Okay, so the title doesn't really flow, but that's what happens when you have two major things to discuss at the same time.
First off, let me say (once again) how disappointed I am that I could not make the trip out to Lost Wages, Nevada to the Riviera Casino for the Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion. However, a strange turn of events would give me some idea of what happened out there in the middle of the desert. It all started with an email from NWA Midwest promoter and business partner of wrestling legend/master belt maker Reggie Parks, Ed Chuman.
For those of you who don't know Ed Chuman, Ed is a long-time event promoter and one hell of a character. To this old country boy, his accent sounds like a Hollywood movie agent's after smoking way too many cigarettes. He's from Chicago and, I think if he had been born 70 years earlier, he would have been riding around with the likes of both Dailey and Capone, and making both of them laugh.
I had engaged in a great on-line angle with Ed and Jim Miller of NWA East leading up to the NWA's 50th Anniversary Show in Charlotte (NC) in 1999 and had the pleasure of meeting Ed there in person, along with his partners Reggie Parks and Dave Millican. Ed struck me as both a true fan of wrestling and a shrewd promoter as well. However, Ed had contracted Legionnaire's Disease just over a year before and had come close to death. During his illness and convalescence, several of his backers in NWA Midwest (which was attempting to combine the old Central States, St. Louis and Detroit territories into a regional promotion) left. However, Ed has managed to stay in the business and his promotion is about to return to producing shows in Illinois next month.
Meeting Ed and his group also gave me the chance to see something that very few folks my age have ever seen. I had been talking to my friend Masanori Horie (yes, that's the same Masa that Mick Foley mentioned in his "King of the Death Match" story in his book.), who had flown in from Japan for the event. Masa had just presented me with a present that I have treasured since, a Japanese wrestling magazine from the 1970's that had several classic photos of Fritz Von Erich, Antonio Inoki, Bruiser, Ernie Ladd and others, when I saw Reggie approaching a man in a suit sitting at a table. Despite the glasses, I recognized the man as the one and only Lou Thesz, who was at the Cauliflower Alley Club table. He greeted Reggie warmly and then looked down at the belt case that Reggie had in his hand. Masa and I watched as Reggie opened it to reveal an exact replica of the old NWA championship belt from the 1960's. I had seen this belt in photos of Dory Funk, Jr. and Harley Race and Lou recognized it immediately. It was a gorgeous piece of work.
Reggie then strapped the belt on Lou and the two legends stood together for a photograph. My mind went back to all the photos I had seen of Thesz with championship belts, including the NWA title. There I was, standing there with one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, a wrestling legend and master beltmaker, and one of the greatest wrestling fans in the world. I felt lucky beyond belief.
Ed and I stayed in touch since then. My status as a "belt mark" has been well documented in this column, and Ed kept me up with what was happening with Reggie and Dave and the belts that they were creating. I also was a frequent visitor to Ed and Reggie's website at NWA Midwest/Reggie Parks Championship Belts, where I would frequently drool over webmaster Mitch Hartsey's photos of vintage belts and Reggie's newer creations. It was at NWA Midwest that I first saw Harry White's writing about the wrestling in the St. Louis/Central States area and the WAWLI Papers. I also found a link to a website called "What Ever Happened To…?" and first stumbled into Scott Teal's corner of the world. Little did I know that "Random Shots" would end up on Scott's site one day.
Even after all that, I was surprised to see an e-mail from Ed asking me to give him a call just before he and his group loaded more belts than Lou Thesz has ever held onto a plane and headed out to Vegas. "Hey, Babe!" that raspy Chi-Town voice said. "I gotta offer for ya." It seemed that Ed's long-time webmaster Mitch Hartesy (a really great guy that I had also met in Charlotte and kept in touch with) was moving on to some other projects and was leaving the NWA Midwest/Reggie Parks Belts website. "I understand you did the webmaster thing for Triple X. How'd ya like to work with us?"
Me? A webmaster? On Reggie Parks' website? Actually work in an "official" capacity for an NWA member? To be part of a team with Reggie Parks and Dave Millican? While I wasn't sure I'd be that good at it, I was determined to try. So, I told Ed I'd take a shot at it and would start doing some things while he, Dave and their good friend and frequent customer Bruce Owens and engraver Theo Miller headed off to Vegas to display their wares and give Reggie a "surprise."
A couple of days later, Ed sent me the photos of Reggie's "surprise." While Reggie was accepting a plaque from the members of the CAC and Fritz Von Goering, Ed Chuman presented Reggie with a special gift. It was a beautiful custom championship belt. The belt had an engraving of Reggie holding up one of his most famous belts, the WWF Championship Belt worn by Hulk Hogan, Brett Hart, Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin until replaced with the current belt. The belt read "Reggie Parks, King Of Belts." The belt had been made by Dave Millican, Ed, Bruce Owens, Randy Kavrik (the jeweler for Reggie's belts) and Theo Miller, and even had a special side plate with the CAC logo on it.
Ed sent me several photos of Reggie with his belt. Ironically, Dave Millican said that it was the only belt that Reggie actually owned! Of all the belts he had created, he had never done one for himself. The photos showed Reggie being congratulated by some of his biggest fans, by his peers and holding that beautiful work of art overhead. "The Quiet Superman" as he was called by some of the wrestling magazines in his youth had now been recognized as the undisputed King of Beltmakers.
So, while I didn't get to hang out with Pampero Firpo, Penny Banner, Dick Beyer, Bobby Heenan, or my good "e-friend" Percival A. Friend in Vegas, I did get to see the pictures of this wonderful moment. Okay, so Ed told me Heenan's "wedding cake joke" and I rolled in the floor over that one. Hopefully next year will find me in Vegas with the Reggie Parks' team and stars in my eyes, "marking out" with all the rest and, if not, I'll definitely be in Atlanta in the fall of 2002 for the meeting there!
