Author: Dr. Mike Lano

During the week of August 17th to 21st, 2020, after his valiant battle with health and financial issues, the wrestling world lost James ‘Kamala’ Harris. The Cauliflower Alley Club and, more recently, the kind people at GoFundMe-type accounts set up for his family, who donated badly-needed financial aid, including fellow wrestlers, promoters, fans, and more who loved the “Ugandan Head Hunter.” I am missing my friend, James ‘Kamala’ Harris. In reality, James truly loved his primary role as a longtime farmer and head of his family. He was regarded as one of the nicest, sweetest people in the biz, cracking…

People from all over the globe still miss his famous ATB House of Chinese Food and Ribs restaurant in the Atlanta area, not far from his longtime home. Born Larry Shreve in Ontario, he transformed and crafted his wrestling character into a sort of barbaric Frankenstein monster come to life. The magazine company I’ve written and short for decades(still publishing their lone title, Pro Wrestling Illustrated out of their East Coast office) helped make Abby famous in the late ’60s and early ’70s with a series of photos published on the covers and in the eir then lead titles, The…

As of 2020, there was a longstanding history of California wrestling talent which was exceptional. They include Shotzi Blackheart, Reno Scum (iMPACT), Brian Cage, SCU & Will Hobbs (formerly of AEW), who now competes as Royce Keys in the WWE. They are all now garnering attention. Hobbs, for instance, is receiving a great deal of attention in AEW over the past two months. Hobbs/Keys is originally from Roland Alexander’s Boot Camp and APW promotion, dating back over a decade to Hayward, California. Will had gone through several name changes there as Roland loved naming his talent after his old-school faves.…

In 2020, Jeanne “Hollywood” Basone wa a longtime Cauliflower Alley Club member, regular attendee, and honoree. She has constantly reinvented herself. As a wrestler on the original weekly GLOW show, she was involved in all sorts of wacky, soap opera-esque storylines. Now she is directly involved in soap. Literally. GLOW’s Jeanne “Hollywood” Basone goes from one soap opera to another. Since 1986, Jeanne has been a friend of GLOW’s taping days on The Strip. Basone became a breakout star of GLOW, much like Tina/Lisa Moretti, who went on to WWE stardom as Ivory. She stood out either paired with her…

In the Fall of 2020, I was sad to learn about the passing of a good friend, wrestler Jerry Brown. Jerry was already famous as part of the original Hollywood Blondes, who made a name for themselves in Montreal, particularly in 1973 with Red, aka Sir Oliver Humperdink, in Vachon’s Grand Prix promotion, which was one of my favourites. Especially with the territory war going on in that beautiful city against the Rougeau’s “Lutte International” territory. After his passing last week, here are my reflections on Jerry Brown as we remember the heavenly Hollywood Blonde. For me, a “Blonde highlight”…

The year 2020 was devastating, with so many wrestling brothers and sisters lost, including Ric Drasin. We lost Ric Drasin on Sunday, August 30th, 2020 (far too young, like Bob Armstrong), who was still a feisty 76. Like Chadwick Boseman, none of us had any idea he was ill. For weeks, he quietly but valiantly fought kidney failure in a Southern California hospital, with his kids by his side, until it eventually took him. Richard Alan Drasin was a bodybuilder, weightlifter, stuntman/actor, wrestling school instructor, AWF show promoter, and had a wrestling gear line that rivalled those of Adrian Street…

Some guys are some of wrestling’s top indie refs around the U.S., in no particular order, begin with two longtime friends: the late/great Brian Hildebrand (who managed in Philly/Jersey as Evil Dr. Mean Mark Curtis) and Scottie Dickenson of the Boston area. Whenever I came to shoot/cover Dennis Coralluzzo’s shows, or those of ECW’s predecessor Joel Goodhart’s TWA or later ECW or any Philly/Jersey area indies (my second home). Both Brian and Scott were usually there for our hardcore midnight-till-dawn VHS-tape-watching parties of Sayama/first and best Tiger Mask vs. Dynamite Kid, Funks vs. Sheik/Abby (also in Japan), Dory vs. Terry…

In June 2020, I was floored to learn of Valerie Boesch’s death on March 23, 2020. None of us knew until now, and that is heartbreaking. I would’ve Zoomed to Texas to pay love and respect forward for this great wrestling lady. Many others, upon hearing the sad news, began grieving her passing online. We’re celebrating wrestling’s longtime heart, Valerie Boesch. Since her husband Paul’s death in 1989 at their longtime home in Sugar Land, Texas, she devoted her life to taking care of their son Joey. Val and Paul were already semi-regular presences at the Cauliflower Alley Club in…

In 2020, I knew. He was getting better at body surfing along the California coast. He laughed, saying he hoped to be this generation’s Nick Gabaldon. Santa Monica, CA native Gabaldon remains the most recognizable African-American surfer in history. He broke many barriers and helped train other Black wave riders, including Mikey February and others in the Black Surfers Collective, who formed Global Nick G Day in 2013. S had was aware of all that. Like him, he was also a student of wrestling history and its idols: Bobo Brazil, Bearcat Wright, Ernie Ladd, Jim Mitchell, Shag Thomas, Tiger Conway…

I can’t speak for everyone else ever, but watching some of Vice Network’s second season of Dark Side Of The Ring at times was pretty hard. Particularly with subjects I was close to—some real characters like Owen Hart and Herb Abrams. Owen Hart was really an example of Heaven on Earth. I spent a significant amount of time with Owen Hart. First in Japan in the early ’90s, when he shined over there with an incredible Juniors division. The one led by Jushin Lyger/Keichi Yamada and his famous workhorse dojo that was separate from NJPW’s overall one. Owen was always…