My day started like most, rising at 5 a.m. and checking the computer for new items and mail. This was to be a special day for me, and the 165 miles that I would do each way seemed very easy.

As I got onto US 23 North and headed across the border from Ohio into Michigan, a lot of places seemed very familiar to me as I passed them. For some 8 1/2 years that I wrestled and worked out of the offices of World Wide Sports, I traveled these roads just about every day. The miles clicked away as I listened to Jerry Clower on the CD player. He is one of my favorites in comedy and has been for over 30 years. I also listened to some bluegrass music as I neared Flint.

I stopped at 8:30 in the morning and paid my respects to my Dad, Grand Father and Grand Mother at the Bristol Cemetery. It is something I do on every trip to Flint. I have great memories of Roy and Laura Friend, my grandparents from my youth. They owned a mobile home park about a mile down the road from the cemetery called West Haven. The street signs still bear their names within the park, and the old red shingled home, where my uncles and aunts grew up, still sits in the front of the park.

Getting back on the road north again, it wasn't long before I was in Birch Run and exiting to the west and turning into the sports complex where I would meet with Mark Bujan. He is one of the staff of Legends Entertainment that was putting on the tribute to Hawk 11-1-2003.

As I pulled into the special area where the officials were starting to gather, I wondered, how many of the guys would be here in the building already?

Entering the huge arena, I heard my name being called, and, suddenly, Mark Bujan came forward to meet me. We had exchanged mail for a long time, and it was one of the highlights of this trip to get to meet with him. We chatted for a couple of minutes, and then he escorted me to the arena floor where the ring was set up.

We chatted for a few minutes, and then I opened up one of the cases that I had carried in and began to show him three albums full of pictures that I had brought along. About a half hour went by as I was calling out names of people in the pictures to Mark when Luna Vachon came up. We exchanges hellos, and she went to her dressing room in the rear of the building.

I was taken a little after 9:30 to the card show area, where the guys had a bunch of tables set up selling pictures and books. I was seated next to Greg Oliver and his beautiful wife Meredith, who had come in from Toronto to sell copies of his new book, "The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame ... The Canadians". It has a wonderfully written forward by Jacques Rougeau Jr. and has many stories and pictures in this 18-year labor of love that Greg has put together in print. I encourage you to get a copy either through …

Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1550225316/

... Or you can check your local bookstores to have them order it for you.

On the other tables next to us were Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Ricky and Robert "The Rock and Roll Express", Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, the Barbarian, Honky Tonk Man, Luna Vachon and Gangrel. Fans were very appreciative of each and every one of the legends that had come to the greater Saginaw area to pay tribute to Hawk.

The six-hour signing event was over, and we had almost three hours to do what we wanted to do. Greg, Meredith and myself went to nearby Frankenmuth for a great dinner. The atmosphere in Frankenmuth is of Bavarian tastes, as this was a huge logging and lumber town in the middle 1850's when it was formed by German immigrants. Some 75 years later, it became a tourist attraction with the family style dinners prepared for visiting folks.

Frankenmuth also was the site of a couple of breweries, Heilman and Geyer. These companies produced the finest ale this side of Bavaria, Germany and had the best brewers living locally.

Returning to Birch Run, I was asked to be a special guest referee for a match. Before I had a chance to ask which one, I gladly accepted. It was an experience that I will remember for quite some time.

I joined some of the legends seated at tables lining one of the inner walls of the arena as the over 900 fans started into the complex. The response to getting pictures and autographs was super. Every fan that approached the tables was met with a smile and a handshake. I was really impressed with the friendship shown to all the wrestlers and the wrestlers to the fans.

As the matches began, I was informed that I would be the official in the girls match between Luna Vachon and Malia Hosaka. I never knew that my life would flash in front of me as that match progressed.

The opening of the night began with a 10-bell salute to Michael Hegstrand, who was known to wrestling fans worldwide as Hawk of the Road Warriors. Not one of the fans muttered a single word as those 10 bells sounded off. Many of the wrestlers near me had tears running down their cheeks, as did I.

The opening match had Jimmy Snuka facing The Brooklyn Brawler. Crowd reaction to these two was tremendous as they had the entire crowd eating out of their hands. The second match featured the Rock and Roll Express facing Gutter and Conrad Kennedy III, who are mainstays in Border City wrestling based out of Windsor, Canada.

I walked the aisle very slowly going to the ring. I began to check the ropes and turnbuckles out as I did during the many years that I was a referee for Big Time Wrestling out of Detroit. Following the introductions, I brought the two ladies to the center of the ring and began to tell both what I expected of them. As I related to no hitting with closed fists and pulling of hair, I made mention of it being ok to hit with an open hand. I was hit by Luna and knocked right on my butt with just an open hand.

This gal is as tough as her father, Paul Vachon, and her famous uncle, Mad Dog Vachon. I regained my composure as fans wanted me to disqualify her for hitting me. I made a mental note to speak to her after the matches and kept the match going. Malia was pinned for a three count after she tried a second monkey flip. These are two of the toughest gals that I have ever been in the ring with ... bar none.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan and his D.J. partner beat Honky Tonk Man and his D.J. partner. Balls Mahoney, from ECW fame, beat Norm in a hardcore tables match. They had a tribute for Hawk with video action on a huge screen on the wall ... all the wrestlers surrounded the ring and paid tribute to Hawk.

The midgets were next and had the building turned upside down as usual. Gangrel, with Luna as his manager, beat Colossus, a seven-foot giant. The Main Event featured Greg "The Hammer " Valentine and Brutus Beefcake being reunited to face the Warlord and the Barbarian.

I would like to take just a moment to thank the hundreds of fans that came to the event and to the card show earlier in the day. You proved that there are real wrestling fans that care about the legends of wrestling.

I need to thank publicly Mark Bujan and Steve Rau and their entire crew of Legends Entertainment at http://www.legendsentertainment.net/ for giving me the chance to be in the ring again for this event. I hope to be involved with more cards like this in the future.

Thank you to Greg Oliver and his wife Meredith for your kindness and being special people in my life. I hope that we will remain friends for at least another 100 years.

Also, thanks to all the wrestlers and the ring crew who spent the day and evening with me making this a happy time in my life. May God ride with you all until we meet again.