At its peak, it may have been Mississippi's most popular sport. Not baseball, basketball or even football. We're talking professional wrestling. With its pageantry, flamboyant personalities and endless drama, wrestling once had the state in a figure-four leglock, thrilling everyone from awestruck kids to their equally engaged grandparents. Come along for a rumble through the carnival days of the late 1800s all the way to the high spots and indie darlings of the modern era. Step inside the squared circle with Billy Romanoff, the old-school wrestler turned promoter who made the sport a staple at the Jackson City Auditorium. Square off with Jerry Lawler and Bill Dundee, who brought down the house on Friday nights at the Tupelo Sports Arena. Go inside the minds of father-and-son promoters George and Gil Culkin, who split with "Cowboy" Bill Watts to create their own Mississippi territory, kickstarting the careers of Kamala, Terry Gordy, Michael Hayes and others.

Join author Jeffrey Martin for a raucous run through Mississippi wrestling history.