To Be the Man YOU Gotta Beat the Man!

 

     Today was one of my favorite kind of days. It was a Summer afternoon yet it sure didn't feel like it. The sky was gray giving away to what look liked thunder storms on the horizon. My mindless ideas jumbled. I thought of rain. Garth Brooks came to my mind: "The thunder rolls and the lightening strikes. Another love grows cold in the middle of the night ..." A once number one hit echoing through my head somehow made me think of a few of my wrestling moments. 

     My younger years into my 20s professional wrestling was where you would find me. I was NO groupie though in fact, I was about 12 when I caught my first glance of the before, hating wrestling and all things to do with it, Jimmy Snuka bleeding. I, at that very second in time was pulled in. Like a fish on the line. Stuck. I wiggled to get away. To break free but it never happened. 

     Playboy Buddy Rose:  
My first "love" was none other then that of Playboy Buddy Rose. Ya, I get it. Okay? But there was just something about that guy. Sure, I was a kid. I didn't know what it was and even if I did I probably didn't. Not many liked him. He was what they called a heal. A heal? How? His robes were so shiny with a single flower casting a unique presents over it. His hair was long and blonde and that voice. I could never turn away whenever he graced my screen in fear I might miss one of his chuckles. As I grew older, I learnt that Buddy was a very wise man. I can remember hearing him talking about retiring when he was 40. He vowed to invest every penny he had. He convinced himself that his bills would make him millions.
Like many people, he drifted out of my life. Sight wise. I never knew what became of him or if indeed his vision ever came true. I only heard again about him after his passing which still effects me in a series of ways. I think about how his smile could light up even the darkest of arenas. Everyone just knowing he had something "crazy" up his sleeve or in most cases, his brilliant red robe.
     I miss him. I miss his laugh. I miss who he was. I miss how much he meant to me. I miss how much he was such a huge part of my life back then. I can close my eyes and see him running through the clouds, laughing and telling everyone how they should have followed his diet plan when they had the chance to. 

     Growing up, my best friend lived in Tacoma. She was also a huge wrestling fan and fact is, that is how we met. Once each Summer she would come to spend a week at my house in Redmond. In return, I would spend a week at her house where she lived. I always attended LIVE WRESTLING matches at home/ Seattle but rarely went out of my comfort zone. (I did catch some in Portland, Oregon but that is a different story for a different time) It just so happened that the week I stayed at her house I was "semi" dating Kevin Kelly and would be having the chance to see him along with our other boys at a card that was being held by her place. I mentioned to Kevin that I might be there. He was pretty excited and so was I. My friend and I arrived at the "arena" right on time. It was set up a lot different then what I was used to and things were in a strange place. It was a fairly small building though so it didn't take  me long to figure my way around things. I went to the back curtain to let Kevin know that I was there to surprise him but standing in the way of "our" plans that night just happened to be ...

     Rip Oliver and Mike Miller:
The two of them and I chatted for a few minutes. There was a door. Like, I don't know? I never really thought much about it. It was a door. Rip and Mike told me to go on inside, they would go let Kevin know I was waiting. They would send him on his way to me after he got suited up for his match. I walked through the door that Mike held open for me. It slammed shut right after I entered it. Weird, I thought. Kinda dark with nothing but stairs. I sat down midway up waiting for Kevin. Seemed like an eternity but in real life I would say about 3 or 5 minutes tops. There was light. Was a going into it? No! Rip Oliver cracked the door open stepping to one side while Mike Miller shoved Doug Sommers through the black hole falling into where I was sitting. The door quickly slammed again. It was silent yet the voices of Rip and Mike screaming "Have a Good Time" could have brought a crowd to their feet. I asked Doug what the hell was up? He said that he didn't know. He mentioned once to one of the guys that he liked me but his voice pleading - telling me he never thought they would do something like this. He then questioned "Since we are stuck in here, why don't we make the best of it?" I agreed and did nothing but talk about how much I liked Kevin. How awesome he was, how I was there to see him. I guess that might have been mean on my part but I was a teenage girls with a major crush - what else was I supposed to do? In the end, Doug was overly pissed at Rip and Mike for what they pulled and I was less then happy too. I missed Kevin's match because we were stuck in the room for 45 minutes together. The last time I seen them, I made sure they remembered that time they did that to me. 
(Rip and Doug both have gained their wings since this all happened. They are thought of now in a "fun loving" way. I sure do miss those Shenanigans of yesterday.)

Dutch Savage. Matt Borne. Ric Flair. Jimmy Afi, Al Madrill and Hector Guerrero. 

     *Dutch Savage was an old school guy. He was not only a wrestler but a Father too. When he found out that my best friend and I liked his son, Mark Savage (who was training to be a "fighter" too) he thought that put him the place to pull pranks and be crazy. There was one night at a match that he locked, held shut the phone booth door on my bf and I trapping us inside. Another time he thought it would be funny to tell us he would go into the dressing room and bring Mark out but noted that he might only be wearing a towel. Or another time he announced to the whole arena he wanted me to crochet him a blanket.
(Dutch gained his angel wings. I think of Daddy as we so fondly called him, often and smile.)
     *Matt Borne. I fell in love with him when he was in Georgia fighting his way through. He would sign towels for me after he used them then have them sent my way. Lord. I can still smell the Stetson on the pillow my head dreamed on every night. After he came home, him and I got pretty close. One of my favorite memories is the night I gave him a gift that I had purchased for him. It was an engraved bracelet. He was busy that night. He was wrestling Curt Henning in a Main Event Title match. We only had a split second before he went to the ring. I approached him giving him his gift. He tore it open gave me a hug, placing it in his trunks. Lets just say he won his match that night after pulling it from under his waist band and clocking Curt - busting his head wide open - blood splatters everyplace.
(Matt and Curt have both gained their wings as well. I miss Matty. I often wonder if their fighting spilled over into the clouds and that is what bring us the rain at times)
     *Ric Flair. I met Flair at one of the matches he was flown into Seattle for. I had another friend. Like the kind of friend you only have once in a life time if you are lucky. Really, really lucky. That was Shari for me. To make a long story short, there was a ring rat that hung around. She had a "thing" for Flair. Shari asked me to try to keep her away from him. This was a real friendship for sure. I didn't like Flair at the time. Fact: I couldn't stand him. I did however keep him and the rat apart, almost ending up leaving with the guy but my head over ruled and I didn't go.  I have to admit though, the guys is one hell of a champion. Wooooo!
     *Jimmy Afi. Al Madrill and Hector Guerrero. Talk about 3 stooges. Those guys should have been on comedy central. I had a lot of good times with them or at least the times I did have were never boring. But seriously IF anyone sees Al around please let him know I never got the beer out of my cashmere sweater that he dumped on me after Jimmy hand cuffed me to that stupid bar over head. And be sure to thank Hector for the rib aching tickles that left my wrists with marks for weeks.

     Hack Sawyer: ft. Tommy Prichard:
The times I had with him are some that wont soon be forgotten. I still am not sure how him and I ended up together or why I ever agree to be his girl but I guess some things just happen when you don't plan them. Through out our relationship he did some "crazy" things but more "stupid" then the previous. He would call me from on the road. Once he called to tell me he was nervous for his match he was waiting to be called out for. I asked him 'Why?" explaining to him that he has fought in the ring many times and he told me "Never in Madison Square Garden though ..." I yelled at him for being on the phone with me rather then prepping for his match. Another time he asked to come see him in Oregon at the Sports Arena. Epic! It was a drive from Redmond to Oregon but I did it. I got there. Him and Tommy invited me up into the infamous Crows Nest. Wow! Like Disney Land on drugs. We had a blast whenever we were together - even having our own song. That came to a halt one night. He was in Seattle and we were talking before his match. He was standing by the entrance curtain facing me. I had my back towards the hallway. I had said something to him and he didn't respond. I repeated it but as I was - he kinda leaned towards the left of me looking over my shoulder. I looked at him. He smiled around me. I turned and Sonja, another ring rat was about 50 feet down the isle mouthing something to him. I stepped directly in front of him, took my hands placing one on each side of his face turned his head to look straight into my eyes and said "Hell Effin NO! I am done. Enjoy that." I then turned to walk away and he grabbed my hand. I yanked it from him and said "Over!" continuing on. As I turned to enter the stairway, he walked behind the curtain ....  I never spoke to him at another match again. I did however find him on the internet last Summer. We chatted for awhile. Just gibberish mostly. Wanted to know how he was but still didn't care to much. I never forget nor do I forgive.
(Tommy also gained his angel wings. Sad day for sure. Deep cut.)

     Kevin Kelly <3
You will have to come back tomorrow to read about that exciting chapter in my life.

                                                                                                                                                 Kazz 💋