I had the distinct pleasure of being a part of one of the most moving events I had ever been a part of this past weekend. Championship International Wrestling, co-measured by Juan Hernandez and Paul Farber, based just south of Chicago, had reached out their hand and helped others less fortunate.

The efforts of everyone involved, from the ticket sellers to the ushers to the refreshment workers to the many fans that attended, will benefit the South Suburban Resource and Hunger Network. It is a grouping of over 35 agencies that help the folks that can't.

I left Toledo and drove the 250 miles in a little over four hours and arrived at the Lincoln Mall, just off Highway 30 near Interstate 57. I had a goal to meet with other superstars that would be doing a huge autograph session to promote the sale of tickets and a 50-50 raffle to raise money for the various food banks and churches involved.

As I entered the mall, something told me this was going to be different than any other event that I had been a part of. The aisles were filled with honest to goodness wrestling fans that remembered the older generation of superstars that had made the Windy City very famous for a wrestling town. Names like Dick The Bruiser, Crusher Lisowski, Don Eagle, Moose Cholak, Billy Goelz, Johnny Kace and many others that had graced the squared circle for many years were mentioned.

People were in a buzz at the talent that was assembled for this autograph session. At the head of the table was Handsome Jimmy "Boogie Woogie Man" Valiant, a man that has seen mat wars from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and now in the new millennium. He has battled the best that the world has sent him. He was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame; he has wrestled in over 25, 000 matches in just about every country that you can name. His spot at the head of the table was contested by not one of us attending.

Fans young and old were 10 and 15 deep waiting in line, patiently waiting their turn to shake this man's hand, have a photo taken with him, or get some of his history recorded on VHS tape or other items that were offered for sale. Just as he did in the many years he was involved in the business, he met and greeted every fan on a one on one basis and satisfied their every need in the same fashion. Not many superstars can compare with the charisma of the Boogie Man.

Seated at his right were two young men that had made the trip by car to Chicago from North Carolina and Virginia. They were Bruiser Graham and Tommy Ace. I had heard a small story of each and their talents in the ring. Every word that was said was true, as they, like the Boogie Man, were true Southern Gentlemen. They stopped at every request to take pictures and sign souvenir programs, which were offered for sale during the autograph session.

Next to them was seated "Mr. Karate" Juan Hernandez, who had just been honored by the Cauliflower Alley Club in Las Vegas for his involvement in wrestling and the Martial Arts. Juan was his jovial self as he spoke, listened to requests, and gave of himself to at least 125% capacity. Next to him was The Chief, Paul Farber, who had been a trainer and manager and now was involved with wrestling in the ring against men sometimes a half size larger than he was. Paul had taken Hardcopy Coryell to the point where he won the CIW U.S. Championship Title.

Next to Paul was a man that had graced rings throughout the world. His huge structure of 6 feet 8 inches and 335 pounds far surpassed any of the superstars involved in the CIW ranks. His name was the Russian Brute, and he was all of that. Fans continuously held out their hands to shake his huge ham-like hands. They would ask for pictures to be taken, and he would rise from his heavy-duty chair that he hand carried with him and graciously smile with fans. He had been up nearly two days traveling from his current desert home in southern Nevada. How many other superstars would do this for a promotion today? Not many. The Brute is in a class of his own and can't be compared to any other star that came from the frozen tundra of the Soviet Union.

Hardcopy Coryell, with his multi-tattooed body, sat next to me and also had a non-stop smile about him as he penned the beautiful pictures he had in front of him on the table. He was the U.S. Champ and, as such, was being given the accolades and applause he so richly deserved for his ring efforts. Like the other stars seated at the table, he often jumped to his feet and took many pictures with fans.

Seated next to Coryell was a true giant of our industry, Buddy Roberts of the Fabulous Freebirds. This guy has been through a lot in the past 10 years or so and had just sat in the background following removal of his voice box as a result of throat cancer. Living in the area gave him as much response as the fans were giving the current wrestlers seated at the tables. Buddy brought along many pictures of himself, the late Terry Gordy and Michael Hayes, who made up the 'Birds. He also had a tour jacket from the 84-85 Freebird era.

I had taken my seat at the very end of the table. I did this for a reason, as I wanted to let the sun shine on as many of the others as I could. I was very proud to be a part of this event and did not want to take any of the thunder from any of the greats seated next to me. I took a lot of pictures with fans and signed close to 200 copies of pictures that I had brought with me to help with Wrestling for Hunger.

We left that autograph session and went to a local Chevrolet dealer set within a huge complex of auto dealers. Within the next hour, we were barraged with more requests to have pictures taken, to sign pictures, and to display merchandise for the public and further help the sales of tickets for the matches the following evening.

We left the car dealership showroom and proceeded south on Interstate 57 to Kankakee to yet another mall and more signings. More then a thousand fans awaited the arrival, as the local press, television and radio for the signings had scooped us. What a wonderful feeling it was to be recognized by fans again and to be put into the spotlight again.

We stayed until the last fan left and proceeded the 20 or so miles back to Peotone, where I retired to my quarters after a nice meal with The Chief. I had been up since 5 that morning, and it was nearing the 1 a.m. hour when my head finally hit the huge pillows on the bed.

I woke at 7 a.m. and proceeded to get my day started with a nice long shower and a huge breakfast, followed by a brisk walk in the downtown area near the Mayberry Junction Cafe. It is a place that most of the locals of this 5000+ town dine, and what an atmosphere. You see Barney Fife on the wall, as well as Andy and Aunt Bee and Goober and Gomer Pyle and Floyd the Barber as adornments. The food is super and leaves you with a full stomach when you leave.

The Chief and I proceeded to Frankfort, near Joliet, for yet another autograph session. This one was in a quaint little village shop that had a sports shop that sold all kinds of cards, videos and items that related to every sport in the world today. The owners were very gracious people that had invited us into their domain to help Wrestle for Hunger. We were met again by Jimmy Valiant, Bruiser Graham, Tommy Ace, Hardcopy Coryell, Juan Hernandez, Buddy Roberts and the Russian Brute. At 9:30, they had to open the doors up early to accept the more then 300 fans that braved the crisp morning air to be involved with this session.

Stories true and fabricated were being spun while we waited our turn at answering questions and taking pictures with fans. I had sat next to Boogie, and we had a wonderful time remembering some of the men that had been a part of his career at its onset. Men like Luis Martinez, Bobby Managoff, Dick Hutton, Killer Kowalski, Moose Cholak and a host of others that lent their support to Boogie as he got his feet wet.

We spoke about the young man that I had gotten autographs for at the Cauliflower Alley Club the month before and how it brought more then a smile to his eyes. It had been a huge part of the therapy that was being done to help this kid's life a little more bearable. As I looked into Jimmy's eyes, I caught a tear every once in a while when I spoke about how much he had been a part in helping people all his life. While he might be an icon and a superstar of five decades, Jimmy Valiant is still a man that came from very humble beginnings that remembers when things were a little tough and is now giving back to make up for his success.

As the two-hour signing ended, we all left and went our separate ways to ready us for the huge evening ahead. Chief, Juan and I returned to Peotone to the High School building where the matches would be happening. Following a light lunch, we all went to the school to ready ourselves. I took a spot in a room that had been a sports medicine therapy office. It had a large rubdown table in the center of the floor. I stretched out on the table and began to let my eyes close and my mind wander back to my days in the business as thoughts of many came to mind.

To be continued

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers