Phil Hickerson, who was a prominent regional star, has died at 79.
The southern star was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and became a staple in Tennessee wrestling, as both a tag star and singles wrestler.
His debut in 1974 was followed by the formation of a team with Al Greene as “The Sherman Tanks” and three reigns as the Southern heavyweight tag champions for promoter Nick Gulas. The pair won their first belts in August 1974 and feuded with Jerry Jarrett & Tojo Yamamoto and with Jerry Lawler & Yamamoto, swapping the belts several times.
Hickerson’s most well-remembered team was alongside the late Dennis Condrey as The Bicentennial Kings. The duo would be managed at different stages by Al Costello, Rock Hunter, and Ron Wright. They won the Southern tag titles nine times, along with five runs as U.S. tag champions, and held the Mid-Americas belts twice.
Hickerson & Condrey engaged in significant programs with Jackie Fargo & Jerry Jarrett, Jackie & Don Fargo, Bill Dundee & Tojo Yamamoto, Dundee & Tommy Rich, and a big program with Ricky & Robert Gibson. Of course, Condrey went on to larger fame as a member of The Midnight Express, but so many people reflected on his work with Hickerson after he died this past year.
Hickerson would rotate through Tennessee and neighboring states, wrestling for Nick Gulas and Roy Welch, and the accompanying cities that Jerry Jarrett promoted, and also venturing to Southeast Championship Wrestling, promoted by Ron Fuller.
Jarrett’s defection from Gulas in 1977 was seismic, and Hickerson aligned with the younger promoter, who had Lawler as a 50-50 partner, which was vital to the balance of power in the area. With Lawler, he was able to get a Saturday morning slot on Channel 5 WMC-TV, with the station paying Jarrett $1,500 per week. Shortly after the launch, Lance Russell and weatherman Dave Brown joined them after leaving Channel 13 WHBQ. Under Jarrett, the new office had the right to run the Mid-South Coliseum and the Louisville Gardens in Kentucky.
In 1978, Hickerson became a full-time performer in Southeastern Championship Wrestling and suffered a devastating knee injury in early 1979. Hickerson didn’t wrestle for a year and wouldn’t return as a full-time performer until 1984, missing several years in the prime of his career.
Hickerson’s latest partner was The Spoiler (Frank Morrell) and added another two reigns as Southern heavyweight tag champions.
He transitioned to becoming a singles wrestler and winning the AWA Southern heavyweight title from Terry Taylor on July 7, 1985. He held it three times that year, losing it for the final time to Dutch Mantel on November 9. In 1988, he won the CWA heavyweight title from Max Pain and held it until November, when it was vacated.
Hickerson went to Japan in late 1988 to participate in All Japan’s Real World Tag League. Teaming with Jerry Blackwell, they were there to put the other teams over and finished with zero points, with the world tag titles placed up for grabs in the tournament. Stan Hansen and Terry Gordy would leave the tournament with the belts.
Hickerson’s last major run occurred in the USWA, where he was rebranded as PY Chu-hi and managed by Tojo Yamamoto, where Hickerson pretended to be Japanese. The run resulted in a big program with Eric Embry and won the WCWA heavyweight title in July 1989 for a short reign lasting one month.
Hickerson continued to wrestle through 1995 with his final match listed as a street fight with Frank Morell against Robert Gibson & Tracy Smothers in Memphis.
After wrestling, he became a DJ in his hometown of Jackson for WYN 106.6 until retiring in 2016.
