The "Granddaddy of 'Em All" of Wrestling Conventions...

Over the past decade wrestling conventions have popped everywhere. Just like in other genres, "cons" allow fans to mingle with stars in addition to meeting with other average Joe's who have the same interests that they do. These wrestling events provide access that would have been unheard of even just a few decades ago. While there were smaller fan gatherings that occasionally received attention from the wrestling world, it was nothing like the modern day scene. And as far as these current conventions, nothing compared to the mighty NWA Fanfest.

You may have heard it referred to as "the Charlotte Fanfest," "Greg Price's Fanfest," or "NWA Legends Fanfest," but it all really started as a tribute to Jim Crockett Promotions under the name "Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Fanfest." 2004 actually saw three different events held under the banner, and my first came over Thanksgiving weekend of that year which was deemed "A Tribute to Starrcade." Never in a million years did I think that I would be up close and personal with Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, Greg Valentine, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Ole Anderson, not to mention seeing legends like Dusty Rhodes and The Masked Superstar who I'd already had the pleasure of meeting. It was a wrestling dream come true.

I would go on to attend quite a few more of the Fanfests in Charlotte, in addition to those which branched out to Rockville, MD and Atlanta, GA. Each one had its own unique flavor and special guests. Many fans began to view the event as a family reunion. Not only were they seeing their "television family" from the old days, but they were reuniting with the new family that they had made thanks to Fanfest. Promoter Greg Price and his tireless staff made sure that this atmosphere was cultivated each year and never disappeared.

In addition to the personal feeling of the weekends, fans got to see and witness things right before their eyes that they never could have fathomed. The Horsemen together again? Dusty Rhodes returning to the Charlotte stomping grounds of Crockett Promotions? Jimmy Valiant and Paul Jones hugging and reminiscing? Harley Race and Ric Flair sitting down to discuss Starrcade? The legendary dog collar match revisited? It all happened at various Fanfests, and those are events just off the top of my head.

Of course, there are bittersweet memories as well. Rowdy Roddy Piper performed a stellar comedy act at 2011's Fanfest, only to have the news of his death break during the 2015 weekend. Many of us vividly remember managers Sir Oliver Humperdink and Gary Hart running around Fanfest like a couple of kids at Disney World. A few years later, Humpy would induct his friend into the Hall of Heroes (an event held at Fanfest) shortly before passing away himself. And of course all of the names like Sherri Martel, Buddy Roberts, Jimmy Snuka, Ivan Koloff, Ernie Ladd, and Jack Brisco, to list a few, who attended the event before their deaths.

This year's Fanfest was cancelled for unknown reasons. It would be a true shame if we have seen the last of this great event, as no other convention offers what Greg's show did. I often liked to say that it had "something for everyone," and I wasn't lying. With my very own eyes I saw folks both young and young at heart enjoy the legends and living the memories that were simultaneously being made. It was a spirit that is not often able to be captured, bottled, and released year after year. At Fanfest, that was the magic that indeed happened.

The Four Horsemen Ride Into Mattel's WWE Hall Of Fame

The Mattel-Target relationship has popped up here on the blog more than once recently, but that's because it's brought us some great product so far. The best Mattel WWE store exclusives, as far as I'm concerned, have been from the Hall of Fame line. Of course, I'm a bit biased towards the legends to begin with, but you can't deny that Mattel's renewed interest in the old school stars is getting better and better. Target seems to be all in, complete with an endcap display in many stores. This special spot has included the individual Hall of Fame figures, the classic "blue bar" cage set, as well some modern day releases. The "Rolls Royce" of the lineup, however, features the greatest supergroup in wrestling history, The Four Horsemen.

Since this is the version of the Horsemen inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, included in the set are Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Barry Windham. We simply aren't going to see a J.J. Dillon figure in a WWE lineup. Despite being inducted with the group, it was just a month ago that I heard the famous "Dillon was on Vince's 'not-to-be-made' list" rumor straight from the legendary manager's mouth. Unless another company picks up his rights, we aren't getting a J.J. Nonetheless, Mattel likes to focus on wrestlers and not managers, so here we are.

The box is, to put it simply, large. There won't be many in-store shenanigans as far as dishonest folk ripping these things open, as these boxes are sealed tight. You pretty much have to destroy one side of the box to get it open, so once you've let these guys out, they're out for good. The Hall of Fame 2012 backdrop is big and, with a little support added underneath, could be used as a display stage. The back of the box features the standard Mattel artists renderings of familiar photos of the four. The Flair photo used is from the mid '90s when "The Nature Boy" looked nothing like the figure included. Windham's image is from his brief 1989 WWF stint as "The Widowmaker."

As with the other Hall of Fame figures, each one is in the Mattel Elite style with extra articulation. The torso used for Flair is the same that was recently used for the Tito Santana and Hulk Hogan Hall of Fame figures. It still doesn't work for Hogan, but it's very believable for "Naitch." Clad in a black and red combo, Flair fits in very well with the rest of the lineup. This isn't the first Flair from Mattel, but it definitely holds up to other "classic" figures of "The Nature Boy" from other companies throughout the years. The facial likeness and "flow" of the famous long locks couldn't get any better.

This is the second Mattel release for "The Enforcer," and it very much reminds me of one of my all-time favorite figures, the Galoob WCW Arn Anderson. The body is just about right and the facial likeness carries the intensity of the rough grappler. Anderson is clad in red and white (just like the Galoob) with the famous "Double A" monogram on his tights. If I had any issue with the figure, it would be that the legs seem just a big too long and thin for Arn, but it's not a huge deal and might just be in my head.

It's hard to believe that we've gotten five Tully Blanchard figures in the past decade after a career completely devoid of them, but we have. This is the second Blanchard from Mattel, as he and Arn were both part of the final incarnation of the WWE Legends line. Those figures included the classic WWF Tag Team Championship belts, were clad in black, and soared in price following their "sell out" from the Mattel Collectors website. Thanks to Target you can pick up both Tully and Arn as well as the belts (now packaged with Yokozuna) for much more reasonable pricing. The Mattel Tully likeness reminds me of his WWF days while the Jakks effort looks more like his younger territorial days. Both are spot-on and I'm glad that Blanchard has received several great figures at this point.

Finally, we get to "The Lone Wolf" himself, Barry Windham. This is the figure from the set that is likely to be most in demand in the future, as I don't see Mattel likely producing him again. Despite being one of the greatest in-ring performers of the 1980's, this is likely the one and only shot. Again, this figure reminds me very much of the Galoob WCW release from 1990. It also reminds me of his stint as "The Widowmaker" that I mentioned above. BW's red and black cowboy boots look really cool, and Windham is the only one in the set to include entrance gear. The vest is removable and was not present when we saw the prototype. Opinions will differ, but Windham is the star of the set in my book.

This is an interesting set for many reasons. Scalpers scooped this up when early shipments hit Target. They likely won't be making more than a few bucks, if that, on each as the sets hit more and more stores. For whatever reason, my set even rang up $5 less than the advertised price at $44.99. I would imagine that sales will dictate whether or not we see more sets like this.

Will the sets sell well? It's four Elite figures with one accessory whereas most Elite figures are usually sold between $20-$22 each. In that sense, it's a good deal. What kept me from purchasing another one to get autographed down the line was the fact that only Windham is in entrance gear. While I love the figures, a set of the Horsemen with Flair in a robe and Arn and Tully in jackets would've been much more visually appealing in the box. If collectors want Windham or an affordable (and superior) release of The Brainbusters, picking the set up is a no-brainer...terrible wrestling pun not intended.

Farewell To Fanfest Part I--"Soul"

 Ten years is a long time for any venture to last.  Greg Price's Fanfest has done just that.  What is it that kept twelve shows alive in the span of a decade?  The talent.  The promoters.  The fans.  All are suitable answers.  Jim Cornette has often been quoted as saying that the Mid-Atlantic territory was the greatest wrestling territory of all-time.  He cites the amazing array of talent and a rabid fanbase as to what made it great.  Those same fans, and many of us who wish that we could have been part of it, kept the spirit of the promotion alive and transferred that love into what made Fanfest equally great.  But Fanfest had something that other similar events didn't.  That one ingredient?  Soul.

This past weekend, hundreds of fans enjoyed what was said to be the final Fanfest.  It delivered what Fanfest has become famous for being: a wrestling fan's dream weekend.  It never mattered whether you were a fan of the Mid-Atlantic territory or not.  Any wrestling devotee could enjoy what was brought to the table over the several day extravaganza.  Legends, current stars, and up-and-comers in the wrestling business all came together to deliver something that, despite their best efforts, WWE will never be able to recreate, nor would they probably care to.

Walking down a hall at the Charlotte University Place Hilton last weekend would have displayed any and all of these scenarios: wrestlers reuniting with wrestlers, fans catching up with other fans, fans rushing off to catch that next photo op or autograph session.  Off to the side of one hallway, the often-misunderstood Ole Anderson sits in a wheelchair, obviously enjoying signing autographs and posing for pictures for fans.  In fact, he would rather tell the fans stories than pause for lunch.  Sounds a bit different than what you have read elsewhere on the Internet, doesn't it?  Just a few feet away in a large ballroom, Jimmy Valiant is catching up with Exotic Adrian Street and Miss Linda.  On the other side of the ballroom, Matt Hardy and Reby Sky are meeting fans of all ages.

While men like Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson, and Ricky Steamboat were "main event" level attractions, every legend appearing at Fanfest is treated as a superstar by both the fans and other wrestlers.  Egos and grudges are pushed aside to give the fan an untarnished experience.  In this day and age, fans know that it was the undercard wrestlers who had quite an instrumental hand in making the big names as memorable as they are today.  Occasionally, such as in the case of The Mulkey Brothers, those journeymen stars are equally as ingrained in fans memories.

As I rubbed elbows with so many of wrestling's greats last weekend, I thought back to Fanfests of the past. Without this amazing event, I never would have had the opportunity to meet such greats as Jackie Fargo, Gary Hart, Ernie Ladd, and Billy Robinson.  I would not have gotten a hug from Sherri Martel or had dinner with Sir Oliver Humperdink.  I would not have seen the Four Horsemen reunite before my very eyes or the final appearance of the Fabulous Fargos.  It's things like these that other events of its kind, or WWE, will never deliver.  It just isn't in the business model anywhere else.  The "it" being, of course, soul.

In the days following Fanfest, social media became a hub of photos and memories.  It was interesting to note that cries of "This can't be the final Fanfest" came equally as often from fans and wrestlers alike.  Although there are other reunions for wrestlers themselves, many absolutely love Fanfest for its ability to combine reuniting with other wrestlers and finally getting to meet so many longtime fans.  As is often forgotten in other entertainment industries, wrestlers do not necessarily stay in touch after their time in the business is over.  Just like when a television program or movie wraps, everyone goes their separate ways.  Seeing the wrestlers relive those long days and nights on the road together is often a treasure in itself.

Next week, we'll take a closer look at the 2014 edition of Fanfest.  Memories, memorabilia, sights, and even tastes!  As for now, however, I'd like to offer my personal thanks to Mr. Greg Price.  Almost all has been said over the past few days following the great event, but it's worth repeating.  Thank you for the seven amazing Fanfests that I was able to attend.  I truly had the full experience, attending the November 2004 Tribute to Starrcade, the 2006 Capitol Legends Fanfest, the 2011 Last Battle of Atlanta, and four other Charlotte Fanfests.  Each had their own feel, flavor, and countless memories that I'll never let go of.  Most of all, despite not being born until after so much of this great wrestling that we celebrate had already taken place, I was made to feel as if I was part of it.  I was able to experience that soul.  If this is indeed the end, I'm glad that I will be able to pass that soul on and keep those grand territorial wrestling memories going as long as I can.

Join us again next week for more Mid-Atlantic Memories!

Jim Crockett Promotion's Coolest Piece Of Merchandise...Ever!

When you think of wrestling merchandise from the '80s, you automatically think of the WWF marketing machine and men like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and The Ultimate Warrior.  Their likenesses dominated the products and conscious of collectors of the time and even today.  But that doesn't necessarily mean that items from outside of that spectrum weren't as great.  While Vince McMahon certainly owned the market, Jim Crockett Promotions was able to churn out some items as well in a vain attempt to catch up to the company that was taking over wrestling and crossing over into the mainstream.

Starting with the successful mostly-color/all gloss Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Magazine in the '70s and early '80s, Crockett was no stranger to producing quality publications.  Many of the company's larger shows and events had beautiful full-color programs.  Several attempts at a regular publication to follow up on the MACW Magazine's success were made, but seemed to fizzle out after a few issues.  Magazines solely dedicated to the popular Rock 'N Roll Express were produced as well, and no doubt ended up in the hands of many female fans.

It was in these publications that Crockett was able to showcase what other merchandise he produced.  T-shirts and apparel were aplenty, with everyone from Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, and Baby Doll getting their own shirts.  Mugs and programs as well as a full line of Four Horsemen attire were also advertised, but one thing that seemed to be popular at the time were bandanas.  Everyone remembers the logo bandanas worn by Hogan and Savage in the WWF, but these were different.  While a few were patterned logos of the stars, many actually featured full depictions of the individuals themselves.  Occasionally the same designs were used on t-shirts, but these bandanas are almost frameable art.

If any of these bandanas stand out, it's undoubtedly the one that depicts The Four Horsemen.  This isn't just any incarnation of the legendary faction, but rather the original group.  Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Ole Anderson are in all of their glory.  This is quite possibly one of the few pieces of merchandise to feature the original Horsemen that is licensed by Jim Crockett Promotions.  By the time that many of the other items were produced, including the popular trading cards by Wonderama, Ole had long since left the group.

The amount of detail on the Horsemen bandana is even more striking than those produced later.  The Four Horsemen name is done in glittery gold lettering, there's some cash trailing a limo with a woman's leg sticking out, and there's even a small city skyline to the right, that probably should have been done a bit larger for effect.  The boys are done in a cool pastel look, and while Flair may look a bit feminine, you just can't look past the lipstick on Tully's collar.  Horsemen through and through!

How many of any of these bandanas were made?  We may never know.  I like to call the 1970's the "wild west" years of wrestling.  In turn, the 1980's were the equivalent as far as wrestling merchandise.  We just don't know what all was made from each promotion and won't until those items surface again.  What we do know is that they're fun to collect and part of that enjoyment is making new discoveries of old items.  We also know that even three decades later, The Four Horsemen are still the coolest...in the ring and printed onto cloth!

Wrestling MarketWatch: Mid-Atlantic Treasures

If you're a fan of classic wrestling, chances are that this upcoming weekend your mind will be focused on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.  There's an even greater chance that you may be celebrating the great promotion, in person, with dozens of other fans.  August 1-4 is the Mid-Atlantic Memories Fanfest in Charlotte, NC.  A few weeks ago I had my annual pleasure of discussing everything that the weekend means to so many of us.  With the event finally here, it's a great time to take a look at some of the amazing memorabilia that helps carry on the tradition of MACW and Jim Crockett Promotions.

Wrestling MarketWatch is our regular feature where we take a look at a handful of items and their recent sale prices.  Since there are no accurate "price guides" in the Internet age, this is the closest thing to those great books of the past.  Remember, something is only worth what one individual person is willing to pay, and you should always collect for yourself as opposed to profit.  That being said, it's often a blast to know what people will pay for these great relics.

*Would you believe that some of the coolest Mid-Atlantic items actually come from Fanfest itself?  It's true.  In addition to shirts, lanyards, and DVDs, each years event is represented by a full-color program featuring all of the stars of the weekend.  In 2009 we were spoiled with a whopping set of four programs.  One program was dedicated to the annual Hall of Heroes ceremony, another commemorated the reunion of The Horsemen at the event, and the last two featured the other wrestling stars who would appear that weekend.  The individual program for Saturday recently sold at auction alone for $30.  The program was listed as having ten autographs inside, including the recently deceased "Fabulous" Jackie Fargo.

*When you're talking Mid-Atlantic programs, you have to mention the publication for Starrcade 1983.  The first edition of the legendary super show was highlighted by "A Flare For The Gold," Ric Flair challenging Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.  This publication is more of a photo album than a program and is labeled on the cover as such.  The photos show the stars of the event as well as a few who didn't quite make it onto the card, including Hulk Hogan.  With its classy artists renderings of Race, Flair, and the NWA "Big Gold" belt, the cover is the true star here.  Always high in demand, a copy recently sold for $130.

*Like the Fanfest program, not every Mid-Atlantic treasure is directly from the era.  The Anderson's were some of the biggest wrestling stars that the Carolina's ever saw.  The fans admiration for Ole Anderson at each Fanfest is concrete proof of this.  Several years ago, Anderson wrote a book titled "Inside Out."  Chronicling both his in-ring career as well as his many years booking and promoting, Anderson tells an incredible story in his usual "pull-no-punches" style.  Due to popular demand, the book was re-released a number of years ago with a two-tone color, but the original blue covered first printing remains highly coveted.  A copy from the first printing recently sold for $30. 

*Some of the best merchandise to come from Jim Crockett Promotions was the 1988 trading card set by Wonderama.  With over three hundred cards, many wrestlers have their rookie cards in this set, and many appeared in little to no other merchandise.  A limited test run of these cards is beginning to become noticed by collectors.  Printed in 1987, this limited test set only includes a few dozen cards as opposed to the 1988 run.  While the photos and card fronts are indistinguishable from the standard set, the test run card backs are on brown card stock as opposed to the white stock used in the regular run.  Few of these have surfaced, but an example of card #17, Sting, recently sold for $52.  The card is generally regarded as one of his rookies, and is the nicest Sting card to make it into the test run.

*Bright lights, big cities, fine women, and The Four Horsemen.  Fans of Jim Crockett Promotions later years have many memories of wrestling's original elite stable.  In the days that the group, along with manager J.J. Dillon, ran wild across the country, it was pretty difficult to obtain autographs.  After all, the guys were heels in every sense of the word.  Getting the four original members and Dillon on one photograph?  Impossible.  Thanks to modern day conventions, the task became a lot easier for many of us.  One of the most common photos autographed by the four is a great backstage shot from the time of the 1986 Great American Bash.  An 8x10 version of this photograph, authentically signed by Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson, and J.J. Dillon, recently sold for $50.  I've had higher offers for my own similar piece and can tell you that, in my opinion, fifty dollars for this treasure is an absolute bargain.

The Horsemen.  Dusty Rhodes.  Rip Hawk.  Johnny Weaver.  Magnum T.A.  Paul Jones.  Rick Steamboat.  These are just a few of the men who made Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling what it was.  It's the fans who carry on, and share, the legacy forever into the future.

From The Musty Yellowed Pages--1987 Great American Bash Program

With it being July, Mid-Atlantic Fanfest on the very near horizon, and the recent War Games DVD/Blu-Ray release from WWE, this edition of "From The Musty Yellowed Pages" was a no-brainer.  Always one of the more popular Jim Crockett Promotions publications, The 1987 Great American Bash program has a lot going for it.  The colorful and fittingly patriotic cover is the most obvious, but a lot of people have never had the chance to dive inside.  It isn't easy to obtain and often sells for fifty dollars or more when it does pop up on the secondary market.

I have no one to thank more for my particular copy than an anonymous group of elderly women.  Around twenty years ago I was at a library book sale in a neighboring town.  In the back of the crammed basement, I spied this wrestling artifact tossed among the children's books.  Needless to say, once I figured out exactly what I had discovered, there was no putting it down.  It was but a few years earlier that I had gotten into learning about wrestling's glorious past, and the 1987 War Games video was something that I was already very familiar with.  Upon arrival at the checkout table, the gracious ladies who were in charge must've found my love for the publication charming.  Although my family made other purchases, the ladies told me that I could have the red, white, and blue relic absolutely free.  My JCP program collection was off to an amazing, and quite affordable, start.

It was about ten years following my lucky find that I began to use the program as an autograph project.  Manny Fernandez, Skandor Akbar, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, J.J. Dillon, Paul Jones, Ricky Morton, Jimmy Garvin, Ric Flair, Nikita Koloff, Jim Cornette, Tully Blanchard, Steve Williams, Magnum T.A., Ivan Koloff, Robert Gibson, The Barbarian, Bob Caudle, and Road Warrior Animal.  Amazingly, I even managed to have each signature signed in blue.  It was more of a coincidence at first, but it certainly adds to the flag motif.  Beginning with Dusty Rhodes, twenty signatures fill the cover.  My rule was that as long as the talent is shown and/or mentioned inside, they're welcome to sign the cover.  The twenty illustrious names are

Interestingly, the program does not kick off with War Games coverage.  The tag team and UWF championship sagas are instead featured at the front.  Following a Business Reply Mail card advertising NWA tapes from Turner Home Video, a great photo of eight of the ten men from the original War Games match is shown.  "The American Dream" appears more cocky than any of the Four Horsemen in this photo, but that's simply "Dusty being Dusty."  Curiously this photo does not include Paul Ellering or JJ Dillon.  Regardless, it's a great shot that would induce a boatload of memories from any NWA fan.

A page made up solely of graphics breaks down that first War Games match.  It's obvious from the effort shown here that the company truly felt that a lot was riding on this one match.  They had every right to believe that they had something special in their hands, as this was a concept that lives on with so many fans to this day.  One can only wonder why no effort was made to put this on pay-per-view.  While they obviously hoped to make this a concept to pop the individual live gates, it is interesting to ponder if anything could've played out differently had they opened the match up to thousands of other curious fans via pay-per-view.

The following ten pages are photo capsules of each of the ten men involved in that first "Match Beyond."  Ellering and Dillon are not omitted here and are highlighted in photos showing both their wrestler and managerial sides.  It should be noted that the photography in this program is glorious and vibrant as it is in many of the JCP publications.  It's a shame that more items like these weren't made by the company, but that all goes back to the much-discussed marketing problems of the company that extended far beyond the Ted Turner purchase of the company in 1988.

Following the War Games profiles, many other wrestlers, matches, and angles which were important on the '87 Bash tour are featured.  The company was obviously hurting with the loss of Magnum T.A. just a few months earlier.  Fortunately, Magnum was well enough to make appearances by this time and gets a full page to himself.  Text and photos discussing his appearance in Dusty's corner against Tully Blanchard on television appear, but a notation of Magnum now being in the corner of Dr. Death in a battle against Dick Murdoch is mentioned.

Initially, so many of the autographs on my copy were obtained at the 2004 Fanfest over Thanksgiving weekend.  One of the wrestlers to sign it was "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin.  After signing the cover, Garvin asked me if this was the program with "the great bloody picture of me against Flair."  I assured him that it was and we flipped to it where he took the time to sign it again.  Not only is the shot another example of the great photography, but a rare example where a wrestler recalls something about a piece of memorabilia.  Remember, in that era talent rarely had to the time to see these items let alone collect them.  This is sadly why many wrestlers have no clue as to what is out there, but it also makes it all the more special when a recollection is made when obtaining an autograph.

This has always been one of my favorite wrestling items between what it represents, how it ended up in my collection, and now that I've had so many of the original participants sign it.  These are the items that keep the memories of these events and concepts alive.  WWE may own the footage, but you're only going to see what they want you to see.  It's these vintage pieces that show you just how epic, raw, and real it was to many fans...and continues to be today.

The Hall of Fame-Bound Horsemen

Around this time of year there is always plenty to discuss in the world of wrestling. Who will show up in the Royal Rumble? Who will headline WrestleMania? Who will enter the WWE Hall of Fame?

As I've said many times before, I enjoy the WWE Hall of Fame for what it is. It's an extremely political yearly tribute to stars from the past. If you take it as such you may just enjoy it. For the most part, those who are in it tend to brag about it. Even some who are not in it would love to be. Sure, it's a payday and a small reunion with some old co-workers. For the fans, it's a chance to see those stars on the grandest stage of all one more time.

Although we will discuss selected other 2012 WWE Hall of Fame inductees in the weeks to come, the announcement of the induction of The Four Horsemen is more than worthy of its own entry.

While overly justified, the announcement seemed to "break all the rules" in the minds of fans. A group being inducted? Which version of the Horsemen? Ric Flair inducted twice? Isn't Ric Flair under contact to TNA?

Certainly tag teams and families have been previously inducted, but the induction of a group is a totally different ballgame. The Horsemen had quite a few different members in the span of about a decade. The original lineup included Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson, and JJ Dillon as manager. Perhaps the most remembered and celebrated roster was actually the third which included Barry Windham (who had replaced Lex Luger who had in turn replaced Ole).

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that the Windham version is the one most likely to be celebrated by WWE. Even before airing their video package which highlighted this incarnation, most fans know that Ole Anderson wants nothing to do with WWE and WWE most likely wants nothing to do with Ole Anderson.

Anderson is, in my opinion, a very misunderstood man. People who are opinionated often get a bad rap. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're bad people. It simply means that they have strong opinions and are unable to waver on them. Ole Anderson is very opinionated and censors himself for no one. That's simply the way he is. Bruno Sammartino is similar in many respects but has a beloved hero aura about him that brings out his endearing side. Believe it or not, Ole does have an endearing side. He just doesn't choose to show it and would probably rather be thought of as the "grumpy old man."

As much as an oversight as it is for WWE not to mention Ole, even if he is overlooked by his Horsemen partners at the ceremony, it's not going to be the end of the world for him. Aside from having a ring, WWE is about as far away from Ole's idea of wrestling as one could get. On the flip side of the coin, there's a much better chance that the members of the "WWE Universe" are going to know who Barry Windham is. We've learned in the past that if WWE feels that their "Universe" doesn't know who someone is and there's no financial stake in teaching them, that person simply isn't going to be presented no matter the role. This is the factual reason as to why William Shatner inducted Jerry Lawler rather than The King's choice of Memphis announcing legend Lance Russell.

As for who WILL be present for the ceremony, Arn Anderson, Blanchard, and Dillon seem to be a lock. Windham is still recovering from health problems suffered last fall although not enough is known on his present condition to even speculate about an appearance. The true question marks in this category all lie with "The Nature Boy" himself.

When cornered by a fan at a recent autograph signing, Flair claimed that he would indeed be accepting the induction on stage at the ceremony. Assuming that he is still under contract with TNA would make this a landmark event. Although Flair was in the audience at the 2011 ceremony, WWE was very careful to catch him on camera as little as possible.

Certainly his TNA run has done him no favors regarding personal financial issues. Whether or not being back with WWE would change that or even be possible remains to be seen. One way or another it seems that we will be seeing Ric Flair involved in the world of professional wrestling until the day he dies.

Inducting the Horsemen is ultimately a landmark event. It pleases old school fans while re-introducing a concept that all fans, new and old, should be aware of. Fans of newer entities such as the nWo and DX need to know where the roots for such "super groups" were planted. This also opens up a floodgate of new ideas for the WWE Hall of Fame. Just when WWE seems to be tricking itself by inducting stars within a year of their retirement, the company finds a way to RE-INDUCT stars such as Flair and others in the future like Shawn Michaels (DX) and Bret Hart (The Hart Foundation). As much as the company is criticized for bad decisions (most of the time rightly so), they do seem to have a think tank with its target being the almighty dollar.

Last year at this time I was sworn to secrecy, but thanks to a member of the 2011 class I knew exactly who all was going to be inducted. Although I don't have such information this year (and if I did...), I'm still hoping for another team to be announced. If they are, we'll be celebrating right here in the next few weeks. They certainly deserve it. After all, pain and destruction is their middle name.

Celebrating The All-Time Greats...

When I started this blog, I realized that I would never get to highlight and/or show every great item ever produced. I try to limit the number of photos in each entry so that the images that are chosen highlight the actual story--not overrun it. After all, you guys are way too smart to just be looking at a glorified picture book.

That's where our Facebook page comes into play. In addition to keeping you up-to-date on updates to this blog and other items of interest, the page has become an outstanding supplement to the blog itself. All those great collectibles that may never make it to a blog entry of their own? New photos are posted weekly on the Facebook page and you are welcome to add any of your own to the mix!

A few weeks ago I began highlighting individual stars and collections of memorabilia celebrating their careers. Already on the Facebook page are groupings dedicated to "The Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino, "The Original Diva" Sunny, and wrestling's original supergroup "The Four Horsemen."

If you're on Facebook, please take the time to join our page, enjoy the updates and photos, leave comments, join discussions, and share your own collections. You may even stumble upon some insight from the stars themselves. If you haven't already joined Facebook, what are you waiting for?

Thank you, as always, for reading the blog. And of course...stay tuned!