Today’s Favorite Quote: Stagnation is something worse than death; it is corruption also-William Simms
Happy Birthday to those who have passed on and to those great wrestlers still with us:
In Memoriam:
(none)
Happy Birthday:
Dan Kroffat (82)
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.
Don Bass 9-16-2016 at the age of 70
Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Community Update
Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Territory History Show Episode 80
Episode 80 of The Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Show is a special one, with a trip to Japan and a heartfelt look back at our friend Jerry Oates.
Segment 1:
We travel to Japan as wrestling historian Fumi Saito joins us from Tokyo. Fumi looks back at Giant Baba’s All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1976, the year Jerry and Ted Oates won the All Asia Tag Team Championship.
Segment 2:
Two of our regulars, Georgia wrestling analyst Bobby Simmons and Gulf Coast expert Michael Norris, join me to share their friendship and memories of Jerry Oates. We laugh, we reflect, and we get sad at times talking about our friend.
Segment 3:
My last conversation with Jerry Oates for the show — recorded a couple of weeks before his passing — as Jerry discusses his career in 1976.
This is a history-packed and deeply personal episode.
📌 Episode 80 is available now on Castos, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and all your usual platforms.
Hit play, leave a review, and keep riding with us through the Time Tunnel.
The History of Texas Wrestling
Episode 14 of The History of Texas Wrestling is here on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw!
Hey wrestling fans!
Tony Richards, Gerry Brisco, and JBL head back to Amarillo and San Antonio for another packed chapter of Texas wrestling history.
This week’s stories include:
• Art Nelson, a tough West Texas regular and frequent opponent of the Funks
• Rip Rogers and Eddie Graham, two important names moving through the Texas scene
• Gory Guerrero, the legendary Mexican star whose work helped shape Texas and border-town wrestling
• Ricky Romero, one of the most beloved babyfaces in Amarillo history
• Lorraine Johnson and the women’s side of the territory
• Nick Roberts, a familiar face in the West Texas towns
• Killer Karl Kox, the hard-hitting heel who brought violence and box-office heat
• Wahoo McDaniel, the football star who became one of the toughest draws in the business
• Joe Blanchard, a key figure in the San Antonio market and the foundation of Southwest wrestling there
It’s another rich look at the people, towns, and stories that made Texas wrestling unique.
📌 Episode 14 of The History of Texas Wrestling is available now on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
Subscribe, download, and join Tony, Gerry, and JBL as the Texas story continues!
Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel YOUTube Channel Update
We added a ton of content over the past week to our curated playlists on the YOUTube Channel:
In our Special Extras Playlist:
The 1967 ringside confrontation between Joe Blanchard and Fritz Von Erich we discussed on this week’s Episode 14 of The History of Texas Wrestling on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw.
The 1973 match between The LeDuc Brothers vs Mad Dog Vachon and Dale Lewis in Championship Wrestling from Florida
January 5th, 1966 Capitol Wrestling from Washington DC
In our WWE Vault: Territory Wrestling Playlist: (In this list we take the best territory content released by the WWE Vault and compile it here for our community)
The Ricky The Dragon Steamboat WWF Documentary
In our Pro Wrestling 1976 Playlist we added around 50 videos to that curated list:
Several episodes of UWA Wrestling in Nashville, Tennessee
Several episodes of 1976 Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling June-October ‘76
Some episodes of Los Angeles and San Francisco wrestling shows with lots of Chavo Guerrero and Roddy Piper feud that year
Several episodes of All Star Wrestling 1976
Benny Scala and Nikita Breznikov: When It Was Real podcast Madison Square Garden show August 7th, 1976
Andre The Giant-WWWF TV-1976: Andre takes on 3 men in a handicap match from championship wrestling 1976
Championship Wrestling from Florida The Great Mephisto vs Tom Jones (1976) Madison Square Garden: Ernie Ladd vs Bruno Sammartino 3/11/76
Andre The Giant vs Bobo Brazil 2-14-1976 (I think this is from Canada)
Our YOUTube Channel is an important part of our Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Community, we are close to 1,500 subscribers to our channel and its growing like gangbusters thanks to you! We are adding content every week, so please come join this part of our community and subscribe to our YOU Tube Channel.
The Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Hits 750 Subscribers!
Thank you.
Thank you to every reader who shows up in the morning for The Daily Chronicle. Thank you to everyone who listens to the History Show, watches the videos, shares the work, leaves comments, and helps keep territory-era wrestling history alive.
750 is more than a number. It means this community is growing — people who care about the territories, the wrestlers, the promoters, and the stories that built this business.
I don’t take it for granted.
I have deep, deep gratitude for each of you.
Your support makes the research, the writing, and the daily work possible.
Here’s to the next milestone — and to preserving this history together.
Thank you for riding with us through the Time Tunnel.
Premium Content: Tracking The World Champions: September 1966, NWA World Champion Gene Kiniski
Gene Kiniski’s Month on the Road — When the NWA Title Never Slept
Sixty years ago this month, “Canada’s Greatest Athlete” wasn’t sitting on the belt. He was living out of airports, hotel rooms, and dressing rooms from the Carolinas to the Caribbean.NWA World Heavyweight Champion Gene Kiniski’s September 1966 itinerary is a master class in what the traveling world title actually demanded. No private jets. No light schedules. Just a 6-foot-4, 270-pound former Edmonton Eskimo grinding through two-out-of-three-falls wars, 60-minute draws, and quick-turnaround dates that would break most modern champions.
This is the series. Not just who held the belt — how they carried it. Kiniski’s September 1966 is the unfiltered picture of an NWA World Champion who treated every territory like it was his own backyard and every challenger like he had something to prove.The full breakdown — dates, opponents, results, travel, and context — drops in the latest Tracking The World Champions feature. The road never stopped. Neither did Big Thunder.
This is the kind of special content our Premium Paid Subscribers receive as part of the Premium Monthly Package of extra value in the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel. This feature will be released on Friday, September 18th.
This Week in The Daily Chronicle
September 13 – September 19, 2026
Sunday, September 13 – Issue 516
Our regular 1976 third-quarter look and analysis of Georgia Championship Wrestling.
Monday, September 14 – Issue 517
Mondays mean the 7 Stages of the Territory Era. This issue is an extensive look at Stage 5 and the month of September 1966.
Tuesday, September 15 – Issue 518
An in-depth look at one of the territory era’s most beloved babyfaces: The Life and Career of Wilbur Snyder.
Wednesday, September 16 – Issue 519
Our weekly Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Community Update. You are reading it right now, each Wednesday, We update you on the latest happenings in our community.
Thursday, September 17 – Issue 520
A feature on one of the territory stars recently passed on: The Life and Career of Paul LeDuc.
Friday, September 18 – Issue 521
The Life and Career of Wild Bill Irwin.
Saturday, September 19 – Issue 522
On Saturdays we highlight the women of the business. This week: The Life and Career of Beverly Shade.
Another history-packed week in the only daily territory-era newsletter — The Daily Chronicle. See you every morning at 5am Central / 6am Eastern!
Thank You for Watching and Listening
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 and each episode of our podcast show. Thanks for your support! If you enjoy my information on select events, matches and insights, please share with folks you think might like to be a subscriber!
Remember, Premium subscribers 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 Subscribers. Being a Premium Subscriber also means you support me in my efforts to document Pro Wrestling History through my research, writing, books, vidoes and podcasts. And…I have something very special planned for our Premium Subscribers on the Podcast side of things in 2026! Details soon here in the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel.