Rasslin 144: St. Louis Wrestling History Part 4 (1952 - 1953: TV Era Begins, Piledriver Reinstated)

Guest Phil Adams is back to join host Ray Russell as they discuss 1952/1953 in the St. Louis Wrestling History Project as part of Regional Rasslin'! St. Louis wrestling enters one of the most important turning points in its history as Sam Muchnick's promotion begins evolving into the modern television era. We'll look back at the legendary NWA World Heavyweight Championship clashes between Lou Thesz and Wild Bill Longson, the rise of Hans Schmidt as the territory's first true monster heel attraction, and the booking philosophy that forever changed the business. Plus, we'll dive into the launch of weekly television on KSD-TV in 1953, a gamble that helped shape St. Louis into one of wrestling's most influential cities. It's a fascinating look at the stories, stars, and business decisions that helped build the foundation of professional wrestling as we know it today.If you're enjoying WrestleCopia and interested in helping us continue to grow, please consider Subscribing to our Patreon to help us cover some of our costs! https://www.patreon.com/wrestlecopiaYOU CAN ALSO GIFT SOMEONE A PATREON MEMBERSHIP (OR ASK THEM TO GIFT YOU ONE) AT https://www.patreon.com/WrestleCopia/giftIncludes the $5 “All Access” Tier $9 "VIP Superfan" Tier, and "The ULLLTIMATE Tier", featuring our various VIDEO-CAST Series, Early Show Releases, our insanely detailed show notes (for the Grenade, Monday Warfare, Regional Rasslin, Puro Academy, & Retro Re-View), monthly DIGITAL DOWNLOADS for your viewing and reading pleasure, & more!HELP SUPPORT THE SELF-FUNDED WRESTLECOPIA BRAND, CONSIDER DONATING TO OUR PAYPALWRESTLECOPIA MERCHANDISE - https://www.teepublic.com/user/wrestlecopiaVisit the WrestleCopia Podcast Network https://wrestlecopia.comFollow WrestleCopia on “X” (Formerly Twitter) @RasslinGrenadeFollow & LIKE our FACEBOOK PAGE – https://www.facebook.com/RasslinGrenadeSubscribe to the WrestleCopia Youtube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/RasslinGrenade ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★