Gulas/Welch

Brief History:

Roy Welch and Nick Gulas were owners of a sizable territory, one that covered hundreds of miles over all types of terrain. Traveling that course from night to night was a daunting task for wrestlers, and often their gasoline costs overshadowed their pay. It was a rough bargain, but working up the ladder and eventually getting into the region's top cities like Nashville, Chattanooga, and Louisville made it worth it for some. Others were not privy to the escalation of matches and struggled. Welch and Gulas possessed bright wrestling minds and administratively manipulated factors within their territory to benefit their wallets. After all, they were businessmen looking to cut corners and make a profit. Despite a general condemnation regarding the payoffs in the Welch-Gulas territory, it was a scene with some of the most rugged and colorful action in the U.S. From the biggest venues in their largest cities to gymnasiums in tiny towns barely on the map, wrestling prospered, leaving fans of all ages wanting more.

Background:

If any one of the talented and proficient wrestling researchers ever locate results for a "Big" Edwin or Ed Welch, you might want to take note that this *might* be the father of the famous Welch Clan, who reportedly wrestled professionally. Ed Welch was originally from Texas and settled in the area of Pawhuska, Oklahoma in the early 1900s. There, he met and married the daughter of G.A. and Hester Sumter, Birdie, and worked as a farmer. His first son, Roy, was born in Sallisaw, Oklahoma on December 17, 1901, followed by Herb, Albert, Bonnie, Beulah, Lucy, Jack, and Lester.

Wrestling was in the Welch family's blood, that much is obvious, and Roy learned all of the skills his father had to offer. He invaded Texas and learned from Cal Farley and Dutch Mantell in Amarillo, adding to his reportoire. By 1937, he was claiming a version of the much disputed light heavyweight title and was involved in the infamous May 14, 1937 match in Corinth, Mississippi versus 36 year old Eddie Baker that saw the latter pass away of heart failure shortly after the bout. The estimated 800 fans in attendance thought it was all part of the script.

Welch invested his time and money into the introduction of a trained bear wrestling in matches against opponents, and Roy accompanied a 350-pound "monster" on the road. As the official trainer and handler of "Miss Ginger," the bear faced a variety of grapplers in the ring, and the entertaining spectacle drew fans all over the Central States and Texas. Later, "Ginger" would be handled by Pat Malone while Welch settled into a booker's role with an office in Tennessee.

The combined stories of their father and Roy's success impacted the other siblings greatly.

Welch became a member of the National Wrestling Alliance in November 1949, and formed a strong working agreement with Sam Muchnick of St. Louis. The two promoters had a deal regarding several towns, including Cape Girardeau.

On Friday, September 13, 1957, "semi-retired" wrestler Antone Leone purchased the Kingsport wrestling franchise from Mickey Baarns for a said $9,000. Baarns had been the local promoter at the Civic Auditorium for 13 years and expected a certain regret about leaving the city he'd grown to love. He'd lived in Kingsport since 1944, and was only leaving because he had invested $30,000 in the Memphis wrestling promotion and was moving there.

Leone, who'd been in a private war with the members of the National Wrestling Alliance, planned to bring the best wrestlers he could obtain to Kingsport. He was said to be 41 years of age and had a wife and daughter.

After a wild ride at the helm of the local promotion, Leone sold out of Kingsport to its former owner Mickey Baarns, as reported in the June 16, 1958 edition of the Kingsport Times. The territory, which included Johnson City and Bristol, was sold for an undisclosed amount of money. Baarns had expressed a yearning to return to the town because he hated big city living, but retained his Memphis wrestling interests. The deal occurred "last week," and Leone's future, whether in the ring or behind-the-scenes, was still unknown.

The Kingsport wrestling operation was sold by Mickey Baarns in March 1963 to Gulas and Welch of Mid-South Wrestling Enterprises, Inc. The Tuesday, March 19 show would be staged by the new owners. Baarns invested his time in a popular restaurant at 1768 Ft. Henry Drive, which was open 24 hours. He was always willing to talk wrestling with his patrons. The local newspaper stated that Baarns, sometimes spelled Barnes, was an amateur wrestler in his youth, winning the Canadian title at 128 pounds in 1938. The establishment was called "Mickey's Martinique." Additionally, Mickey's son Donald wrestled as a professional during the 1960s and early '70s.

In 1964, Lester Welch was called the president of Mid-South Wrestling Enterprises and had been promoting programs throughout Tennessee for the past three years.

National Wrestling Alliance Members:

Roy Welch was admitted to the NWA during the November 26-27, 1949 meeting in St. Louis. His booking agency ran out of Dyersburg, Tennessee.

Affiliated Promoters on Roy Welch Circuit in 1952-'53:

Nick Gulas - Nashville, Gallatin, Shelbyville, Columbia, Chattanooga
George Cazana - Knoxville
Scotty Williams - Owensboro, KY
Charles Garvin - Bowling Green, KY
Jack Keiler - Paducah, KY
Virgil Hatfield - Jonesboro, AR
Herb Langston - Dyersburg, Jackson, TN
L.R. Thomas - Cape Girardeau, MO
Mike Meroney - Blytheville, AR
Mickey Baarns - Kingsport, TN
Henry Cardy - Bristol, TN/VA

Local Wrestlers and Stars:

Television Milestones and Commentators:

Miscellaneous Notes and Milestones:

Obituaries:

Longtime wrestler Bill Canny (William F. Canny) died on Friday, July 8, 1966 at Holston Valley Community Hospital in Kingsport, Tennessee. Canny was originally from Kansas City, where he reportedly won Golden Glove honors. He was also a professional boxer for a time. Canny, more recently, had helped promote matches in Kingsport for Mickey Baarns. He was survived by his wife Angela and four children.

The Masked Dominoes and their heel manager were traveling to Nashville along I-40 from Memphis early Tuesday, July 27, 1976 when they ran into a wrecked car driven by 29 year old John Carey near Dickson, Tennessee. Moments later, both vehicles were hit by a tractor trailor, igniting a fire, and killing the four men. The Masked Dominoes were Pepe Lopez (Reuben Rodriguez) and Frank Hester, and their talented manager was Sam Bass (Fred W. Bass).

The Cazana Brothers, George and John, promoted Knoxville during the 1950s and '60s, and were leading members of the Welch-Gulas syndicate. George, born on May 17, 1906, passed away in December 1978. John, who wrestled professionally and worked as a weatherman under the alias "Pete Papadopolous" on WATE-TV in Knoxville, was born on July 7, 1913. He died in September 1986.

The widow of longtime wrestler and Little Rock and Memphis promoter Charles Rentrop, Christina M. Rentrop died on January 30, 1992 in Memphis.

Tennessee/Kentucky Wrestling Titles:

Southern Junior Heavyweight Title

Tennessee/Kentucky Wrestling Results: