Rags,Paper & Pin: The Merchandising of Memphis Wrestling

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Rags,Paper & Pin--The Merchandising of Memphis Wrestling

$20.00

 

 

It is lavishly illustrated with reproductions of classic arena programs from 1950 to the mid 80's, complete reprints of all six issues of Cornette's Championship Wrestling Magazine from the early 80's, portraits of the Memphis stars taken by Cornette in his days as the area's official photographer, and reproductions of rare 45RPM records, autograph books, calendars and more, some not seen in over fifty years.

 

This 350 page book also features a first-person account of how Jim got started in wrestling photography, details on the incredible volume of souvenir photos that were sold of the top wrestlers (and how the money was split), an explanation of the three talent circuits that comprised the massive Gulas-Welch territory with weekly schedules, a lengthy year-by-year summary of Memphis arena business from the 60's to the 80's with big gates, crowds, top-drawing stars and rivalries, and a special section on the contributions wrestling made to the music business in the city known as the "Birthplace of the Blues". For fans of classic Memphis wrestling, fans of rare wrestling memorabilia and fans of the inner workings of the wrestling industry, this book has something for everyone!

 

Available to order now:

http://tinyurl.com/mmjf96b

[Bix]

Also available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1cjpFfC

 

My copy arrives today. Can't wait.

[BrickHithouse]

This looks FUCKING GREAT. A definite must-have.

[vikingsfan73]

Got this book a couple of weeks ago, and I loved it. It's amazing all of the stuff that Cornette hung on to over the years, even the layout pages for his arena programs. Definitely worth checking out, in my opinion.

 

I think the funniest story is Cornette talking about how he took a pay cut to go from ringside photographer/arena program editor when he became a manager.