Scott Bowden presents Kentucky Fried Rasslin

“Yellooww again, everybody, Lance Russell and Dave Brown, right along ringside, ready for another BIG day of Championship Wrestling.” And so began nearly Saturday morning of my youth from 1977 to 1989, as the hosts of Memphis wrestling welcomed hundreds of thousands viewers across the area to another broadcast featuring the stars of Jerry Jarrett’s territory.

As part of the 2009 NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest weekend, which will be held in Charlotte, Aug. 6–9, I will relive some of those Memphis memories with Lance, Dave and Jerry as moderator of a roundtable discussion about the territory that was home to such stars as Jerry “the King” Lawler, Bill “Superstar” Dundee, “The Fabulous” Jackie Fargo, Sputnik Monroe, Tojo Yamamoto, “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and so many others. The Memphis roundtable is scheduled for 90 minutes on Saturday morning (August 8th) on the main stage —how appropriate, given the running time of the Championship Wrestling show, which aired live for so many years from the WMC-TV 5 studio on Union Avenue. Working for Jarrett with Lance and Dave in the mid-’90s was a dream come true for me, and I am honored to speak with them as part of our Memphis discussion in Charlotte, which is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

For any Memphis-area fans who in the past have been on the fence about attending the annual NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend—this is the year to come. Lance will be honored as part of the Hall of Heroes Banquet Friday night, and Jarrett, Lance and Dave will all be available for autographs and photo opportunities over the weekend. Jim Cornette will be hosting a Q&A session Thursday night, while Jackie Fargo, “Fabulous One” Steve Keirn, Jimmy Hart and Tommy “Wildfire” Rich will also be available for photos and autographs at various times over the weekend. Also recently announced: “The Universal Heartthrob” Austin Idol, who be making a rare appearance Friday at the Highspots.com booth.

For the complete tentative lineup of Fanfest activities, click here. As Lance used to often say when plugging the upcoming Monday night card at the Mid-South Coliseum, “Friend, don’t you dare miss it.”