Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Territory History Show

We go down the ballot with plenty of expertise, advocates for their favorites, and deep historical and career reviews to help voters make their decisions this year.

Our Hall of Fame panel looks at the Historical and Non-Wrestler categories. Steve Gennerelli, Greg Klein, and Brian R. Solomon join me for this discussion.

Allan Blackstock makes his first appearance on the show from Great Britain to discuss the Rest of the World category. Allan shares his research and deep knowledge with our listeners and viewers.

Also joining us for the first time is Matt Farmer. Using his year of researching Mexico, Matt helps educate our audience on the candidates in the Mexico category.

It’s a full look at the ballot — history, advocacy, and the names that deserve a closer look before the votes are cast.

Episode 85 – The Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame 2026 Show is available now on Castos, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and all your usual platforms.

Hit play, leave a review, and join us as we go down the ballot in the Time Tunnel!

We go back 40 years to the car accident that ended Magnum TA’s career. Jimmy Garvin joins the show as we look at the hot program the two of them had just started. What if that accident never happens? Where does the program go? Does it build into a World Title series between Magnum and Jimmy? How does Precious fit into the story? This one gets intriguing in a hurry.

RIP Ricky Sexton

Mid-Atlantic analyst and historian Todd Goss returns. Todd and I dig into what a Magnum TA World Title run would have looked like. How would it have affected business in the Carolinas and across the NWA? We kick it around, chase a few other ideas, and see where the road might have led.

RIP Clary Fleming

Steve Gennerelli and Jammie Ward join me for another big “what if”: Ric Flair going to the WWWF in the 1980s. Several strong theories get tossed around — how it would have changed New York, the NWA, and the man himself.

Three segments. Three alternate histories. One episode built for territory fans who love the questions that never got answered.

Promo for Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Show – Episode 83
The Detroit Territory, 1976

Hey everyone, Tony Richards here!Episode 83 of The Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Show takes a trip to the Detroit territory and Big Time Wrestling in 1976.

We open with a short congratulations to one of our family members and AWA analyst, George Schire. The George Tragos–Lou Thesz Hall of Fame Board announced this past weekend that George will be honored with the James C. Melby Award for 2027 at Hall of Fame weekend in
Waterloo, Iowa. Well deserved.

Segment 1:
I welcome longtime Detroit television announcer Terry Sullivan to discuss the Detroit Territory in 1976.

Segment 2:
A short, heartfelt tribute to Bart Batten, one of the Batten Twins tag team, who passed away on October 1st. I also give a little profile of the in-ring career of Klondike Bill — more than a ring truck driver.

Segment 3:
Brian Solomon, author of Blood and Fire, the biography of The Original Sheik, returns to the show. Brian and I discuss what was happening in the Sheik’s life and territory in 1976. To close, I recap the other territories The Sheik traveled to and wrestled in during 1976.
It’s the Detroit Territory, all in one episode.

Episode 83 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!

Episode 81: A Farewell for Superstar Bill Dundee

This week's special episode features Dr. Tom Prichard, Randy Hales, and Pat Trammell of Talking Memphis Wrestling. Together we share stories, personal remembrances, and words of tribute for Bill Dundee.

It is the only segment on this week’s show — a full episode dedicated to remembering one of the great personalities of Memphis and the territory era.

Thank you for being part of this community as we honor the people who built this business.

Do us and territory wrestling fans a favor, subscribe, like, give a 5-Star review and share this show so more and more territory wrestling fans can find us.

The Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel: Your Home for the History of Territory Wrestling!

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.

Episode 79 of The Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Show welcomes two first-time guests to the show — and we also pause to remember three wrestlers we’ve lost recently.

Segment One: I pay tribute to Paul LeDuc, one of the Canadian Lumberjacks along with his kayfabe brother Jos LeDuc. Then we welcome Lucha Libre historian and enthusiast Roy Lucier for his first appearance on the show. Roy and I discuss wrestling in Mexico as we cover the EMLL and UWA promotions in 1976.

Segment Two: I offer a heartfelt tribute to Jerry Oates, a Southern territory legend and a member of our Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel family. Then we welcome Ross Hart of the famous Stu Hart family for his first appearance on the show. Ross and I cover Stampede Wrestling in 1976.

Segment Three: I wrap up the episode with thoughts on Superstar Bill Dundee, who passed away over the weekend.It’s a history-packed episode with new voices, important tributes, and another look at 1976 around the wrestling world.

Episode 79 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 Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel.

Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Territory History Show Episode 78

Hey everyone, Tony Richards here!Episode 78 of The Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Show is another loaded episode with three strong segments.

Segment 1:Steve Gennerelli and I open the show with a salute and review of the career of Dolly Parton, the Hall of Fame singer-songwriter who recently passed away at the age of 80. We share our thoughts and pay tribute to one of the greats.

Segment 2:Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Florida analyst Howard Baum is joined by former Florida referee and office employee Bruce Owens. The guys review the career of The American Dream Dusty Rhodes in 1976 and his legendary battles with NWA World Champion Terry Funk, Don Jardine, The Spoiler, Jody Hamilton (The Assassin), and more — all in the Spirit of ’76 as well as more memories of Dory Funk Jr in Florida as booker.

Segment 3:Tennessee analyst Tim Dills joins me as we document the career of UWA personality and Nashville legend Big Tussie. We also review the cards from the outlaw UWA group and the Gulas Tennessee office in Nashville and the surrounding towns.Three great segments.

One history-packed episode.

Episode 78 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, your Home for the History of Territory Wrestling!

Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Territory History Show Episode  77

Episode 77 of The Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Show is another history-packed episode with three great guests and deep conversations.

Segment 1: Steve Gennerelli joins me as we go deep into the 7 Stages of the Territory Era framework. Steve and I discuss how the framework was created, its roots, and the original thoughts and ideas behind it. We talk about how it continues to evolve as new information comes to light. Then we focus specifically on Stage 7: Disintegration (1985–1995) — the critical ten-year period when the territory system collapsed, offices closed, and promotions disappeared. We examine the impact of cable television technology and the forces that drove national expansion.

Segment 2: Historian Greg Klein stops by the Ranch. We discuss his new book, The Texas Rasslin Wars of the 1950s, his recent guest appearance on Episode 9 of Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw’s The History of Texas Wrestling, and more.

Segment 3: Sean Dulaney visits to talk about his new book, The History of Wrestling in Evansville, Indiana 1972–1973, and the special exhibit at the Evansville Museum celebrating 100 Years of Pro Wrestling in Evansville.Three strong segments.

One loaded episode of territory history.

Episode 77 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 Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel!

Episode 76 is a special one: The Dory Funk Jr. Tribute Show.

We honor the life and career of “The Champ” with four powerful segments and an incredible group of guests.

Segment 1:Historian George Schire joins me to discuss the career of Dory Funk Jr. For the first time ever, we walk through my personal scorecard framework that supports the statement that Dory Funk Jr. was the greatest NWA World Heavyweight Champion of all time. Follow along and score it yourself.

Segment 2:One of Dory’s longtime friends, tag-team partners, and opponents, “The Red Dog” Larry Lane, reflects on their relationship, their travels, and the years they spent working together.

Segment 3:“The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase sits down for a deeply emotional conversation. Ted talks about his father, Iron Mike DiBiase, and Dory Funk Sr. — bitter enemies in the storylines but the best of friends behind the scenes. He also shares stories about breaking into the business in Amarillo while still playing football at West Texas State, and much more.

Segment 4:Gerry Brisco, the man who lived the legendary Brisco-Funk feud, shares memories, stories, and a few choked-up moments as we look back on one of the great rivalries in wrestling history.

This is a fantastic, heartfelt episode as we remember The Champ, Dory Funk Jr.

Episode 76 – The Dory Funk Jr. Tribute Show is available now on Castos, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and all your usual platforms.

Hit play, leave a review, and join us in honoring one of the true greats.

We’ll see you in the Time Tunnel.

Your Home for the History of the Territory Pro Wrestling