Every story has its beginning and for Lance the beginning of his wrestlling career started at WDXI in Jackson, Tennessee, where he worked as a sportscaster.

One day the General Manager of WDXI came to Lance, told him about a new program he wanted to start airing and asked Lance, "Do you know anything about Wrestling?"

And with that simple question Lance started on a 50 year journey through the world of professional wrestling.

For those lucky enough to live close to Memphis Monday nights at the Mid South Coliseum were magical.

Jimmy Hart and Randy Hales standby as Plowboy Fraizer and Lance discuss the finer points of the Plowboy's behavior in the ring.

Six time World Heavyweight Champion the great Lou Thez visited the Mid South Coliseum and it was always a treat.

Professor Toru Tanaka, the famed World Wide Wrestling Federation champion, teamed with Mr. Fuji to wrestle in Memphis and was interviewed by a skeptical Lance.

The vetern showman Jackie Fargo teamed for a short while with soon-to-be promoter Jerry Jarret. Do you think Jackie taught Jerry the "Fargo Strutt"?

Lance always thought that Joe Leduc was one of the toughest wrestlers ever to enter the Memphis territory. His feud with Jerry Lawler is a part of Memphis wrestling legend.

Handsome Jimmy Valient the, "Boogie Woogie Man", was always a favorite when he passed through Memphis. Love him or hate him, you had to admire his style.

Lance is very respectful when talking about Jerry Lawler. "I've know Jerry since he was 15 years old", he says. You can tell Lance takes some pride in what the King has achieved.

Another of Lance's favorites is the Mouth of the South Jimmy Hart. They're seen here together in Philadelphia where they attended a Legends of Wrestling convention and match.

While we're on the subject of managers, let's not forget Jim Cornette and his tennis racket. He's seen here in Louisville greeting Lance.

You can't talk about Memphis wrestling without talking about the contributions Dave Brown made. Check out Lance's comments in the "Thoughts" section for more on his sidekick Dave Brown.

Corey Maclin greets Lance in the ring in Louisville. Long a wrestling fan and now promoter, Corey can be seen on the current Memphis Wrestling and occasionally he invites Lance to sit in with him.

Lance and Dave. Their 20 year collaboration made them house-hold names for many people across the Mid-South.

Lance and Gordon Solie had a long-time friendship and many will rember their electric combination when they worked together for the WCW. Pictured also is Bill Apter noted wrestling journalist.

Pound for pound, one of the toughest wrestlers ever to work in the Memphis territory. Bill "Superstar" Dundee captured the crowd's imagination with both his partnership and his famous feud with Jerry "The King" Lawler.

A charismatic preformer, Jackie Fargo was a Memphis favorite. He sometimes wrestled with his brother Roughhouse and took the Memphis crowds by storm with his legendary feuds with Sputnik Monroe and The Von Brauners..

Flanked by Jimmy Hart and Joey Styles, Lance worked the recent "Legends of Wrestling Reunion" in Philadelphia. By all accounts it was a terrific event. More pictures from the reunion can be seen below.

Phil Hickerson, along with partner Dennis Condry, was a former Southern Tag Team Champion. You can catch Phil and his opinions behind a microphone in Jackson, Tennessee.

Nicknamed "Bunyan" because of his Paul Bunyan like physique Buddy Fuller held multiple championships in the Memphis area and ultimately transitioned into a Memphis promoter.

There may have been others before him but there's no question that Memphis promoter Nick Gulas set the bar. Along with his partner Roy Welch, Nick took Memphis wrestling to a whole new level.

Mick Foley and "Socko" made a rare in-ring apprearance at the Philadelphia Legends of Wrestling convention. And yes, that is Hall of Famer Bobby "The Brain" Heenan ringside.

Lance had a terrific time at the Legends of Wrestling Reunion in Philadelphia. And a good part of his free time was spent talking with wrestling fans.

Every bout at the Legends Reunion was a main event. Can you tell who's standing in the red and white boots in this picture?

If you haven't already guessed who owns the red and white boots all we'd have to say is "The American Dream."

Don't tell Lance you can't have a good time at the Legends of Wrestling Reunion.

Lance was thrilled when he was asked to play the roll of the "Ring Announcer" in Jim Carey's movie about the life of Andy Kaufman. Lance and Jim are pictured here behind the scenes in Los Angeles.

The movie Man on the Moon brought a lot of old friends together. Seen here with Lance are the WWE's Jim Ross and Bob Zmuda, Andy Kaufman's friend and business partner.

Most who know Lance know this is not really his style, but when you work for Hollywood you wear what the roll dictates. Here's Lance in full "Ring Announcer" wardrobe preparing to film his roll in Man on the Moon.

Lance not only works in wrestling, he's a fan of wrestling as this photo shows. It also gives a clue as to how he got his famous nickname.

As with all Legends of Wrestling reunions, the main event was the Main Event. All things considered, there wasn't a bad seat in the house.

Ever the fashion plate, Jimmy Hart was sporting his trademark insignia emblazoned on the back of his jacket. Can his megaphone be far behind?

Tennis racket in hand, Jim Cornette held court ringside. Those who were in Philadelphia for this Legends of Wrestling Reunion know that Jim didn't leave the ring wearing all the clothes he came in with.

Seems Jim made one too many wise cracks to the wrong guy and ended up in the ring with out his pants. The pants, by the way, were torn apart and given out to fans as souvenirs of the evening.

The Philadelphia Wrestling Reunion turned out to be a great place for fans to mix with the greats of wrestling. A large meeting room was filled to capacity with fans, wrestlers and memmorabilia.

The American Dream Dusty Rhodes looked as cool as always while chatting with fans and signing autographs.

Mick Foley laughed it up with autograph seekers. As far as we know, the barbed wire bat didn't have to be used and no one lost any body parts.

Bret "Hitman" Hart looked as strong as ever. The crowd stayed orderly and Bret didn't have to bring out the Hart Attack.

Terry Funk was another of the wrestling greats signing autographs at the Philadelphia Wrestling Reunion. Terry, along with Dory Funk also wrestled that night.

Jimmy Hart clears a path as he leads the Moondogs into the ring. There were something like 10 different Moondogs...can you name these two?

It was a cage match between Beautiful Bobby Eaton and Moondog Spot. It's probably fair to say that Eaton's considerable talents were underappreciated by the fan base. And yes, that's half of the answer to the previous question.

Referee Jerry Calhoon says enough to Stan Lane as he prepares to make a 2X4 point to Jonathan Boyd. One of those times when the ringside seats were a little too close to the action.

Not a pretty picture. But it never was when the Fabulous Ones went up against the Sheepherders. In the ring, out of the ring, 2X4s, blood...and that was just during the introductions.

Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson, the Rock and Roll Express, were Memphis fan's favorites. They used their signature Double Dropkick move to finish off their opponents and they barely messed up their hair in the process.

We're not sure who's about to get what in this picture, but it looks like Ricky Morton has something for Danny Davis. Davis wrestled with Ken Wayne as the tag team the Nightmares. Anyone know who Ken Wayne's father was?

Ravishing Rick Rude leaves Jerry Lawler with precious few options as he prepares to deliver a Piledriver. You might remember that Rude, along with partner King Kong Bundy, held the Southern Tag Team title belt for a while.

"Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert had a very strong Memphis fan base and still does for that matter. As with Rick Rude from the previous photo, Eddie passed away far too young. Check out Eddie's site on the web.

One of Lance Russell's favorite wrestlers to interview was the Universal Heartthrob, Austin Idol. If you haven't already done so, take a look at Lance's video section for some scenes of Austin Idol in action.

To many people, Jerry "The King" Lawler is Memphis wrestling. One of the toughest competetors to enter the ring, his charismatic personality and exceptional knowledge of the wrestling business have earned him a special place in Memphis legend.

Jimmy Hart climbs on Jerry Lawler's back in an effort to help Andy Kaufman. See the video from this match in the VIDEOS section.

Andy Kaufman's first appearance on the Saturday Memphis program was nothing short of a near riot...literally. He's pictured here being held back (and up) by Lance after his run-in with an hysterical Jimmy Hart.

As with most reunions, it's always great to catch up with old friends. Lance and Corey were no exception to that rule when they met at the June, 06 Legends event.

Dennis Condrey and Phil Hickerson posed for our friend Paul Windham at the Southaven Legends event.

Things haven't changed much as Koko Ware proved when he got in Lance's face at the June, 06 Legends event. Maybe they were talking about Lance's birthday cake which Koko smashed over Corey's head.

Rick Morton and Robert Gibson delighted fans at the Southaven Legends June, 06 event.

Ken Ramey cut a dapper figure at the June, 06 Legends event in this photo taken by Paul Windham. Given his most recent battle with cancer, it was particularly great to see the "Doctor" back in Memphis.

Superstar Bill Dundee and Downtown Bruno took the ring in this Legends photo for the June, 06 event.

Jerry, Lance, Corey and Jimmy hold court in the ring during the UPN30 Wrestling program.

The "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valient, always a fan favorite, didn't disappoint at the recent Legends events. Jimmy's book can be found by going to his Web Site

LR.com contributor Kenneth Coker snapped this shot of Lance and Koko Ware. There seems to be some sort of disagreement going on. Imagine that.

Corey explains the ground rules to Dr. Ken Ramey and the Interns as Lance watches. All who attended the recent Legends events agreed that it was great to see the Doctor and his boys back in the ring.

A holder of multiple heavyweight title belts, Brickhouse Brown paused to sign autographs during his down time at the Night of Legends event.

Jerry "The King" Lawler appears to be going down for the count as Doug Gilbert measures his neck with a piece of tape.

The fact that they were dressed alike didn't stop Dutch Mantel from chocking the fool out of Koko Ware at the Jackson "Clash of the Legends" event.

Bobby Eaton's eyes seemed like a convenient target for the Boogie Woogie Man as Jimmy poked home a point at the Jackson, Tennessee "Clash of the Legends" event.

The Fabulous One Jackie Fargo showed that he still had the Fargo intensity when he made his point to a repentant Doug Gilbert at the Jackson "Clash of the Legends" event.

Jackie Fargo and Jerry Lawler stand toe-to-toe at the Jackson Legends event. Both are icons of two of the greatest generations of wrestlers ever to work the Memphis territory.

Jackie Fargo has been a crowd pleaser since the day he stepped into the ring. No matter who he teamed with or who he wrestled, the "Fabulous One" never failed to ignite the auditorium.

Who is it? You youngsters may not recognize the name Rowdy Red Roberts but this guy was shaving his head long before it was cool. The date on the back of the photo was 1955.

His ears were a badge of honor for the man most describe as the "Greatest Professional Wrestler of all Time". The only person ever to wrestle for 7 decades, Lou Thesz is truly one of the greatest men ever to step into the ring.

It was 1955 when a young, trim and tanned Mario Galento stoped at Pensacola Beach, Fla. to pose with Mary Destain. Lance came across this photo while looking through a book on the history of the Pensacola area.

Lance and Corey Maclin posed for a picture during Lance's recent visit to Memphis Wrestling. Lance was in town to help promote the Lawler/Hogan match.

Don't start him talkin' After 50 years in the wrestling business Lance has more than just a few stories to tell. And when he gets wound up (as Corey found out) all you can do is listen and laugh.

Too Cool for School. Over the years Koko B. Ware has been many things but dull has never been one of them. Dressed in his Sunday best, Koko makes a point to Lance during a show at the CW30 in Memphis.

You don't need any more clues to know who this is a picture of. I wonder how many times these two have stood in front of a camera and talked to each other?

Eighty-one years young and still holding on to the mike. The truth is Lance still enjoys stopping by the Memphis Wrestling studios and sharing his thoughts. As long as you keep listening...he'll keep talking.

Joe Leduc's "Blood Oath" may be the most memorable event ever on Championship Wrestling. Lance will never forget it and, if you haven't done so, take a look at Lance's Blog on the event in the THOUGHTS section.

It was the first Monday of 1975 and Tom Hogan was sitting front row when he snapped this classic shot of Jackie Fargo doing The Fargo Strut. Thanks Tom for participating here at LR.com