Slayer_X
05-14-2014, 01:21 AM
COULD WWE FINALLY BE ACQUIRING A MEMPHIS WRESTLING LIBRARY?
2014-05-13 11:29:01
Of all the fabled pro wrestling libraries that are in existence, the true "crown jewel" in the minds of many fans would be the Memphis Wrestling tape library, made up of the promotion run by Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawler that aired live on Saturdays on WMC-TV as well as footage from the weekly Mid-South Coliseum events on Mondays.
For years, there's never been an actual library for a myriad of reasons. For one reason, many of the tapes, especially earlier taped were recorded over again and again as they were circulated to the different TV markets that the promotion ran, as was the norm for the TV industry at the time. Of the material that is left, there is confusion over who owns what material with Jarrett, WMC-TV, Lawler and even Selker Group that purchased what was then known as the USWA in the 1990s from Lawler, all conceivably having a claim to ownership of the footage.
So, while are some pretty comprehensive tape libraries of material for the promotion held by collectors, there's no actual official tape library - just miscellaneous material floating around.
That, however, may all be about to change.
In an interview with MMA author-writer Jonathan Snowden, Jerry Lawler noted that he is "amassing" the Memphis tape library. Lawler noted, "I'm talking right now with the people in WWE about making the entire Memphis library available to the WWE so they could use it on the Network."
WWE has had early discussions about acquiring the WWC tape library from Puerto Rico and recently acquired 8MM film footage from George Pantas of older Jim Crockett Promotions material.
2014-05-13 11:29:01
Of all the fabled pro wrestling libraries that are in existence, the true "crown jewel" in the minds of many fans would be the Memphis Wrestling tape library, made up of the promotion run by Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawler that aired live on Saturdays on WMC-TV as well as footage from the weekly Mid-South Coliseum events on Mondays.
For years, there's never been an actual library for a myriad of reasons. For one reason, many of the tapes, especially earlier taped were recorded over again and again as they were circulated to the different TV markets that the promotion ran, as was the norm for the TV industry at the time. Of the material that is left, there is confusion over who owns what material with Jarrett, WMC-TV, Lawler and even Selker Group that purchased what was then known as the USWA in the 1990s from Lawler, all conceivably having a claim to ownership of the footage.
So, while are some pretty comprehensive tape libraries of material for the promotion held by collectors, there's no actual official tape library - just miscellaneous material floating around.
That, however, may all be about to change.
In an interview with MMA author-writer Jonathan Snowden, Jerry Lawler noted that he is "amassing" the Memphis tape library. Lawler noted, "I'm talking right now with the people in WWE about making the entire Memphis library available to the WWE so they could use it on the Network."
WWE has had early discussions about acquiring the WWC tape library from Puerto Rico and recently acquired 8MM film footage from George Pantas of older Jim Crockett Promotions material.