers/Royale match for the title, sending in letters that would start being read on the air by longtime MSW announcer Vance Welch. Torn between giving the fans what they want and making money versus pitting the two most popular wrestlers in MSW against each other, Kincade finally made the match.
Rogers, the veteran, was all for it, excited at the change of going up against his protege. Royale, oddly enough, was the one that didn’t like the idea – “a house divided against itself will fall” as he worded it. But Rogers insisted there was no division between them, that their friendship was more important than a title, and Royale reluctantly agreed to accept the match.
It was set as the main event of the February 16 card at the Mid-South Coliseum. The undercard saw The Young Americans win their first tag titles from the Chicago Hitmen. “Big” Rudy Tyler and “Iron Hawg” Harley Edwards continued their feud with a No DQ match that took them all around the Coliseum. The fans were hot for the biggest main event since Royale faced Kostavich on July 4, 1980.
The match was a classic. Both men knew the other so well, neither could gain an edge for the first 35 minutes of the match. Finally, Rogers took advantage of a miscue by Royale that saw him miss a running shoulder tackle in the corner, injuring his left shoulder in the process. Rogers immediately went to work and scored the pinfall at the 48:13 mark after Royale had managed to stay alive for 13 minutes after his injury.
The sold-out crowd gave a standing ovation to both men as Royale disappointedly accepted a handshake from Rogers. But the cheers turned to boos as none other than Billy Hunt, the manager of the Beale Street Bullies, made his way to ringside and took a microphone. The hyper manager began to talk to Royale, railing on Rogers and saying that he got to know Rogers very well during his brief run with the Bullies. Hunt said that the one thing he learned was that Rogers is the most selfish man he’s ever met and that he wasn’t at all surprised to see him take advantage of his so-called “friend” like he did.
Royale seemed receptive, enough to make Hunt feel comfortable enough to get in the ring with him. But as he finished his spiel, Royale grabbed the skinny manager by his shirt and prepared to unleash his trademark right handed punch, but Hunt was pulled out of the ring by Willis, Wyatt and Edwards to safety.
That seemed to be the end of it as Hunt went back to his role with the Bullies, Royale embarking on a feud with Gerry Wyatt, and Rogers successfully defending the Southern Title against the likes Matt Willis and “Maniac” Mike Wilson. On March 30, 1981, Royale defeated Wyatt in a “loser leaves town” match, sending the longtime MSW star packing and cutting the Bullies down to two in number. By winning the match, he also vaulted back to the number one contender’s spot, which meant a rematch with Rogers – who still held the Southern Title – was on the horizon.
That match took place on April 20. Earlier in the card, Willis and Edwards were somewhat surprisingly defeated by the Young Americans and failed to win the Southern Tag Titles. The Rogers/Royale rematch was very much like the initial match with neither man gaining an advantage for well over 20 minutes.
Then Billy Hunt showed up at ringside.
It was a bit of a surprise, as Hunt appeared to let the issue die after Royale turned him away two months previous. The match itself continued to be a back-and-forth affair until the referee was caught flush in the head by the boots of Rogers when Royale delivered a powerslam. “The Regent” had his mentor’s shoulders pinned for at least a three count after that move, but no official was there to count it.
Sensing a perfect opportunity to get involved, Hunt jumped onto the apron and tried to hand Royale what appeared to be brass knuckles. Royale, however, wasn’t interested and argued with Hunt until Rogers came to. The champ joined his protege in getting ready to dispatch of Hunt, but Royale stepped away for a moment to let Rogers deal with the scrawny manager.
And dug a pair of his own brass knuckles out of his tights.
Complete unaware of what was happening, Rogers turned around when Royale tapped him on the shoulder. Royale then blasted him with the knux on his right hand – which was deadly enough without any help – as Hunt revived the official. Three slaps of the mat later, a new champion was crowned in front of a shocked capacity Memphis crowd. Beer cups flew into the ring as Hunt and Royale celebrated the ruse.
The one problem, at least for Matt Willis, is that he had no idea what was going on and he made that clear on the TV show the following Saturday. Willis confronted Hunt and Royale, wanting to know if Hunt thought Royale was part of the Bullies now. Hunt responded, “No, he’s not. And neither am I. I got my wagon hitched to a superstar now. Not a has-been.”
Not surprisingly, this set Willis off. The quick-tempered veteran drilled an unprepared Royale with a clothesline, then grabbed Hunt and was ready to do the same to him. He never did, though, as Harley Edwards ran in and nailed Willis from behind. Royale and Edwards laid a joint beatdown onto the man who was once the biggest bully of them all.
Willis was left in an interesting position. Never a fan-favorite, he had been for all intents and purposes kicked out of the group he formed eight years previous. He had no friends left – Edwards turned on him, Wyatt was still unable to return under contract, and Willis hadn’t spoke to Tony Donovan since 1977.
Another problem was Willis’s pride. He couldn’t allow himself to go to longtime enemies like George Rogers and Junebug Walker for help, so he embarked on his own private war with the new trio but specifically Hunt and Edwards, who Hunt said was hired as a “bodyguard” for him and the champion. Meanwhile, Royale began his reign with successful defenses over Rogers, many of which were obtained by illegal tactics.
The war between Willis and Edwards continued heating up, getting more and more violent as weeks went by. On the Championship Wrestling television show on Saturday, June 7, the feud went to a new level. Edwards and Royale brutally attacked Willis in the parking lot as he arrived to the WMC-TV studios at the beginning of the show.
Somewhat surprisingly, Rogers and Walker came dashing out of the building and stopped the attack as Royale was preparing to piledriver Willis into the windshield of his own car. The fans inside the studio went wild, as MSW audiences had begun warming up to the long time rulebreaker as he valiantly fought by himself against two and three men.
A bandaged Willis came out during the show’s second hour and delivered a long, heartfelt interview about his situation. He wouldn’t apologize for who he was and what he had done in the past, he said. But he did say that perhaps he chose the wrong set of friends along the way, that men like Rogers and Walker had no reason to save him from the attack…but they did anyway.
Eventually, he called out the duo and publicly thanked them for their help. He said he never asked for it, but they gave it anyway and in doing so, they helped him not only stay out of the hospital but to also see the light. He extended a hand, and both Rogers and Walker accepted the handshake to a huge pop.
Hunt, Royale and Edwards interrupted and had a field day with it, making fun of the three “washed up” veterans. Rogers said, “if we’re so washed up, why don’t the three of you face us on Monday night?” Hunt would not accept, but he didn’t have to because Kincade also joined the fray and made the match himself. As the conversation progressed, two stipulations were added: If anyone pinned Royale, that person would be the new Southern Champion. The other was that, if Willis was pinned, he would have to leave MSW.
The match did not disappoint, with both Royale and Willis taking several near falls throughout. The end, however, was not a favorable one for the fan favorites. Invariably, the match eroded into a pier six brawl and in the fray, Royale was able to KO Willis with a brass-knuckle aided punch. The champ himself got the pinfall win, which meant Willis would have to leave MSW.
MR. MEMPHIS
Royale and Hunt were riding high following the match. Willis was gone and aside from Rogers, there were no experienced contenders for the Southern Title as the territory was bringing in a fresh crop of youngsters to replace the series of veterans that had left over the last 18 months.
Having defeated Rogers in several rematches, Royale (actually Hunt) refused to give him a rematch. Instead, the champ was fed young guys like Teddy Ritter, “Terrific” Tommy Hayes, The Buffalo Soldier, and Benny “The Thumper” Watkins – many of whom would go onto bigger things but at the time were still not ready for prime time.
At the annual July 4 show, a new masked wrestler named Mr. Memphis debuted with a show-opening win over Dutch Malone. He quickly began to rise in the rankings, making a name for himself with win after win, week after week, capping his run with a surprise win over Harley Edwards on the Saturday studio show on August 8. It was enough to bring both Hunt and Royale out to confront the silent Mr. Memphis. Hunt, his usual annoying self, got up in the masked man’s face and told him to leave Memphis if he knew what was good for him. Mr. Memphis responded by grabbing Hunt and tossing him over the broadcast table and into the set behind, knocking over the backdrop.
Royale immediately attacked, and Edwards joined in, tossing him into the ring as Royale set Mr. Memphis up for his infamous piledriver. But Memphis backdropped his way out of the hold, sent Edwards over the top rope with a clothesline, and then dropped the Southern Champion with a move that almost every MSW fan recognized: a leaping brainbuster…which also happened to be the signature move of Matt Willis.
Hunt immediately went nuts, claiming that the man under the mask was Matt Willis and that he was not supposed to be competing in MSW. He called out Kincade, who said there was nothing he could do about it…unless they were able to get the mask off of the man. Hunt continued to throw a fit until Mr. Memphis came back out with a single sheet of paper and handed it to Vance Welch.
Welch read it aloud: It stated that Mr. Memphis would put his mask on the line in a match against Robert Royale…as long as Royale put the title on the line. Royale accepted before Hunt could stop him, the champ confident in his ability to beat this man and show Willis for the cheater he is. The match took place on August 10 in the Mid-South Coliseum, and once again Royale’s brass knuckles factored into his victory. The champ retained in 22:48, which means the mask of Mr. Memphis had to come off.
Hunt was jumping around like a madman, screaming at the top of his lungs for the mask to come off and that once it did, Matt Willis should be blackballed from the territory. Mr. Memphis was reluctant, but finally he reached back and slowly unlaced his mask.
And underneath it was not the man everyone expected to see. But it was awfully close. Instead of Mr. Memphis being Matt Willis, it was another familiar face to Hunt, Edwards and Royale.
“Hangman” Gerry Wyatt.
With the trio stunned, Wyatt got the drop. Pulling his own pair of brass knuckles from his tights, he floored Edwards and then Royale, leaving him alone with Billy Hunt. “Hunt The Runt,” as the babyfaces often called him, tried to run but didn’t get away. Wyatt pulled him to the center of the ring and delivered a leaping brainbuster (the Bullybuster) followed by his signature move, the Hangman Neckbreaker. The crowd was going ballistic for Wyatt as he left the ring without a title, but with a greater victory. Hunt had to be carried out on a stretcher, while Edwards and Royale had a new foe to deal with.
George Rogers continued to feud with Edwards, while Wyatt set his sights on the Southern Title. He finally succeeded on September 21, ending Royale’s five-month reign.
TARRED AND FEATHERED
Royale, however, regained the title on the company’s annual Christmas show as his battles with both Wyatt and George Rogers raged on. But along the way, a new challenger emerged, one that Royale had faced – and handled rather easily – before in the form of “Terrific” Tommy Hayes. While the trio maintained the upper hand on Rogers and Wyatt, Hayes increasingly became a burr in the saddles of Royale, Edwards and Hunt.
Fans were stunned when Rogers took the fall in a tag team match of Royale/Edwards vs. Rogers/Wyatt on March 8, 1982, with the stipulations that the loser of the fall had to leave MSW (except for Royale, who would lose the Southern Title to whomever pinned him). Though they didn’t know it at the time, it would be the last time George Rogers stepped into an MSW ring as a wrestler.
Wyatt had spent most of his time continuing his feud with Edwards, leaving Royale to face the improved challenge of Hayes. Hunt refused to give the youngster a title shot, claiming that “he hadn’t proven himself yet,” but did give him one shot at the champ on the Saturday TV show on April 3 in a non-title affair. Hayes did not win the match, but had Royale reeling when the TV time limit expired.
Hayes lobbied for a return match so “everyone can see who the better man is” as he put it. Hunt and Royale refused. That is, until Hayes said that if he lost the match, he would have to be Billy Hunt’s personal servant for 30 days. The offer was too much for the cocky Hunt to pass up. Royale tangled with Hunt again in a non-title match, this time at the Mid-South Coliseum.
The match did not end as the capacity crowd expected, or hoped. The infamous brass knuckles came into play again and resulted in a win for Royale. Hayes, therefore, was to be Billy Hunt’s personal servant for the next 30 days. Hunt did everything within his power to demean and embarrass the youngster, from making him wear a chicken suit to ordering him to lose to a local jobber named Sylvester Jones to dumping a bag of flour on his head. Hayes patiently served his role and after his 30-day punishment ended, Hunt and Royale appeared on the next Saturday TB show irate.
Royale’s Southern Title belt was missing. Both accused Hayes of stealing it, and sure enough, Tommy Hayes came out of the back holding the belt in his hand. He coaxed Royale and Hunt to chase him out of the studio, and into the awaiting ambush of Junebug Walker, Teddy Ritter, Gerry Wyatt and The Young Americans. In one of the most famous spots in MSW history, the fan favorites covered the area’s most hated duo in molasses and feathers from pillows they ripped open – a good old southern tar-and-feathering.
Things stayed bad for Royale, who along with Edwards lost a tag team match to Wyatt and Walker two nights later. The following Saturday, an irate Royale demanded Hayes return his belt to him. Hayes brought the belt out and said that he’d had his fun and that he was ready to give him the belt back. And he’d do it right now, Hayes said, if Royale would agree to a title match on Monday night.
Looking for any chance to get Hayes into a fight, Royale agreed. Hayes threw the belt at him and left the studio as the fans were buzzing about the match in two nights’ time. It, as usual, did not disappoint. Hayes took a beating from Royale, but rallied and scored the huge upset at the 35:18 mark to win his first Southern Title.
TO BE CONTINUED?