Nick Gulas was Nashville's King of Wrestling

July 1st, 2020

As a teenager in 1920s Birmingham, Alabama, Nick Gulas left his job at a bakery to learn the ropes (pun intended) of working in the wrestling business. Once he knew a thing or two, he came to Nashville and made both the city and the sport his life for over 40 years. For a good long time he was King. We explore Gulas’ life and the pre-WWE days of wrestling, and how Nashville fit into it all, in this week’s episode.

Research culled from:

The Greatest Wrestling in the History of the World, Nashville Scene, J.R. Lind, May 30, 2019
The King of Wrestling, Tennessean, Max York, May 18, 1975
Promoter honored for backing Lady Raiders, The Daily News-Journal, November 23, 1986
Dear Readers, The Tennessean, January 2, 1944
Mat Man, Tennessean, July 10, 1985
Revisiting My NA Roots, Jim Cornette
Goddamned Sputnik, The Outline, Oliver Lee Bateman, June 1, 2017
The History of Hatch Show Print
Welch Brothers History
New Wrestling to Spawn War Here?, Tennessean, February 29, 1976
Chokehold: Pro Wrestling's Real Mayhem Outside the Ring, Welton T. Johnson and Jim Wilson, 2003
Ron Fuller's Studcast (a podcast hosted by Roy Welch's grandson), multiple episodes