August 26th in the Time Tunnel:
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Ted Thye 1890
Bobby Duncum, Jr 1965
Happy Birthday:
Petey Williams (44)
Austin Gunn (32)
RIP Memorial: We stop & remember those who have passed on this day and gave themselves to the business for us, the fans. We salute you and thank you.
Mike London 8-26-1989 mat the age of 80
John White\Moondog King\Sailor White 8-26-2005 at the age of 56
Sid Eudy\Sid Vicious 8-26-2024 at the age of 64
40 Year Flashback
8-26-1985: Jerry Lawler & Phil Hickerson vs The Fabulous Freebirds (Hayes\Gordy) ended without a winner as a no contest at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.
The entire month of August had Lawler feuding in Memphis. On 8/5, the program started out with Lawler teaming with Austin idol with the match breaking down as a brawl and both teams getting DQ'd.
Then, in a barnburner of a match on August 12th, Lawler and Idol defeated Hayes and Gordy on the same night as the Mid-America Heavyweight Title Tournament and a match between the Southern Tag Title feud teams of The Fabulous Ones and The Sheepherders.
Now, Lawler is still in a bitter rivalry with the Freebirds, and he takes longtime Tennessee veteran Phil Hickerson as his partner. Let's flashback to that rare Tuesday night card in Memphis 40 years ago today.
Great match but the outcome led to a return gimmick match the next week for a Taped Fist Match between the two teams. We will follow up on that in next Monday's Daily Chronicle.
One Thing I Learned Today About Pro Wrestling History
Ted Thye was a multiple winner of the World Light Heavyweight Championship both in North America and in Australia. I'm learning about Thye right now in my reading as he started Pacific Northwest Wrestling in the early 1920s promoting both boxing and wrestling and he hired Herb Owen (Don Owen's father) as his assistant. While Thye was on a trip to Australia, Own put the promotion in his own name, basically taking it away from Thye while he was out of town.
Thank You for Reading
I'm Tony Richards, Pro Wrestling Historian, Author and Storyteller. I share pro wrestling historical items in each issue of the Time Tunnel Pro Wrestling History Newsletter. Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my information on select events, matches and insights, please share it with folks you think might like to be a subscriber!
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Phil Hickerson would be a great guest for your podcast