We are into the fall of the year, and the 40^th CAC Convention is just 7½ months down the road. For those of you who have contacted me and ask why there will be no training camp and wrestling show in 2005. The answer is I have no idea where you heard that. Harley Race, Scott Casey and myself are already making plans for the 3^rd annual two-day seminar with the event on Saturday afternoon, and no one has told us different. The last two years we have had around 60 young athletes attending and we are hoping for that number or more for next year. Harley and I have seen many of the same faces at our EPWT Seminars as we see at the blast in Vegas. That means those people have a strong desire to learn and move up in the pro wrestling world.

 “The King” and I (what a name for a movie!) just returned from Denver where we did a 3-day camp. Our tour guides were CAC members Diane and Bob who are also a big help every year in getting our athletes signed in for the Vegas camp. Our next camp is here in Cincinnati October 28^th, 29^th, & 30^th. That will also be when the still photos and video will be shot for the training manual we are doing with third partner Ricky Steamboat for Sports Publishing LLC, due out in early 2005. We should have them on sale at the CAC in April. This camp is open to beginners as well as experienced independent wrestlers and we will be running two rings all three days. Helping us with the training and acting as models for the book will be independent standouts Matt Stryker and Chad Collyer (TNA & ROH) two young men who I had the pleasure of working with at the start of their careers. The writer for our manual, noted columnist Alex Marvez, will also be on the scene.  More information can be had by going to www.epwt.com, or e-mailing me at les@epwt.com.

The 5-day camp we ran back in August with Japan’s Pro Wrestling Noah was a big hit all the way around, and a soon as the Noah staff picks an athlete to award the trip to, we will be planning another such event to be held at Harley’s training center in Eldon, Missouri sometime next year.

With all the talk about fans coming to our convention in Vegas, here for what it is worth is my take. At the beginning of this year everyone seemed to be having legends conventions. I was at such a deal in January in Charlotte, North Carolina, which drew about 1500, fans over two days. In March on Wrestlemania weekend a New Jersey promoter did a one-day affair and it was a big hit. Fast forward to last month and there were two such events in different parts of the country and neither drew over two hundred fans. Now I see that at least 6 of these events are planned for 2005 and one promoter is advertising over forty current and former wrestling stars to appear in four different cities throughout the year. Never let it be said that our business didn’t know how to burn people out on a hot idea!  My point is that the CAC event maybe the best place to see legends at a sane price, a $25.00 yearly CAC membership (VIP tickets for these other events range from $150 to $250) have the chance to mingle and rub elbows with the hero’s from you past and do the Las Vegas thing all at one time.

I personally have no problem with the fans. At this age I am just glad that someone remembers and wants my autograph. Now, I don’t want to be hassled during the banquet, nor while training the athletes, and I don’t want to sign 50 of the same thing for someone to sell at a huge price without cutting me in. But if it were not for the fans all of us would have been working at jobs that we didn’t want and would not have been able to live our dreams as pro wrestlers. Let’s simply set some guidelines for the time spent inside the convention halls and see to it that everyone sticks to it. As I see it our event ever April is still the biggest bargain if you want to see legends and meet them. Plus signing up fans and young wrestlers is what will keep CAC alive and going long after our generation are all meeting somewhere in the great beyond. I have only been actively involved for four years and a member for about nine, but that is what I see, and hope that I am not way off base. I look forward to April as a time to visit with old friends from the biz, work with the young athletes and remember by gone events with the fans that are kind enough to have not forgotten.

I am glad Karl ask me to start writing a monthly column, as now Al Friend and Penny Banner have joined the mix. The more the merrier, and I enjoy hearing everyone’s opinion. My question to Penny is what did Elvis have that Al Friend and I didn’t? ... Well, never mind, we can all find out by reading her book. Everyone is doing a book, and as I read I find out that all our memories tend to change and fad as the years go by.  It seems that these days there is more interest in what Ric, Bret, Mick, Ole, Bobby, etc all said about one another, then the actual story lines going on during the weekly televised wrestling shows. There is a drawing card, get all these guys in a freestyle debate at the 40^th convention. I’ll buy a ticket for that! Well, I’m outta’ here for this month. Please feel free to write me with ideas and opinions at the e–mail posted earlier in this column. Train hard and master your craft.

‘Til Next Time,

Les