There are few things more Memphis than wrestling.

While kids in other parts of the country grew up watching cartoons, Saturday mornings in Memphis were reserved for watching live wrestling on WMCTV, hosted by the best announcing tag team ever, Lance Russell and Dave Brown.

Saturday morning wrestling may have gone off the air in 2001, but Memphis hasn't forgotten. More than 500 people packed the Orpheum on Friday night for a screening of "Memphis Heat", a locally made documentary about the "true history of Memphis wrasslin'". And when the title sequence from WMC's wrestling played mid-way through the film, the crowd went nuts.

I was asked to emcee the film, which was shown as part of the Orpheum's Memphis section of their annual summer film series. As emcee, I got to introduce some of the stars of "Memphis Heat" before the film -  wrestlers Jerry Lawler and Superstar Bill Dundee and announcers Lance Russell and Dave Brown. (Sidenote - now that I've seen Dave Brown announce wrestling, I totally understand his approach to weather.)

As a film, "Memphis Heat" surprised me. Having not grown up a wrestling fan, I didn't expect to be as completely sucked into it as I was. It was funny and touching and sympathetic. It had a clear-eyed nostalgia that I wasn't expecting.

The film features interviews with famous Memphis wrestlers (Jerry Lawler, Jimmy Valiant, Bill Dundee, Billy Wick), promoters and managers (Jerry Jarrett, Jimmy Hart) and others associated with the rise and fall of Memphis wrestling. The film is very well made, with lots of vintage TV footage and photos mixed into the interviews, and the soundtrack is primarily made up of songs from the River City Tanlines first record.

If you want to see "Memphis Heat", it's showing in August in Birmingham, Ala. and Atlanta, Ga. There are plans to release it to DVD in the near future, and the possibility of more Memphis dates. For more info about screenings, check the film's official website.