Shreveport, 1970
This year saw "Cowboy" Bill Watts defeat the Spoiler for the North American Heavyweight Championship and defend it against the former champion, as well as feud with Waldo von Erich and Sputnik Monroe. Danny Hodge was the World's Jr. Heavyweight Champion, and the U.S. Tag Championship was held by Mr. Ito and Mr. Ota, Luke Brown and Dutch Savage, the Hollywood Blonds (Jerry Brown and Buddy Roberts), and finally Bill Watts and Billy Red Lyons. Click on the picture to the left to enjoy these clippings from every card held in Shreveport that year!
Shreveport, 1971
1971 saw the "debut" of Dr. X in the area as well as Dory Funk, Jr.'s first appearance as World Heavyweight Champion in Shreveport when he defended against World's Jr. Heavyweight Champion Danny Hodge. The North American Heavyweight title was held by "Cowboy" Bill Watts and Dick Murdoch for the entire year, and Watts was also the Brass Knucks Champion. Danny Hodge lost his Jr. Heavyweight title to Roger "Rip" Kirby and Ramon Torres and Dr. X would also wear the crown that year. The U.S. Tag Championship was held by the Hollywood Blonds, the Kentuckians, the German team of Waldo von Erich and Karl von Brauner, the Spoilers, and Billy Red Lyons and Tom Jones. Click on the pic to the left to see clips from all of these great cards!
Shreveport, 1972
1972 was an exciting year in the Tri-State territory. World Champion Dory Funk, Jr. defended his title twice in Shreveport against North American Champion "Cowboy" Bill Watts. Watts reigned as North American champ for nearly the whole year, losing the title for a week to Dale Lewis. Dr. X lost a mask vs. title match to Danny Hodge and was unmasked as Jim Osborne, but amazingly, he returned a few weeks later wearing the mask. The year also saw the debut in the area of Ernie Ladd and Jim Valiant, and Ivan Putski had a great run here. Click on the picture to the left to see clippings from this super year of wrestling action!
Shreveport, 1973
The year 1973 seemed to be the year of the tag team in Tri-State, as most of the cards from the first part of the year were headlined by "Cowboy" Bill Watts and Danny Hodge teaming to feud with Bruiser Bob Sweetan and Tarzan Tyler. Sweetan was the reigning Brass Knucks Champion as well, but it seems the title was rarely defended in Shreveport. The United States Tag Titles changed hands several times, with Bull Bullinski and Dennis Stamp holding the belts for all of one week (sorry, but I don't have the clipping for this week), and the Hollywood Blonds, Eddie Sullivan and Rip Tyler, Dennis Stamp and Dewey Robertson, Kim Duk and Stan Kowalski, and Alex Perez and El Gran Tapio all holding the straps during the year. It was also during this year that Jim Ross debuted as a referee and Bill Watts left for Florida and Georgia, taking the North American Heavyweight belt with him and prompting a tournament to crown a new champion, which was won by Tank Morgan. Click on the picture to enjoy clippings from this great year in Tri-State history!
Shreveport, 1982
1982 was one of the most exciting years ever in Mid-South Wrestling. "Dr. Death" Steve Williams made his professional debut this year, while Mr. Olympia entered the territory to begin a great run with JYD as Mid-South Tag Champions. He also held the Mississippi Heavyweight title for much of the year. Ted DiBiase was North American Heavyweight Champion for most of the year, feuding with Paul Orndorff, JYD, Dick Murdoch, and others. The Rat Pack of DiBiase, Hacksaw Duggan, and Matt Borne were able to get rid of JYD, but "Stagger Lee" made his debut in the Dog's absence. Other regulars during 1982 were the Samoans, Ernie Ladd, the Grappler, Bob Roop, and many other great stars, while Andre the Giant and Dusty Rhodes made appearances in the area. Click on the picture on the left to enjoy some clippings from this unforgettable year of Mid-South Wrestling!
Shreveport, 1983
A lot of changes took place in Mid-South Wrestling during 1983. The popular Mr. Olympia turned heel and feuded with his former partner the Junkyard Dog, as well as Mr. Wrestling II. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan left the Rat Pack and became one of the most popular wrestlers to ever compete in the territory. Others appearing regularly in the area were King Kong Bundy, Chavo Guerrero, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, Tony Atlas, Butch Reed, and the Rock and Roll Express and Midnight Express. Talent was regularly brought in from Atlanta, including Dusty Rhodes, Super Destroyer, Johnny Rich, Tito Santana, and the Moondogs, as well as from Dallas (Freebirds, Wild Bill Irwin, Gino Hernandez, and Iceman King Parsons). Click on the clipping to the left to see a few clippings from another great year of Mid-South Wrestling!