February 2021 The Ear

WELCOME OUR NEWEST MEMBERS

NEW LIFETIME MEMBERS

James Michael Chitwood, Jon Clegg, Collar X Elbow, James Deighan, Steven Frye, Dustin Hardin, Myron Harvey, Harold Hurwitz, Vincent Innocente, John Jenkins, Eric Kerr, Lisa Land, Marie Minor (Angie Minelli), Matt Mitchell, Ben Mosley, Teddy Nisenbaum, Tom Seib, Robbie Skipper, Darla Staggs, Paige Von Hess Sutherland, Patrick Trammell, Gary Walter

NEW ANNUAL MEMBERS

Kimberly Austin, Daniel Baker, Joe Barton, Jerry Bullion, James Carter, Kenny Casanova, Reginald Castillo, Scottie Lee Cummins, Robert Davis, Kenny Dominguez, D.C. Drake, Joel Eisenberg, Janie Engle, David Estel, James Fort,Heather Gauda, Scott Goodlin, Chris Guylas, Jamie Melissa Hemmings, Sam Houston, Shane Jones, Jeremy Karp, Thomas Kastelz, Adam Kember, Matt Knowles, Rachel Ling, Pippa L’Vinn, Victor Mercado, Keaton Metcalf, Michael Munger Jr.,

Nicholas Ott, Dean Puckett, Louis Reaedon, Adam Reveles, Ruben Reveles Jr., Jonathan Rogers, Justin Schlegel, John Serati, Steve Joe Signore, James Stantios, P. Stocks, Mikey Taylor, William Toth V, Jim Varsallone, Del Wilkes, Jeremy Wiggs

Australia

SERVING OUR MEMBERS

B. Brian Blair

President & CEO

Darlene Kreis

Treasurer

Rich Ingling

Secretary & Advisory Board Chairman

Darla Staggs

Benevolent Fund Chairperson

Shawn “Preacher” Colonna

Member Relations

Bob Cook

Social Media Coordinator

Ron Hutchison

Website & Seminar Coordinator

Royal Duncan

Ear Publisher

Jim Valley & Matt Roblez

CAC Radio Hosts

Martin Bean

Webmaster

Barbara Goodish

Reunion Registrar

James Beard

Hospitality Room Vendor Sales

Stuart Kemp

Cribbage Tournament Coordinator

Joe Mauriello

Bowling Tournament Coordinator

Bobby Simmons

Chaplain & T-shirt Sales

Charlie Smith

T-shirt Sales

Cindy Hall

CAC Songstress

R. Bruce Tharpe

Attorney & Legal Counsel

President’s

Dear CAC Family,

I hope that your Hanukah/Christmas/Holiday season was a nice one, even under the circumstances that the C-19 virus has brought us.

2020 has certainly been a year of challenges for so many and it should serve as a reminder of how important that our faith, family, friends, health and livelihood mean to us all.

We have had many people that have needed our assistance and we have not turned away anyone that has met our criteria for assistance, this we cannot thank you enough for!

Due to Covid restrictions and the safety and welfare of all, we will be cancelling the April reunion and have tentatively secured the dates of September 13th, 14th and 15th, 2021 for our 55th reunion.

Everyone that has already purchased a reunion ticket will, automatically, be moved to the September dates and new or additional reunion tickets will not be made available until March 1, at the earliest, dependent on the Covid safety restrictions in place at the time.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience, as this is out of our control.

Please continue to check our website for updated information as it becomes available at www.caulifloweralleyclub. org

Thanks again for your support of the greatest Philanthropy in the Wrestling Industry!

Kindest regards and our wishes for a tremendous New Year,

“Afterglow: The 80’s Musical Experience” Pins

Down Seven Nominations

Afterglow: The 80s Musical Experience a play based on the lives of some of the Original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) women is nominated for seven BroadwayWorld - Los Angeles Awards.

The seven nominations are in the following categories:

* Best Ensemble

* Choreographer of the Decade - Dan Magnus

* Best Production of a Musical of the Decade

* Director of a Musical of the Decade - Chris Carver

* Performer of the Decade (two nominees) - Sheena Metal and Mary Kennedy

* Costume Design of the Decade - Roxy Astor

Afterglow: The 80s Musical Experience, penned by first-time playwright Melissa Wassum, ran for only three days at the 11:11 theatre in West Hollywood, California.

“This project was a labor of love! Not in my wildest dream did I think The Afterglow 80s Musical would have so many nominations, among all that talent,” said Astor. “Not only am I blown away by being nominated for Musical play of the decade but being in the same category as Hamilton!” she continued.

The cast included Original GLOW Girls: Roxy Astor herself, Matilda the Hun, Sunny the California Girl, Dallas, the Yellow Rose of Texas, and Melody Trouble Vixen aka MTV. During the flashback scenes, Astor was portrayed by her daughter Kayla Meltzer, with Wassum as MTV, Charlene Ward as Matilda, Jasmine Fontes as Dallas, Ashley Leal as Tiffany Mellons, Taylor Ann Tracy as Sunny, Robert Samo as the voice of Matt Cimber, and many others such as Nic Hodges in multiple character roles and Justin Root taking on the role of GLOW founder David McLane.

“The Afterglow: 80s Musical Experience should become compared to The Little Engine That Could,” said Magnus, a former two-time World Kickboxing Champion. “I think the interest in The Afterglow: 80’s Musical Experience was the fact there were five Original GLOW Girls who were featured. It wasn’t easy training five actresses to learn how to wrestle let alone take a bump on a wood floor.”

Voting is happening right now on BroadwayWorld and you must confirm after submitting your votes via email in order for them to count.

For more information contact: Roxy Astor at Roxyafterglow@gmail.com

The Great British

Due to the events of the global pandemic which have disrupted the CAC’s annual festivities in 2020, it is unlikely that any of us will take for granted the opportunity to connect with our friends and colleagues in a social setting ever again. For those within the UK grappling community, the chance to reunite and share memories has been put on hold with the cancellation of many social gatherings of wrestling personalities from the past and present.

Unlike the CAC, which formed in 1965, British reunions did not exist until 1991. On this side of the Atlantic, the notion of these meetings was devised by Tony Scarlo, a veteran wrestler who entered the industry in 1955. I recently had the opportunity to talk to one of the true pioneers of the game, to examine the evolution of the reunion circuit in the United Kingdom.

Scarlo recalls first considering a wrestler’s reunion after the funeral of Peter Kelly, but this never materialised until the death of ‘Catweazle’ Gary Cooper in 1990. During a call with former referee and emcee Mal Mason, the two reminisced about their fallen comrade. Mason explained to Tony that it was Cooper’s wish that he could have been to a reunion to thank his colleagues for their friendship before his death. It helped spur the pair into action and arrange the first ever reunion of British talent for the following year.

“Mal offered the use of his own house and garden and asked me to bring all the wrestlers, as I knew many from the circuit. The first reunion attracted sixteen wrestlers, and this was repeated two months later,” recalls Scarlo.

Holding a Reunion in someone’s home was okay as a temporary measure, but it was not an ideal long-term solution. Knowing this, Joe D’Orazio (who is now the world’s oldest living wrestler at age 98) came to an arrangement with ‘Dazzler’ Joe Cornelius to find a more suitable home for the event.

Cornelius owned a pub called The Turner’s Arms in Crawford Street, in the West End of London. The bar was positioned near the Seymour Hall, a historic wrestling arena used by promoter Bert Assirati (one of the all-time greats in British wrestling). The London venue enabled growth with its more accessible location attracting over fifty wrestlers to attend the gathering. After Cornelius retired to Spain, the suggestion was made to host the reunions across an interchanging circuit of public houses owned by retired wrestlers.

Eventually, it was decided to permanently base the reunion at The Prince of Orange, a historic bar owned by former World Heavyweight titlist Wayne Bridges. Sited near Greenwich train station in South London, it was a convenient location for travelling visitors. Selling the pub at the dawn of the millennium, the reunion would relocate when Wayne acquired a bar in South Darenth. His second venue, The Bridges, was a cosy tavern located under a nineteenth-century viaduct of ten arches. With his wife Sarah, Wayne would continue to host an annual reunion at The Bridges until his death earlier in the year.

However, the reunions have not been restricted to the south of England. Veteran grappler Seamus Dunleavy presented the first

Grappling Gatherings

offshoot at Mary’s Bar in Birmingham. Another gathering, dubbed the ‘Good Old Boys’, took place in 2002 at Ellesmere Port and was arranged by Monty Swann, Bob Bell and his wife Jean. Since then, there have been a multitude of reunions held at Leeds, Oldham, Ayr, Little Waltham and Blackpool.

And it is for the Blackpool Wrestlers Reunion where Scarlo now serves as the Chairman. He is the only participant from the original get-together to retain an active role in the operation of reunions in the country. His keen interest in these meetings eventually compelled him to cross the Atlantic and attend his first gathering of The Cauliflower Alley Club in 2006.

The camaraderie that spawns within the CAC’s Ring of Friendship allowed Scarlo to make some friends who eventually decided to visit the United Kingdom at his invitation.

“I was able to make some good mates with a number of people at the Las Vegas Reunion. It wasn’t long before Red Bastien, Al Mandell and J Michael Kenyon decided to fly over to England. They stayed at Tower Bridge, London then made their way to The British Wrestlers Reunion after seeing some of the sites. I think they really enjoyed themselves.”

In the three decades that reunions have operated within British shores, several international guests have visited grappling gatherings within the British circuit. Jake Roberts, Colt Cabana, Daniel Bryan and Cesaro are among those to have attended UK reunions, which have also welcomed die-hard fans from locations as far as Japan. The finest domestic names, including Mick McManus, George Kidd, Pat Roach, and Billy Robinson have been among the legendary figures who have attended, alongside stars such as Dave Taylor, Johnny Saint and the late Mark ‘Rollerball’ Rocco. Even the recently departed David Prowse, who starred as Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, made appearances at wrestling reunions in Britain to share his own memories as a bodybuilding grappler before his career on celluloid was launched into hyperspace.

While many of these events have shown fervent attendance and promote a welcoming atmosphere, Scarlo is quick to state that no event can compare in scale or substance to the gatherings presented by the Cauliflower Alley Club, “The CAC is so well organised. It really is a spectacle that every wrestler should go to at some point.”

Although Tony hopes to cross the pond to see many of his stateside friends again, he remembers his second CAC Reunion with a smile. Attending in part to celebrate the tenth wedding anniversary of fellow Brits ‘Exotic’ Adrian Street and his valet Miss Linda (who got engaged during the Reunion festivities in 2005), Scarlo recalls the sharp contrast of a room full of smartly-dressed representatives from the pro wrestling community while Street was clad in figure-hugging, neon-pink lycra while he sat at the dinner table for the banquet.

“Adrian always did like to stand out”, he laughs.

BRITISH INVASION

Adrian Street

BRADLEY CRAIG

Aberdeen, Scotland

British wrestling historian and founder of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame for Scotland. He is also the co-author of “Through the Shattered Glass”, the autobiography of Jeanie Clarke.

Let’s Get it on Paper: Record Books CAC Lifetime Member, Vance Nevada

Not every story to come out of the coronavirus pandemic is a sad one. In fact, some members opened their mail to receive a pleasant surprise -- a gift afforded by the free time created through the “shut downs” of fast pace of today’s world.

The 2010 James C. Melby Historian award honoree, Vance Nevada has been documenteing the individual career records of dozens of men and women to grace the ring over the past century. This work builds upon the monumental efforts of the pioneering Melby, who was publishing wrestler records since the 1960’s -- in an era prior to the internet when data was compiled through a network of penpals following wrestling across the country and sharing newspaper clippings and fan accounts.

Though informally documenting wrestling history since 1994, primarily for events held across Canada, Nevada’s focused work on individual career records began in 2009, quite by accident. After spending time with the late Don Leo Jonathan as part of research for a book “Wrestling in the Canadian West”, Nevada compiled a 2,800+ match record for The Mormon Giant.

“I thought it would be a thoughtful gesture as a thank you for taking time to speak with me,” says Nevada. “But Don Leo was so overwhlemed by the gesture, he requested

three copies for his children and a fourth to respond to a request from the museum in New Harmony, Utah, that has recently requested information on his career for their collection.”

The following Spring, Nevada showed up at the annual CAC reunion in Las Vegas with a handful of record books for legends that were advertised to appear. Since then, his arrival at the Las Vegas reunion has included the distribution of record books to dozens of men and women among the membership. The reward: The heartfelt reactions of wrestlers floored by the effort to research and document thousands of matches and years of sacrifice between the ropes.

Recipients have included Ted DiBiase (a family record including his parents and his three sons), Steve Austin, Roger Kirby, Alexis Smirnoff, Steve Keirn, Greg Valentine, Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, Bret Hart, Paul Orndorff, Reggie Parks, Terry Funk, Velvet McIntyre and more. One of the more memorable reactions came from legendary AWA World champion, Nick Bockwinkel.

“You know, when you’re immersed in the schedule you just think about making the next date and you don’t take time to write anything down,” said Bockwinkel. “Wrestling becomes as common as picking boogers out of your nose. But this (the record book) ... you’ve given me my life in the pages of this book. I don’t know how you did it.”

Document Legendary Ring Careers

With the postponement of the 2020 CAC festivities, combined with the general cancellation of vacation plans and social outings, it led Nevada back to his keyboard. Thinking that it might be a great pick-me-up for retired wrestlers that have been shut in for several months without a social outlet, he reached out to secretly obtain the mailing addresses of select legends and suprised them with a packaged record book randomly in the mail.

Among the ring greats to receive a surprise package was Paul “Butcher” Vachon, whose career spanned the globe during three decades between the ropes as both a wrestler and promoter.

“The work that Vance has done to assemble my career history is a herculean task and I am most grateful,” says Vachon.

For Nevada, it’s not just the Hall of Famers that he’s interested to document. Journeymen like Moose Morowski who wrestled around the globe enjoyed fascinating careers and without his effort and those of similar-minded historians, their legacies are at greater risk of being lost over time. The challenge of tracking down all the pieces for wrestlers who appeared under multiple gimmicks in different territories can also be a rewarding puzzle to solve.

“There’s very little risk of us forgetting the headlinerswhose careers were regularly documented on the pages of the wrestling magazines and the sum of their contributions are published as inductees into various Halls of Fame -- but those men and women from the territory-era of our sport and before ... it’s important that they are not forgotten.”

There are some interesting discoveries along the way. In fact, he notes that it’s sometimes easier to track the careers of wrestlers active in the 1950’s and 1960’s than it is for those wrestling in the 1990’s.

“In the 1980’s, largely, wrestling coverage was dropped from the mainstream newspapers for local shows. So you couldn’t rely on that weekly source of information. Plus, the full use of the internet really hadn’t come into force then, so there is this void that exists in the 1990’s where coverage is spotty at best.

A growing collection of his completed records is now being published on Greg Oliver’s SlamWrestling.net but, as all historians know, the work continues as he continues to find little known dates and details and add to each of the record books he’s compiled to date. And he never knows when inspiration will hit him for his next project will strike.

THROUGH THE LENS

featuring Rachel Ling

Many top stars got their start in the Calgary territory

RACHEL LING

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Rachel is an elementary school teacher and photographer who has been an avid follower of professional wrestling for more than 40 years.

Remembering The Territories

Indianapolis (World Wrestling Association)

When America was divided into wrestling territories, one of the most influential booking offices that seldom gets its due as one of the premiere wrestling capitals of its era is Indianapolis. Headed at different times by a whos’ who of mat impresarios - Billy Thom, Balk Estes, Fred Kohler, Jim Barnett, Dick the Bruiser, Wilbur Snyder - they ran shows in historic venues such as Tomlinson Hall, the Sports Arena, the Expo Center, Tyndall Armory, Market Square Arena, and many others. From the 1920’s to the 1980’s there was a show virtually monthly in Indianapolis.

These promoters made sure the fans got their money’s worth. The top talent from the United States came through Indianapolis. The Midwest was a central hub of wrestling action for decades. Due to its location, many wrestlers would appear here while traveling from one territory to another. In the 1950’s, Indianapolis television became prominent as a part of the Dumont Network and the lure of becoming TV stars drew talent even more. Indianapolis was consistently treated to the top talent and matches during each era.

Over the course of history, the name most synonymous with Indianapolis professional wrestling is Dick the Bruiser. Partnering with Wilbur Snyder, the duo began promoting Indianapolis in 1964, forming the World Wrestling Association. While many have claimed the duo bought the territory from Jim Barnett, they actually started running shows in opposition with both running shows in Indianapolis for several months before Barnett departed for Australia. The WWA title soon became a prestigious championship within the sport and draws its lineage to the WWA in Los Angeles. The Bruiser had won that title on the coast and returned home holding a claim to the championship to heighten this circuit’s prestige. The history of the WWA championship, which has become a representation of Indianapolis professional wrestling is marked by legends and hall of famers: Dick the Bruiser, Gene Kiniski, Blackjack Lanza, Baron Von Raschke, Cowboy Bob Ellis, Jimmy Valiant, Ox Baker, Ivan Koloff, Bruiser Brody, Ernie Ladd, Harley Race, Bobo Brazil, and many others have held the prestigious title and laid claim as representative of Indianapolis professional wrestling.

The WWA had a huge impact on professional wrestling with some creative innovations originating there. From the managerial start of Raymond Heenan (who was renamed Bobby by Dick the Bruiser), the creation of the Blackjacks and Valiant Brothers tag teams, and the career start of Scott Steiner, the WWA’s impact is still felt today. The territory was a huge draw throughout the 1970’s and early 1980’s and was a mainstay of Indianapolis television programming for years. Dick the Bruiser, himself, also had a hand in naming Andre the Giant prior to his debut in Chicago, helping to launch his career in the U.S.

In 1986, Dick the Bruiser partnered with Jerry Graham, Jr and the WWA moved its base to Toledo, Ohio and rebranded their television show as “Bruiser Bedlam” (a name Jim Cornette used to rename Johnny K-9 during his Smoky Mountain Wrestling run). The program featured Bruiser on commentary with longtime Detroit wrestling

voice Terry Sullivan and featured Graham, Scott Steiner, Great Wojo, Chris Carter, and Calpyso Jim. The program was entertaining and a true representation of 1980’s wrestling.

With the changing landscape of wrestling, the WWA officially closed shop in 1989. However, Dick the Bruiser was running spot shows up to just weeks before his death in 1991. The WWA’s impact on the area, and professional wrestling as a whole, is still felt to this day. Though local television has been without a homegrown wrestling program, even more than 30 years after the territory’s final episode, the unforgettable Dick the Bruiser is still a household name, remembered and discussed by many.

Dick the Bruiser has Baron Von Raschke under control.

DAVE DYNASTY

Rocky Mount, North Carolina

An avid wrestling historian, Dave is a former manager, wrestler and promoter and now hosts a wrestling podcast called the Dave Dynasty Show. Dave can be followed on Twitter @thedavedynasty

HONORS FOR BRUISER BRODY & HERCULES HERNANDEZ

The North American Wrestling Alliance (NAWA) presented a memorial tribute and commemorative ceremony respectively on December 19, 2020. The NAWA paid tribute to the honor and legacy of two legendary stars, Ray “Hercules” Fernandez and Frank “Bruiser Brody” Goodish.

There were video montages and speeches to the tributes as well. NAWA and Tony Capone paid tribute to the first NAWA champion, Ray “Hercules” Fernandez live. Fernandez’s family was in attendance to accept the award in his name. This was a commemorative championship title, featuring Ray Fernandez’ likeness. Sadly, Hernandez passed away in 2004, but his legacy still lives on through the hearts of his family, friends and fans.

The second memorial had special guest and alumni Tony Atlas on hand. This tribute was for the late Bruiser Brody. Born Frank Goodish, Goodish earned fame in football and sports, before becoming a professional wrestler. His feuds in World Class Championship Wrestling, as well as featuring longtime adversary Abdullah the Butcher were synonymous with a rougher, hard-hitting style in professional wrestling. Brody also had an extensive career in Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council and in Japan for both All Japan and New Japan promotions. as well. The award was presented to Bruiser Brody’s widow, Mrs. Barbara Goodish by friend Tony Atlas. This also marked the first time both Atlas and Mrs. Goodish had seen each other in 30 years.

CAC’s Jim Valley recently updated his health status which thankfully continues improving. For much of this year, he’s been battling a resurgence of a rare autoimmune disease called GPA (formerly known as Wegener’s Granular Nephrotic Disorder). GPA is a relatively rare but serious condition causing blood vessel inflammation in the throat, nose, sinuses, lungs and kidneys. It also slows critical blood-flow to major organs.

Jim had been in remission for over six years from it, but suffered a major flare-up last spring and has been hospitalized for months. Some of the aggressive symptoms he’s fought include severe laryngitis which turned into debilitating pneumonia, difficulty and inability to speak and eat, some memory loss and more. He’s fortunately had some top doctors while in Hospital ICU along with his dedicated wife Kari by his side helping him improve daily. And to finally “submit” and defeat GPA for a fourth time. He’s now upbeat, even back to texting on his cell phone which means he’s feeling more like Jim Valley. He’d lost a lot of weight which he’s slowly putting back on now with Kari and his doctors help. Plus working with physical, speech and occupational therapists to restore basic functions like walking. Jim’s long co-hosted CAC’s podcast show besides doing his own shows for Wrestling Observer Online

and CAC members Dave Meltzer (honoree) and Bryan Alvarez. And hosted several of our annual panel discussions like the outstanding Portland, Pacific NorthWest tribute at our last CAC reunion He’s a fellow Japanese wrestling historian and scenic/cultural expert who for years cohosted the popular Pacific-Rim Pro Wrestling Show with fans over there also cheering him on.

Before we moved our annual extravaganza to Las Vegas in 2000(and it went from a single awards night to the 3+ day reunion it is now), they’d primarily been in Southern California since Mike Mazurki first conceived CAC along with his friend Art Abrams who was my longtime boss. They were initially informal downtown Los Angeles luncheons uniting Mike’s love of wrestling, boxing and movie/ tv stars as Mike had excelled in all three genres. Like his friends and long-time CAC honorees Judo Gene Lebell and Hardboiled “HB” Haggerty, Mike’s IMDB profile is a mile-long in entertainment including many uncredited roles in Jerry Lewis comedies and gangster films. So when we briefly had ancillary/extra CAC’s in other major cities in the 1990’s, we were able to honor legends living in those areas who just weren’t able to travel. Like boxing’s Carmen Basilio, Willie Pep, Vinny Pazienza in 1993 for our first “CAC-outlaw” event in Springfield, MA promoted by one of wrestling’s greatest historians in Tom Burke

I promoted the 3-day Sam Muchnick Tribute For the Boys(in St Louis) that CAC recognized as an ancillary event and had Lou Thesz and Red Bastien co-m.c. it along with later CAC honorees like Ernie Ladd, Penny Banner, Jimmy Snuka, Ox Baker, Al Costello, Pepper Martin and more like Toots Mondt’s widow, Blackjack Lanza, Bob Backlund, Barry Windham, Mike Rotunda, Kamala and the families of Bobby Shane and Pat O’Connor. Former/fellow CAC board member Ella Waldek had her own spectacular Tampa event for CAC

in 1995 that first brought the Brisco Brothers and Dory Funk Jr to be CAC-honored plus then-first-timers Gordon Solie, Don Curtis, Hiro Matsuda, Johnny “Ace” Laurinaitis, Dan Miller, Wahoo McDaniel, Luna Vachon, Don Fargo. And oh yes-Dwayne Johnson and his CACbeloved mom Ata, to honor Rocky Johnson along with Rocky’s most famous World Championship (Roy Shire territory) tag partner in Pat Patterson on our stage. The Wrestling Museum’s original founder, Mike Chapman put on our 2001 event in Iowa and for many it was their first time seeing the new and spectacular Thesz/Tragos Museum/HOFame(this was in place of our usual location and the only CAC that year). Dan Gable was one of the highlights along with many other total amateur legends.

Wrestling’s superman photographer, George Napolitano put on several New York/New Jersey events for CAC drawing out Pedro Morales, Fred Blassie, Ida Mae, Angelo Savoldi, Arnie Skaaland and Gorilla Monsoon (who that night joined our board), Lou Albano, SD Jones, Butcher Brannigan and stars from boxing (like Ring Magazine writer/editor Bert Sugar) and film. Dom Denucci (who we honor next CAC) made his first one there in 1997. George’s last event honored Vince McMahon Sr with his wife present to accept along with the entire Vince McMahon Jr family. Jim Cornette seated next to Abdullah the Butcher, Paul Vachon just standing up and singing opera spontaneously for no reason while brother Maurice tried quieting him with a claw. What an awards night!

All of these SRO events quickly sold out and provided once-in-a-lifetime memories. Often a wrestler might be making their only CAC due to health or monetary issues, so every CAC is cannot-miss. Many members also say it’s also the only time they get to see their friends from all over the globe, all-at-once and in one venue. Where else could one see Terry and Vicki Funk bowling alongside WWE’s Adam Pearce and Paul Orndorff? Or experience Rock Riddle boastfully telling Paul that he was wrestling’s very first “Mr Wonderful?” You know where.

We’re still grieving the loss of our friend Pat Patterson who I’d known since the early seventies in both the San Francisco and Los Angeles wrestling offices, my two home-base promotions as a ringside and backstage photographer for the programs sold in both territories.

Pat first attended CAC in 1996, where he received one of our few unnamed "surprise" awards delivered by then President Lou Thesz right to Pat's front row table seat where we sat also with Ray Stevens, Bobby Heenan (also at his first CAC), Pepper Gomez, Don Manoukian and CAC legend Pepper Martin. All of these men were CAC honorees and part of Pat's long in-ring history. But Pepper was instrumental in referring young Pat to San Francisco promoter Roy Shire in 1966 telling Roy on the phone "this kid really has potential and looks like a young Ray. He could pass for his younger brother if you team them up." Roy brought him in and Pat created magic for a decade at the Cow Palace and all of Roy's other empire venues like the San Jose Civic, Sacramento Municipal Aud and more with year after year of sell-outs. And when Lou announced that he and our board(which I was on at the time)had decided to give Pat a surprise plaque for all his contributions to the biz, Pat broke down and cried. It was a great moment with everyone giving him a standing O while tears continued streaming down his face. Pat often didn't break, showing emotion like that publicly.

Pat is deservedly called a genius for all his booking, motivational and creative brilliance he brought to first Vince McMahon Sr and then his son. Whenever I’d ask him where he got all that he’d say as he did in 2007 “Really from all the promoters and great minds I met and worked with over the years. Like Bill Watts I got to work and absorb like a sponge from the best like Roy Shire, the Vachons, Red Bastien, Ray and Nick, Heenan was always brilliant, Verne Gagne, Eddie Graham, Vince Sr and so many others along the way. You combine all the great things from each and make them your own. Roy Shire’s every-January 18-man-battle-royals were looked forward to by our fans as their biggest event of the year as often there were surprise names brought in just for that one night. And that was partly my inspiration for the Royal Rumble. Bring surprises and happiness to the people. If that’s genius, ok. It’s genius. I just always loved this business which I consider to be genius itself.”

DR. MIKE LANO

Alameda, California

Historian and retired dentist Dr Mike’s been a wrestling magazine photographer/writer since the 60’s also covering boxing, MMA and rock and comedy concerts besides his tv/film newspaper column and national radio show work.

Juan Lopez (Hector Morin) May 30, Age 88

Pyscho Dwarf (Stevie Lee Richardson), Sept 9, Age 54

Gerry Brown, Sept 15, Age 83

Road Warrior Animal (Joe Laurinaitis), Sept 22, Age 60

Mr. Meaner (Russell Redmon), Sept 27, Age 48

Lorraine Johnson, Oct 5, Age 90

Len Rossi, Oct 9, Age 91

Ryan Smile, Oct 14, Age 31

Karsten Beck, Oct 15, Age 34

Gary Allen (Gary Fritzgerald), Oct 22, Age 72

Joe Black, Oct 20, Age 90

Tracy Smothers, Oct 28, Age 58

Sylvano Sousa, Nov 18, Age 66

Bob Ryder, Nov 24, Age 64

Pat Patterson (Pierre Clermont), Dec 2, Age 79

Zeus (Tom Lister Jr.), Dec 10, Age 62

Kitty Adams, Dec 17, Age 85

Danny Hodge, Dec 24, Age 88

Dick Cardinal, Dec 24, Age 93

Brodie Lee (Jon Huber), Dec 26, Age 41

Bobby Davis, Jan 6, Age 83

Dustin Diamond, Feb 1, Age 44

Butch Reed, Feb 5, Age 66

Leon Spinks, Feb 6, Age 67

We are grateful for the support of Al Snow and the CollarxElbow wrestling brand for their continued support of the Club.

THE TITLE CHASE:

With Jamie Melissa Hemmings

Confession time: I have been obsessed with the written word since I first started learning the alphabet. And while I enjoy reading books from all genres, my absolute favorite tomes to read are pro wrestling books. This preference comes in handy with me being the reigning Book Editor for SlamWrestling.net. I am excited to start this column to share with you dear readers some of the plethora of books on my book shelves. (Notice this word is plural on purpose! Not a typo!) My hope is that you’ll be inspired to pick up some of these books at your local book store or library or even better, maybe it will inspire you to write your own!

One Last Ride: The Tale of Cowboy Scott Casey by Scott Casey & Nicholas Masci, self-published Casey utilizes a conversational tone to take readers through a road trip of sorts through his first match against Dick Murdoch to all the various American and international pro wrestling promotions he grappled in during his 22year career. Please note: for this ride, readers will have to provide their own baloney sandwiches and beer! As the miles accumulate, some of Casey’s peers including Les Thatcher, Dusty Wolfe, Dr. Tom Prichard, Eddy Mansfield and the late “Killer” Tim Brooks catch a ride and contribute their perspectives. Not to be outdone, Casey provides his own frank opinions on those in the industry via his “Cowboy Takes” throughout the book. (Note: this book is available to purchase at blurb.com).

Too Sweet: Inside the Indie Wrestling Revolution by Keith Elliot Greenberg, ECW Press

In this love letter to independent wrestling, Greenberg passionately provides his insights on a multitude of American and international indy promotions past and present, large and small, including: Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), CHIKARA, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Ring of Honor (ROH), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), PROGRESS, Pro Wrestling: EVE, and more. An unabashed storyteller, Greenberg also shows an obvious commitment to making his book a comprehensive history and guide by dedicating space to unexpected subjects such as the successful, print-ondemand company, Pro Wrestling Tees, and Chris Jericho’s foray into a pro wrestling sea cruise. It’s the inclusion of these bonus details that set Greenberg apart from his peers. And best of all: a sequel is already in the works!

Friday Night in the Coliseum by Geoff Winningham, from Dancer Press

Proving 2020 wasn’t all doom and gloom: old school wrestling fans were delighted to hear that Winningham was reissuing his acclaimed 1971 coffee table book. This photo book is a visual compilation of Winningham photographing the weekly Houston-based live pro wrestling shows.

Winningham would attend 35-38 of these shows and was given unrestricted access to the matches and the wrestlers themselves by promoter, Paul Boesch. Along with taking photos, Winningham also carried a portable tape recorder to conduct memorable interviews with the fans, wrestlers and Boesch. This new edition is expanded from the original and now runs at 180 pages instead of the original 144. The book includes stunning black and white photos of such wrestling stars as Johnny Valentine, Mil Mascaras, Thunderbolt Patterson, Wahoo McDaniel and Tim Woods. In addition to having some new photos not in the first edition, Winningham also polished some of the existing text and contributed an afterword. (Note: this book is available to purchase at geoffwinningham.com).

For more pro wrestling book stories, please visit the book section on SlamWrestling.net. And if you have a pro wrestling book you think Jamie should check out, you can email her at Jamie.hemmings.8@gmail.com Happy reading!

JAMIE HEMMINGS

Saskatchewan, Canada

Jamie Melissa Hemmings has been writing and editing for Slam since 2005; a ravenous/obsessive reader, Jamie took on the post of Slam’s Book Editor in 2020.

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MOTT’S MARVELOUS MAT MEMORIES

Most every year during the early 1950’s, Brother Frank Jares, aka the Mormon Mauler, would terrorize the wrestling fans of both Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia. “Big” Bill Lewis, the rotund promotion minded genius of the territory knew the maniac tactics of this snarling wrestler was going to insure a large gate. The other side of that coin is that Lewis knew that any card with Jares on it would mean he had to increase the number of cops and Shore Patrol to ensure the insure the safety of both the wrestlers and fans as a riot was sure to break out.

The police and Shore Patrol earned their money when Jares was on any card. His matches always gave off true HEAT. It was my fifth time working as a “clean up boy” at the Norfolk City Auditorium. I was way to young to a part of the ring crew. That was honor given only to the “old guys”, some of whom were the ancient age of 20. As an 11+ year old boy, I didn’t think I would ever get that old!

The main event for this evening was M.M. vs Gino Garibaldi, the tough and rugged fan favorite of Norfolk fans. It was a “Loser Leave Virginia” match. As this was a B.I. (Before the Internet) the match would also be contests the following night in Richmond. Oh, the good old days. The fans jammed into the building, hoping to see Gino kick the M.M.s butt all the way to Tennessee and all points west. Prior to the start of the card, my buddy and I were told this would be at least a three broom match. In this Navy town, my friend and I almost stood at attention with our brooms.

As the third match got underway, I made my way back to the heels’ locker room. To my younger readers, Kayfabe was like a matter of faith. Good guys in one room, bad guys the other. In my locker room I had to make sure it clean before and after all events. By the fans screaming, I figured the main was now on. Soon I heard a Huge roar from the crowd. In that noise, I also heard more that one police whistle.

I peeked out and saw Gino standing in the ring with blood pouring out of a head cut. Now I saw the M.M. racing towards me (the locker room), with blood, sweat and thrown beer flying off of him. The cops pushed/pulled him away from the angry fans. He looked like a crazed ex-convict heading towards me. As not quite a teen-ager yet, I thought if he catches me, I am going to die because he is Nuts. He smashed the door open, and ran right at me. I tried to shrink down in size, but he screeched to a halt right over me. He then reached into his gear bag took out a $5.00, put it in to my hand and said “Thanks for watching my stuff, kid”. In the 50,s the $5.00 made me rich. And I thought there must be something about this sport I don’t understand ... YET!

FRANK MOTT

San Bernardino, California Frank, who saw his first pro-wrestling match in 1949 says there must be a mistake, he can’t be THAT OLD!! Frank has been working with Jesse Hernandez San Bernardino based Empire Wrestling Federation for over 20 years.

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