Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Fanfest: Your Guide To Fun

It seems like it wouldn't be Summer here on the blog without a mention of Fanfest. Whether you know it as "Mid-Atlantic Fanfest," "NWA Fanfest," "The Greg Price Fanfest," or simply "Charlotte," the annual event is the one that many wrestling fans build their year around. From smaller beginnings over a decade ago with just a two-day event, Fanfest now stretches out over four fun days. Although the 2014 edition was promoted as the last, Fanfest returns to Charlotte in 2015 in a slightly different form.

This year, Fanfest is focused on live shows and experiences with the centerpiece being the premiere of the documentary "Mid-Atlantic Memories." This project has been years in the making and will tell the story of the fabled Mid-Atlantic Wrestling territory as remembered by the wrestlers and fans who lived it. The legendary Jim Ross will not only narrarate the film but also host the live premiere. In addition, "Good ol' J.R." will also hold his first "RINGSIDE With Jim Ross" show ever in the South as part of Fanfest. Those of you who listen to "The Ross Report" podcast have heard many glowing comments about the event from both Ross and Jim Cornette in a recent guest appearance.

If you've never attended Fanfest, now is the time. With so much going on and every sense of your wrestling fandom being appealed to, it's often hard to decide what to do next. As a longtime "veteran" of the event, I offer the following tips for you to get the most of your experience. All weekend you will be given the chance at once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that most wrestling fans only dream about. The following list is just a few helpful hints for first timers or for those who have already been and want to relive those great memories made over the past eleven years.

*Arrive early! The festivities begin on Thursday. The mad dash for the vendor room is usually rather peaceful, just keep your eyes open. You never know when that "Holy Grail" that you've been wanting for decades will be hiding in a corner or in a box under a table. Merchandise old and new will be available, with many of the names having new items not normally found in stores.

*Mingle! Rarely do so many fans of classic wrestling gather under one roof. Many have great stories from past Fanfests as well as the days of territorial wrestling, especially in the Mid-Atlantic area.

*Visit with The Louisville Lip himself, Jim Cornette. The legendary manager is one of the most accessible stars throughout the Fanfest weekend. Why? Because he's a fan, too! In addition to his live show, Cornette will have his "Cornette's Collectibles" booth in the vendor room all weekend. Mama Cornette's boy is always more than willing to chat, swap stories, give an autograph and photo, and sell you some wrestling treasures. Memphis historian and author Mark James will be by his side with all of his great book titles available, some co-authored with Cornette. My recommendations for a first-time Fanfest attendee? "The Midnight Express Scrapbook" and "Rags, Paper, & Pins: The Merchandising of Memphis Wrestling."

*Attend the Hall of Heroes banquet and ceremony. Some of my favorite moments as a fan have been at the HoH banquets. It's a special, intimate evening to celebrate many of the stars who have entertained you over the years.

*Many special photo ops are offered throughout the weekend. This year, three of the greatest voices to ever grace professional wrestling will be gathered in one location: Bob Caudle, Lance Russell, and Jim Ross. I'm sure that a combination of these legendary broadcasters will be gathered in the photo op room at some point. It's the wrestling commentator "Mount Rushmore" come to life. How in the world could any fan pass that up? Even J.R. himself has stated that he doesn't want to leave without getting a photo with Caudle and Russell.

*Keep one eye on the action at all times. You truly never know who is going to pop in throughout the weekend. Whether it's out of curiosity, to play some Cribbage, or just to say "hi" to old friends, many familiar faces from the world of wrestling are drawn to Fanfest. From referees like Charles Robinson and Mac McMurray to wrestlers like David Isley, Bill White, and Princess Victoria. Even former wrestling "royalty" like David and Jackie Crockett have shown up unannounced over the years, more than willing to meet their fans.

*Celebrate the past...and the future. Although Fanfest was built on the glory days of pro wrestling's past, promoter Greg Price has opened the doors to the future as well. Between a weekend-long training camp for indy wrestlers helmed by Dr. Tom Prichard and Les Thatcher to including many future talents on the live Fanfest cards (which are held on Saturday night and Sunday), you will get a chance to see many up-and-comers. With the rise and mass exposure of WWE NXT in the past year, you're sure to get another view of just how true the "Future is Now" catchphrase is.

*Take some time to enjoy Charlotte! This is one tip that I wish I had utilized more often on my various trips there. Friendly folks, great food, and an absolutely beautiful area. Explore!

*The most important piece of advice that I can give is simple: have fun! There's so much to take in and do that the time will slip away, so make the most of it! There will be Q&As with stars such as Rob Van Dam and The Honky Tonk Man, a musical performance starring "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, a pool party with So Cal Val and Angelina Love, and so much more. I've always said that there's "something for every wrestling fan" at Fanfest, and this year that looks to ring true more than ever.

Each year, I devote some blog space to Fanfest. It isn't a commercial, it's just something that I believe in. So often I am asked about the various conventions and wrestling related events that I attend, but I hesitate to discuss them too much. No one wants to read something that appears to be a shill, and this certainly isn't. It's a notice that if you have yet to go for the Fanfest experience, now is the time. I may never have gotten as deep as I have in the wrestling autograph and meeting scene if it weren't for Fanfest. I hope that some of the fun that I've had over the years comes through in my words, and the only way to experience it all for yourself is to make that trip to Charlotte. More information on how you can do that is at NWALegends.com.

They'll know I sent ya!

Memories of Mat MAYhem

For the past month or so, friends of mine who are also wrestling fans have all heard the same thing out of me: I've been very disinterested in any of the current wrestling product as of late.  Post-WrestleMania burnout?  Possibly.  Some have said that even the WrestleMania build was lacking this year, but being involved in the weekend and at the event live completely nullified that for me.  It just seems that creativity is at an all-time low throughout the industry.  Whereas this time of year is normally full of new characters and feuds, it just feels to me like nothing is on the immediate horizon.

Will it pick up again?  I'm sure of it.  Thinking back to the month of May in years past, several of wrestling's most beloved concepts and events find their anniversaries at this time.  A legendary television program, an innovative pay-per-view, and one of the greatest matches of all-time are all a part of wrestling's "MAYhem."

Take for example the night of May 11, 1985.  It was a Saturday night and NBC was about to change wrestling forever.  The night before, the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island had witnessed the first taping of the WWF's Saturday Night's Main Event.  Four all-star matches featuring both the WWF Champion and the WWF Women's Champion?  Hulk Hogan, Wendi Richter, JYD, Roddy Piper, Mr. T, and Cyndi Lauper all on free tv?  That was Saturday Night's Main Event.  Although the WWF had produced two similarly star-packed specials earlier in the year for MTV, this was on prime time network television.  The current champions may be on television multiple times a week today, but it was always an event when Hogan made a tv appearance in 1985.  As if the first WrestleMania wasn't enough, SNME, as it came to be known, proved to anyone that the WWF was on the pop culture map.

For many fans, WWF concepts like SNME weren't exactly how they enjoyed their wrestling.  This group of fans frowned upon the heavy celebrity involvement and wanted wrestling the way that it had been presented for decades prior: two gladiators in a hard-hitting battle to the finish.  This style was by no means gone and in fact hit new heights just four years later.  On May 7, 1989, the NWA presented WrestleWar 1989, also known as Music City Showdown.  The event was held in Nashville, Tennessee to a crowd of around five-thousand fans.  The WWF, completely in war mode, ran a card in the same building the night before which has often been attributed to the low WrestleWar live gate.  No matter the tactics being played in the business, nothing was going to stop two of the all-time greats from putting on the performance of a lifetime.

The main event of the show (though not the last match) saw Ric Flair defeat Rick Steamboat for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship after over a half an hour of non-stop action.  While the pair had other blockbuster matches in 1989, this is considered by many to be their greatest.  The match is actually, for the record, my personal favorite of all-time.  It should be noted that both Flair and Steamboat have been quoted as saying that their matches in the late '70s and early '80s in the Mid-Atlantic territory were worlds better than their later efforts.  Sadly, the record of those matches are exclusive to memories of those who were there live.

The show also featured a number of other notable matches, including a very underrated encounter between Michael "P.S." Hayes and Lex Luger where the Fabulous Freebird snatched the NWA United States Championship from The Total Package.  The icing on the cake, as it were, for the show is the broadcast team.  One of my favorite teams, Jim Ross and Bob Caudle, call the action just as you would expect two of the all-time greats of the booth would.  If there were ever a broadcast team that perfectly blended the best of two eras, it was J.R. and Caudle.

Another home to classic matches was born just six years later on May 14, 1995.  It was about a month earlier at WrestleMania XI that Vince McMahon announced a new concept in pay-per-view wrestling: In Your House.  In the months where one of the "big five" WWF pay-per-view events was not taking place, a two-hour In Your House event would be available for just $14.95.  The price was about half of the cost of the larger events and only around forty-five minutes shorter.  For the first event, the WWF even gave away a house!  It's actually been said that the winner was only able to live in the house for a year.

Nonetheless, the concept worked as proven by a modern day pay-per-view calendar of around twelve events per year.  The In Your House events slowly began to receive subtitles such as "International Incident" and "Buried Alive."  These subtitles would eventually overcome the "In Your House" title which was finally dropped in 1999.  Though events of today such as "Money In The Bank" and "Over The Limit" are full length and full priced pay-per-views, I still think of them as "In Your House" events.  On April 30, 2013, WWE released a DVD and Blu-Ray compilation of the best In Your House matches hosted by a man often associated with the event, Todd Pettengill.

Will we see any groundbreaking wrestling events take place during this month of May?  With the month half over, I'd venture to say no.  Perhaps it's a better time to take a look back at wrestling's past.  It's always a good time for that.  As I frequently say and convey, you can never go wrong with a little, or a lot, of nostalgia.