Mid-South Coliseum

Mid-South Coliseum A star-studded music and sports photo history of the Mid-South Coliseum.

The Mid-South Coliseum has extraordinary local significance in the modern history of entertainment/recreation and the music history of Memphis. It is the only surviving building in Memphis where such notable musical groups as The Beatles, The Stax-Volt Record R***e, Ike and Tina Turner, The Who, Led Zepellin, The Rolling Stones, James Brown, and Elvis Presley performed during their period of signi

ficance in American popular music and as such, the coliseum served as a center for cultural expression among Memphis youth, both white and black. The building created a cultural forum where Memphis youth, both black and white, participated in, and were influenced by, a rapid transformation in American popular music that replaced small venues of a several hundred patrons, who listened attentively to barely amplified performances, to thousands of kids reacting emotionally to the throbs of massive sounds of screaming instruments set in a theatrical backdrop where the audience was as much part of the performance as the performers themselves.

11/18/2024

November 18, 1985 - Fabulous Ones vs Midnight Express

Great news!
10/05/2024

Great news!

The Mid-South Coliseum was closed in 2006 for several reasons and has been under threat of demolition ever since. In March 2024, a group of Memphis leaders have announced the formation of The Coliseum Conservancy to save the Coliseum because of its historic significance.

The Coliseum Conservancy’s foremost goal will be to raise the approximately $25 million that studies have determined will be needed for preliminary work to reopen its doors to the general public, bringing the venue up to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards, removing and repairing seats, adding railings, improving locker and press rooms amenities, making needed roof repairs, and wiring the building for wi-fi.

This wonderful news has been well-received by Memphis Wrestling fans who have fond memories of the historic venue.

June 12, 1989 - Monday night wrestling at the Mid-South Coliseum.
06/12/2024

June 12, 1989 - Monday night wrestling at the Mid-South Coliseum.

June 12, 1989 - Monday night wrestling at the Mid-South Coliseum featuring a clash of titans, Bam Bam Bigalow & The Undertaker, in the main event of the year. Jackie Fargo had to be there in Lawler's corner for this one!

Official results:
- Tracy Smothers drew Frankie Lancaster.
- Freddy beat Deuce Mason.
- Bill Dundee beat Mr. Devastation.
- CWA Champ Jeff Jarrett beat Mark Starr.
- CWA Tag Champs Action Jackson & Billy Joe Travis beat Robert Fuller & Brian Lee w/ Miss Sylvia.
- Jerry Lawler & Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Jackie Fargo beat Dutch Mantell & The Master of Pain w/ Ronnie P. Gossett.

June 7, 1971 - The first wrestling show at the Mid-South Coliseum.
06/08/2024

June 7, 1971 - The first wrestling show at the Mid-South Coliseum.

June 7, 1971 - Wrestling at the Mid-South Coliseum premiered on this day after many years at Ellis Auditorium, and 9,253 fans came out to cut the ribbon. Sputnik Monroe, Mario Galentó, the Von Brauners, Saul Weingeroff and Len Rossi--all who had made Memphis Wrestling legendary--came back to help issue in a new era.

The change in locations didn't bother Sputnik Monroe, for one. "I'm not going to miss the old place. Why, I probably am responsible for building this coliseum. They didn't have enough room anywhere else for me to wrestle. And, they didn't give me any credit for putting this place up. That's gratitude."

Meanwhile, fans had mixed responses. One fan said, "I like this better for wrestling. There's more parking, and it is much nicer. We've been going to matches for a long time, and I think this will be a real improvement."

Another fan, Mrs. Lillie Butler, though, complained. "I don't like it - not one bit. I enjoy all the wrestlers, but I don't like this place. They won't let me stand up. I pay $3.50 to sit down here, and I can't see a thing. The seats at the Auditorium were much better. You could see everything there."

April-June 1971: The hottest feud in the area at this time revolved around The Greene Brothers versus Tojo Yamamoto & Jerry Jarrett over the NWA Southern Tag Title.

Official results:
- Oni Wiki Wiki beat Gary Martin.
- Tinker Todd beat Mario Galento via DQ.
- Darling Dagmar & Cora Combs beat Diamond Lil & Ann Casey.
- The Alaskans (Mike York & Frank Monte) beat Bearcat Brown & Frank Hester.
- NWA Women's Champ The Fabulous Moolah beat Vicki Williams.
- Southern Junior Heavyweight Champ Len Rossi beat Sputnik Monroe.
- NWA Tag Champs Kurt & Karl Von Brauner beat Jackie & Roughhouse Fargo.
- Al & Don Greene beat Southern Tag Champs Jerry Jarrett & Tojo Yamamoto via DQ in a "hair vs. title" match. Steve Clements' hair was on the line if the Greenes lost.

Note: This was the first ever wrestling show at the coliseum.

The latest good news in the effort to save the Mid-South Coliseum!
03/25/2024

The latest good news in the effort to save the Mid-South Coliseum!

With the clearest path yet to a new life for the Mid-South Coliseum, a group of Memphis leaders have announced the formation of The Coliseum Conservancy.

12/29/2023

December 29, 1974 - Ron Fuller beat Tommy Gilbert for the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship in an eight-man Southern Title Tournament final at the Mid-South Coliseum. He successfully defended the title an amazing 162 days (5.4 months) until he was finally defeated by the Mongolian Stomper on June 9, 1975. Fuller is the son of Buddy Fuller (Welch) and grandson of Roy Welch.

12/29/2023

Superfan Mary Spry at the Mid-South Coliseum, where she was sure to be found every Monday night, heavily engaged in the storylines, supporting the babyfaces and cursing the heels like nothing else mattered.

Legends of the ring, on this day, 47 years ago.
12/12/2023

Legends of the ring, on this day, 47 years ago.

December 12, 1976 - Young photographer Eddie Gilbert took this photo as Lance Russell introduces a 6-man tag team match at the Mid-South Coliseum featuring (left to right) Bill Dundee, Tommy Gilbert, Tommy Rich, Lance, referee Jerry Calhoun, Gorgeous George Jr., Bill Ash, David Schultz and "General" Jerry Lawler. Presented by Gulas-Welch Wrestling. 8,816 fans attended.

Official results:
David Schultz, Bill Ash, & Gorgeous George Jr. beat Bill Dundee, Tommy Gilbert, & Tommy Rich (20:13) when Ash pinned Dundee.

Photo by: Eddie Gilbert

On this day... August 26, 1967, a Country Music Show was held at the Mid-South Coliseum featuring Waylon Jennings, Webb ...
08/26/2022

On this day... August 26, 1967, a Country Music Show was held at the Mid-South Coliseum featuring Waylon Jennings, Webb Pierce, Sonny James and Warner Mack.

ON THIS DAY in Mid-South Coliseum History

On August 26, 1967, a Country Music Show was held at the Mid-South Coliseum featuring Waylon Jennings, Webb Pierce, Sonny James and Warner Mack.

Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was a country music singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. In 1967, Jennings released a hit single, "Just to Satisfy You". During an interview, Jennings remarked that the song was a "pretty good example" of the influence of his work with Buddy Holly and rockabilly music. "The Chokin' Kind" peaked at number eight on Billboard's Hot Country Singles in 1967, while "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" hit number two the following year. In 1969, his collaboration with The Kimberlys on the single "MacArthur Park" earned a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group. His single "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" reached number three at the Hot Country Singles chart by the end of the year. On February 13, 2002, Jennings died from complications of diabetes.

Webb Pierce (August 8, 1921 – February 24, 1991) was one of the most popular h***y tonk, rockabilly vocalists, guitarists of the 1950s, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade. Pierce continued charting until 1982 with a total of 96 hits; and he toured extensively and appeared in the movies Buffalo Guns, Music City USA, Second Fiddle To A Steel Guitar, and Road To Nashville. Pierce waged a long battle with pancreatic cancer, which he lost on February 24, 1991.

Sonny James, is a country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, "Young Love". Dubbed the Southern Gentleman, James had 72 country and pop chart hits from 1953 to 1983. Beginning in 1967 with "Need You" and ending with "Here Comes Honey Again" in 1971, James recorded 16 straight #1 country singles. His #1 consecutive streak for a solo artist has never been surpassed. Twenty-one of his albums reached the country top ten from 1964 to 1976. In May 2007 Sonny, accompanied by his Southern Gentlemen, walked the red carpet and were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. James is currently retired and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Warner Mack is a country music singer-songwriter. Mack had 19 number 1 hits on the country charts from the late 1950s to the early 1980s.

On this day, 56 years ago.
08/19/2022

On this day, 56 years ago.

August 19, 1966 - Color photo of The Beatles press conference held in a meeting room at the Mid-South Coliseum.

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