When I think of Nikolai Volkoff the first thing I think of is his singing of the Soviet National Anthem. As a bad guy in the 1980s, there was no better way to get that heel heat than side with Russia or Iran. Volkoff and Iron Sheik did this perfectly along with their manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie and later Slick.
I remember the first time I saw Volkoff was really before I was a wrestling fan. He was on TV and Andre the Giant was brawling with him. I have no idea what company this was because as I mentioned, I hadn't really started watching yet. Andre assaulted Volkoff, even hitting him with a chair. In my young, fearful mind I was concerned these actions would lead to the United States into World War III with Russia.
vs. Hulk Hogan Courtesy: WWE
Once I started watching wrestling, Volkoff's size and power quickly made him a top contender to Hulk Hogan's championship. I recall the Saturday Night's Main Event where Hogan successfully defended against Volkoff.
The big Russian's only championship win came at WrestleMania when he and Sheik beat Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham for the tag team titles. They didn't hold the belts long but their reign helped add some spice to the Rock 'n Wrestling era of pro wrestling.
Speaking of that time, I loved that so many Superstars were used in Cyndi Lauper's 'Goonies Are Good Enough' video. Volkoff sits proudly milking a cow as Sheik, Blassie and Roddy Piper are creating chaos.
Volkoff's face turn and partnering with one time rival "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan was expected as relations between the U.S. and Russia improved and there weren't many other options for Volkoff. When he returned again in the mid-90s and joined the Million Dollar Corporation as 'down on his luck' Superstar, I fear it was a case of art imitating life.
WrestleMania XXX friends
I was thrilled to see he and Sheik and the other major players of the first WrestleMania get enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. At WrestleMania XXX in 2014, Chad and I paid tribute to the duo by dressing like them. I even tried my hand at singing the Soviet National Anthem during the course of that day.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Volkoff and thanks for the memories.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Since it's July 4 weekend, I figured I'd go with a semi-patriotic Foreign Object Friday. It's hard to argue there are many wrestlers more patriotic than Hacksaw Jim Duggan. For decades he has carried the American flag in one hand and his 2x4 in the other. Throw in a "Hoooo!" and a thumbs up and it's like it's 1988 all over.
2x4 meets Andre
Courtesy: WWE
From time to time Hacksaw would turn to his trusty 2x4 for some assistance in the ring. The most memorable time for this in my 1-2-3 cents was on a Saturday Night's Main Event in early 1988. Andre the Giant was choking Hulk Hogan in the center of the ring. Several good guys rushed to help the Hulkster but no one could break the Giant's massive grip. That's when Hacksaw hit the ring and whacked the broad back of Andre with the 2x4. The hits worked and the Giant finally released the champion.
WrestleMania III
Courtesy: WWE
Eventually, the two would end up feuding and the board was used again throughout their battles. Hacksaw pulled out the 2x4 against other famous foes, including Dino Bravo, Bad News Brown and the Iron Sheik. Hacksaw's first appearance at WrestleMania III including him hitting the former champion with the 2x4.
Hacksaw at the Hall of Fame
Courtesy: WWE
There were times the board would be decorated. Yellow ribbons adorned it during the Persian Gulf War and when Hacksaw was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011, the 2x4 was present and wearing a black bowtie. Foam versions were sold with Hacksaw's likeness at live events in the 80s. To this day, when he makes an appearance, Hacksaw signs small pieces of wood for fans in attendance.
Hacksaw is another Superstar that I've had the chance to meet in person. In 2011, shortly after his induction, I got to interview him at Rent One Park in Marion, Illinois. It was a great opportunity. Every time I'm near a 2x4 I pick it up, prop it on my shoulder and shout out Hoooooo!
Many times people hear professional wrestling and automatically think FAKE and discount the men and women who work hard to train and perform year round. Some Superstars come from very decorated amateur sports backgrounds. We all know Mark Henry, Kurt Angle, Ken Patera and the newly drafted Chad Gable competed in the Olympics. But here are a few more that I (and maybe even you) didn't know were part of the games. By the way, Angle is the gold medalist to have wrestled in WWE.
Allen Coage aka Bad News Brown
Bad News Brown competed in judo in the 1976 games. He represented the USA and won the bronze medal that year. Brown went on to a great career in the squared circle, spending much of his time in Japan and Stampede in Canada. I best remember him in WWF in the late 80s, winning the WrestleMania IV battle royal and feuding with Bret Hart. He had a series of matches against WWF champion Randy Savage and battled Hulk Hogan too. Other big feuds including "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Jake "The Snake" Roberts and "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. Brown retired in 1999 and died in 2007.
Danny Hodge
Danny Hodge wrestled at the 1952 Olympics, finishing fifth and four years later won the silver medal. Technically Hodge never competed in WWE, but has been on a couple of episodes of Monday Night Raw in the past. His professional career was over before I started watching wrestling, but from the stories I've heard from others, Hodge was truly a great in the business.
Mad Dog on the Olympic list Courtesy: WWE
Mad Dog Vachon also wrestled in the Olympics. In 1948 he represented Canada in the games. He won his first round match in less than a minute, but later lost to the eventual bronze medal winner. Vachon went on to become part of the infamous Vachon family in wrestling and is the uncle of Luna Vachon. He retired a few years after I started watching wrestling, but I remember him being part of the AWA at that time. We were on hand for his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2010. Mad Dog died a few years later at the age of 84.
Doing research for this piece busted a wrestling myth I long believed. The Iron Sheik apparently never competed in the Olympics. Good luck to all our Olympic athletes. Maybe one day we'll see some of the men and women competing right now in the squared circle too.
I know Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas were not inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame together, but when I first started watching wrestling the duo was the tag team champions. I believe they were the black first tag team to hold the WWF titles, having beaten the Wild Samoans in late 1983.
Courtesy: WWE
Johnson and Atlas, better known as The Soul Patrol, would come out and defend the titles and do some fancy footwork in the process. They worked well as a team and the fans seemed to love what they were doing. As their momentum was building, it seemed as if the rug was suddenly yanked from under them. It was April 1984 and an unlikely tag team (at least in my 11 year old mind) of Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch upset the Soul Patrol for the belts. Johnson and Atlas had such great physiques it baffled me that two guys could lose to a pair in the shape of the heels. Remember, I was 11 and new to wrestling. In the closing moments chaos ensued and Adonis rolled up Johnson for the pin. I thought as this was happening, he's so powerful, why can't he push that guy off of him. Again, I wasn't in on the act yet and sulked after the champs were dethroned.
Saba Simba
Courtesy: WWE
Both Johnson and Atlas stayed with the company as singles wrestlers for a bit after the loss. I lost track of Rocky, but Atlas would go to World Class and compete as "The Black Superman." Yes that sounds ridiculous, but when you consider his return to the WWF in 1991 as Saba Simba, you'd long for his days in WCCW. That stint was brief and Atlas fell on hard times.
Years later WWE would not only induct Atlas in the Hall of Fame (2006), but bring him back as a manager for Mark Henry. The duo seemed to work well together, but it wasn't a long term plan. The Hall of Famer was released, but was a part of Legends House on the WWE Network. And long before any of that Atlas was press slamming Hulk Hogan (a heel) over his head and making magazine covers for doing it. He was a beast.
Son & father
Courtesy: WWE
Johnson was inducted in 2008 by his son The Rock. Prior to that he had made a few appearances on WWF programming, with the most memorable being when he saved Rocky Maivia during a three-on-one attack by The Sultan, The Iron Sheik and Bob Backlund at WrestleMania XIII. The father-son combo beat up the bad guys and I thought it would lead to at least a one and done tag team match for the combo. It never did though.
Regardless, both Johnson and Atlas were a big part of my early fandom days. From their time as tag team champions, to their stints as singles Superstars, I appreciate what each man did for the business. I consider myself lucky to have been on hand to see each go into the Hall of Fame.
A friend of mine has challenged me to a Facebook game we played last year where you reveal a certain number of facts about yourself that people don't know. I like the idea, but decided to take it a step further and blog about it (inside joke). He gave me the number nine, and one thing he wanted to know is what's my oldest t-shirt.
My oldest shirt
1. The oldest t-shirt that I have and still wear is my Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff shirt. I got it as a birthday gift in 1987. I was in 8th grade. The shirt fits me, but you can read the newspaper through it. I wear it now as an undershirt to Wrestlemania, however I did wear it under my tuxedo on my wedding day. My wife hated that and still hates the shirt. 2. I cannot stand having my hands wet. Washing them is fine, but after being in the shower, swimming pool, or lake, I have to put on hand cream. My favorite kind was Care Deeply with coco butter by Avon, but a few years ago they stopped making it. Now I use something from Walmart which works pretty well. 3. Honey mustard is my current favorite condiment. 4. I had to wait two months to get my drivers license because I failed a quarter of Human Anatomy and Physiology my sophomore year in high school. Of course this all happened days before my 16th birthday. Once I brought up my grade, my parents took me to get my license. I passed on the first try with a 72 (you needed a 70 or better).
#@!*
5. One time I dropped the F bomb on live TV. It's been more than 15 years and I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations has expired, plus the evidence was immediately destroyed. (I'll go into greater detail soon.) 6. I have never locked my keys in the car.
How I felt during an art history final...
7. While taking my final in Art History in college I farted out loud and it echoed in my chair. The sound broke the silence of the classroom and I turned a bright shade of red as I could feel dozens of eyeballs staring at me. 8. The one and only time I smoked a cigarette was my senior year in high school I did it out of curiosity and ended up puking right after I did it. I really had no desire to do it before and definitely not after.
The night Hulk lost Photo courtesy: WWE
9. I cried like a baby the first time Hulk Hogan lost the WWF championship to Andre the Giant on The Main Event. Wanna play along? Like this on Facebook and I'll give you a number too.
Yes, I called them dolls in the title. I figured I haven't written about wrestling all week, so I'd make this week's flashback about the subject that got this whole blog started more than 3 years ago. I became a wrestling fan in 1983. Back then, there were no wrestling action figures or dolls, so a kid had to use his imagination.
I was never really into the HeMan figures or GI Joe, but I was crazy about Star Wars. So naturally, when wrestling went main stream and I became hooked, I would have matches with my Star Wars figures. Chewbacca was Andre the Giant, the "Endor Forest" Han Solo was Kerry Von Erich, and for reasons I can't explain, the Emperor was my Hulk Hogan, even though I was a Hulk Hogan fan at the time.
Hulk vs. Andre
I remember it was the end of my 6th grade year and my buddy John (who is probably reading this) told a bunch of us wrestling fans that the WWF was releasing a series of action figures. I don't know why, but I didn't believe him. After all, I had all the Apter mags and read WWF magazine and watched Superstars and Tuesday Night Titans every week. Why wouldn't I know this? So I continued to have my battles with Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, and Darth Vader.
The summer of 85 was underway, and my family headed to Florida for vacation. We spent part of our time near Tampa with relatives there. One afternoon my aunt took us to the nearby mall. We went into the KB Toys and right there was the first series of WWF LJN wrestlers. I can still remember the pure excitement I felt when I laid my eyes on Hulk Hogan, The Iron Sheik, Andre the Giant, "Big" John Studd, and "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. As badly as I wanted all five, I only bought one, Hulk Hogan. My brother opted for the Superfly.
Savage vs. Steamboat
Of course that dynamic wouldn't last long, as both were baby faces and we could only have so many matches between the two. A couple days later, we headed north to stay with my aunt and uncle in Live Oak. We went into the Pick 'n Save and I found the Iron Sheik and promptly added him to my collection. Before that summer was over, I had Studd and Andre and between me and my brother we had all five superstars.
Then came the waiting game for more figures to be added. Sure enough, my wishes were granted. Roddy Piper, Hillbilly Jim, Nikolai Volkoff, and the Junkyard Dog were all issued. And one by one I added them all as well. As more dolls (I don't know why we called them dolls) were released, I'd add them to my Christmas and birthday wish lists. I was also saving my allowance and buying them when I could. I can recount getting just about every one of the figures, that's how important they were to me.
Mean Gene & the Heenan Family
I collected the figures up until I was in high school, stopping at 43. I had the ring and the blue cage and would have matches all the time. I'd play entrance music on my little boom box and put on super cards with matches that have never to this day actually happened. For special super pay per views, I would throw all of my wrestlers behind me, then reach back and grab two of them without looking. They would be each others opponent for the night. I did this countless times.
The last two figures I bought were Slick and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. Like I said, I was in high school, and this time we were on vacation in Canada. We happened to go into a store in Montreal and there they were. My plan then was to leave them in their packaging and I'd cash in as an adult. However, on the long drive back to Missouri, I broke into the wrappers and had a mini match on the way home.
Warrior vs. HTM
During the LJN years I somehow missed the promotional Sgt. Slaughter figure. I guess you could order it with the little bonus "coins" printed on the back of the package of the other figures. I never remember seeing an order form for this. LJN released a bunch of figures after I stopped collecting, but it got increasingly difficult to find them in the stores. There were order forms on the back of wrestling magazines, but the figures were more expensive and you had to pay for shipping. Before they made the Ultimate Warrior though, I recreated one with my Paul Orndorff by using a marker to make the face paint. It was a fail. I never got the real Warrior, but luckily a friend of mine, Matt Allwardt has the figure and has loaned me his for some video and photo opps.
I've seen many of the guys I never got on eBay and I'd love to add them to my collection and maybe one day I will just to say I've got them. I won't lie, from time to time I still break out the superstars and have a quick match. My ring has long since met its fate with the landfill, but it doesn't stop me.
Since it's once again Independence Day, I asked our Facebook friends which wrestler or entertainer (since this blog is expanding) best embodies the spirit of America. As usual, we got some excellent answers. Thanks for participating, and thanks for reading.
Eric: Jack Swagger #wethepeople
Jade: "John Cena keeps his word, he fights to the end for what he believes in, his slogans are hustle, loyalty, respect, and never give up."
Matthew & Dennis: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
Adam: "Iron Sheik. B!tch about everything and believe your thoughts are always right."
This week is a significant one for title changes through the years in wrestling. The Royal Rumble hitting this time of year plays a big factor in those stats. This week also marks the 29 year anniversary of Hulk Hogan winning the WWF title from the Iron Sheik. I've blogged about the significance of that moment before, so I'm going to write about another big title change from back in the day. At least it was a big deal to 11 year old Kevin.
It was January 21, 1985. Even though I'd been watching wrestling for about a year, I still considered myself new to the sport, especially the WWF. My favorite tag team at the time was the up and comers of Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo. The two were dubbed "The U.S. Express" and were quickly making a name for themselves among the other tag teams.
I remember watching in almost shock when the duo beat tag team champions Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis. This was the era of no Internet, so I had no clue the title change was about to take place. I remember seeing the match on Tuesday Night Titans (I think it was TNT, as Prime Time Wrestling wasn't around yet) As a kid and a huge mark for the baby faces, I was satisfied with the new tag champs.
Windham and Rotundo had added Capt. Lou Albano as their manager at some point too. This helped the champs as they geared up for their high profile defense against the Iron Sheik and Nikoali Volkoff at Wrestlemania. Despite Albano's presecence, the champs lost their belts after Windham was nailed by Freddie Blassie's cane. Again, this loss came as a huge surprise to me, as it was probably the biggest upset of the night (at least in my pre-teen mind).
It didn't take long for the U.S. Express to get on track again and regain their gold. They held the titles for most of the summer before dropping them to the unlikely duo of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine. This time it was Johnny V's cigar that cost the champs the belts. Windham and Rotundo split a short time later and Windham headed back to the NWA. Their partnership was brief, but memorable to me. I had always hoped LJN would release them in action figure form, but it never happened...
When I was a kid I had a few WWF t-shirts. One was of the Junkyard Dog. I'm guessing I was probably about 11 or 12 at the time. Then I got an anti-Roddy Piper shirt. It was the height of his heel run and says "Real Men Don't Wear Skirts!" My parents brought it down to my house from storage and just for kicks I tried it on. As you can tell from the pic, it's definitely working overtime.
The one shirt that has stood the test of time for me is my Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff one. I got it for my 14th birthday in 8th grade. It was a little big on me then, and to this day it still fits. It's been 25 years and I still wear it on occasion, usually just for videos as it is so thin now you can read the newspaper through it.
A fool for Old School
When my wife and I were dating, she took the shirt and said she threw it away. Like I said, it is thin and full of holes and at that point was about 10 years old. She didn't really trash it and was only hiding it to make me go on a wild goose chase for it. So as a bit of revenge, I wore the shirt under my tuxedo shirt at our wedding. I don't think she was too impressed with it though.
I don't really buy wrestling shirts anymore. I do have a couple of hand-me downs from Chad and I bought a Wrestlemania 22 jersey to commemorate my first trip to the biggest show of them all. Last year Chad gave me a "Will You Stop?" shirt from Barbershop Window. I wear it quite often and people ask me about it all the time. I will say that many of their designs are funny and I would love to add more to my collection, but as you've read in previous posts, I'm paying for a return trip to Wrestlemania and of course WrestleCon.
Nerd alert
I do wear the two different versions of the My 1-2-3 Cents t-shirt too. That's done mostly as a marketing tool. When trying to sell them failed, we started giving them away. At the April Chikara show in Lafayette, Indiana Dasher Hatfield, Tim Donst, and Arik Cannon were all recipients. During a recent interview on From the Rafters Radio, Donst said he wears his to the gym. That impressed me.
Do you have any wrestling t-shirts? Do you wear them in public? What's your favorite? Post here or on Facebook.
In 1985, wrestling was at a fever pitch, thanks in large part to Vince McMahon. I know some blame him for the demise of the territories, but I think without his vision and marketing abilities; wrestling would not be where it is today. Wrestlemania and the Rock 'n Wrestling prior to it showed the main stream that wrestling was not to be taken lightly. Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, and Andre the Giant were becoming household names.
In the fall of 85, riding the wave of success of Wrestlemania and Saturday Night's Main Event, the WWF launched a 30 minute animated series on CBS. Hulk Hogan's Rock 'N Wrestling Connection debuted on September 14, 1985. I was 12 years old at the time and starting to outgrow cartoons, but my love of wrestling had me tuning in each Saturday morning.
I do remember being taken aback learning that the WWF Superstars were not supplying the voices of their animated counterparts. But it made sense to use actors, as in those days the WWF travel schedule was hectic and the company didn't have all the connections and hookups that it has today.
Hogan, Albano, and Ritcher
The show of course featured Hulk Hogan (who was voiced by "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Brad Garrett.) His baby face buddies including Hillbilly Jim, Jimmy Snuka, Tito Santana, the Junkyard Dog (voiced by James Avery who was Uncle Phil on "The Fresh Prince of Bell Air"), Wendi Richter, and Captain Lou Albano. Piper lead a cavalcade of heels including Big John Studd, Nikolai Volkoff, Iron Sheik, Mr. Fuji, and the Fabulous Moolah (looking at the picture at the top of the blog, it appears that Moolah wasn't originally going to be on the show as there's a drawing of Mad Maxine, who was managed by Moolah briefly) Mean Gene Okerlund was also a part of the show. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm almost certain that Bobby Heenan was animated on one episode.
There was always some kind of confrontation or challenge between Hogan's crew and Piper's posse. The babies would always end up "winning" if you will, teaching kids that being a bad guy isn't all it's cracked up to be.
There were live action vignettes that aired in between the roughly 15 minute long cartoons as well. Those featured the real life superstars on the show.
Hot Rod in his hot rod
The show only lasted two seasons, but with titles like "Captain Lou's Crash Diet", "Robin Hulk and His Merry Wrestlers", and "Big Top Boobs" (I'm not making that one up) how can you go wrong? I would love for the WWE to either release these on DVD (I do have a VHS copy of a couple) or once the network finally gets off the ground include the shows somehow. It would also be interesting to see them attempt something like this again in the future. I know the upcoming Scooby Doo animated movie will include some WWE talent, so I can't wait to see that.
I'm able to tie in another Halloween topic with the Throwback Thursday theme this week. We go back in time to 1985 for the first ever WWF Halloween party. It happened on Saturday Night's Main Event. In between the matches, there were several Halloween games and skits to entertain the fans.
We got a closer look at "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's home and how he prepared for Halloween. Hot Rod was still a heel at this point and was trying to pass off bowling balls and bricks as treats for the kids who came to his door. Of course when he drops the heavy items in the treat bags, they bust open and the kids lose their candy. Pure heel, but the kids get revenge, including one dressed like Hulk Hogan, after giving Hot Rod chocolate covered hot peppers.
Albano vs. Bundy: Pie Eating Contest Saturday Night's Main Event 1985 Photo from WWE
A team of heels all dressed in costume took on a team of faces. Bobby Heenan, King Kong Bundy, Roddy Piper, "The Macho Man" Randy Savage and others battled the Hillbillies, Hulk Hogan, Junkyard Dog, Capt. Lou Albano, and Tito Santana in pumpkin passing contests, a pumpkin bobbing event, and a pie eating contest. (No Rock sightings, as he was only 13 years old at the time)
It was a fun evening of Halloween activities, the costumes were creative as well. I loved the fact that Iron Sheik and Nikoali Volkoff dressed like Batman and Robin. Savage and Elizabeth made a great Tarzan and Jane. The Junkyard Dog was a mummy and Tito Santana dressed like Zorro.
Hogan & Andre vs Bundy & Studd Saturday Night's Main Event 1985 Photo from WWE
Four matches were also a part of that show, it wasn't just 90 minutes of Halloween games. Savage got his first shot at the Intercontinental title that night and battle Santana to a double count out. Terry Funk beat the Junkyard Dog, Ricky Steamboat beat Mr. Fuji in a Kung Fu Challenge match and Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant beat Bundy and Big John Studd by disqualification.
Stroll down memory lane and check out some of the clips from that night. I've include a few of the challenges here.
I catch a lot of jokes from colleagues about being old. I'm nearly 39. Most of my friends and coworkers are in their 20's or early 30's. While the jokes annoy me from time to time, I think when it comes to writing wrestling blogs, age has its advantages.
I can remember the very first Wrestlemania. I was 12 years old in 1985, when the first Mania took the world by storm. For fans who like to read about how things use to be can do that hear and know that they are getting a first person account, and not an update from Wikipedia.
Sheik and Volkoff win!
March 31, 1985 is the birthdate for Wrestlemania. My dad, brother, uncle, and I joined some friends at their house for the replay on closed circuit television that night. Back then I rooted for all the faces, so you can imagine my shock when Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda lost the tag team titles to the Iron Sheik and Nikolia Volkoff. Not only did they lose the belts, but Junkyard Dog came up short in his quest for the Intercontinental title. I was crushed.
Of course there was plenty of triumph that night too. Wendi Ritcher regained the women's title and of course Hulk Hogan and Mr. T reigned supreme over Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. Andre the Giant was able to body slam Big John Studd and the fans in Madison Square Garden were treated with some cold hard cash until Bobby Heenan snatched the bag of loot from Andre.
Andre vs. Studd
Wrestlemania, while not the first closed circuit wrestling broadcast (Starrcade had been around for a couple of years at that point), definitely set a new standard for sports entertainment. Wrestling's biggest stars got a chance to shine, along with big names in the world of entertainment. Heck, where else would you find Mohammad Ali, Liberace, Cyndi Lauper, and Mr. T all under the same roof? (Remember this was 1985, these folks were HUGE)
In my future "Mania Memories" blogs I plan to talk about specific moments or matches, but I feel like this first entry should encompass the entire Wrestlemania card. It was a big deal back then and I think is one of those moments that hooked me for life as a wrestling fan. Thanks for reading.
Jake "the Snake" Roberts prior to his retirement match
By Chad Smart
This weekend marked the return of Wrestle Reunion to the Los Angeles area.Wrestle Reunion is a convention where wrestling fans can meet and get photos with some of their favorite wrestlers. In addition to the meet and greets, Ring of Honor held a show on Friday night and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is holding a show on Saturday night.
After last year’s excellent PWG show, I bought tickets to this year’s show as soon as they went on sale. I hadn’t planned on going to the convention itself. Fans that went to the convention had the option of buying VIP tickets for either $99 or $129, depending on when they were purchased.VIP tickets got you a picture and autograph with all the non-vendor guests. If you didn’t have a VIP ticket, you could purchase individual autographs or pictures usually for $20 an autograph and $10 per picture.Since I didn’t have a VIP ticket, I didn’t feel like paying extra to simply get into the convention and walk around. When my PWG tickets arrived in the mail, there was a note included informing the tickets could be used to get into the convention. I figured if I can get in for free, might as well go check it out.
Dos Caras
Saturday morning I headed to the LAX Hilton eager to see what type of crowd would be in attendance.I spent about 90 minutes walking around the room looking at various vendor offerings and watching fans interact with the wrestlers.Guess I should mention that while I’m a wrestling fan and have a lot of respect for what wrestlers put their bodies through for my entertainment, I don’t really have an interest in talking to wrestlers.I have met several wrestlers over the past 5 years since I started going to indy shows and autograph signings during Wrestlemania weekend, but I’ve never really felt the need to carry on extended conversations with any of them. Most of my interactions have simply been complimenting them on a match while purchasing a t-shirt or saying thank you while they signed a photo or DVD.So while there were several wrestlers in attendance at Wrestle Reunion I am a fan of, there wasn’t anyone I had anything to say to.If I was more informed on the local baseball deals and knew anything about the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, I would have talked spring training with Joey Ryan, but what would I try to discuss with Torrie Wilson or Shelton Benjamin?
There were several vendors selling various DVDs. Some were legit releases of various WWE, TNA, ROH and PWG shows. Others were burned DVD compilation of certain wrestlers or events. I broke down and bought a Best of Georgia Championship Wrestling and Best of the 4 Horsemen Vol 1. DVD.There were also action figures, autographed photos and various other merchandise for sale.
"Superstar" Billy Graham & the Iron Sheik
Since I was there for short amount of time, I didn’t get to see all the scheduled wrestlers.I did get to see “Superstar” Billy Graham and the Iron Sheik talking to each other when Sheik entered the room. Jake “the Snake” Roberts, who is having his retirement match during the PWG show was hanging out with his opponent, Sinn “Kizarny” Bohdi and Stacy “the Kat” Carter. Raven was hanging out at the Insane Clown Posse’s JCW booth.The World’s Greatest Tag Team: Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Hass, along with Charlie’s wife Jackie Gayda seemed very approachable.Torrie Wilson and Tammy “Sunny” Sytch (I think it was her) were at tables that weren’t very busy.PWG’s Joey Ryan, Candice LaRae, Colt Cabana and El Generico were together at one table. It seemed like Colt was the busiest of the four in dealing with fans. Across from the PWG table were Mondo and Chavo Guerrero Sr.. As I was getting ready to leave, Mil Mascaras and Dos Caras (father of WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio) showed up to a very receptive crowd.
Mil Mascaras
Overall it was an interesting experience and had I not been there alone, I probably would have stayed a little longer. Since Wrestle Reunion has already announced they’re coming back to LA next year, hopefully Kevin will be able to make the trip out here and we can shoot some video reports.That’s only going to happen if we can get more fans to check out this blog and the My123Cents YouTube channel.So tell your friends to check us out. Now I have to rest up for what should be a spectacular PWG show in a few hours.
