20 Years Of Legends, Charlotte, Moments & Memories

Twenty years is a long time. Occasionally, as in the case of what I’m looking back on today, it feels like it was the blink of eye. It was Thanksgiving weekend 2004 and I was headed to North Carolina -- for the first time, to a wrestling convention – for the first time. Talk about not having a clue as to what to expect! All I knew was that I was about to be in the presence of Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat and many, many more.

I wasn’t any stranger to meeting the legends of wrestling. Thanks to local autograph signings and independent wrestling events I’d met a nice roster of greats. But so many in one place? Would they even show up? Show up, they did. This was the original NWA Fanfest, at the time known as The Mid-Atlantic Legends Fanfest. Promoted in the Charlotte University Hilton (now truly famous for wrestling conventions) by Greg Price, this was actually the third event of its kind that year. This one, being over Thanksgiving weekend, was a tribute to Starrcade.

While many of you experienced at least one NWA Fanfest and/or it’s current spiritual successor The Gathering (also promoted in the Charlotte University Hilton), this early show was different. It was a few years before more northern fans caught on to the excitement. Sure, there were plenty of one day events held in the northeast, but an entire weekend? Unheard of. Once the northern fans began taking their dollars south, greedy (there’s no other way to put it) promoters followed. They quickly learned that bringing in just anyone as a “vendor guest” didn’t necessarily guarantee a weekend of riches in The Queen City. By and large, despite fans attending from all over, the southern flavor of the event is what kept it alive. I don’t think that I was prepared for just how robust that flavor was!

At this November 2004 event, the majority of the fans attending were diehard original fans of Jim Crockett Promotions. They lived it and breathed it when it was rocking the wrestling world and they still kept the memories alive all those years later. Many of these fans had been meeting and mingling with these wrestlers dating back to their active days. I couldn’t believe when, during Q&As, these wrestling greats knew many of these fans by name. It was a different atmosphere that absolutely never permeated to northern events.

It’s hard to fathom a convention today with the likes of Jack Brisco, Gary Hart and Ole Anderson, but they were all there. Ole was one of the ones who was absolutely astonished that my friend and I would come from Pittsburgh for this show. It was a different mindset. It was a different generation altogether. Nickel and diming the fans had yet to make its way to these nostalgia-driven events. Was wrestling always about money? Sure. What isn’t? But there was a different feeling then. I can’t think of many, if any, wrestlers that weekend who seemed “fake.” Sure, they were all getting a payday and a reunion with former colleagues, but it’s completely different than if you’ve only attended conventions or “meet and greets” in recent times.

There was also a level of resentment against the company that, for three years by that point, had ultimately won the wrestling war. While one fan was actually moved to tears when I gave him a WWF Mankind folder he’d admired that I was using to keep photos in, love for anything not tried and true southern wrestling was few and far between. These fans absolutely did not care that LJN WWF and Remco AWA figures were sitting at rock bottom prices at vendor tables. They wanted to visit with Paul Jones, Ivan Koloff and The Rock n’ Roll Express. Looking back now, I can’t say that I blame them.

One thing that does make it quite clear that two decades have passed is the hard truth of loss. Not only have many of the names on that 2004 show passed away but so have a bevy of fans who made the event what it was. They truly had a passion for it. Did some of them even get autographs? I’m not sure that they did. I think some just walked through the line to make one more connection to their beloved hero or dastardly villain. It’s unlike anything that you ever saw up north and even at today’s southern shows. I’m not disparaging the northern way at all. “Sign my items, take the photo, pay the money” has always been the name of the game up here. It works and you’re on your way. It just doesn’t have the same heart. Twenty years ago I got to witness the latter and I cherish the memory. 

 

From The Musty Yellowed Pages--The Wrestler, November 1970

It's the old adage of wrestling's past. You've heard it in many different forms, but it boils down to three simple words: "red equals green." For years, the wrestling business lived by those words that translated into the fact that when blood was involved, the fans followed--as did big box office receipts. In recent years, WWE has banned blood from their show. Aside from a few instances, blood does not make appearances on their programming. When it does, gloves are put on, doctors are called into the ring, and the bleeding is stopped. I understand health concerns, but violence is the name of the game in wrestling. I honestly do not see this trend lasting, as blood could be utilized relatively safely in a match if planned ahead. Anyone who tows the company line that the illusion is "outdated" isn't fooling anyone.

Forty-five years ago there many not have been a better bleeder than Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. The fans paid to see Heenan get his comeuppance after his proteges got theirs. Heenan was a fantastic "bumper," and when men like The Bruiser and The Crusher finally got their hands on "The Weasel," it was like Christmas morning for wrestling fans of the Midwest.

The November 1970 cover of The Wrestler displays all of the above. The headline of "My God, Bobby! What Happened To Your Face?" next to the photo of Heenan covered in a crimson mask is enough to grab anyone's attention. Popular on the newsstands of the day, this issue continues to command a higher value than others from the same era and remains relatively difficult to find.

Like many magazines from nearly fifty years ago, we're presented with some pages and articles that represent a completely different time. Even the cover with "Rapist Invades Girl's Dressing Room!" shows that. The ads in these magazines are also very much products of the era, advertising various ways to build muscle to...special companions for lonely wrestling fans. There is a lot of wrestling content, and it's easy to see why the magazines were so popular. The fans got to see wrestlers from around the world, many of which would never come to their own local territory.

After some headlines from around the wrestling world is a column dedicated to fan clubs. These fan-run clubs were all the rage in the '60s and '70s. Remember, there were no Facebook pages or Twitter feeds to keep up on the latest happenings with names like Penny Banner and Jack Brisco. The fans who were granted permission to run these clubs often took their responsibilities very seriously, but some clubs seem to have fizzled out as quick as they came. The fans from this era who were heavily involved in the fan club scene could probably write books about the time and the crazy characters within it.

Next up is the article featuring more of the famous bloodied Bobby Heenan photos as the cover promised. An unnamed photographer was lucky to get plenty of shots of the bleeding manager, including some of Baron Von Raschke and Al Costello coming to his rescue. The following article is an oddly written story about Dick the Bruiser picking a mop-topped man called "Ringo" (actually George Ringo "The Wrestling Beatle") to be his partner against "Bobby Herman." This "Herman" character is identified as the manager of Angelo Poffo and Chris Markoff, who is obviously Bobby Heenan. I'm not sure if the article was penned by someone who really didn't know that it was "Heenan" and not "Herman," or if the whole thing was written as some sort of joke.

Coverage of Bruno Sammartino, a ladies tag match, Victor Rivera, and Mighty Igor is followed by the sordid "rapist" tale advertised on the cover. Cora Combs is the wrestler in question and, in an article that I'm sure was complete fabrication, is indeed confronted by a dressing room intruder. After some corny rapist dialogue straight from the sleazy pulp magazines of the era, Combs does away with the attacker all by herself.

Following this is another article of questionable content, dealing with the very real suicide of wrestler Don Eagle. Former wrestler and photographer Tony Lanza is said to have taken a phone call from Eagle just before the Native American wrestler took his own life. There's no reason to doubt that the phone call actually happened, but was it in the best of taste to plop it into a magazine right next to some obviously fabricated tales? The description of how "the great Indian wrestler pressed a gun to his head and blew out his brains," wasn't that tasteful, either.

Next up is several pages of another staple of '70s wrestling magazines--The Wonderful World of Pen Pals! I've mentioned before on this blog about how one can often find a future wrestling name in these pen pal pages. Let's face it, many wrestlers grew up loving the sport just as much as those of us who are lifelong fans. I don't see any in these particular pages, but you never know who will show up. It's interesting to think that if you add forty-five years to the listed ages, many of these fans are now in their '50s and older. It's also something to think that young children's addresses are printed in a magazine that obviously catered to some lonely folks, as we'll get to in a bit.

After some continuations of articles from earlier in the magazine as well as an ad for Swiss pilots watches (doesn't Rick "Pawn Star" Harrison peddle those now?), we get to a staple of the '70s wrestling magazine--a life size inflatable doll. This is actually one of the tamer ads that I've come across for these, with no real "nudity" involved, but certainly enough skin for a kid to get an eyeful. These also aren't advertised as "Love Dolls" as they were later on in much more risque ads. Nevertheless, $9.95 could get you "Judy" or "Susan" (the "Negro Doll"--their words, not mine) to be your "play-mate." Yep. We'll leave that right there.

The world was a different place. Is it any better now? Certainly in some respects. But have some things really changed that much? Sure we may look down upon a story about a "rapist," ads for fly-by-night schemes and plastic "girls," and bloody pictures, but is it really any worse than the junk that is celebrated daily on Twitter with a simple "Retweet?" Nope. In fact, forty-five years ago these concepts were hidden in the cheaply-printed pages of a wrestling magazine. Today they're front page headlines.

I don't think that we've advanced much at all. But we could use a bloody match now and then...thanks Lesnar and Taker!

The Heritage Of Topps WWE Heritage

 There are a few things that I frequently ask for here on the blog. I'm sick of asking, you're sick of reading the pleas, something has to give. It has. This Summer, Topps announced the return of their WWE Heritage trading cards after a three-year absence. Coming this November, the 110-card base set will be accompanied by various subsets, relic cards, and on-card autographs. A few weeks ago, Alundra "Madusa" Blayze released a picture via social media of her signing the cards, so there is one confirmed signer.

The Heritage releases are the only modern wrestling trading cards that truly excite me. I anticipate their infrequent releases and as much as I wish they were released once a year, maybe it's better that they aren't. I usually purchase several hobby boxes and individual retail packs. Only with the Heritage cards do I try to assemble several base sets, and of course set aside many for autographs. The Heritage sets take me back to the trading cards of my youth, right before everything in the card world, sadly, went glossy. This 2015 set is based upon the 1985 Topps baseball design, a series that I'm very familiar with. They're cardboard, the way that trading cards should be, and the matte finish makes them very easy to obtain autographs on.

Beginning in 2005, Topps rolled out their first four WWE Heritage sets. The best of these sets was Heritage II which had a design based on the 1963 Topps baseball cards. Among my friends this is known as the "Wonder Bread" set. This nickname came from none other than Rob Van Dam. The extreme icon was signing his card in the set for me and proclaimed that "this is the set that looks like they came from a package of Wonder Bread." The cards do have a colorful design and great studio shots. What also makes the set fun is that while the 1963 baseball design is limited to the base, there are exclusive cards released in other avenues that utilize the same style. WWE Magazine and Jakks action figures included cards of Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, and Lita among others. Even more names such as Jeff Hardy and Linda McMahon were further added in the Topps Chrome release of the series.

Following those first four sets, WWE Heritage became a subset. The Topps WWE 2011 set featured a 50-card Heritage subset in the style of the 1962 Topps baseball cards. Just as with Heritage II, I have a personal wrestler-given nickname for this set. While signing his card, Kevin Nash called it a "Bowman." Bowman Gum was another trading card producer until Topps bought out the rival company. While we have yet to see any WWE Heritage produced after the Bowman style, the nickname will stick with me for this set.

Finally, in the last glimpse of Heritage until this year, Topps released the 2012 set. Based on the 1985 Topps WWF set, these are my favorite of the Heritage sets to date. Even the hobby boxes themselves were a nod to the past, being based on the Canadian 1986 WWF set from O-Pee-Chee. I think that the biggest appeal for me is that these are wrestling cards based on wrestling cards, rather than based on other sports designs. Admittedly, there aren't too many old wrestling card designs to pay tribute to, but I would still like to see a Heritage set based on the 1987 Topps WWF design.

After that quick refresher course in Topps WWE Heritage, it's time for the 2015 edition. With plenty of chase cards planned and the all-important autographs, it should be an extremely fun set to collect. There is also another product, WWE Undisputed, coming from Topps a month earlier. These are being aimed at a "high-end" collecting market and are basically a set of just autographs, relics, and parallels. Thanks, but no thanks. Give me the basic, vintage-styled, cardboard goodness of Heritage!

Remember Those Who Left Us In 2010...

As Christmas wraps up and the new year fast approaches, many begin to reflect on the year about to depart. For wrestling fans, years full of sadness due to the deaths of wrestling stars and heroes are all too common.

While the reasons for this will be debated time and time again, I'd like to briefly take the time to honor the grapplers and personalities in a completely controversy-free environment.

Several former NWA Champions left us this year, taking with them a great part of what made the "classic" years of the business so great. Jack Brisco, Gene Kiniski, and Edouard Carpentier were all honorable champions both in and out of the ring. Each were all integral parts of the rich history and lore of the business.


Classic characters such as Grizzly Smith, Baron Mikel Scicluna, and General Skandor Akbar were also among those who departed in 2010. While Smith (father of Jake Roberts, Rockin' Robin, and Sam Houston) and Akbar made great contributions to the industry both in the ring and behind the scenes, Scicluna spent the majority of his career making others look good. Although he was a title holder, Scicluna will be best remembered for making such stars as Bruno Sammartino and Gorilla Monsoon look all the better.

Tragically, there is always a number of stars each year that pass well before their time. Bastion Booger, Ludvig Borga, Lance Cade, Jorge Gonzalez, and the unforgettable Luna Vachon top that unfortunate list this year. We can continue to ask why, but in reality any death can be looked at in that manner. Rather, we should remember their success and the impact they individually made on us.

2010 also saw the passing of Angelo Poffo, Jerry Valiant, Ted Allen, Hans Mortier, Sandy Scott, King Curtis Iaukea, Tony Borne, Paul Morton, Skip Young, Chris Kanyon, and Ida Mae Martinez.

One other mention goes to the first lady of wrestling journalism herself, Georgiann Makropolous. Georgie, as she was known to friends and fans the world over, was part of the business for decades. Starting off writing in the wrestling magazines and founding the Bruno Sammartino Fan Club, Georgie carved a niche in the industry like no one else. Her passing is still a great shock to me nearly one year later.

If I left anyone out, I apologize. I'm going by memory as far as all who passed and no disrespect is intended.

May all of our fallen stars rest in peace.

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Among a blitz of DVD product released by the WWE this holiday season, one set has garnered a ton of attention. The 3-disc set entitled WWE Top 50 Superstars of All Time is a very controversial and political product for sure. Beyond the rankings and omissions lies a great collection of matches, many of which have never before been released on DVD. Putting any feelings or arguments on the rankings aside, I have created a special gallery on our Facebook fan page featuring the DVD set itself. Gradually, all 50 stars will be represented by an individual piece of memorabilia shown in the gallery in order. #50 is up now and will be joined by more in the near future. Check it out, become a fan of the blog, and enjoy!