Hacksaw Jim Duggan Choked Johngy

I have previously written about the adventures of Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Laurie. While Laurie had special moments with Duggan, I had a little bit of fun courtesy of ol' Hacksaw.
After he saw Laurie and joked with her a bit, I asked for a picture with him. As I leaned in, I was surprised to feel his big hands wrap around my neck. I must admit, he wasn't the first person to attempt to choke the life out of me, but he was probably the most able to do it. This guy is big, in a thick sort of way. He played college football at SMU about 30 years ago. He isn't in football shape anymore, but he's big and meaty. His hands were like canned hams.

We ran into Duggan several times over the course of the convention and he was always happy to talk to anyone. With Duggan, it never seemed to be an act. He is genuinely a nice guy.

Jim Duggan and me in St. Petersburg, FL-January 2005.

Hacksaw Jim Connects with Laurie

In an earlier post, I wrote about Laurie meeting Hacksaw Jim Duggan. During that convention, Laurie and Duggan crossed paths several times. One of the most interesting times occurred during his match with Kamala the Ugandan Giant, but there were other Duggan-Laurie moments, too.
Previous to the actual match, during one of the autograph sessions, we approached Duggan. He signed my photo and looked up at Laurie and let out a big "Aaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyeee", followed by "now that's my kind of fan".
During his match, they had a couple more moments. An excellent photog, Laurie made it her mission to get great pictures for me all weekend. To my surprise (although I shouldn't have been surprised), this also included her walking to ringside during the actual matches and joining the professional photogs. Unlike the others, Laurie dug in and almost joined the action a few times. Once, she was in the middle of a skirmish between Sir Oliver Humperdink and Bobby Heenan.

Another time, she was positioned near the corner outside of the ring. Duggan (with the U.S. flag) was outside of the ring doing his trademark walk-stomp. In another surreal moment, their eyes met and Duggan gave her the big "thumb's up" to snap the great action shot below. Laurie was the only photog to nab this particular shot.Later in the match, Laurie returned to our seats, but her connection with Duggan remained intact. At one point, Duggan stood in the corner of the ring on the 2nd rope and looked into the audience. His eyes caught Laurie's and he gave her another thumb's up. If anyone else said this, I would say they were dreaming, but I saw it very clearly.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Laurie. Who would have thought? Yet, it all makes perfect sense. I still get a kick out of hearing her talk in glowing terms about Duggan.
After returning home, I scoured the online community and found some pictures others took of the Wrestling Reunion. Among the more interesting pictures was one that included Laurie. While Mike Rotunda grappled with Ron Bass in the ring, Laurie can be seen in the lower left corner capturing the moment.

Friendly Encounters

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

In January of 2005, Laurie and I went to the Wrestling Reunion in Tampa, FL. I was excited because I was going to meet many of my wrestling favorites from my younger days. I was also excited because I knew it was going to be extra interesting with Laurie being involved in all of this.
Pre-Johngy, Laurie was not a wrestling fan. I think she was more ambivalent. I had exposed her to some bits of wrestling, like Roddy Piper and Mick Foley. I knew she would stand out from the crowd. Let's face it, most of the attendees were guys like me. An attractive woman like Laurie would surely be noticed. Her open mind, her growing knowledge and her natural inquisitiveness made her a lightning rod for some of the most fascinating moments I have every witnessed.
I was talking to Hacksaw Jim Duggan, when Laurie walked up to rejoin me. Duggan immediately noticed her and let out his trademark booming "Heeeeyyyyyyyyy". The look on Laurie's face was priceless.
Intrigue? Curiosity? Entertainment? Perhaps even trepidation? I think it was a combination of all of that and more. This moment has become one of our long-running jokes. There are others from this weekend that will appear here in the future.

I really have to give Laurie credit though. She eagerly went along with me on a 3 day wrestling fantasy trip. Clearly this wasn't her hand-picked activity, yet she was more than a trooper. She got into it and I believe she came out of it with some great memories, laughs, stories and a bit of an appreciation for wrestling and the wrestlers.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Laurie in Tampa, FL-January 2005.