11 Famous Wrestling "Holy Grounds" That Still Stand
8. Mid-South Coliseum
If you listen to Jim Cornette's podcasts and shoot interviews, chances are you've heard him rave about the Memphis territory and the weekly shows in the Mid-South Coliseum, with the likes of Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee, and Terry Funk tearing down the house for years.
Well, for once, that's not just Corny's blustering. Built in the early '60s, the Coliseum is an important landmark in southern wrasslin' history. It was the arena that sold out so people could see Jerry Lawler finally tear into Andy Kaufman. It was the empty arena where Lawler and Terry Funk had their iconic and influential brawl on TV. It hosted wrestlers from all over the world and made Memphis a territory to be envied.
Nowadays, the Coliseum stands empty and decaying after closing in 2006. While there have been efforts to refurbish and re-open it, there's a legal snafu as the Fed-Ex Forum (the home of the Memphis Grizzlies) has exclusive rights to arenas with over 5000 seats in the city, and the Coliseum has over 10,000.
Perhaps, as Jerry Lawler suggested on his podcast, it could be converted into a 4999 seat arena and be used for wrestling again. That may be a long shot, but it would be worth it to see a wrestling holy ground used again.