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Tomorrow, I land in Atlanta for the first ever LegendsMania fanfest (LegendsMania.com).   I have to tell you guys, I'm really excited.

LegendsMania has been put together by two guys I've known for a while - Tom Harriman and Tom "TC" Clay from Tag Team Promotions.   Through the years, I've worked with them to bring you some of the legendary guests you've seen on ClubWWI.com.   They've always been a pleasure to work with and when they told me that they were putting together a convention, I was thrilled.   The thing that I always liked about the two Toms was that they never lost that spark you get as a fan.   It's something I've tried to keep through the years and something they have as well.   It's love for wrestling that makes conventions like this successful and amazing.   You know when they put something together like this, you'll have a good time…because they will too.

The show is stacked from top to bottom.   You've seen the list and it's impressive - The Powers of Pain, The Rock-n-Roll Express, The Midnight Express and Jim Cornette, The High Flyers, Demolition, The Kolloffs, Tommy Rich, Dutch Mantell, Percy "Paul Bearer" Pringle, and many more.   Lex Luger will even be there for the VIP party on Friday night.   I will also be there with a ClubWWI.com table and to host the VIP question and answer session on Saturday.   It's going to be an awesome time for any fan in the Atlanta area and I can't stress enough the lasting impact something like this will have on you.

I've gone to many wrestling shows through the years.   Maybe I haven't been to as many as some other fans, but the stuff I've seen has been pretty memorable.   I was at WCW Halloween Havoc '92 and remember returning from the concession stands to an arena of people rocking the rafters with chants of "We Want Flair," a call for the Champion who was now with the competition.   I remember being at King of the Ring '96 and watching Shane McMahon bounce off of plexi-glass thanks to a Kurt Angle suplex.   I was even there when Ricky Steamboat brought out that big Dragon lizard thing at Nassau Coliseum to counteract Jake the Snake's…well, snake.   But none of that - none of it - compares to the best memory of all.

In 1993, John Arezzi was a local wrestling radio host out here in New York.   To me, John had the greatest job in the history of the world.   He got to talk about the wrestling business for one hour every Saturday morning and bring on some of the best known guests at the time.   As a listener, I got to experience a small piece of that by calling in with random questions that didn't have anything to do with anything ("Hey.   Whatever happened to Lance Von Erich?")   and sometimes speak to the guests.   I spent all week looking forward to John's shows.

When I heard that Arezzi was holding a wrestling convention, I knew I had to go.   For starters, I had never been to one.   I knew he held one in the past, but the one I would be going to would be headlined by the long-awaited reunion of Larry Zybscko and Bruno Sammartino.   Talk about huge.   On top of that, guys like Killer Kowalski, Terry Funk, Nancy "Woman" Sullivan, Madusa, Jushin Liger, Greg Valentine, and many more were all there.   I couldn't believe it.  

I remember arriving like it was yesterday.   We paid on the way in and were told that autographs ranged from $5 to $10.   I walked into the autograph room and the first table I came across was Eddie Gilbert.   There sat Hot Stuff himself - just a few feet from me.   He had some pictures out and some pens for signing.   It was all very real.

But I still couldn't believe it.

I walked up to him nervously and shook his hand.   He asked me if I'd like to buy a picture, which he would autograph.   I explained to him - for reasons which I'm still not sure - that they told me on the way in that I'd have to pay $5 for an autograph.   Eddie looked at me.

"Are you a cop?"

No.

"Are you gonna tell John?"

No.

"Well then, if you get a picture.   You get an autograph."

And that's what I did.

Now, that sounds like nothing.   I'm sure there are people reading this and saying, "What?   So?"   That's the thing.   You have to be there.   You have to experience it.   Because even moments that seem like nothing are monumental at events like this.   It makes the big ones even more amazing.   To this day, I have Eddie's autograph by my desk.   It wasn't long after that he passed away and I was glad that I had the chance to meet him.  

When I say there were big moments too, I'm not kidding.   Being from New York, I came up with the WWF.   Sorry, Mid-Southers.   That was my home turf.   While I came to appreciate and love wrestling from almost everywhere, it was the World Wrestling Federation that first lead me to this industry.   A man who was a prominent part of that was Nikolai Vollkoff.   I used to watch him smash people into smithereens on TV back when I was still young enough to be terrified he might break into my house and do the same to me.

At the John Arezzi convention, though, he did magic tricks.  

I kid you not.   I walked past him and he asked me to choose a card.  From there, he was able to guess my card, make it jump around the deck, and all sorts of insanity.   Bill "Ax" Eadie, in full makeup, sat there and laughed as the big Russian amazed me.   To be honest, he could have been doing nothing more than shuffling them and I would have been amazed.   I just couldn't believe I was actually there doing magic tricks with Nikolai Volkoff.

I first met Georgiann Makropoulos there, as well.   Long before I'd ever send her a ClubWWI.com press release, Georgie sold me something I still have to this day.   It's a win/loss record book of Bruno Sammartino's career.   Every match he ever had was documented, typed up, and attached to a picture of the Living Legend.   At the show, I got Bruno to sign it and now - 17 years later - it's in better shape than some magazines I got last week.

In one of the best memories from the whole event, there was that moment on the elevator.  I had gotten on to go upstairs but before the door could close, a woman came on…with the Original Sheik.  

Yes.   The Sheik.

I stood there with my mouth hanging open in shock.   The Sheik?   He's real?!   He takes the elevator?!

I must have been obvious about being star struck because the woman with him smiled, as if this happened all the time, and said, "Would you like an autograph from the Sheik?"

I don't think I said anything.   I remember vaguely nodding, or making some sort of nod motion with my head.   All I know is I got his autograph.

Of course, even if you're not star struck, you can laugh at weird fans.   Maybe you know one. Maybe you are one.   Maybe you're that guy at the Arezzi convention that went up to Madusa Micelli and asked for a picture.   She stood next to him and they took one.   Then he goes...

"So.   What's your address?"

Madusa looks at him dumbfounded.   She asks him why he'd want it.  

"So I can send you a copy!"

His response was so matter-of-fact, you'd think he was going to add "duh" to the end.

Madusa smiled and told him that would be fine.   She wouldn't need a copy.  

So much happened in those two days that I could tell you stories forever.   They've always stuck with me and even now as I'm able to meet so many of these stars for the interviews on ClubWWI, nothing has ever compared to the excitement I had that weekend.   For many of you reading this, LegendsMania is your chance to experience that excitement.  

For one day, none of it matters.   TNA could bore you to tears.   WWE could be burning down around you.   It doesn't matter.   Conventions like this are about more than the wrestling business.   They're about the art of wrestling itself and the people who helped to make it what it is.   It's the chance for fans to say "thank you" and for stars to be thanked.   It's an opportunity for the people you always wanted to meet to make a lasting impact on you and give you memories you'll carry forever.   It's the reason we're all fans.