Alicia's House 2007

This week's column is dedicated to the memory of Billy Darnell, a star of the 50's that fought Buddy "Nature Boy" Rogers many times in his career. Billy and I, along with Bob Orton Sr. shared a lot of meals together in Las Vegas at the CAC gatherings. A nice story was done on him at http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/09/08/4480688.html. I will miss his super smile and gift of talking about the old days of wrestling. Photo is courtesy of Rose Diamond and Slam Wrestling. It is from the 2004 CAC where Billy and I were both honored with many others. Rest in Peace, Billy.--Percival

I enjoy getting in my car and going places with old friends. Dave Burzynski and I go back to the late 60's when I was in Detroit working for Big Time Wrestling. He, himself, was in the business as a manager of some of the best, including the original Sheik.

As we pulled out of the driveway of my friend’s home in Ohio, where Dave left his car, he had no gut feelings about what was going to happen to him that day. We headed westbound on the Ohio Turnpike towards Indiana and soon got into the flow of westbound traffic.

It began to rain, and that made the roads a little tougher to navigate on, but the years of experience I had were now coming into play. I gave Dave the stack of CDs that I carry in that car, and he began to look through the titles and soon found some great oldies music to sit back and listen to as the rain hit the roof of my Grand Marquis.

About an hour later, we crossed into Indiana, and the rains started to let up a bit. We came to a rest area just east of South Bend, and we both got out to stretch and shake the nearly 150 miles of sitting out of our systems. I made a short call to a friend, letting him know where we were and that I was only about 20 miles away from him.

As we entered the car, we looked back in the parking lot, and there were two huge WWE trucks with painted trailers parked there. I assumed they were headed to Green Bay for the Monday Night Raw to be held there.

About 20 minutes later, I was getting off the Indiana Turnpike at the 31 bypass that used to take me many times to Bobo Brazil’s home in Benton Harbor, just a short ways away. My mind began to do a memory check of my huge friend that has now been gone nearly a decade. The good times that we had together and the friendship we shared couldn't be replaced with a million dollars.

What I was about to do to Dave had been planned in advance for nearly two years and would have been a prank that Bobo would have enjoyed himself. I turned south on U.S. 31 and then, about two miles down the road, exited off onto Highway 2 West. I began to look at the map that I had printed out and started looking for the road to turn left on to go to my friend’s home where we were to get lunch … so Dave thought.

The next thing I knew, I looked into the car’s rear mirror and saw red and blue lights and flashing headlights. I turned to Dave and said that we were getting pulled over and that I couldn't understand why. I pulled off to the right shoulder and got out of the car and was met by "Barney Fife." We began a disagreement that ended by me being put back into my car seat.

I began to hurl insults at Barney and ask him why he was pulling us over. He shouted for us to give him our licenses, and then he began to ask us if we had been in a rest stop just a short time before on the Indiana turnpike. We both said yes, and he proceeded to tell us that we fit the description of two guys that were involved in a fight there.

By now, I began to hurl insults at Barney and called him “Flatfoot,” among some of the names. It was then that Dave told me to calm down and that I would be going to jail if I didn't stop. I was ordered out of the car and told to put my hands on the roof, and then he ordered Dave out of the other side. It was then with a smile on his face that Barney went to the other side of the car and said, "Welcome to Indiana ... You have just been had." He shook his hand and hugged him and turned to me to ask if he had done good, and I said I couldn't have done it any better myself.

We went back up the road to one of my friend’s local eateries and had a wonderful lunch and were soon back on the road again after taking a few posed shots together. Thank you, Barney, for making my day.

Arriving in Schereville, Indiana around 3 p.m., we began to take the kinks out of our system again after checking into our hotel by playing a few games of Cribbage. At 6:30, we met with “Mr. Karate” Juan Hernandez and his family for dinner at a huge buffet a couple of blocks away from the hotel.

We were joined by Ricky and Terri Smith from Nashville. They are in the music business, and Ricky is an evangelist. They currently have a new CD available called “Life Down Here,” and it can be ordered through www.aliciashouse.org . We enjoyed a huge dinner of Oriental treats and topped it off with a big slice of apple pie and ice cream.

At 9 p.m., we finally returned to the hotel, and Dave proceeded to hand me my head again in Cribbage until almost 11 p.m. I retired to my bed and was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillows. I had been up since 5 a.m. that morning.

Rising at 6:30, I went to the continental breakfast area of the lobby in the hotel and began to nourish my belly again. I had cereal, fruit and juices, along with decaf coffee and a small breakfast roll. I went back to my room and watched a movie that was on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) about a post-prohibition-era wire tap gangster and his attempt to pull a scam on his partners in crime. Of course, the good guys won, and it ended on the Hoover Dam, not far from Las Vegas.

At 10:00 a.m., I met Dave, and he was having a quick breakfast, so I had another coffee with him. We piled into the car and proceeded into Illinois and followed route 30 (Sauk Trail) towards Crete, where the day’s activities would be happening.

As we started to go into the main entrance of the Golf Clubhouse where the banquet would be held, my attention was caught by the huge 12-passenger Lincoln Limo that had just pulled up. I wondered who the celebrity was that was in the back. The driver exited out of his seat and came to the back on the passenger side and opened the huge door up, and out stepped nearly 7 feet of "The Russian Brute."

His face had a very large scowl on it, as he was just waking from an all-night flight in his private jet from his $500,000 home in the Las Vegas desert. I went to him and welcomed him to the Alicia's House outing. His big arms came around my body in a viselike grip, and he stepped back and took my hand and said, "Thank you, comrade, it is great to be back in Chicago again." I then asked him to say hello to my pal Dave, who was holding the door open for us to enter.

To be continued…..

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers

2003 BWC Hall of Fame Inductee
2004 CAC Hall of Fame Inductee
2006 LWA Hall of Fame Inductee
2007 TCCW Hall of Fame Honoree