Booking Memphis Wrestling With Jerry Jarrett

On this episode we have a lot of fun strolling down memory lane and going over some of the more memorable ribs and pranks that Jerry Jarrett saw during his decades in the Memphis territory. Hear some hilarious stories usually reserved for "the boys". There is plenty of Jackie Fargo in this one!

This week we welcome Joel Gertner onto the show to discuss the Memphis/ECW parallels that he lived through while working for ECW. We discuss what makes a great heel manager and how they separate themselves from the rest. We also talk about Joel and Jerry's interactions with Paul Heyman, Joel's influences, we discuss ECW's ability to generate true heat from a "smart" crowd, and much more!

For the first time ever, Jerry Jarrett and Eric Embry tell all about their part in the resurrection and fall of the Dallas territory in the late 80's. Hear Eric describe how dire the situation in Dallas was before Jerry was brought in, the work they did together they did to revive the business, Eric Embry as a hugely over anti-hero babyface, and then Von Erich jealousy that brought about their downfall. Tons of never heard stories, this is wrestling history that you will want to hear!

Before the Monday night wars, before the Vince McMahon war on the territories, the biggest war in wrestling was happening in the Atlanta territory in the 70s.  A massive promotional war erupted when Ann Gunkel split away from the NWA and ran opposition, and Jerry Jarrett ended up in the middle of it as the NWA's booker. Hear him tell the story of what really happened when he was brought in to book during this period, leading to the NWA winning the war and the first ever Omni show. Hear tons of stories on Jim Barnett, the creation of Mr. Wrestling II, Lou Thesz turning the tide of the war as a top face, Gordon Solie, and much more.

Memphis historian and prolific wrestling author Mark James joins us on this episode to talk about his memories of the glory days of Memphis! He and Jerry Jarrett talk about the fascinating dual personalities of Jimmy Valiant on and off camera, an infamous riot at the Mid-South Coliseum after a show, Jimmy Hart saving the territory, why tapes of old Memphis TV were not saved, and many other topics. We very much recommend finding Mark's work at MarkJamesBooks.com. 

Our guest this week is Jeanie Clarke. She and Jerry catch up to talk about the famous USWA Dallas feud where she teamed with future husband Steve Austin against ex-husband Chris Adams and his then wife Toni Adams. Talk about reality in wrestling! Jeanie is full of great insights and stories about that feud and the rest of her career, as well as being married to Steve Austin when he was perhaps the hottest star in the history of the business. Follow her on Twitter at @ClarkeJeanie and buy her book, "Through the Shattered Glass", at Amazon.com!

Memphis production genius Mike Shields joins us to talk about numerous innovations and contributions to pro wrestling from his career. We discuss wrestling's first ever music video, shooting the Tupelo Concession Stand Brawl, the first ever Hulk Hogan promotional video, and being responsible for Eric Bischoff getting his position running WCW. This is priceless wrestling history, Mike has never done an interview before, but agreed to join Jerry Jarrett to talk about their history together.

A great episode this week as we discuss the very beginnings of the career of Hulk Hogan, perhaps the greatest draw in pro wrestling history, and some of the lesser known contributions that Jerry Jarrett made to the start of his career. To help us out, we're proud to have on former great Memphis heel manager and Memphis wrestling expert - Scott Bowden! Listen to his podcast, Kentucky Fried Wrestling, at KFRpod.com!

We're proud to have Memphis wrestling mainstay Randy Hales as our very first ever guest on the show. This episode is at times hilarious and at times very emotional. Hear why Jerry Jarrett and Randy didn't talk for 25 years, and why they've reconnected in the last month and are good friends once again. And plenty of classic behind the scenes Memphis wrestling stories as well!

This week we do another Booking 101-inspired show, with fascinating insight into the creative process that made Memphis the special territory that it was. The conversation goes into Jerry's time mentoring Bill Dundee and Dutch Mantell and the success they had on their own, what he learned from Eddie Graham, a discussion of what makes a real money-drawing heel, and why Jimmy Hart was so successful and integral to the territory for so many years. If you're a Memphis fan, you will want to hear this discussion to understand why exactly it was so great.

We bring back a concept from a very popular show that we did previously - Memphis Quick Hits! Sean fires names from Memphis history at Jerry Jarrett, and Jerry responds with the first thoughts or stories that come to his mind. Hear his views on people like Jimmy Hart, Jim Cornette, the Freebirds, Eric Embry, Robert Fuller, Buddy Wayne, Terry Taylor, and many more!

Charles Williams of ProWrestlingOnly.com joins us this week and we have a wide-ranging discussion with Jerry Jarrett on a great variety of subjects. We talk about the end of Paul Heyman's run in Memphis, Jerry's love for Randy Savage, the success of AJ Styles and how long it took for Jerry to recognize his potential, him wrestling the first scaffold match, and being brought in by WCW as a consultant and asked to choose between Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo as the future leader of the company. There's tons of great stories and laughs, so buckle in for another fun week of Booking Memphis! You can donate to the show at https://www.patreon.com/bookingmemphis!

In this episode, Jerry Jarrett pays tribute to Brian Lawler and gives his thoughts on the tragedy that occurred. Then, as a balance to our infamous Slappy awards, and to bring some happiness to a sad time, Jerry hands out his Superstar Awards. This is a tribute to the people who Jerry feels most helped him become so successful in the wrestling business. Hear his thoughts on people like Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee, Eddie Graham, Vince McMahon Sr, and many more.

This week we dive into a few well-known Memphis "controversies", and get the real story on what happened from Jerry Jarrett himself. In fact, one of these stories caused Jerry to call Jerry Lawler on the day of recording to make sure the record was set straight! We talk about the infamous Apter mag article claiming Lawler had defeated Andre the Giant on behalf of all smaller people, causing some heat in the NWA. We also talk in depth about Andre as a performer and person. Also, hear the details on supposed incidents involving Harley Race and the Sheik! And just for fun, we even get into the story of Sabu claiming to save Jerry's life in TNA, and talk about Ben the Wrestling Bear making appearances in Memphis in the 70s!

We will get to the Superstar awards, but instead of doing lists two weeks in a row, we shake things up again this week Memphis-style. We thought it would be fun to bring on a lifelong Memphis fan, Scott Mason, who has worked in radio for 10 years and created the show's open, and let him ask Jerry Jarrett anything he can think of for an hour. Listen to some great stories on The Fabulous Ones, Lance Russell, Eric Embry, Eddie Gilbert, Austin Idol, SuperClash 3 and much more. Also, you have to hear how Joe Namath affected Jerry's fashion style for a time, trust us.

It's time for Jerry Jarrett's Slappy Awards! This episode is hilarious but also at times very emotional. Here is Jerry's list of the top people in wrestling who he had some, well, unpleasant or unusual business dealings with during his career. This is not meant to be mean-spirited, its more of a vehicle for us to hear some great stories, as well as some cautionary tales. Yes, you probably guessed that Dixie Carter was on the list, but wait until you hear the story of how Ric Flair ended up here. Hear about the issues he had with other territorial promoters in the 80s and how it allowed Vince McMahon to take over wrestling. What Memphis legend showed up at the Mid-South Coliseum one Monday night and refused to wrestle unless he got a higher payout than agreed on?

This is a great episode, as one of the most successful promoters in the history of the business gives his top tips to everyone trying to promote pro wrestling in 2018. And, as always with Jerry and Sean, we veer into some other topics. Hear about Vince McMahon telling Jerry 25 years ago that he wished he could have generic replaceable wrestlers, and how 25 years later Vince has now accomplished that. How did TNA fail by trying so often to be WWE-lite. Why did a Jimmy Valiant-Nick Bockwinkel match turn into a disaster. Hear how Vince McMahon considered pro wrestling to be a farce perpetrated on the public that he was above by promoting "sports entertaiment". Why did Jerry have a big sign above his office that said "Personal issues draw money". And so much more.

This a fun wide-ranging show full of fascinating topics. We start with the premise of doing a Booking 101 series - a collection of shows where one of the all-time brilliant bookers in wrestling history passes down his knowledge to younger generations. We start with a discussion of why Memphis TV was so special, but we really get into the heart of Jerry Jarrett as an artist and writer. How did his love of literature and romantic poetry motivate his booking. How did "Et tu, Brute?" lead to Lawler-Dundee? How did Scottish poetry inform how he booked Randy Savage? How did watching a late night B-movie lead to the creation of the first scaffold match? How did his daughter's love of MTV lead to the first pro wrestling music videos? How did Jerry's experience at a movie theater "Rocky" touch his wrestling booking so much? It's a deep episode that Memphis fans will love, as we try to get to what was really at the core of our favorite wrestling.

In the spirit of Memphis TV, we did a fast-paced really fun one this week. It's called Memphis Quick Hits - Sean throws about 25 names from Memphis history at Jerry Jarrett and he responds with the first story that comes to mind. Hear some gems - what did Lou Thesz do to lose Jerry's respect for a time, why does Jerry consider Randy Savage the most honorable main he ever came across in the wrestling business, hear about Jerry holding Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on his lap as his dad worked Memphis in the late 70's, and why did Eddie Graham stop talking to Jerry for a year. From Lawler, Dundee, and Mantell to Reggie B Fine, Frank Morrell, Phil Hickerson, we cover a very broad spectrum. People who enjoy Memphis will love this episode.

In this episode we go into great detail on Jerry Jarrett's long relationship with the McMahon family and WWE. Hear about how Vince McMahon Sr was a key part of Jerry's early success, how Vince McMahon Jr called in a favor Jerry had made to Vince Sr a decade earlier for help, how Jerry pushed for smaller wrestlers like Bret Hart to get pushed and how that is still felt today with smaller superstars like AJ Styles, and finally how Jerry created the Mr. McMahon character and produced the very first Mr. McMahon interviews. A great episode documenting important wrestling history.