Regional Rasslin' - Territory Talk

This week, the Regional Rasslin' Podcast brings you not one, not two, but three full episodes of our sister program Regional Rasslin' Un-Reeled from Patreon.com/WrestleCopia, absolutely FREE! A sample of one of the many Video-Cast Series we offer at Patreon. Co-Host Jammie Ward joins Ray Russell as they discuss Mid-Atlantic Wrestling from January 1982, Southwest Wrestling on the USA Network, and M...

This week, Regional Rasslin' returns to Georgia Championship Wrestling in March of 1982 as Ray Russell & Guest Jammie Ward are back to break it down! Dick Slater arrives and wants a piece of Roddy "Don't call me RODNEY" Piper! Plus, Bunkhouse Return match is set up between Ole Anderson & Stan Hansen vs. Dusty Rhodes & Terry Funk! Ron Bass with an upset win over Tommy Rich to capture th...

This week, Regional Rasslin returns to once again discuss the greatest outlaw promotion of all time, the Poffo Family's ICW based ouf of Lexington, Kentucky. Steve Crawford returns to join Ray Russell in discussing the year of 1980 in the ICW. We talk Macho Man's flying elbow on midget Wee Willie (and why it was really booked), Randy Savage threatening Lance Russell & Dave Brown, the discovery...

This week on Regional Rasslin', Ray Russell & Guest Gene Jackson return as we look at June 15, 1985 in the Memphis territory. Southern Champ Jerry Lawler vs. Koko Ware headlines this week's TV. The Referee Tom Branch heel turn continues. Matchmaker Tom Renesto announces the PYT are stripped of the Southern Tag Titles, forcing a Title tournament at the Coliseum Monday night where NEW Champions...

Special Guest Brian R. Solomon joins Host Ray Russell and the Regional Rasslin' program this week to discuss his latest book "Irresistible Force", talking the storied career of Gorilla Monsoon. This episode covers a variety of topics including Gorilla's time as commentator, working with Jesse Ventura, the Bobby Heenan chemistry, getting physical with the Brooklyn Brawler & Vader, health issues...

This week on the program Host - Ray Russell is joined by two very Special Guests as Richard Vicek returns along with fellow Wrestling Historian, Steve Verrier, to discuss the book they co-authored, "Wilbur Snyder, The World's Most Scientific Wrestler"! The two writers and researchers took time out of their schedule to sit down and discuss Wilbur Snyder the family man, how they approached writing t...

This week on Regional Rasslin', Host Ray Russell & Guest Jammie Ward return as they continue to discuss Georgia Championship Wrestling 1982 with the first half of March. In an awesome angle, after being turned on by Ole Anderson and Stan Hansen, Terry Funk offers Dusty Rhodes a prized possession as collateral in order to get Dusty to be his partner at the Omni! Plus, a wild angle involving Rod...

It’s another fun ride back in time as Vandal Drummond returns to Regional Rasslin’ to join Ray Russell, as this week we continue to talk the early 1980s in the old LeBell Los Angeles territory. Just some of the topics we discuss this week include Independent Rivals (Gory Guerrero, Karl Lauer, Ripper Leone, more!), a drunken Andre the Giant story, “Exotic” Adrian Street & Miss Linda arrive in t...

Back with a new project on Regional Rasslin! Guest Steve Crawford returns as he and host Ray Russell begin to discuss the history of Angelo Poffo's famed outlaw promotion, ICW. Topics discussed include the early life of the Poffo family in the wrestling business, father Angelo, and his sons Lanny Poffo & Randy "Macho Man" Savage. Plus, the early ideas of creating ICW in 1979, working with Dale...

This week on Regional Rasslin', Gene Jackson returns to co-host with Ray Russell to look at more Memphis Wrestling for June 1985! Jerry Lawler is riding high after defeating Randy Savage for the Southern Title and sending the Macho Man packing to the WWF... BUT, the King finds out there's no rest for the weary as Bruiser Brody looms ahead Monday Night! Tux Newman is laid up in bed, but that doesn'...

This week on Regional Rasslin, Jammie Ward returns to join host Ray Russell to discuss more Georgia Championship Wrestling from February 1982! The big World Tag Team Title tournament makes its way to the Omni featuring teams from all over the world including the Briscos, the Funks, Jumbo Tsuruta & Tenryu, Ole Anderson & Stan Hansen, Masked Superstar & Super Destroyer, & many more!...

This week on Regional Rasslin, we finish up the Tennessee 1977 Project with Guest Steve Crawford joining Ray Russell on the program. We do a quick overview of the split between Jerry Jarrett and Nick Gulas and then dive into the following years that led up to the demise of Gulas' run as a promoter in 1980. We talk "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Dutch Mantel, Bobby Eaton, early Freebirds Michael Hayes &...

It's a truly historical episode of Regional Rasslin' as Ray Russel & guest Gene Jackson cover the week of June 1st - 7th, 1985 in the Memphis Territory. Jerry "The King" Lawler battles Southern Champion Randy "Macho Man" Savage in a NO DQ - LOSER LEAVES TOWN MATCH! This is the match that would send the Macho Man off to the WWF, which jumpstarted his legendary career in the "big time". Plus, Ka...

Regional Rasslin returns to Georgia 1982 with Ray Russell & guest Jammie Ward to talk the first half of February, including two more episodes of TV and another big 10-Match Omni card! Find out what happens when Roddy Piper finally climbs into a Georgia ring for the first time to battle Bob Armstrong. Dusty Rhodes returns to town to take on the Great Kabuki in the infamous "Dragon Shai" Match,...

Steve Crawford returns to Regional Rasslin to talk more Tennessee 1977 with host Ray Russell. Jarrett vs. Gulas, Memphis vs. Nashville! Jimmy Valiant arrives as the new top heel as Jerry Lawler Un-Retires and begins his first big babyface run in the territory to exact revenge on the newcomer! Plus, we deep dive into results from both sides of Tennessee from September - December and watch as one te...

This week on Regional Rasslin, Guest Richard Vicek returns as he oins Ray Russell to talk more Chicago Wrestling Club history. We pick up where we left off in the mid 1970s as we talk more Stadium events, Johnny Starr replacing Bobby Heenan's spot, Wilbur Snyder in Tie-Dye, the decline of the territory throughout the early 1980s, WWA talent being shunned in the dying days of the promotion, and muc...

We celebrate Episode #100 of Regional Rasslin' by closing out the month of MAY 1985 in the Memphis Territory! Guest Gene Jackson joins host Ray Russell to talk Memorial Day weekend in the CWA!  Bruiser Brody now wears the crown, but is Jerry Lawler still the King? Austin Idol returns darlin' to team with Lawler vs. Brody & Kareem Muhammad. Speaking of Muhammad, after his "audition" last week o...

Regional Rasslin returns as Guest Jammie Ward joins us with another THREE WEEKS of Georgia TV, along with house show results, and another huge Omni card to close out January 1982. Roddy Piper & Bob Armstrong explode in WTBS Studios, "Tennessee Stud" Ron Fuller arrives, NWA World Champ Ric Flair in town. Tommy Rich vs. Masked Superstar for the National Title in their final showdown and it's ins...

This week on Regional Rasslin' we return to May 18th - 24th of 1985 in the Memphis territory! Talking Jerry Lawler vs. Bruiser Brody (No Referee in the ring!), the PYT Express vs. Jerry Jarrett & Tojo Yamamoto, the Fabs prepare to defend their Tag Titles vs. Kareem Muhammad and a mystery man, Jerry Oski looks to regain the Southern Title from "Macho Man" Randy Savage, a Jackie Fargo talk show(...

Guest Steve Crawford returns to Regional Rasslin to discuss perhaps one of the biggest pieces of Tennessee Wrestling history. We continue our journey through 1977 as we travel through the summer months, and the MAKING OF A SUPERSTAR! We look at the entire weekly feud between "King" Jerry Lawler vs. the newly dubbed giant killer Bill Dundee. Money exchanged, pink slips traded, hair is cut... the on...

This week, Regional Rasslin' returns to Los Angeles and the early 1980s with guest Vandal Drummond (Kurt Brown). We continue our talk of the dying days of the LeBell territory with a special segment dedicated to everyone's favorite... THE MONSTER!!! Vandal shares his memories of seeing the Monster's debut LIVE, the masked man turning babyface, Andre mauling the Monster, & more. We also spend t...

We kick off the Georgia 1982 project as Guest Jammie Ward returns for another year of GCW goodness. We look at the build to the final encounter between Tommy "Wildfire" Rich vs. National Heavyweight Champion The Masked Superstar! Plus, the Roddy Piper/Bob Armstrong feud begins to boil, Ole Anderson selects a new World Tag Team Championship partner in Buzz Sawyer. Bad Leroy Brown & Big Red want...

This week it's a 4.5 hour special edition of Regional Rasslin, as we present a special 3-Part episode all rolled into one MEGA edition of the program. Information so fun and detailed that we wanted to share it with the territory era fans, as we sift through Ole Anderson's book "Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling". Bob Roop discusses the business practices of Ole And...

Regional Rasslin is back with Guest Steve Crawford for installment #3 in the 1977 Tennessee Project! This week we talk the spring of 77, as Nick Gulas packs up and leaves Memphis after drawing only 400 fans at the Mid-South Coliseum. Meanwhile, Jerry Jarrett continues to thrive in his new promotion as Lance Russell & Dave Brown arrive to host TV! There's a controversy in New York when the Apte...

Regional Rasslin' returns back to 1980 in Los Angeles to talk more with Guest Vandal Drummond about the dying days of the LeBell territory! This time around we discuss the returns of John Tolos, Pampero Firpo, and The Blue Demon! Plus, Ron Starr's unmasking as the Spoiler, Starr's wild watermelon angle with Walter Johnson and Ron's eventual face turn, Ox Baker hamming it up, Mil Mascaras drawing a...