BaseBRAWL

What a night! If you happened to miss the action at Autozone Park on Saturday night (the 28th of July) I am sorry! Lucky for you that missed it, I'm here to tell a little tale about one of the most memorable nights in my career. This show was more than just a wrestling show, it was just an all-out fun experience.

Let me set the table for a moment. Saturday night at Autozone Park in Memphis, Tennessee was a huge night of baseball and wrestling... thus making it baseBRAWL! So, first up were the Memphis Redbirds versus the Fresno Grizzlies. There were over 12,000 in attendance for the game. It was cloudy out... not too hot and not too cold. A very good evening for a game, but there was a chance of rain. If you know anything about the luck of running a wrestling show outdoors, then you know what is coming later in this story.

Anyhow, I was able to meet with some friends of mine upstairs in the press box of the Commercial Appeal. We had an absolute blast. Watching the baseball game was only part of the fun, as we went through scenarios of what just might happen later in the evening when I stepped into the squared circle.

I was given advice on what holds to use, what outfit to wear... you name it, they had it there for me. One friend even told me to use Jerry Lawler's patented piledriver... it always worked for the King! I was also given the heads up on the chili-dogs they were having in the press box. Now, I won't go into detail on what advice was given with the chili-dogs... but it involved using deadly chemical warfare inside the ring! In the top of the ninth, as the game was winding down, I was on my way to the locker room to get ready for action. Before I could leave, my anxious friends advised me to point in their direction... they would go crazy for me out there. I made the deal.

As the ring crew (and Redbirds staff) assembled the ring, I had a chance to meet with a few of the ball-players and umpires. And no, the umpires weren't NEARLY as bad as some of you fans think. One umpire that I spoke with told me he actually worked for the MLB. Wow... this is big time! After chatting with the ump and giving him advice and booting a catcher in the rear, I headed for the Redbirds themselves. I had a chance to get some advice on swinging the pine at an eventual opponent... and where to play golf in Memphis. I recommended a few courses they could play at. Mind you, I have no clue who these ball-players are. I just know that they've played a game tonight and they're sticking around to watch me perform. I was honored at that. But when they get up and walk away, I had a chance to read the back of their jersey's. They read, "ANKIEL" - "BOZIED" & "ECKSTEIN"! Are you kidding me? I was just talking to three of the top guys on the Redbirds' squad? Rick Ankiel, whom I had been joking about meeting all night because he's the leading homerun hitter in the league? I was totally surprised. Not because I'm this huge baseball junkie or anything... but just surprised at how polite these guys actually were!

Think of it this way - you have maybe twenty wrestlers invade your home after you've just lost another baseball game. They're asking you questions (which can get irritating). You're tired. You haven't showered yet. You're just ready to go home, right? Well, these guys had the common courtesy to not only let us in, but to treat us with respect and treat us like professionals. These guys were great, to say the least. The entire staff was tremendous.

Back to the show. I take a sneak peak outside, as the ring crew is finishing up. What do I see? RAIN. After the hours of waiting... after setting the ring up... after the set-up for the entire promotion, now it's going to rain? We're going to get rained out! Or are we?

Next thing I know, I'm walking to the ring in the rain to wrestle a former WCW and WWF superstar, Mr. Hughes! There's a first time for everything, I guess. I didn't know you could even have a show in the rain! Wouldn't the cameras get ruined? I guess not! The crowd was great... cheering for Five Starr! I get on the ropes, point up to my people in the box... and they went nuts! I loved it. It couldn't have been a better night, in my eyes. I'm glad I'm not the only one who had fun.

The Redbirds' staff was great the entire night. They lead us in and they escorted us out. Anything we needed, they had for us. What a stand-up crew they have working for them. And I hope they get a chance to see this blog. I want them to know they were appreciated on Saturday night.

With all the negative that is going on out there in the world of professional wrestling, I just wanted to let you all know about a story that is good. A story that doesn't involve steroids and painkillers. Those stories do exist and it's unfortunate. But Saturday night, we proved that wrestling is still a great way to have fun with friend and family of all ages.