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  [[Image:Nick_gulas_promoter.jpg|right|thumb|175px|Nick Gulas]]                                         
  [[Image:Nick_gulas_promoter.jpg|right|thumb|175px|Nick Gulas]]                                         


'''Nick Gulas''' (born December 3, 1923 in Birmingham - died January 21, 1991 in Nashville) operated what was once the largest wrestling promotion in the South. Of Greek descent, he was born into an entrepreneurial family. Family members owned [[Gulas Supper Club]], a well-known Birmingham restaurant. A brother owned hot dog stands in Birmingham well into the 1980s.  
'''Nicholas Tom Gulas''' (born [[December 3]], [[1923]] in [[Birmingham]] died [[January 21]], [[1991]] in Nashville, Tennessee) operated what was once the largest wrestling promotion in the South. Of Greek descent, he was born into an entrepreneurial family. Family members owned [[Gulas Supper Club]], a well-known Birmingham restaurant. A brother owned hot dog stands in Birmingham well into the 1980s.  


Gulas began working for Birmingham wrestling promoter [[Joe Gunther]] in the 1930s, running errands and doing chores for management and the wrestlers.  
Gulas was the son of Tom and Evelyn Skevis Gulas. He began working for Birmingham wrestling promoter [[Chris Jordan]] in the 1930s, running errands and doing chores for management and the wrestlers. He also worked with Jordan's successor, [[Joe Gunther]].


In a [[1984]] interview, Gulas told a reporter that he arrived in Nashville “about 1937″ and found the Hippodrome. He soon began booking wrestling cards there on Tuesday nights. He also booked big name dance bands like Benny Goodman, Xavier Cugat, Harry James and Sonny Dunham.
He moved to Nashville, Tennessee in [[1947]] and married the former Katherine Bushulen. With the encouragement of sportswriter Raymond Johnson and a sponsorship deal with 7-Up, he began promoting wrestling cards at the Hippodrome skating rink on Tuesday nights, while also booking big name dance bands like Benny Goodman, Xavier Cugat, Harry James and Sonny Dunham on weekends.


The exact year is unknown, but sometime in the mid-1940s Nick Gulas began co-promoting wrestling cards with veteran wrestler [[Roy Welch]], a member of the famous Welch wrestling family. A newspaper article from [[1953]] stated that Roy Welch had added Birmingham to his company when he bought a one-half interest in the promotion from Joe Gunther in January of that year. Gulas was not mentioned in the article but this was the point where Nick Gulas was eventually able to return to his hometown as a wrestling promoter.  
Soon Gulas partnered with veteran wrestler and promoter [[Roy Welch]]. In January [[1953]] they purchased half-interest in Joe Gunther's business and Gulas began commuting back to Birmingham to manage Monday night cards at [[Boutwell Auditorium|Municipal Auditorium]]. He occasionally appeared at ring side, or even in the ring, during bouts.


On most Monday nights Gulas made the trip from the home office in Nashville to Birmingham to personally oversee the cards at [[Boutwell Auditorium]], sometimes even walking to ringside from the back office to involve himself in the outcome of the main event. It was also Gulas who was on the other end of the phone during [[Live Studio Wrestling]] on [[Channel 13]] and later [[Channel 42]] when the upcoming Monday night card needed to be changed as a result of some event that Saturday night.  
Gulas was the first promoter to make professional wrestling a live television event, organizing "[[Live Studio Wrestling]]" on Saturday nights, first on [[WABT-13|Channel 13]] and later [[WBMG 42|WBMG-42]]. Wrestlers like the [[Jackie Fargo|Jackie]] and [[Don Fargo]], [[Tex Riley]], [[Len Rossi]], [[Bearcat Brown]] and [[Tojo Yamamoto]] became local celebrities. [[Sterling Brewer]], the announcer at Boutwell and Live Studio Wrestling, was also locally famous.


In the early days of the partnership, Roy Welch was the primary decision maker and Gulas was more often the public face.  Welch was the son of a wrestler and had three brothers in the business, all of them main-event caliber.  Roy had been wrestling since the 1930s and had even owned and toured with one of the first wrestling bears.
Though Welch was the senior partner, Gulas, "The Matchmaker", served as the public face of the business while Welch still appeared as a performer. Later [[Gulas/Welch Enterprises, Inc]] became a charter member of the National Wrestling Alliance, a federation of wrestling promoters that exchanged talent and supported a unified Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. At one point Gulas was promoting wrestling events in 48 southern cities.
 
In the early years of their partnership, Welch worked as a wrestler on the cards and it was not mentioned in promotional material that he actually owned part of the company.  Nick was promoted as the “matchmaker” but behind the scenes Roy was the senior partner.  This arrangement also allowed Welch to be the “good guy” with the talent since the more vocally feisty Gulas was usually more than willing to defend the partnership’s position “face to face.”
 
The duo eventually formed [[Gulas/Welch Enterprises, Inc]].  The promotion was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, a federation of wrestling promoters that exchanged talent and supported a unified Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.  
 
Wrestlers like the [[Fargos]], [[Tex Riley]], [[Len Rossi]], [[Bearcat Brown]] and [[Tojo Yamamoto]] became local celebrities. [[Sterling Brewer]], the announcer at Boutwell and Live Studio Wrestling, was also locally famous.
    
    
The wrestling business began to pass by Nick Gulas in the mid to late 1970s. WTBS out of Atlanta began airing wrestling to a national audience and fans began to fall away from their local promotions.
The wrestling business began to pass by Nick Gulas in the mid to late 1970s. WTBS out of Atlanta began airing wrestling to a national audience and fans began to fall away from their local promotions.


By the summer of 1980, Gulas was out of the business. He died on January 21, 1991.
By the summer of 1980, Gulas had retired from full-time work, but still put on a few events. His wife, Katherine, died in [[1986]]. Gulas died in January [[1991]] at Bordeaux Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He was survived by his son, [[George Gulas|George]] and five siblings. He is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery there.
 
==References==
* "Wrestling promoter Gulas dies." (January 22, 1991) ''Nashville Tennessean''
* "Multi-use Hippodrome Was No Rinky-dink Arena" (November 8, 2006) ''Nashville Tennessean''


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/COLUMNIST0102/611080404&template=printart&nclick_check=1/ Multi-use Hippodrome Was No Rinky-dink Arena] website
* [http://www.kayfabememories.com/ Kayfabe Memories] website
* [http://www.kayfabememories.com/ Kayfabe Memories] website
* [http://studiowrestling.blogspot.com/ Studio Wrestling] website
* [http://studiowrestling.blogspot.com/ Studio Wrestling] website


{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulas, Nick}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulas, Nick}}
[[Category:1923 births|Nick Gulas]]
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1991 Deaths|Nick Gulas]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:Wrestlers|Nick Gulas]]
[[Category:Wrestling promoters]]
[[Category:Entrepreneurs|Nick Gulas]]
[[Category:Television producers]]
[[Category:Entrepreneurs]]

Latest revision as of 18:04, 28 May 2016

Nick Gulas

Nicholas Tom Gulas (born December 3, 1923 in Birmingham died January 21, 1991 in Nashville, Tennessee) operated what was once the largest wrestling promotion in the South. Of Greek descent, he was born into an entrepreneurial family. Family members owned Gulas Supper Club, a well-known Birmingham restaurant. A brother owned hot dog stands in Birmingham well into the 1980s.

Gulas was the son of Tom and Evelyn Skevis Gulas. He began working for Birmingham wrestling promoter Chris Jordan in the 1930s, running errands and doing chores for management and the wrestlers. He also worked with Jordan's successor, Joe Gunther.

He moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1947 and married the former Katherine Bushulen. With the encouragement of sportswriter Raymond Johnson and a sponsorship deal with 7-Up, he began promoting wrestling cards at the Hippodrome skating rink on Tuesday nights, while also booking big name dance bands like Benny Goodman, Xavier Cugat, Harry James and Sonny Dunham on weekends.

Soon Gulas partnered with veteran wrestler and promoter Roy Welch. In January 1953 they purchased half-interest in Joe Gunther's business and Gulas began commuting back to Birmingham to manage Monday night cards at Municipal Auditorium. He occasionally appeared at ring side, or even in the ring, during bouts.

Gulas was the first promoter to make professional wrestling a live television event, organizing "Live Studio Wrestling" on Saturday nights, first on Channel 13 and later WBMG-42. Wrestlers like the Jackie and Don Fargo, Tex Riley, Len Rossi, Bearcat Brown and Tojo Yamamoto became local celebrities. Sterling Brewer, the announcer at Boutwell and Live Studio Wrestling, was also locally famous.

Though Welch was the senior partner, Gulas, "The Matchmaker", served as the public face of the business while Welch still appeared as a performer. Later Gulas/Welch Enterprises, Inc became a charter member of the National Wrestling Alliance, a federation of wrestling promoters that exchanged talent and supported a unified Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. At one point Gulas was promoting wrestling events in 48 southern cities.

The wrestling business began to pass by Nick Gulas in the mid to late 1970s. WTBS out of Atlanta began airing wrestling to a national audience and fans began to fall away from their local promotions.

By the summer of 1980, Gulas had retired from full-time work, but still put on a few events. His wife, Katherine, died in 1986. Gulas died in January 1991 at Bordeaux Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He was survived by his son, George and five siblings. He is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery there.

References

  • "Wrestling promoter Gulas dies." (January 22, 1991) Nashville Tennessean
  • "Multi-use Hippodrome Was No Rinky-dink Arena" (November 8, 2006) Nashville Tennessean

External links

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