Professional wrestling hall of fame
The Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame was a professional wrestling hall of fame maintained by the United States Wrestling Association . The induction ceremony for the Class of 1994, the inaugural inductees into the Hall of Fame, took place at the USWA's "Monday Night Memories", a tribute show, held at the Mid-South Coliseum on March 7, 1994. Tommy Gilbert , a longtime Memphis wrestler, referee and promoter, led the class, which included wrestlers Sputnik Monroe , Al and Don Greene, commentator Lance Russell , and promoter Jerry Jarrett .[ 1] [ 2] [ 3]
The success of the first "Memphis Memories" show, attended by over 8,300 fans,[ 3] head booker of the USWA. Ironically, Eddie Gilbert, with much of the event revolving around his feud with Jerry Lawler , was upset at having been passed over for the position and left the promotion within a few weeks.[ 4]
On June 10, 1995, the Class of 1995 was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Like the previous ceremony, it was held during a wrestling event , Memphis Memories II, at the Mid-South Coliseum. Wrestler Jackie Fargo 's induction led the Class of 1995, which consisted of wrestlers "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert , Phil Hickerson, Joe LeDuc , and Billy Wicks. In addition to the inductees, the event featured a special "legends introduction" of Memphis wrestling stars including Corsica Joe , Tommy Gilbert, Gypsy Joe , Jerry Jarrett, Sara Lee, Eddie Marlin , Frank Morell, Buddy Wayne, and Jim White . The 1995 edition was attended by 3,850 fans.[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 1] [ 2]
The hall of fame ceased being maintained following the close of the USWA in 1997, however, there have been attempts to revive the idea in recent years. Since 2002, the website KayfabeMemories.com has fan-based voting, similar to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame , for each of the various "territory-era" promotions, including the Memphis wrestling territory, covered by the website.[ 8] [ 9]
In 2017, the Hall of Fame was reactivated. Since then, they hosted two more ceremonies: one in 2018 and one in 2021. A new website was launched in 2021. Memphiswrestlinghalloffame.com
Year
Ring name (Real name )[a]
Inducted for
Notes [b]
1994
Tommy Gilbert [ 1] [ 2] Wrestling , Refereeing , and Promoting
Won the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship (6 times), NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (11 times), NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (4 times), and NWA Six-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times)
1994
Al and Don Greene[ 1] [ 2] Wrestling
Won the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (10 times) and NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time)
1994
Christine Jarrett
Promoting
1994
Jerry Jarrett [ 1] [ 2] Wrestling and Promoting
Owner of the Continental Wrestling Association and the United States Wrestling Association ; won the CWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (10 times), NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time), NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (1 time)
1994
Lance Russell [ 1] [ 2] [ 10] Ring announcing and commentating
Longtime ring announcer and commentator for NWA Mid-America and the Continental Wrestling Association ; first commentator for the CWA's Championship Wrestling television program
1994
Sputnik Monroe (Rosco Monroe Merrick) [ 1] [ 2] Wrestling
Won the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time), NWA Tennessee Heavyweight Championship (2 times), and NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (2 times)
1994
Tojo Yamamoto
Wrestling and Manager
ICW United States Tag Team Championship (1 time), AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (12 times), Long time manager in the Memphis territory
1995
Jackie Fargo (Henry Faggart) [ 1] [ 2] Wrestling
Won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (3 times), NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (5 times), NWA Six-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times), NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship (5 times), NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (22 times), and NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (15 times)
1995
Eddie Gilbert (Thomas Edward Gilbert, Jr.) [ 1] [ 2] [ 6] [ 7] Wrestling
Posthumous inductee; won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time), AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (4 times), CWA International Heavyweight Championship (2 times), USWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time), USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time), USWA Tag Team Championship (1 time), and USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
1995
Phil Hickerson [ 1] [ 2] [ 11] Wrestling
Won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (9 times), CWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time), CWA International Heavyweight Championship (3 times), NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time)
1995
Joe LeDuc (Michel Pigeon) [ 1] [ 2] Wrestling
Won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (2 times), AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time ), and NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time)
1995
Billy Wicks [ 1] [ 2] Wrestling
Won the NWA Tennessee Heavyweight Championship (2 times) and NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) ; a popular star in Tennessee during the 1950s, his 1959 match against Sputnik Monroe at Russellwood Park was attended by 13,000 fans and held the attendance record for the city of Memphis for nearly 50 years before the Monday Night War period.[ 12]
2017
Dave Brown
Commentator
Hosted Memphis Wrestling and Championship Wrestling for 25 years
2017
Lance Russell
Commentator
2017
Jerry Calhoun
Referee
2017
Bill Dundee
Wrestling
AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (9 times ), AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (14 times ), AWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times ), CWA International Heavyweight Championship (4 times ), CWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time ), CWA Southwestern Heavyweight Championship (1 time ), CWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time ), CWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time ), NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (1 time ), NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (1 time ), NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version) (1 time ), NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (3 times ), NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
2017
Tommy , Eddie and Doug Gilbert
Wrestling
Professional wrestling family that often wrestled as a tag team. Tommy and Eddie Gilbert held the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship together twice.
2017
Jimmy Hart
Manager
Long time manager in the Memphis territory
2017
Jerry Lawler
Wrestling and promoting
Won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (58 times), CWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), CWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (3 times), NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version) (7 times)
2017
Koko B. Ware
Wrestling
AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (7 times ), NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (6 times ), NWA Mid-America Television Championship (1 time), USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (2 times ), USWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time )
2017
The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey , Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane with Jim Cornette )
Tag Team
Various versions of the team head the team held the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship , CWA World Tag Team Championship and the NWA World Tag Team Championship
2018
Mick Foley
Wrestling
Won the CWA Tag Team Championship (1 time)
2021
Bert Prentice
Wrestling, promoting and managing
Manager and wrestler for several promotions; also promoted NWA Music City Wrestling and NWA Worldwide.
2021
Randy Hales
Promoting
Founder of Power Pro Wrestling
2021
Kurt Angle
Wrestling
Won the PPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
2021
Scott Steiner
Wrestling
Won the CWA Tag Team Championship (3 times).
2021
Tommy Rich
Wrestling
Won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (2 times ), AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (4 times ), CWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time ), CWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times ), NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (2 times ), NWA Six-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times ), NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version) (2 times ), NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version ) (1 time )
2021
Tony Falk
Wrestling
Won the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (1 time), USWA Television Championship (1 time)
2021
Reggie B. Fine
Wrestling
Won the USWA Tag Team Championship (1 time)
2021
Downtown Bruno
Managing
Long time manager in the Memphis territory
2022
Don Bass
Wrestling
2022
The Snowman
Wrestling
2022
Big Red
Wrestling
2022
Kerry Von Erich
Wrestling
2022
Gypsy Joe
Wrestling
2022
Nick Gulas
Promoting
2022
Guy Coffey
Promoting
2022
Eddie Marlin
Wrestling and Promoting
2022
The Moondogs (Spot , Rex and Cujo and Spike )
Wrestling
2022
Dr. Frank
Wrestling
2022
Lord Humongous
Wrestling
2022
Ox Baker
Wrestling
2022
Mongolian Stomper
Wrestling
2022
Killer Karl Krupp
Wrestling
2022
Ricky Gibson
Wrestling
2022
Leon Spinks
*Celebrity Wing
2022
Curt Hennig
Wrestling
2022
Nick Bockwinkel
Wrestling
2022
Yokozuna
Wrestling
2022
Mabel
Wrestling
2022
King Kong Bundy
Wrestling
2022
Plowboy Frazier
Wrestling
2022
San Diego Chicken
*Celebrity Wing
2022
Junkyard Dog
Wrestling
2022
The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal )
Wrestling
2022
Bam Bam Bigelow
Wrestling
2022
Bob Armstrong
Wrestling
2022
Buddy Wayne
Wrestling
2022
Paul Morton
Referee
2022
Luna Vachon
Wrestling
2022
Sherri Martel
Wrestling
2022
Candi Devine
Wrestling
2022
Scott Bowden
Wrestling
2022
Randy Savage
Wrestling
2022
Rick Rude
Wrestling
2022
Jim Neidhart
Wrestling
2022
Andy Kaufman
Entertainer and performance artist
2022
Billy Joe Travis
Wrestling
2022
Buddy Landel
Wrestling
2022
Scott Hall
Wrestling
2022
Dream Machine
Wrestling
2022
Adam West
*Celebrity Wing
2022
Corey Maclin
Announcer
2022
Brickhouse Brown
Wrestling
2022
Kamala
Wrestling
2022
Rocky Johnson
Wrestling
2022
Tracy Smothers
Wrestling
2022
Brian Christopher
Wrestling
2024
Jimmy Valiant
Wrestling
2024
The Rock 'n' Roll Express Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson )(Richard Morton and Ruben Cain)
Wrestling
2024
PG-13 J. C. Ice and Wolfie D )(James Dundee and Kelly Warren Wolfe)
Wrestling
2024
The Spellbinder
Wrestling
2024
Sir Mo
Wrestling
2024
Michael Saint John
Ring announcing
2024
Terry Golden
Promoting
2024
Dirty White Boy
Wrestling
2024
Tom Prichard
Wrestling
2024
Nightmare Danny Davis
Wrestling
a ring name .b
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Memphis Hall of Fame" . Wrestling-Titles.com . Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved April 15, 2012 .^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Memphis Wrestling (Old)" . Results . OnlineWorldofWrestling.com. Retrieved April 15, 2012 .^ a b "Memphis Memories" . Mid-South Coliseum 1994 (Jarrett) . ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved April 15, 2012 .^ Dills, Tim. "Eddie Gilbert Page 3" . Wrestlers . KayfabeMemories.com. Retrieved April 15, 2012 . ^ "Memphis Memories II" . Mid-South Coliseum 1995 (Jarrett) . ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved April 15, 2012 .^ a b Riley, Patrick A. "Fast Facts about "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert" . All about Eddie . EddieGilbert.com. Retrieved April 15, 2012 . ^ a b "Eddie Gilbert" . Wrestler Profiles . OnlineWorldofWrestling.com. 2007. Retrieved April 15, 2012 .^ "KM Hall of Fame" . KayfabeMemories.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2005. Retrieved April 15, 2012 .^ "RRO Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame." Declarationofindependents.net . Ed. Sean McCaffrey. N.p., 2008. Web. Apr. 15, 2011. <www.declarationofindependents.net/doi/pages/rro0118.html>.
^ Dills, Tim. "Memphis/CWA #21 Page #2" . Regional Territories: Memphis/CWA . KayfabeMemories.com. Retrieved April 15, 2012 . ^ "P. Y. Chu-Hi" . Bios . Oklafan.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2012 .^ Mooneyham, Mike (September 6, 2009). "Book chronicles Memphis mat memories" . The Post and Courier . Retrieved April 15, 2012 .
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