The King and I
September 17, 2001

In the wake of a horrible week, Fabulous Frederick of Hollywood, Al B. Damm, and I pushed forward with a trip we have been planning for several weeks. Friday morning we set out for Missouri.

Late Friday evening we pulled into Eldon, Missouri. Eldon is the home of the World League Wrestling Headquarters also known as the Harley Race Training Academy. Eldon is a small town of roughly 4,000 people. It was fairly easy to find the academy. We spoke at some length with Skippy (the assistant trainer) prior to checking into a motel and getting some much-needed rest.

The following morning (Saturday) we arose early and made our way to a small diner for breakfast. As we entered the diner, we noticed a poster for an upcoming WLW show. The highlight of breakfast was when the waitress approached the table and out of the blue asked, "Are you wrestlers?" We acknowledged that were we indeed wrestlers. We were treated very well.

Working out in front of Harley and a small group of WLW wrestlers was an honor. Skippy led us through a rigorous warm up. Then, I was asked to work a match with RJ Allday, formerly known as Chip Allgood. That in and of itself was a pleasure. We have known each other for a couple of years and I have been a big fan of his work. Due to a variety of circumstances, we have never been booked on the same show let alone gotten in the same ring. We had a decent match. All in all, it came off pretty well.

After all of the workouts were done, I had a chance to sit down and chat with Harley. I will not lie; Harley is one of my idols. He has been to the mountaintop. He had success at every level of the business. Harley Race is a true legend. We had a pleasant and positive conversation. I am very happy with how things turned out. A return trip is planned for October.

Every restraunt, gas station, store had fliers for WLW's upcoming show. The show is more than an hour drive from Eldon. Many stores have framed photos of WLW wrestlers. Eldon takes wrestling seriously. It was an amazing spectacle. Lastly, all of the WLW wrestlers were unbelievably polite and cordial. I can't wait to go back.