WrestlingFigs > Wrestling News Posts > SUMMERSLAM BACK IN NY, PERCIVAL A FRIEND, SCORPIO, MORE
SUMMERSLAM BACK IN NY, PERCIVAL A FRIEND, SCORPIO, MORE
  • 09/29/2015 (4:19:31 pm)
  • Bob Mulrenin

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Thanks to Jeff Sheridan
 
EXCLUSIVE: WWE SummerSlam will be at Barclays Center in 2016 and 2017

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/exclusive-wwe-summerslam-barclays-center-2016-17-article-1.2376424

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Too Cold Scorpio Booking info

[email protected]

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Canvas to Canvas by Artist Rob Schamberger : "The Heartbreak Kid Steals the Show"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMW2c4u4rNI

Photo at the bottom of the page

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Remembering Percival A (for Al) Friend

By Dr Mike Lano

Many of us were longtime friends of former wrestler and better wrestling manager Percival A. Friend(born  Albion Joseph Friend who passed on the 23rd), a major Midwest manager & industry historian. More importantly Al was a give-backer to the biz he so loved.  A regular for some 15 years at Cauliflower Alley Club and a phenomenally nice person.  Al even taught some of the Hart family when he was up there,  how to play the wrestler’s famous mainstay competitive board game(combining a lot of skill sets) in Cribbage as well as many others.  At CAC's annual championship, Al won our Cribbage tournaments several times over other longtime winners in Destroyer Dick Beyer, Butcher Paul Vachon and Riki Ataki.

Al started as a wrestler in 1963(“I wasn’t ever as good as I thought I should be and so turned to managing in 1970” he told me) and primarily worked for Bob Geigel in Kansas City and also in Texas, often managing stars from outside the U.S. although he said he started out in Detroit driving Sheik(Ed Farhut’s) famous Caddie limo for he and Joyce besides doing some ring-announcing first in Ohio.  “I tried to be different when I was a worker, and alternate my masks and outfits because I was hooded most of the time in my brief wrestling career.”

Some of the great Central States boys he managed in the early to mid 70’s include Handsome Harley Race, Roger “Nature Boy, Rip” Kirby, Wild Angus Campbell when he was a heel, Tokyo Joe and of course the Fireball-throwing Sheik(greatest heel in the biz ever in my opinion as his 60’s fan club prez).  He also said he worked briefly in the early 60’s for Vince Sr.  He was also famous for managing foreign tag teams like Yasu Fuji and Chati Yokochi who won Geigel’s tag straps and “to this day believed tag team wrestling was a fantastic and sometimes lost art form.”  At some of the more recent CAC’s, it was always a kick to pose all the surivivng Kansas City legends together: Bob Geigel himself before we lost him, Harley, Akio Sato and his legendary world champeen wife Betty Niccoli, Reggie Parks, Kerry Brown, Ed Wiskowski, Art Crews, and legendary TV announcer Bill Kersten.
 
He said he was forced to leave the biz to care for his new family members including his new daughter  at the time ”to spend better quality time with them rather than being constantly on the road.”
 
Ala Ric Flair, Arn and many others, Al Friend loved oldies rock music from the 50’s and 60’s.  He also loved playing ribs on managing/industry pals like Dave Drason Burzynski who he’d known since the 60’s.  “Not Johnny Valentine type mean ribs, just harmless little pranks.  Well, I always thought they were harmless. Dave might not have!”  He also loved his friends Bobo Brazil, Omar(brother to Cyclone Negro) Atlas who was another Geigel KC mainstay, 
 
Amongst his most famous quotes he said on my show and many others include: “Warm up, Psych Up and deliver to that audience!  They want you to entertain them.”  “Always try to deliver and deliver a message to that crowd, tell that story!”
“You need to know and love what you’re doing in that ring and not just try to make a name for yourself.  You’re part of a team.”
 
Percival A(Al as we always called him) Friend was one in a million.  Always nice to everyone from his peers to new marks/fans at events like Cauliflower Alley where he was given one of our top honors and awards just last year;  he was missed this past April amidst ailing health.    His passing is a great loss but keep his memory alive in your heart and minds.  This was one great human being, let alone pro wrestling greats.

*Was back last night as a regular on Bruce Hart and Bob Johnson's Podcast radio show which was dedicated to Al.  We also had Mike McGuirk on who Al was always proud of and she related some thoughts about him and what a loss his passing has been.
 
Photo below by Dr Mike Lano of Al with Edge & Beth Phoenix at the Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion
 
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This Saturday night is the last stop before American Championship Entertainment's biggest event of the year, this Saturday night is Rise 2 Power! ACE continues to bring you hard hitting action and with matches like the one's we are about to reveal it's going to be a MUST SEE SHOW!

ACE Heavyweight Champion TJ Marconi will have a new challenger vying for his title, when he takes on Ricky Reyes of Lucha Under Ground fame! Will it be a boot party for Reyes, or will the Definition of Excellence walk away with the gold?


The ACE Tag Team titles will be on the line as Ricky Richards and Mike Donovan are set to take on the high flying tandem of Black Zemis and Ultimo Maya. This is the second meeting between these two teams and both showcase hard hitting action. Who will go into Cross Roads as the Tag Team Champions?
 
Rob Vegas makes his return to ACE this Saturday night as he will take on a popular upstart in Sean Carr. Carr has been riding a lot of momentum in the tri-state area but, he has never take on a competitor like Vegas. It will be interesting to see if the young lion can tame the veteran.
 
"All Star" Lou Torres continues his quest in ACE to showcase his abilities and this Saturday he looks to showcase his abilities against, "The Good Guy" Azrieal. Azrieal is one of the most sinister competitors in the locker room right now, can Torres use this match to catapult himself to stardom?
 
Sonny Kiss is easily one of the names you hear in the tri-state area and he is one of the best Fight for Flight Champions in recent memory. This Saturday Sonny defends his title in what may be his hardest defense yet. Joey Adams who is no stranger to Kiss, and Prince Akkanatan who is always looking for more gold in his tomb. Sonny is going to have to turn #teamtwerk up like never before in order to prevail.
 
All this action and so much more from the Morgan JR Arena in Wallington NJ, which is just minutes from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. From Port Authority Bus Terminal take the 160 Bus towards ELMWOOD PARK and get off at LOCUST AVE and HATHAWAY and walk three blocks to the Morgan JR Arena. The arena is complete with a full concession stand with Coca-Cola Products and a menu that includes Empanadas, hamburgers, chicken wings and more!
 
We hope to see you all there at Rise 2 Power!
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