Cosplay with Kelsey Raegan at Nightmare Weekend

Kelsey Raegan made her wrestling debut in 2019. Trained by D-Von Dudley and Gangrel, Raegan started a bit late, as she was in her late 20s. She has quickly learned the business and has won several titles, including the SHINE championship once.

When Raegan appeared at Nightmare Weekend, she was in full cosplay mode. She was also one of the most popular wrestlers there. 

It was my first year covering Nightmare Weekend from Galaxy Con, but it won't be my last. It was a smaller con, but packed with a lot of great guests and event. A full card of wrestling in cosplay was one of the real highlights on Saturday.

The wrestling was a chance to see a lot of talent wrestlers in costume, outside of their usual gear. Many wrestled a different style, one to conform more with their ring gear. It amounted to a fun night, and the wrestling was not sacrificed for the gimmicks.

For more info on this event, go to galaxcycon.com. Also, follow Raegan on social media for more fun. 

Kelsey Raegan and me in Rosemont, IL-May 2025.

Cosplay and Wrestling with Darin Corbin at Nightmare Weekened

Shockingly, Darin Corbin made his wrestling debut in 2004. It is an understatement to say I was surprised to learn that.

While I have known of Corbin for a while, I first saw him up close in action at 2econd Wrestling a few years back. There is no way I would have guessed he has been around so long. I guessed he was about a 10 year vet.

I have seen him wrestle several times at 2econd and a few times elsewhere. He has a great moveset and ring presence. I love 2econd Wrestling, but I question their lack of a better direction for Corbin. Of course, I don't know the inner workings at 2econd, but I firmly believe Corbin has been underused. He should be a part of the title picture. He should be one of the faces of the company. He's that good.

When Tony and I heard he was appearing at GalaxyCon Nightmare Weekend, we messaged him about a quick picture. Despite being busy, he met us ringside and actually took the time to chat with us a bit. Then later that day, he was part of the cosplay wrestling card at the convention. O course, he was his usual entertaining self, while also being in cosplay mode.

For more info on 2econd, go to the 2econd Wrestling linktree. Check back here for my recurring coverage of 2econd and other wrestling companies.

Darin Corbin and me in Rosemont, IL-May 2025.

Christian at Nightmare Weekend

With no disrespect intended, when I first saw Christian I never thought would have such a legendary career. I figured he would be good, but he has proven to be one of the greats of his era.

I first saw Christian when he was teaming with his childhood pal Edge. They went on to have a Hall of Fame career as a tag team, but they weren't done. Each has gone on to individual HOF careers.

Whether good or bad, Christian excels in the ring and on the mic. His latest run in All Elite Wrestling shows he is still at the top of his game. He is one of the best reasons to watch AEW.

I have met him many times, with the latest being at GalaxyCon Nightmare Weekend. He had one of the longest lines all weekend, but we had a chance to meet him late Saturday. Tony asked him how he liked being the bad guy in AEW. He replied he loved it. He enjoyed being a jerk.

Of course, he is anything but a jerk in person. Having met him many times, I have never seen him be anything but great.

Christian must be nearing the end of his full-time career. Watch him and enjoy it while it lasts.

For more info on Christian, go to allelitewrestling.com. Also, check galaxycon.com for all of their conventions.

Tony, Christian and me in Rosemont, IL-May 2025.

Meeting Bozo at Nightmare Weekend

When my pal Tony saw Galaxy Con Nightmare Weekend was taking place in Chicago, he let me know and we applied and received media passes. While we had several folks we wanted to meet, Joey D'Auria was tops on that list.

D'Auria is a Chicago legend. He is the second and last man to portray Bozo the Clown, a beloved television staple for many years in Chicago. He replaced Bob Bell, another legend), keeping the essence of Bozo, but making it his own, too. Filling Bell's shoes could not have been easy, but D'Auria did it seemlessly.

When we met him the first day, he told us a few bits of Bozo trivia. He was so engaging, I thought I had a real shot at getting an interview with him the next day. When we approached him again Saturday, he didn't even hesitate. I asked him to repeat a bit of what he told us the previous day and I asked a couple other questions.

After it was done, Tony and I were a bit giddy. "We just interviewed Bozo" became our mantra all weekend. Even if we did nothing else, I think we would have been happy.

We did do lenty more though, but I'll save those stories for future days. For now, I just want to soak in the fact that we interviewed Bozo.

Our interview is at Meeting Chicago Legend Joey D'Auria on Global Traveler's YouTube channel. While you're there, please subscribe!

Joey D'Auria, Tony and me in Rosemont, IL-May 2025.

Clint Howard at Nightmare Weekend

Just like his older brother Ron, Clint Howard has acted most of his life. At the age of two, he appeared on The Andy Griffith Show and has stayed busy since.

Howard's resume is lengthy, including several episodes of Star Trek, 17 of Ron's movies and my favorite, Rock 'n' Roll High School. Last year, on the big screen, he was in Terrifier 3 and The Bold and the Beautiful on tv. That started his seventh decade of acting.

I have wanted to meet Howard for many years, but he hadn't done conventions around here. That changed in April, when he appeared at GalaxyCon Nightmare Weekend. He was the most popular celebrity guest there and he could not have been nicer. He happily posed for pictures, signed autographs and answered questions from adoring fans, including me.

With folks like Howard who has done so much, he gets a wide variety of questions, but he said I was the first there to ask about Rock 'n' Roll High School, which also starred PJ Soles and the Ramones. He had nothing but good things to say about that and the other projects I heard people ask him.

Nightmare Weekend was a smaller, but great convention. In addition to Howard, we met Joey D'Auria (aka Bozo), some wrestlers and several talented creators.

Look for my recaps mixed in with my other coverage. Also, check galaxycon.com for more info.

Clint Howard and me in Rosemont, IL-May 2025.

Barry Bostwick Coming to Nightmare Weekend

Nightmare Weekend is coming to Chicago May 2-4. I will be "On the Beat" all weekend meeting celebrities and other creators.

One of the celebrities appearing is actor Barry Bostwick. His first major role was in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but he has a lengthy resume besides that.

Bostwick starred as New York Mayor Winston on tv's Spin City, one of my favorite sitcoms. It also starred Michael J. Fox, Richard Kind, Alan Ruck and others. It had a great ensemble cast. Unfortunately, when Fox left due to Parkinson's Disease and was replaced by Charlie Sheen, the show lost its appeal to me. No offense to Sheen, but it wasn't the same. Anyway, Bostwick was brilliant in his role.

Having met him last year, I know Bostwick, 81, still looks and sounds great. I always look forward to seeing him. He is a class act and a really nice guy. I will always remember him comparing his hair to mine several years ago, which became a running gag.

Bostwick is just one of many stars in the celebrity lineup at Nightmare Weekend. Go to galaxycon.com for more info and scheduling.

Barry Bostwick and me in Rosemont, IL-October 2011.

Gangrel at Nightmare Weekend

Nightmare Weekend comes to Rosemont, Illinois May 2-4. This will be my first time "On the Beat" at Nightmare Weekend.

All of the guests have not yet been announced, but Clint Howard is at the top of my list from those already announced. The brother of Ron, Clint has been on my want list for a long time.

Another person announced is wrestler Gangrel. After debuting in 1988, Gangrel built a solid career, most notably with the WWF. A few years ago, I saw him wrestle at 2econd Wrestling and was a bit surprised how much he could still go. In his early 50s, Gangrel wasn't quite the same as in his prime, but he put on a solid performance. He was also great with the fans.

On the wrestling front, Gangrel will be joined by WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley. Foley is always a great guest. Other mainstream celebs include William Shatner, Danny Trejo and Butch Patrick. I excitedly await even more guest announcements.

Go to GalaxyCon.com for more info and scheduling on Nightmare Weekend. Check here for my recurring coverage.

Gangrel and me in Highwood, IL-July 2022.