No More Air Around Me….

Today’s story is a great story of Life and being at the right place or maybe the right spot in Life’s great journey or some of you may see it as being in the “wrong spot” either way it was a “Life Moment”.

Vancouver, British Colombia – The Portland crew went there to work about once a month. Sometimes we flew; a few times Ron Starr and I drove. In these days, 1979, crossing the border was not like it is today. The flight this day got me into Vancouver way early, so I sat at the building wasting time for a few hours before more of the crew came in. My dad was in Texas with Ken working the truck stops they had just purchased and my mom was in California getting that house ready to move to Texas. I called my Mom and checked in on her; then I called my Dad at Ken’s house. I talked to Dad about the stops, the horses, Mom and the move; then Ken got on the phone and asked “Who’s all there?” Well, Bobby Jaggers, Roddy Piper, Buddy Rose, Adrian Adonis, Ron Starr, Stan Staziak, Rip Rogers, Dutch Savage, Gene Kiniski, Johnny Eagles and Don Leo Jonathan! Well, Ken had “Hello’s” for each of the boys and wanted me to ask Don Leo Jonathan about some match where he (Ken) took Don Leo “down in Japan?”

Now here is that Moment in Life where youth, inexperience take hold and mold you, as I am not sure when I talked to Ken that I told him that I was working Don Leo (and at this point if you don’t know who Don Leo Jonathan is in the business of Professional Wrestling, Google HIM – He scared even the WWE, with his true Athleticism). I’m pretty sure I did tell Ken, because I’m just sure he knew what the outcome would be and had me say something to the rest of the crew for the same outcome!!

The show and matches were moving along, Don Leo and I talked briefly about our match, and my good sense must have left me right there, as after we talked I said “Hey, My brother said Hi, and to remind you about the match in Japan where he took you down!?” A small grin, and a pat on the shoulder and he shrugged something like “yeah kid, let me finish getting ready!” Again, again youth and inexperience had me shake it off and finish getting ready for the match! I should have seen the Big Danger Sign…

Mr. Don Leo Jonathan – It’s NOW MR. because you see the match was going GREAT, marvelous, moving along like we belonged together; until he snapmared me out of the corner turnbuckle towards the middle, my arms went above my head, he came down behind me and Immediately ALL the air surrounding my head left! I could not breathe, my lungs were screaming. My mind was racing, what happened, what was going on, what did I do??? My eyes were open, I can’t see Mr. Don Leo but I know he’s got me and he’s got me good. He leans down and whispers in my ear…. “Tell your brother, I Do remember!”

All of a sudden, the air came back to the building, into my lungs and I’m sure the look of fear was gone. The match continued on without issue and until I tell my tale no one other than us, the wiser!

Mr. Don Leo Jonathan and I never spoke of the take down in Japan again. And any message my brother asked me to deliver to anyone, were completely thought about and analyzed thoroughly for any Danger before they were delivered!!

Youth and Inexperience VS Age and Experience….

Enjoy, CJM

Life Moments

You know I got a call a couple days ago from my dear friend Pork Chops Cash telling me about another from our fraternity had passed, Tom Shaft. Tom had been a pro boxer turned Pro Wrestler. Boy, let me tell you as a 20 yr. old young man sitting there listening to his stories of sparring with Muhammad Ali were just awesome!!

But this story is about life moments; those stories that Tom told me where just that, Life Moments. When Chops called with the news, he also told me about going to spend the 4^th of July holiday with a mutual friend, Noble Curtis and his family. They had one big family dinner during his stay and of course the stories from this Mississippi family about wrestling were about an evening maybe lost to some but on the front burner for others.

The story they asked Chops about was the one of Oki Shikina and Johnny Mantell one night in Greenwood, MS. You see George Culkin had bought a piece of property right on Hwy 49 and built a Sportatorium type building for filming TV. So that was the weekly building when he pulled away from Bill Watts and Mid-South and opened up a AWA company in Mississippi.

I had not been in MS on this trip very long. I went to live with Tom Jones where we worked out in the gym 6 days a week (Sundays off) and learn from booker Frankie Cain. This night in history would be my first lesson and education on building an angle. At the age of 20 you’re more piss and vinegar than knowledge and giving me to Oki was again a class with a great professional.

This night was going to start a fight that would take about 6 months to finish, that’s right I said 6 months! So the fight this night HAD to be good. My instructions were to shut up, listen and fight until Frankie and George sent help to pull us apart and then still stay after it until we got all the way back to the dressing room.

Well this match started in the ring, went to the floor, out the front door through the parking lot across Hwy 49 stopping traffic along the way, back across 49 through the parking lot back into the building and into the ring. The action never stopped and the fans followed this fight outside then back inside. And much like the Von Erichs and Freebirds fights of the 80s, this fight in 1978 was brutal. Frankie and Oki said we “must make them believe”. We must make them believe!! The blood flew, the back drops outside in the parking lot were high, running into the building everything was full speed. Sitting here today in 2013, 35 years later this life moment still sticks with me and fans that were there. So the fans did believe! The impression and education it left on me still sticks today. That’s why this fraternity is so special because we cared for each other and if you left the dressing room together you came back together. Nobody was left behind; we all wanted everyone on the card to make a living. After all, isn’t that the purpose? The promoter, the booker, the boys all wanted to make more next week than we did this week and we worked to make that happen! If you’re in this business and not in this situation, then I feel sorry for you because you’re not getting the best opportunity to learn and be involved in this business that has made it so much fun for me.

You might not believe you are making an impression on someone but you might just be making a lifelong impression, a memory or moment in time that will be remembered around their family table for a lifetime!

God Bless, CJM

From the Oki Shikina / Johnny Mantell angle for George & Gil Culkin

Our secluded sand bar…

While working for George and Gil Culkin in 1978-79 in Jackson, MS. The Life-long Lessons about Fellowship and breaking bread was just how we rolled and didn’t think twice about it! The Territory was full of Legends and Diamonds in the Rough…. Frankie Cain, Lou Thesz, Oki Shikina, Tom Jones & Dr. X to a young Terry Gordy, Percy Pringle, Michael Hayes, Kimala, myself and one wrestler Gene Lewis (Gene Kelly in the NW-Oregon days, The Mongol during WCCW days, Cousin Luke in WWE); Where our Lifetime Relationship grew to a brother like love! You see I had gone to Mississippi to live with Tom Jones and train in the gym. I was told that I had what was known as Buggy Whip arms and Tom could fix that! So training and eating right took place 6 days a week (Mon-Sat). You see in those days there was what was known as “the Blue Law”, where EVERYTHING had to be closed on Sunday. So we got a day off and Tom would kick me out of the apartment for the day. And to TRULY explain that I must save that story for another day…

So Gene and I decided that Sunday was our day to each Pizza, Play & Party, that thing Tom didn’t allow time for during the week. So we went out to the reservoir there in Jackson and had a great time. We rented a boat, took a cooler with food & adult cocktails and found the relaxing times of some of the sand bars in the secluded coves along the many miles of the Coast Line.

Well my memory isn’t the Best anymore, but Gene and I saw a yellow Trihaul 16′ with a 150hp outboard motor and decided we had to have it! Let the Good Times Roll… So EVERY Sunday instead of get up and go to the gym at 8am; it was hook up to the boat and head to the boat launch! Sometimes Gene’s wife and family would come along or Tom might go for a spin but again he was “busy” a lot of the time. So lots of the time, it was just me and Gene. This particular Sunday we were by ourselves so that meant: No Adult Supervision!

We sped around the Reservoir for a while then decided to anchor right in the middle and sun ourselves. We would jump in, get wet, float around and get back in the boat. Well this went on for a while and we were lying in the boat sunning when we heard/felt a thump on the side of the boat. It was a dead Alligator Gar!! About 4 ft. long and a mouth full of teeth that looked 6 ft long, you know what I mean. It’s hot, the Sun, the adult cocktails… So we decided to get out of these dangerous waters so we went to one of our secluded sand bars. I guess I thought that shallow water would not have this danger so off we went. We pulled up on the beach, made our little camp, ate, drank and then decided it was safe to get back in the water. It’s been 6-7 hours now at this point for two unsupervised young “studly” wrestlers, so we both decided that we were going to put life jackets on and just float in this little cove next to our camp and boat. A few minutes into this relaxing float, I feel something touch / bump my feet, legs then my ribs then back to my foot and then I see a fish break the water. My mind doesn’t care the size of the fish, my mind sees Teeth!! Gene says I looked like a cross between Fred Flintstone and Jesus, because I came up out of that water in a combination walk/run across the top and out of the water to the sandy beach. My heart and mind a racing…

After the laughter stopped I realized it was just a group of minnows that I saw and felt. WOW! Amazing, my mind played tricks on me back then too…

See ya, CJM

Front of one of the Programs from the Culkin Promotion

Can we as Americans do the right thing?

After a couple days of reflection, I have a real concern/worry for the World we live in. Whooping Cough is up 50% because of families cutting back on vaccinations (or choosing not to vaccinate because the have read on the internet that it is “not good for the child”); two little girls are missing in Iowa and now after more than a week missing authorities are realizing that they were abducted; and of course the senseless tragedy in Colorado. All of these things really show how fragile life is, how you never know when this day could be your last! Our prayers and thoughts go out to all the personnel working on finding the girls in IA and of course to their families. To the responders in CO, the hospital workers, the police & fire personnel and of course the families and friends of the deceased and survivors in Colorado. I know the collateral damage from these events go much wider than we can ever imagine. 

Yesterday I received a mud slinging postcard in the mail on the upcoming run off election in this county. It talked about a candidate that received farm subsidies of $103,782 while attending school in Europe. Today, as I watch updates on CNN, the scroll along the bottom says that President Obama spent $30 Million (yes, 30 million) more than Mitt Romney did in JUNE and then it says Romney took in $21 Million in June. So is that saying the two of them spent just under $100 Million in June for a job that will pay less than a couple percent of that? Both parties are getting ready for a Convention where millions will be spent, yet both parties already have their candidate. 

Are we not in debt up to our ears? Are people not struggling to keep their houses? (I know we live check to check and we are considered “middle class”)

Can’t we come up with ways to quit this foolish spending and maybe become responsible? O’yeah, it’s Politics! 

So we as CITIZENS must look at and react to all that is happening, and do the RIGHT thing!! 

GOD BLESS all of us,

CJM

Assertion of power in life…

This weekend the News just kept on and on about Penn State; who did what  and who didn’t do what! This is “Terrible”  (and you have to “say” it like Charles Barkley does!) for everyone involved…. For the kids of Penn State; now it is time for the Adults to handle this so the kids continue to learn the lessons of life. I don’t believe that putting the young people in the Football Program on probation is punishing the true criminals in this crime.

This is NOT a NCAA problem/crime, it’s a Civil crime! But… Well… Maybe… Let’s harp,… See this is where I get a little crazy because the NCAA will get involved just to flex their muscles and assert their power. Is that not what caused this problem? Wasn’t this guy using his power to influence kids? Didn’t officials in administration at Penn State assert their power to cover up the “crime”?  Or is assertion of power the problem? Or is it Power? 

But I don’t believe you should punish the Football program or the kids in it when they had Nothing to do with any of it except being in this program, many who weren’t even at the school or in the program when all of this happened. So how does punishing the Football program and kids in it punish the criminals that actually did the crime?  Explain this one to me….

~~CJM

Be Happy

As we spend this time packing and boxing up things here at the house, you find pictures from the past that always bring up great memories! A picture of dad and I sitting on the back wall looking at a colt, great conversation and man, do I miss him.. A newspaper article from elementary school, me and my buddy Ervin flying a kite, WOW such innocent times, my dear friend still today. From  finding my All State hat with all the Little League pens on it, to my dads President Pen! Makes me think of simple times where little things make you happy.

I’ve been mowing for the last week everyday, and today, Tuesday, we got one of those pop up showers that waters the earth. So everywhere that I mowed will be green soon. I’m going to celebrate whats going to be green and not pout about what I did not get mowed. We will work on all that tomorrow!

I guess this said simple; Enjoy your blessings; When simple times and simple things can make you happy!

Be Happy,

CJM

Great times with Dad where I learned a lot of my horse knowledge man, I miss him.

When you Shake a Man’s Hand…

Growing up in a small country store gave me great Life Lessons and my Mom & Dad made sure that they gave me the tools to use the rest of my Life. Like in business, the customer is always right; and a Hand Shake meant what you were shaking about was your word and a man’s word was what you stood by! Boy the world sure has changed.  Very few businesses stand by or treat their customers with any respect today, if you don’t comply to them, they’ll drop you because there’s plenty more customers to take your place, real customer service is a thing of the past! A Hand Shake – well, I’m not sure where to start! I remember my Dad really shaking a mans hand on a issue or business deal and then that man being in and out of our lives completing that “agreement”. It was a pact, a promise made between men, you did not need another agreement or legal document, you shook hands and your handshake was your “bond” to that agreement, it was a man’s word!

Well, here recently, I shook a “man’s” hand, should I be shocked that man’s hand did not have any substance, should I be shocked the words spoken were meaningless? No, not really but I am disappointed in the fact that my kids and grand kids can’t live in a world of Truth, Honesty, and Loyalty. I know I live in the past but I want to live, work and be around honest people. I will work non-stop to keep my family around these Truth’s that allows us to teach them Honesty, Dependability & Loyalty!!

EVERYONE remember if you shake a man’s hand, stand up behind that handshake and be a “man” about it!

Now that is What’s Been On Johnny Mantell’s Mind lately!!