Gulf Coast Wrestling Territory
Brief History:
The National Wrestling Alliance accepted the membership application of Joe Gunther, who had his office in New Orleans, in September 1950. Gunther, nicknamed "Cowboy" from rural Montana and a middleweight title claimant in the 1930s, booked and promoted wrestling shows from Louisiana east across the Florida Panhandle. A lesser known territory, the Gulf Coast featured some of the best non-heavyweight grapplers in the world, but evolved as decades passed. By the late 1950s, the territory was engulfed by the Gulas-Welch empire, and cities like Mobile and Panama City were taken over by Roy Welch's son Buddy Fuller. That territory was sold by Fuller to his cousin Albert Lee Hatfield, better known to wrestling fans as Lee Fields, in December 1959 and officially incorporated in Alabama as "Gulf Coast Wrestling, Inc." on August 7, 1961. Fields ran the region through 1977, and in April 1978, Ron Fuller assumed control of the company, changing it's name to "Southeastern Gulf Coast Wrestling, Inc."
Background:
In 1953, Joe Gunther booked wrestlers to Shreveport (Monday) for the "Harrison Boys," Alexandria (Tuesday) for Jim Thompson, Baton Rouge (Wednesday) for Mrs. Jimmie Kelshaw, and New Orleans for Jim Murtagh.
National Wrestling Alliance Members:
Joe Gunther was admitted to the NWA in September 1950 and had an office at 43 Stilt Street in New Orleans.
Miscellaneous Notes and Milestones:
During the summer of 1950, Joe Gunther was promoting in Panama City, Florida with "Charles Guercio" serving as the business manager.
Obituaries:
Former wrestling champion and the captain of the non-heavyweight wrestling circuit, Chris Jordan passed away on April 18, 1940 in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 58.
In May 1951, Joseph G. Gunther Sr., the father of NWA booker Joe Gunther, died in Jefferson County, Alabama.
Italian-born Jake Guercio, a partner in the wrestling business with Joe Gunther in Alabama and Louisiana for more than 20-years, died in August 1965. He was a longtime resident of Birmingham. There was mention of a "Charles" Guercio also being apart of the Gunther-troupe, and it is not known whether it was a newspaper error or if another member of Jake's family was involved in the industry.
Lawson M. Lynn, a member of the Alabama Athletic Commission and president of the National Wrestling Association during the early 1960s, died on November 20, 1994 in Wetumpka, Alabama. Lynn had his office in Montgomery, Alabama.
Joe Gunther (Joseph G. Gunther Jr.), a promoter in New Orleans, Birmingham, Dothan, and other towns, and a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, died in West Des Moines, Iowa on December 2, 1996.
Gulf Coast Wrestling Titles:
World Junior Middleweight Title - Recognized in Alabama
Southern Junior Heavyweight Title
Gulf Coast Wrestling Results:
New Orleans Wrestling Results - 1939
Birmingham Wrestling Results - 1944
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