No Criticism of Kevin Nash Here

Kevin Nash has had an interesting wrestling career.  He has been involved in some of the greatest angles.  He has been a multiple time champion.  Unfortunately, he has also been criticized for various reasons (such as backstage politics and laziness).
I don't know the inside scoop, but I can tell you he seems like a straight up guy to me.  He is always really cool in person and I have met him several times under many different circumstances.  He goes out of his way to give his fans what they want.
For some odd reason, JayHawk and I decided we wanted the big man to put us in headlocks.  He obliged.  Be careful what you ask for, but hindsight is 20/20.  It seemed like a good idea.  Fortunately, Big Kev kept it a loose lock and didn't snap our necks.  Seriously, I do think Kev could have put a hurtin' on us if he wanted.
Kev also is patient and willing to talk about himself, wrestling and his friends in wrestling.
He has enough detractors out there (really too many), but I am not one of them.  Kev is okay in my opinion!

JayHawk Evans, Kevin Nash and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2010.

At the Motor City Comic Con

This is a special series about my friends meeting celebs at the Motor City Comic Con.

One of the great things about the Motor City Comic Con is the attendees are often as entertaining as the celebrity guests.  I have met several "Superheroes", characters from Star Wars and other creatures.  Usually the costumed attendees are very willing to pose for pictures.

Leave it to JayHawk Evans to run into some angry Storm Troopers (are there any pleasant Storm Troopers?).  I don't know what Evans did to incur their wrath on this day, but having known him for years, I can certainly understand their response.

Fortunately it all ended well as the Storm Troopers let Evans go and he was free to spread his unique cheer elsewhere.

JayHawk Evans surrendering to Storm Troopers in Novi, MI-May 2010.

The Legend of YMJ

A couple months ago, I featured JayHawk Evans with Steven (William) Regal in Friendly Encounters.  Today, I am revealing one of my favorite JayHawk stories, which occurred later in that same night.
JayHawk and I trekked out to Cincinnat (OH) for the Brian Pillman Memorial Show.  Before the night of wrestling, we met several of the wrestlers during the meet-and-greet session.  Then we settled in for a great night of up close action in the small gym.
Near the end of the night, Diamond Dallas Page entered the ring and started to thank everyone and talk about the late Brian Pillman.  In his opening statement, he pointed to JayHawk and proclaimed him to be wearing the best shirt there.  He motioned for JayHawk to stand up, which he did, soaking up a bit of applause.
As evident in the Friendly Encounter post, JayHawk was wearing a Cactus Jack shirt.  (For those unfamiliar with pro wrestling, Cactus Jack was an earlier days in-ring persona of Mick Foley).
I never saw the dvd of that Pillman event.  I don't even know if one exists.  I do know that if there is one, JayHawk is certainly on it!

Diamond Dallas Page in Cincinnati, OH-May 2000.

Happy Birthday JayHawk

Jason Fleigel (aka JayHawk Evans) started at Lerner Newspapers when he was a young pup.  He was a smart kid, with a smart mouth.  He also turned into a good friend along the way.
Whether he was tinkering with Lerner's dinosaur of a computer system or performing yeoman duty on the audits, Jason was always on the top of his game.  He never really got the credit he deserved at Lerner. His post-Lerner career has been much more lucrative.
Over the years, I have probably been hard on him a bit much, but hopefully he knows what I think of him.  JayHawk is a good guy and I am better for knowing him and I am not just talking about his pc expertise (although that certainly sweetens the pot).
Happy birthday JayHawk.  May your mayo jar be overflowing!

Jason Fleigel and me at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI-May 2009.

Gotta Love the Kish

Samoans have a rich history in pro wrestling. The Anoa'i family is probably the biggest, most successful and best-known Samoan family. Previously, I have written about Matt Anoa'i (who hoisted me on his shoulders at an event). Today, I am featuring his cousin Solofa Fatu Jr (aka Rikishi).
Solofa has had a long and successful career. Most notably, in the WWE he has been a tag team champ three times and the Intercontinental champ once. His two oldest sons currently wrestle as Jimmy and Jey Uso for the WWE.
He was in a great mood when JayHawk and I met him at Wizard World. We talked about his career and his sons.
I'm feeling pretty old seeing sons of wrestlers I grew up watching. I didn't mention this to Solofa, because I didn't want to incur his wrath and be the recipient of a stinkface (his signature move...and no, I am not going to describe it).

Me, Solofa Fatu and JayHawk Evans in Rosemont, IL-August 2010.

Friendly Encounters

This is a weekly feature highlighting friends who have met celebs.

Years ago, the Brian Pillman Memorial Show was an annual event to honor the late Brian Pillman and to raise money for the widow Pillman and their children. There was a 'meet and greet' with the wrestlers, followed by a full evening of great matches. JayHawk Evans and I made the trek to Cincinnati to attend the show.
William Regal had finished with his photo-op session, but several fans remained. Regal didn't walk away. Instead, he walked over to us and posed for pictures with anyone who wanted one. That was going above and beyond.
Regal has had an interesting career. He has battled his demons (on and off) and seemingly has overcome them. He has won a bunch of titles, but unfortunately never a world championship in a major organization. Still, he has had a long and successful career and he still is capable of producing excellent matches, great mic work and entertaining skits.

JayHawk Evans and William Regal in Cincinnati, OH-May 2001.

Best-selling Author Mick Foley

There I am again with Mick Foley and I think Foley probably thinks "oh here he is again" every time he sees me. Actually, Foley has been great every time I have seen him.
Foley is a wrestler and an author, a New York Times best-selling author. That distinction isn't just for his autobiography either. Even his autobio isn't the average autobio. Foley wrote it himself. Eight hundred pages of longhand. Really.
His latest effort is Countdown to Lockdown, about his journey to a huge wrestling event in TNA wrestling.  We get inside Foley's mind as he prepares mentally and physically for this match.  Foley has promoted that book here, as well as promoting Johngy's Beat.
He also wrote Tietam Brown and Scooter, two intriguing works of fiction. Oh sure, sometimes they might have gone a bit over the top, but I found both to be completely engrossing.
Another cool thing about Foley is that you can talk to him about anything and get an interesting conversation. We have talked about literature, wrestling, world events, old tv shows and sports.

Mick Foley, JayHawk Evans and me in Rosemont, IL-2008.

Our Acting Scene with Jenilee Harrison

At the 2010 Motor City Comic Con, Cuzz Gekas and JayHawk Evans assisted me in my efforts for Global Traveler magazine and for this site. Both were veterans of these conventions and both were excellent in helping me.
We approached Jenilee Harrison and found her to be very friendly. Harrison talked about her original hesitancy in doing these conventions, but was happy that she had started doing them. Harrison talked about how much fun it is to meet other celebrities and to see her fans. She seemed touched that so many people had such vivid memories of her from Three's Company.
Harrison gave Cuzz a big hug. I have to credit Cuzz with really connecting with Harrison, which really made her open up a bit more.
Before we left the convention, we went back to Harrison and asked her to do a video promo for this site. She questioned it a bit (who wouldn't?), but happily agreed, if we were in it with her. Sure why not!
At right, you can see Harrison's video promo for Johngy's Beat. Cuzz and I now joke that we did a short, independent film with Jenilee Harrison. JayHawk asserts that he was the Director and Producer. We all had fun (as you can tell), including Harrison. If you read this, Jenilee, a big thanks!

Cuzz, Jenilee Harrison, me and JayHawk Evans in Novi, MI-May 2010.

Nora Greenwald is Still Mighty

Nora Greenwald's pro wrestling career wasn't too long, but it was very successful. Even better, Greenwald left on her own terms and is enjoying her post-wrestling life.
I always liked Greenwald, right from her debut in the WCW as Miss Madness, a member of Randy Savage's crew. Greenwald went onto bigger fame in the WWE as Mighty Molly Holly. Since leaving the WWE in 2005, she has made sporadic apprearances for them and other independent wrestling groups, although mostly not as an in-ring performer.
We talked to Greenwald earlier this year at the Motor City Comic Con. She said she was happy to see some of her old wrestling friends there, like Amy (Lita) Dumas and Lilian Garcia.
Greenwald is working for a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in her native Minnesota. She finds that work so fulfilling. While she sometimes misses the people and fans from wrestling, she doesn't miss the bumps and daily grind of wrestling. She also recently got engaged.
Wrestling misses her more than she misses it. Too bad she wasn't treated better during her time. She was stuck in some silly stories, but she was always professional. She performed at a high level and gave a great show every time. It's great to see her doing so well now.

JayHawk Evans, Nora Greenwald and me in Novi, MI-May 2010.

The Boog Powell Incident

For our Boys of Summer trip in 2005, we went to Baltimore and Philadelphia to see ballgames. I knew Boog Powell had a barbecue stand in Camden Yards and I wanted to meet the big man.
Big man is correct. He is listed at 6'4", but he seemed even bigger. He was also as nice as can be, until Chuck E. Gekas and his elbow got involved.
Cuzz had a problem with his elbow that year, which caused it to become very swollen. It even lead to the Great Elbow Debate. Chuck T. Gekas (aka Chachi) wanted Cuzz to use it as a joke opportunity. At any restaurant, when offered dessert, Chachi wanted Cuzz to decline, stating that it would go right to his elbow.
It should be noted that the other 'boys', Jason Farber, Jim Gekas and I, were completely against that joke. Chachi stuck to his opinion that the joke was gold.
Fortunately, Cuzz was hearing none of it and passed on the 'opportunity'. The Great Elbow Debate rages on to this day.
Anyway, when we saw Boog, we asked him for a group photo. He was so amicable and eager to comply with our request. We all squeezed into the picture (which is hard with a man Boog's size). Then the elbow reared its ugly head.
Boog's beer was perched on the shelf behind us. Cuzz apparently knocked it over with his elbow (allegedly due to its unusually large nature).
Once Boog realized his beer was spilled, his sunny disposition dimmed quite a bit.
We still really don't know why. It's not like he couldn't get another beer. It's his stand!
Making this even funnier was that he thought Jason had been the culprit. All I remember was seeing Boog turn around and face Jason. I was on the other side of Boog and he eclipsed Jason. I honestly couldn't see him at all with Boog's bulk blocking him.
We thanked him for the picture and quietly and quickly left the scene. I believe Boog also left his stand then. I don't know if his departure was planned or if the beer prompted an early exit.
I had no idea meeting Boog would become such a legendary tale. When we met Greg Luzinski a couple days later, it was fun, but fortunately uneventful!

Boog Powell (center) with me, Cuzz, Jason, Jim and Chachi in Baltimore, MD-2005.

What About Raven?

At the Motor City Comic Con 2010, I met wrestler Raven for the first time. Several years ago, JayHawk Evans and I saw Raven wrestling up close at the Pillman Memorial event in 2001. Raven and Justin Credible brawled outside of the ring, practically in JayHawk's lap, but we were never formally introduced.
Raven was an interesting guest at the MCCC. I have to applaud him for his merchandise selection. Look at the table in front of us. There are at least 10 8x10's, a tshirt and some old magazines (with Raven on the cover). That is how you do a show. Raven sold a ton of stuff, because he had a ton of stuff from every phase of his career. He appealed to the fans from all over his 20+ year career.
Too often I see celebs with just a couple photos for sale. They are limiting their success and disappointing fans, too. Bringing a few more photos doesn't increase the luggage that much and it is well worth it.
Raven (or Scott Levy) was spotted at several vendor tables during the weekend. He is a noted comic fan. He looked to be having a lot of fun just perusing the many tables.
Raven would have seemed to have had the perfect weekend. He presented the perfect table for merchandise sales maximization and he probably added a few pieces to his comic collection.

Raven, JayHawk Evans and me in Novi, MI-May 2010.

From Wrestler to Luchagor

JayHawk and I last met Amy Dumas in 2001, when she was more commonly known as Lita, a wrestler with the WWE. A lot has happened since then. Dumas quit the WWE and wrestling all together. She is concentrating on her music with The Luchagors, her band.
We talked to Dumas about the band. She mentioned it was sometimes difficult because she had more time and energy to work on the music, but her bandmates were not quite in the same position. There is no animosity, but they just don't get to put as much time into it all as Dumas would want. She does understand the situation and does what she can do.
Dumas stated she is happy and has moved on from wrestling. She does like these conventions though, as they keep her in contact with her older fans, while exposing her to potential new fans.

Amy Dumas, Jason Fleigel and me in Novi, MI-May 2010.

WWE's Decade Diva, Lilian Garcia

In 1999, Lilian Garcia started her career in the WWE as a ring announcer. In early 2000, she made her singing debut in the WWE. She left the WWE in 2009 to pursue her music career, although she made a one night return in April 2010.
JayHawks Evans and I met Garcia at the Motor City Comic Con last month. Garcia is excited about moving to Los Angeles and really concentrating on her music career. She talked about how much fun she had on her one night return to the WWE (filling in for the new ring announcer who was stranded in Europe), but she doesn't regret leaving the WWE. She has started doing conventions, which she views as a way to keep in contact with some other wrestlers and her fans. It's kind of the best of both worlds.

JayHawk Evans, Lilian Garcia and me in Novi, MI-May 2010.

Friendly Encounters

This is weekly feature highlighting friends who have met celebs.

I have known Jason Farber for about 18 years and JayHawk Evans for about 15 years. We all worked together at Lerner Newspapers. Corporate bungling led to the demise of the once-great newspaper chain and we all have gone our separate ways, but we have remained friends.
At Lerner, whenever any of our department had any wacky ideas, the rest were usually ready and willing and able to jump in and add to the insanity. It's good to see that the concept has not been lost since our professional parting. On a trip to New York, the two bon vivants were meandering around Times Square when they came across Elmo. They made sure to get the moment photographed so they could take their place in Friendly Encounters.
Despite the smiles in the picture, Farber wasn't pleased with Elmo. Elmo?? I remember Elmo when he was unemployed and homeless, way back in the early 80's. In fact, it was on my suggestion that he went down to Sesame Street to look for work. Now, look at him. He didn't even remember my name that day. He's dead to me.
On the other hand, Evans seemed to have a more positive recollection of the event.
Didn't we run into that walking plush carpet near a theater on Broadway? Wasn't he duking it out with Hello Kitty? I have to say that I don't remember much other than it was one certainly not something I would have expected to see in NYC. But Elmo did take a shining to a couple of American Legends, so he's not all that bad. Now had we seen Oscar the Grouch, I would have marked out for sure!
Wow! Who would have thought Elmo would have provoked such feelings? As for me, I am just glad they shared their photo and memories. I think this type of controversy is just what Johngy's Beat needs to get on the map. Are you reading this, TMZ?

JayHawk Evans, Elmo and Jason Farber in New York, NY-Summer 2009.

Friendly Encounters

This is another in a series of meetings of my friends and celebs.

When last we were graced by the presence of JayHawk Evans, he was seen with Mr. Potato Head. Today, I am presenting Evans pictured with another cultural icon.
Recently, Evans and I were both in Novi (MI) for the Motor City Comic Con. Evans is a big collector of Star Wars memorabilia.
Evans is also a big fan of bacon. This might be why he is seen trying to take a bacon burger from Big Boy.
Who won the battle of the burger? I don't quite know, but I really think that the ever-smiling Big Boy had no chance against the red-haired fury!

JayHawk Evans and Big Boy in Novi, MI-May 2009.

Friendly Encounters

This is another in a series of meetings of my friends and celebs.

JayHawk Evans is a fan of the Star Wars franchise, however he is always willing to expand his horizons. Such was the case when he visited Hasbro's headquarters last year.
Evans gladly took a minute to pose with the iconic Mr. Potato Head. Mr. Potato Head was 'conceived' in 1949 and was 'born' in 1952. Evans hasn't been around that long, but his impact is almost as noteworthy.
Mr. Potato Head remains an American classic, much like Evans remains an American legend.

JayHawk Evans and Mr. Potato Head in Pawtucket, RI-August 2008.

Friendly Encounters

This is another in a series of meetings of my friends and celebs.

I have known Jason Fleigel (aka JayHawk Evans) for about 14 years. Fleigel came to Lerner Newspapers as a raw bundle of energy (hence the moniker 'The Angry One') and talent (hence the moniker 'Young Master Jason'...hence the acronym 'YMJ').
YMJ made a name for himself with his technological acumen, which was especially in demand at the technologically challenged company (hence the moniker 'NegaTek'). YMJ came to Lerner as a part-time telemarketer, but quickly developed into a vital asset to the Circulation Department. YMJ even took the lead position in a few circulation audits.

Fleigel is also a fan of wrestling. Actually, he is quite a student of the game, a virtual historian. His overall knowledge and recall is quite impressive.

Recently, he met one of his current favorites in the wrestling business, Dixie Carter, President of TNA. Carter had been successful in the business world for several years before joining TNA in 2002. Since then, Carter has played a major role in the success of TNA, although without being a major tv character.

Fleigel got the chance to chat with Carter while TNA was in Chicago for a Pay-Per-View event. Fleigel kept his composure and reigned in his excitement, but I am quite sure this photo is hung in a prominent place at Das Fleigelhausen.

Dixie Carter and Jason Fleigel in Chicago, IL-October 2008.