Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Frank Murdoch 1909
Billy Sandow 1912
Jerry Brown 1937
Happy Birthday:
Merced Solis\Tito Santana (73)
Darren Matthews\William Regal (58
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.
Frank Tunney 5-10-1983 at the age of 70
Ilio DiPaolo 5-10-1995 at the age of 68
Mack Morton\Mack York 5-10-2016 at the age of 90
Bob Bruggers 5-10-2024 at the age of 80
Significant Debuts:
Fred BEall 5-10-1895 at the age of 19
Perro Aguayo 5-10-1970 at the age of 24
Lioness Asuka 5-10-1980 aythe age of 17
50 Year Flashback
1976
Deep Dive: The Jerry Lawler and Tommy Rich Feud in Evansville, Indiana
This was one of the hottest programs in the entire Tennessee territory during 1976 and a textbook example of classic Southern territory booking: a cocky, established veteran champion (Lawler) against a hungry, young babyface challenger (Rich, only 19–20 years old at the time. The feud centered on the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship but spilled into tag matches, bloody brawls, and no-DQ stipulations. It played out across both the Memphis TV and the Nashville, TV (the Memphis studio show played in Evansville and the Nashville show played in nearby markets, the Monday night venue, the Mid-South Coliseum, and key road towns like Evansville (Wednesday nights), Louisville (Tuesday nights), and Nashville (Also on Wednesday nights). Evansville’s Wednesday night cards at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Coliseum were a perfect secondary-market stop to keep the heat alive between bigger Memphis blow-offs.
Pictured: Jerry Lawler, 1976
Lawler entered 1976 as the Southern Champion and the territory’s top draw. Tommy Rich was the fresh-faced up-and-comer being positioned as the next big star. Early February TV and house shows built the tension with near-falls, interference (often involving Lawler’s occasional manager/ally Sam Bass or Plowboy Frazier), and escalating promos.
February 8 (Memphis): Lawler vs. Rich ended in a no-contest.
February 16: Rich scored a DQ win over Lawler.
February 22 (Mid-South Coliseum, strong crowd of ~8,000): No-DQ match — Rich pinned Lawler clean to win the NWA Southern Title for the first time. This was the official title change that launched the program into high gear.
The program was built around youth vs. experience, with Rich’s speed and fire against Lawler’s veteran savvy and power (Even though Lawler was only 26, he had been in the territory since 1970). Memphis TV episodes from this stretch show Rich cutting fiery babyface promos while Lawler played the arrogant champ.
Lawler regained the belt quickly to keep himself as the top guy.
March 20, 1976 (Memphis TV/main event): Lawler defeated Rich to reclaim the Southern Title in a wild, violent match complete with ref bump and chaos.
Pictured: Tommy Rich, 1976
From there the program became a rolling house-show feud: Lawler defended the title almost weekly on the circuit, with Rich getting rematches and tag variants to keep him strong. This is exactly where Evansville came in as a key stop.
April 14, 1976 – Evansville Memorial Coliseum: Jerry Lawler (c) defended the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title against Tommy Rich. This was a direct carry-over from the Memphis TV angle and one of the biggest singles matches Evansville saw all year. The crowd reacted strongly to Rich’s comebacks; it was the kind of “must-see” main event that justified the Wednesday night Coliseum dates. No title change here — Lawler retained, as expected for a road show — but it advanced the personal heat.
June 2, 1976 – Evansville Memorial Coliseum: Tag-team main event — Jerry Lawler & Sam Bass vs. Tommy Rich & Plowboy Frazier. This mixed the singles feud into a tag format (common territory booking trick) and kept the program alive without burning out the singles match. It was a direct follow-up to the previous night’s Louisville show and gave Evansville fans a different flavor while still centering the Lawler-Rich dynamic.
These two Evansville dates were perfect examples of how the promotion used the Coliseum: not every blow-off happened there, but the town got meaningful stops in the big program so local fans felt invested.The program cooled slightly in summer but never fully went away — it was too valuable. Lawler remained champion for most of the rest of the year, but Rich stayed in the mix with occasional title shots and multi-man tags.
September 14, 1976 (Memphis): A bloody Southern Title match between Lawler and Rich that is still remembered in fan circles. It featured the kind of hardcore, worked-shoot violence (blood, near-riots) that defined Memphis wrestling. Rich got strong, competitive finishes even in losses.
Late-year Evansville cards (November–December) didn’t always feature the direct singles match, but the surrounding roster (Frazier, Bass, the Greene Brothers, etc.) kept the indirect heat going through undercard tags. The December 29 Evansville show, for example, still had tag-title focus that echoed the same style of booking.
Why Was This Program Important In Evansville:
For Tommy Rich: It was his big break. At 19–20 he went from mid-card to main-event status across the entire territory. Evansville fans got to see him in big programs early, helping establish him as a future star.
For Lawler: It gave him a fresh, believable challenger who could draw without threatening his long-term spot. The back-and-forth kept gates strong in secondary towns.
For Evansville: The Coliseum wasn’t Memphis, but it was treated as an “A” road town. Getting Lawler-Rich title action (April 14) and a hot tag (June 2) meant Evansville wasn’t just filler — it was part of the story. Attendance held steady because fans knew they were seeing pieces of the same program that was tearing up Memphis TV.
Jerry Jarrett’s Booking style: No weekly title changes on the road; instead, the feud used TV to create “must-see” moments, then delivered live versions in Evansville to sell tickets and keep the territory humming.
By late 1976 the program had largely run its course (though Lawler-Rich would rekindle in later years), but it set the template for how the territory built stars and filled arenas. It was pure old-school territory wrestling: personal, violent, and perfectly paced across multiple towns.
The Top 9 Matches of all Time in Evansville, Indiana
Pat O’Connor vs. Rip Hawk matches (NWA World Heavyweight Title challenges)
Rip Hawk (the top local heel/babyface draw who moved to Evansville) faced NWA World Champion Pat O’Connor in a series of four tough matches throughout 1959 at the Evansville Coliseum. Hawk never won the belt but pushed O’Connor hard in 2-out-of-3-falls bouts, helping revive promoter Leon Balkin’s gate after lean years. These were weekly Wednesday-night main events that built Hawk as a major star.One documented follow-up title match: January 18, 1961 – Evansville Coliseum. Pat O’Connor (c) def. Rip Hawk in a 2/3 falls NWA World Heavyweight Title match (O’Connor won 2-1).These helped make 1959 a turnaround year for Evansville wrestling.
Jerry Lawler vs Terry Funk (No DQ Match)
April 8, 1981 – Evansville Coliseum: This was part of a multi-city run: Lawler beat Funk by DQ in Louisville the night before on April 7, then this No DQ in Evansville. I was there and saw it live part of the week I drove the territory following this match around. First time I saw Terry live. Not quite as good as the Memphis match, but you wouldn’t expect it either but still really good. Also on this card was Dory Funk, Jr vs Sonny King.
Jerry Lawler vs Terry Funk
May 13, 1981 – Evansville: ended in a no contest. I was there for this one too, ref had to stop the match. I would have put these two matches as the tqo greatest of all time but I felt the O’Connior vs Hawk match was significant for wrestling to remain in Evansville, but to be honest, they were two different eras. Evansville was dark when Jarrett started running it in 1972, for the Gulas-Welch Company, so from a Tennessee Territory standpoint, that was when the town started up again and then it broke away from Gulas-Welch in 1977 when Jarrett did.
Rip Hawk vs. Joey Maxim (boxer vs. wrestler match)
1959 (exact date not listed in available records, but part of the early 1959 push during Hawk’s run; some cross-references place similar novelty bouts around February). Evansville Coliseum.Hawk (wrestler) vs. former light-heavyweight boxing champion Joey Maxim in a special boxer-vs.-wrestler rules match. It drew a standing-room-only crowd and was a big novelty draw that showcased Hawk as the promotion’s top star during the O’Connor title program. Hawk won, as expected in these cross-sport exhibitions.
Hulk Hogan match on August 29, 1981
Evansville Coliseum (AWA territory house show).Hulk Hogan def. Dizzy Ed Boulder (singles match; Hogan was still using the “Hulk”/Terry Boulder gimmick from his early Memphis/AWA days).This was part of Hogan’s regular territory appearances before his massive WWF explosion. He was already a budding superstar and draw on the CWA/AWA circuit. (Note: Some listings call the opponent “Ed Boulder” or “Dizzy Ed Boulder.”)
Hulk Hogan vs. Big Boss Man
January 2, 1989 – Roberts Municipal Stadium, Evansville (WWF house show).Hulk Hogan def. Big Boss Man (singles match).Over 6,000 fans packed the building (a huge turnout for the era in Evansville). Hogan was in trouble during the match but rallied to win and send the crowd home happy. This was during Hogan’s WWF World Champion run and one of his big Evansville appearances at the larger Roberts Stadium venue (not the smaller Coliseum). Local reports noted it as one of the hottest crowds Hogan drew there.
Jerry Lawler vs. Bill Dundee in 1977
The Lawler-Dundee feud was one of the hottest in the CWA/Memphis territory that summer, with multiple hair/car/street fight stipulations in Memphis. The specific Evansville date: August 31, 1977 – Evansville Coliseum.Main event: Jerry Lawler vs. Bill Dundee (it was part of their ongoing bloody rivalry). (There was also a June 22, 1977 Evansville Coliseum show with Lawler on the card during the same feud run.)
Jerry Lawler vs. Tommy Rich
Lawler and “Wildfire” Tommy Rich had many CWA Southern Title clashes across the territory in the mid-late 1970s. This Evansville one: April 14, 1976 – Evansville Coliseum (Wednesday night).Jerry Lawler (c) vs. Tommy Rich – NWA Southern Heavyweight Title match.Rich was a young up-and-comer challenging the established King. These territorial title defenses were weekly staples that kept Evansville as a key Memphis stop.
Harley Race vs. Tommy Rich (for NWA World Title, with Lou Thesz as special referee)
August 20, 1980 – Evansville Coliseum (CWA territory show).Harley Race vs. Tommy Rich, with Lou Thesz as special guest referee.Race was the NWA World Heavyweight Champion; Rich (24 years old at the time) was the hot young Memphis star getting a big-shot title challenge. Thesz’s involvement as referee added massive prestige and drew strong interest locally. (Race retained.)
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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Good stuff, I have been wanting to watch more classic Lawler