Roy Edward Welch (December 19, 1901 – September 27, 1977) was an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known as the promoter of the

NWA Mid-America NWA Mid-America was a professional wrestling promotion territory under the umbrella of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) that promoted shows in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama from the 1940s until 1981. The company was founded in the 1940s by ...

territory (also known simply as the

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

office) alongside

Nick Gulas Nick Gulas (September 3, 1914 – January 21, 1991) was an American professional wrestling promoter in the Southern United States, partnered with Tennessee promoter Roy Welch for decades. Gulas was also known as "The King of Managers", "King B", ...

Professional wrestling career

Welch began wrestling in 1930. During the 1930s, he was a prominent tag team wrestler alongside his brother Herb Welch. The Welch brothers were recognized as the inaugural

AWA Southern Tag Team Champions in 1943. Welch won the title a second time with Eddie Gossett in 1950, then twice more with Herb Welch in 1952. In 1944, the Welch brothers were recognized as the NWA World Tag Team Champions. They vacated the titles in 1946 after Herb Welch was injured in a car accident. In 1949, the Welch brothers were recognised as the inaugural NWA Tennessee Tag Team Champions after defeating Art Nelson and Earl Knielson. In 1949, the Welch brothers won the

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...

NWA Southern Tag Team Championship The NWA Southern Tag Team Championship is any of a group of professional wrestling tag team championship titles in the National Wrestling Alliance. Specific titles include: * The NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Florida version) * The NWA South ...

, holding the title until 1951. In 1956, Roy Welch and

Chris Tolos Chris Tolos (December 5, 1929 – August 13, 2005) was a Canadian professional wrestler. Early life Chris was the oldest of the three children born on December 5, 1929 to Greek parents, Nicolaos and Evangelia (Evangeline) Tolos, in Hamilton, ...

won the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship. Welch retired from professional wrestling in 1961.

Promoting career

Welch began promoting in the 1940s, establishing the Nashville office with

. Welch and Gulas' territory spanned Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. In 1949, Welch and Gulas joined the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

. Their promotion was known as

. In the early-1950s, Welch acquired the

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...

(

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...

) end of

Leroy McGuirk Leroy Michael McGuirk (December 13, 1910 – September 9, 1988) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, and wrestling promoter. He was involved in professional wrestling for more than fifty years. As one of the longest surviving member ...

's Tri-State Wrestling promotion, turning it into its own promotion. Due to Welch's commitments in Nashville, his son Buddy Fuller (Edward Welch) was appointed booker for Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling. Welch sold his interest in the promotion to Lee Fields in 1959–1960, who rebranded the promotion

Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Dothan, Alabama from 1985 until 1989, owned by Ron Fuller. The promotion evolved out of the NWA-affiliated Southeastern Championship Wr ...

. In 1960, Welch and Gulas were charged with conspiring to stop an investigation of their business practices, having allegedly made payments to

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Estes Kefauver Carey Estes Kefauver (; July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1939 to 1949 and in the Senate from 1949 until his d ...

(himself a former wrestler), who had made a complaint against them with the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

for obstructing his attempts to promote professional wrestling in opposition to them. In the 1960s, Welch hired

Jerry Jarrett Jerry Winston Jarrett (born September 4, 1942) is an American retired professional wrestling promoter and professional wrestler. Along with his long-term business partner Jerry Lawler, Jarrett is a key figure in the history of professional wrestl ...

as an office assistant; Jarrett eventually became the booker for the Memphis area of Welch's territory, taking over from Welch as his health declined. Welch retired from promoting in the 1970s due to ill health. In 1977, shortly before Welch's death, NWA Mid-America was split in two after Jerry Jarrett broke away from Nick Gulas following a business dispute, with Welch siding with Jarrett. In addition to promoting, Welch owned a large

dairy farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history th ...

Gibson County, Tennessee Gibson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,683. Its county seat is Trenton. The county was formed in 1823 and named for John H. Gibson, a soldier of the Natchez Expedition an ...

and a herd of

Poland China The Poland China is an American breed of domestic pig. It was first bred in Warren County in Ohio, in the American Midwest. Its origins lie in a small number of pigs of Chinese type bought in 1816, which were cross-bred with a variety of breeds ...

pigs.

Personal life

Welch had multiple relatives who became professional wrestlers, including his brothers Herb, Jack, and Lester, his son Buddy, and his grandsons

Jimmy Golden James "Jimmy" Golden (born August 1, 1950) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Bunkhouse Buck. He also appeared in WWE as Jack Swagger Sr. A member of ...

, Robert Fuller, and Ron Fuller.

Death

Welch died on September 27, 1977 at the age of 75 in the Trenton Memorial Hospital in

Trenton, Tennessee Trenton is the county seat and fourth largest city of Gibson County, Tennessee, Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,264 at the 2010 census, down from 4,683 in 2000. History Trenton was established in 1824 as a county se ...

Championships and accomplishments

** NWA Southern Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'' (1 time) – with Herb Welch *

AWA Southern Tag Team Championship The AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-America version)'' from its ince ...

(4 times) – with Eddie Gossett (1 time) and Herb Welch (3 times) **

NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship The NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship was a secondary tag team title promoted as the name indicates mainly in the Tennessee region from 1967 until 1977, first by '' Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling'' and occasionally NWA Mid-America from 1967 t ...

(2 times) – with

(1 time) and Herb Welch (1 time) ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-America version)'' (1 time) – with Herb Welch

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Welch, Roy 1901 births 1977 deaths American farmers American male professional wrestlers People from Sallisaw, Oklahoma Professional wrestlers from Oklahoma Professional wrestling promoters