Monday night in Memphis once meant wrestling.
And on August 16, 1976, nearly 11,000 people showed up.
A crowd of 10,962 packed the Mid-South Coliseum for a card headlined by Jerry Lawler challenging Jack Brisco for the Southern Heavyweight Championship. Lawler won.
Those attendance numbers help explain something difficult to appreciate today: professional wrestling wasn’t a niche attraction in 1970s Memphis. It was part of the city’s popular culture.
Every week, television helped build the stories. Wrestlers became familiar personalities. Feuds developed over weeks or months, and Monday-night matches at the Coliseum gave fans the opportunity to see the confrontations in person.
Lawler was becoming the central figure. His combination of wrestling ability, personality and Memphis identity eventually earned him the nickname “The King,” but his popularity was rooted in this weekly relationship with local fans.
The Coliseum itself was equally important. It wasn’t merely a wrestling arena. Elvis Presley played there. So did major touring rock, pop and soul performers. The Tigers played basketball there. Families attended circuses and other events.
Just six days after Lawler defeated Brisco, more than 10,000 fans returned to see Lawler face NWA World Champion Terry Funk.
The normal Monday wrestling show was moved to Sunday that week. Why?
The Osmonds had booked the Coliseum for Monday night. That may be the perfect snapshot of Memphis entertainment in 1976.
On Sunday night: Jerry Lawler and Terry Funk.
On Monday: Donny and Marie.
Same building. Two packed houses.
Very different Memphis crowds.