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Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin'

Play trailer Poster for Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' 2011 1h 31m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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A history of the city wrestling starts in the 1950s and proceeds through the 1970s.

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Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin'

Critics Reviews

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John Beifuss Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) A dynamic pop cultural history of a movement that -- like Memphis rock and soul music -- helped unite the races through a shared fascination with larger-than-life superstars whose proximity to the audience was as tantalizing as it was inspirational. Rated: 3.5/4 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Great documentary that leaves you wanting more. Too bad so much of the footage used was of such poor quality though. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member dify remove organize post follow up "Memphis Heat: The True Story About Memphis Wrasslin" (2011) Directed by Chad Schaffler Starring Rocky Johnson, Jerry Lawler and Jimmy Hart Running Time 91 Minutes, Unrated 3 Mitch's out of 5 Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com Growing up I was raised on the WWE (still WWF in my head), as my brother and I relived the matches move for move from worn down VHS tapings of the Hulkamaniac, Macho Man Randy Savage (God rest his soul), and of Ravishing Rick Rude (until my mother saw me copying his gyrations and told me to knock that garbage off). I lost interest in the mid to late 90's era that came after and didn't know much about the wrestling days that came before. That is until I saw this documentary, "Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin." First thing I learned, and you can derive it from the title is that it wasn't called wrestling, it was called Wrasslin'. Director Chad Schaffler nicely pieces enough pictures, footage, and interviews from the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's that made up the colorful history (usually blood covered) of what's considered the greatest city in wrestling- Memphis. There are some interesting accounts from the early stars of Spudnik Monroe. Spudnik who was not only a fan favorite but a white man who stood up for black rights in the south, earning a spot in what was said to be the three pictures black families had up in there house that included Jesus and Martin Luther King Jr. There were great stories of how they earned a hard buck from wrasslin' pioneers like Jackie Fargo who was basically mentor to Memphis' poster boy Jerry "The King" Lawler and his manager Jimmy Hart. There's almost too much zippiness with the flow of telling these stories. A scatterbrain effect to the content loses focus for any productive theme, and the tiny budget of only $25,000 probably contributed to the loss of any rights from the "Man on the Moon" or David Letterman footage of the fascinating Andy Kaufman/ Jerry Lawler saga. Sadly there are no reactions or interviews from any of the WWE wrestlers that came after. The DVD bonus features are great if you have an extra four hours, providing even more insightful stories. Regardless, "Memphis Heat" has enough incite and warmth for it's wrasslin' predecessors to put a three-count on us for the victory. ...enough incite and warmth for "this" to put a three-count on us for the victory. Genesis 30:8 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member A lot of fun and nostalgia for anyone who watched Saturday morning Memphis wrestling. Some good insight, great footage, and plenty of stories from some of the area's top stars makes this a must for wrestling fans - and worth a look for the non wrestling fans as well. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin'

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A history of the city wrestling starts in the 1950s and proceeds through the 1970s.
Director
Chad Schaffler
Producer
Chad Schaffler, Billie Worley
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 18, 2016
Runtime
1h 31m
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