Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
Mario Galento 1915
John Wilson\Kurt Von Brauner 1918
Luis Martinez\Apache Lou 1923
Happy Birthday:
Herman Stevens, Jr\Clarence Mason (61)
Minoru Suzuki (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.
Reed Detton 6-17-1975 at the age of 69
Joe Murnick 6-17-1985 at the age of 69
Steve Finley\Buddy Wayne 6-17-2017 at the age of 50
Dave Hebner 6-17-2022 at the age of 73
Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Community Update
Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Territory History Show Episode
Dallas Territory 1976
This week on the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel, we roll into the heart of Texas in 1976 and dive deep into one of the hottest territories in the NWA: Big Time Wrestling out of Dallas. From the roads stretching between Fort Worth, Dallas, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Houston, and Austin, a stacked roster of talent was tearing it up night after night in arenas big and small.
Homegrown hero and NWA American Champion Fritz Von Erich was the beating heart of the promotion. The legendary Iron Claw was working overtime as Fritz anchored fantastic programs, most notably his intense heel feud with The Mongolian Stomper, managed by the cunning J.J. Dillon. These battles had Texas fans on the edge of their seats week after week.
The territory was so hot that even top stars were navigating carefully. The great Red Bastien was reportedly steering somewhat clear of the red-hot scene, while still making selective appearances like his time-limit draw with Rick Martel on the big card.
The crown jewel of the year? The Super Bowl of Wrestling on June 5, 1976, at Texas Stadium in Irving. One of the biggest shows of the year drew a massive crowd (reported around 17,000) for a star-studded supercard. In the main event, NWA World Heavyweight Champion Terry Funk hooked up with Fritz Von Erich in a sizzling title match that spilled outside and ended in a double count-out, further fueling the ongoing Von Erich vs. Funk family feud that had Texas (and beyond) buzzing.
We’ll break down the full card highlights, key angles, the business side of the territory, other top talent on the roads, and how this era set the stage for what would become World Class Championship Wrestling. From blood feuds and big gates to the territorial grind, it’s classic 1976 Texas wrestling at its absolute peak.
Tune in for another deep dive through the Time Tunnel—where the territories come alive again!
Next Week: 2026 Mailbag Show 2
Next week, we’re opening up the Time Tunnel Mailbag once again, and I want to hear from YOU — the fans who keep this territory history alive.
My good friend and co-host Steve Gennerelli will be right there with me, feeding me your questions as we dive deep into your thoughts, theories, and burning questions about the territorial era.
Whether it’s about the Dallas/Fort Worth scene in ’76, the Von Erich family, Funk family rivalries, other territories, booking decisions, road stories, or anything else from 1925 to 1995 — now’s your chance to get it answered on the show.
Get your questions in by this Saturday! Drop them in the comments on this post, send them to the Substack, email them to tonyrichard4@gmail.com, or DM me on X — whatever’s easiest for you.
Steve and I will read as many as we can, and we always love the passionate back-and-forth these mailbags create.
So don’t wait — fire off those questions right now and let’s make this one of our best mailbags yet!
This is Episode whatever Mailbag — dropping next week. Subscribe on Castos, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share this with a fellow territory fan, and let’s keep the history rolling!
Tony Richards — Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel. See you in the mailbag!
Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw: The History of Texas Wrestling
Coming to Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw this week – featuring Chickasaw Hall of Famer Gerry Brisco, WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield, and me, the official Hall of Fame historian Tony Richards.
This is the only place where these three wrestling history lovers, comrades and storytellers who lived and stidied this business sit down together in one place and tell it straight.
Soon… we start the another ride of a lifetime.
We’re going back to the very first roots of professional wrestling in the Lone Star State – back when Texas was still wild, back when the only ropes in the ring were the ones they used to tie down cattle.
From dusty carnival tents in the 1800s, where catch-as-catch-can grapplers took on all comers for a five-dollar gold piece… through the armories of the 1930s and ’40s… the birth of the territory system… the golden age when great wrestling families like The Funks, The Guerreros, and The Romeros built empires across the Lone Star State… all the way to 1995, when the last lights went out and the territory era finally died right there on Texas soil.
This isn’t some highlight reel.
If Ken Burns were to make a documentary on Texas Rasslin’, this would be it.
This is The History of Pro Wrestling in Texas – the definitive series.
Every blood feud.
Every sold-out Sportatorium riot.
Every Von Erich tragedy and triumph.
Every time the boys in the back had to fight the office, the feds, and each other just to keep the doors open one more week.
We will explore the people who built it.
The people who lived it and the people who bled it.
And for the next however many episodes it takes… we’re laying it all out for you – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the parts nobody’s ever had the guts to say out loud.
So you’ll want to grab a cold one, pull up a chair, and turn the volume up.
Because in Texas… wrestling ain’t just a sport.It’s a damn religion.
And this… is the whole gospel.
Check it out this week on Stories With Brisco and BRadshaw
You Tube Channel Additions
The Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Playlist of my appearances on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw has been updated and now includes all my appearances on the show. All The Welch Legacy Rodrigo’s, all the Jim Barnett Series episodes, the Dory Funk,Sr\West Texas Wrestling episode and the Elwood Franics episode are all in the playlist.
This Week in The Daily Chronicle
The Daily Chronicle – June 14th to June 20th, 2026
This week in The Daily Chronicle, we continue our deep territorial dive with another packed seven days of exclusive pro wrestling history from 1925–1995.
Sunday, June 14th – Issue 425:
A full Q2 Analysis of the Georgia Championship Wrestling Territory. We break down the business, key angles, talent movement, and territorial dynamics that made GCW one of the hottest promotions of the period.
Monday, June 15th – Issue 426:
Our ongoing 7 Stages of the Territory Era Series lands on Stage 5: June 1966. A detailed look at this pivotal month across the NWA landscape as the territories continued to evolve.
Tuesday, June 16th – Issue 427: The Life and Career (and tragic death) of Alberto Torres
Also the disturbing TV angle that followed in Nebraska. A sobering but important chapter in territory history.
Wednesday, June 17th – Issue 428: Community Update
All the latest news, announcements, and behind-the-scenes developments from the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel, including podcast and Substack updates.
Thursday, June 18th – Issue 429: The Life and Times of Dick Murdoch
Profiling one of the toughest, most versatile, and entertaining heels the territories ever produced.
Friday, June 19th – Issue 430: The Life and Career of Abe Jacobs
The highly versatile territory-era wrestler who made his mark across multiple regions.
Saturday, June 20th – Issue 431:
A special Flashback to 1898 and the Championship Match between American Champion Evan “Strangler” Lewis and The Terrible Turk Yusif Ismail — early professional wrestling at its rawest.
All of this and more in the only daily pro wrestling history newsletter dedicated to the territory era — The Daily Chronicle on Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel.
Subscribe today (or upgrade to paid for the full archives and extras) at ProWrestlingTimeTunnel.com and never miss a single day of authentic territorial history.
Drop your thoughts, questions, or corrections in the comments — we love hearing from the community that keeps these stories alive.
The territories live on — one morning at a time in The Daily Chronicle.
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!
Remember, premium investors get access to exclusive and special content such as some special issues including a multi-part deep dives on wrestling territories, wrestler bios and championship title histories, special audio and video interviews on territory pro wrestling and more available in the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel for Premium Investors.
