Recap

1973 will likely be remembered as the year the team of Jim White & Jerry Lawler with manager Sam Bass left their permanent mark on the area. As the year progressed, injuries to White split the team which enabled Lawler to eventually go solo and feud against Jackie Fargo and Jerry Jarrett. Longtime area headliner Johnny Walker left the promotion early in the year and traveled to Georgia where he donned a mask and became a legend as Mr. Wrestling II. Tag teams continued to populate area cards during 1973 with such teams as Eddie Marlin & Tommy Gilbert, Ken Lucas & Dennis Hall, Bobby Hart & Lorenzo Parente, The Bounty Hunters, The Interns, The Infernos, Tojo Yamamoto & Jerry Jarrett and The Fabulous Kangaroos: Al Costello & Don Kent all made waves. 

Preview

As Jerry Lawler began coming into his own in 1973, he would truly become a singles headliner in 1974 as he began his long-running and successful feud against area legend Jackie Fargo. Lawler’s push to the top was also highlighted mid-year as he battled top challengers imported from other territories. Lawler made it through the gauntlet only to lose at the end to NWA champion Jack Brisco. Also noteworthy during 1974, Nick Gulas’ son, George, debuted in-ring as a wrestler during the year. The promotion would never be the same, and over time, would never recover. 

1974

January-March 1974

The lineage of the Southern tag championship is not clear in the last few weeks of 1973. During January 1974, the Masked Infernos with manager J.C. Dykes are recognized as champions. It seems fairly clear that this masked team held this championship during this time period.

The Southern junior heavyweight championship began getting more recognition during 1974. Ron Garvin dropped the title to Tommy Gilbert. Gilbert held the title until late March when he lost the title to the legendary Lou Thesz. Gilbert’s battles with Thesz saw Thesz as a heel, a rarity for the well-known Thesz at this point in his career.

The Masked Interns with manager Dr. Ken Ramey were recognized in January as World tag champions. The titles though soon disappeared from the area’s canvas.

Don Greene & Bearcat Brown began the year as Mid-America tag champions. It seems likely that this team dropped the titles to the Interns. In February, Lorenzo Parente & Bill Dromo captured the titles and held them briefly before losing them to Frank Morrell & Charles Fulton-Morrell (Charlie Fulton, briefly billed as related to Frank Morrell, Morrell & Fulton had been unmasked as The Mighty Yankees).

In February, Frank Monte & Nick DeCarlo entered the area billed as Southeastern tag champions. It should be noted that this Southeastern tag championship is not the same title that would come to be synonymous with the Knoxville promotion. There seems to be some overlap at this time with the Southeastern tag championship and the Mid-America tag championship. It appears that the Southeastern tag titles may have replaced the Mid-America tag titles for a time as Monte & DeCarlo feuded with The Morrells and lost the Southeastern tag titles to them for a time. While these teams feuded over the Southeastern tag titles the Mid-America tag titles fell into the shadows. For a time in early March, Monte & DeCarlo were billed as Mid-America tag champions although it appears this may have been the Southeastern tag titles instead.

Don Greene began 1974 as U.S. junior heavyweight champion. In March he lost that title to Ali Baba.  More...