Episode 65: A Conversation with Michael St. John

Episode 65 of the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Show drops this morning, and I’m excited to bring you an absolute gem of a conversation with my special guest, Michael St. John — Memphis Wrestling Hall of Famer and one of the legendary TV announcers for both Nick Gulas and Jerry Jarrett in the classic Tennessee Territory. We sit down and pay our respects to the recent passing of Phil Hickerson, dive deep into the great tag teams that defined Tennessee wrestling, talk about the various TV announcers who helped carry the territory on the airwaves, and explore the fascinating parallels between the wrestling business and the broadcasting world. Michael is a tremendous storyteller with decades of firsthand experience, so this episode is packed with history, insight, humor, and plenty of “you can’t make this stuff up” moments. We go way beyond the surface and cover so much more. If you love old-school Nashville, Birmingham, Hunstville, Chattanooga and Memphis and just good old Tennessee wrestling territory history, this is one you don’t want to miss. Stay tuned for the release — Episode 65 with Michael St. John is coming your way this morning on the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Show! And don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share the show. Chapters (00:00:02) - Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel: Territory History(00:01:52) - Frankincense and Myrrh Soap(00:03:22) - When the AWA debuted in San Francisco(00:08:56) - Michael St. John on WGN Radio(00:14:13) - Phil Hickerson(00:20:55) - Phil Hickerson on Teaming With Al Green(00:29:06) - Tennessee Tag Team Wrestling(00:34:57) - Phil Hickerson on His Leg Breakdown(00:38:00) - Working in television with WWE in 1977(00:40:09) - George Gulas on the Briscoe and Bradshaw Interview(00:45:01) - KICKS104(00:52:08) - The Bicentennial Kings and Harry and Grady Reeves(00:57:45) - Sterling Brewer: Underrated In Birmingham(01:02:55) - What Made Lance Russell So Good?(01:08:10) - Jerry Jarrett on Working For Jerry Jarrett(01:12:41) - Bruno on His Favorite Memories(01:14:21) - Jimmy Kimmel on His Birth and His Heroics(01:15:30) - The Secret to A Good General Manager(01:17:49) - I nearly died during COVID(01:22:12) - Favorite Food in St. Louis, Louisville and Cincinnati(01:26:00) - Michael Jackson in the Studio(01:26:57) - Tony Jones on Jimmy Cornett's '(01:31:18) - The Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel(01:33:46) - We have our mailbag second mailbag issue coming up on June 24(01:35:00) - Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel