Terri Runnels at Great Lakes Championship Wrestling

Last year, I caught up with Terri Runnels at Great Lakes Championship Wrestling's Golden Days. I wrote more about it for Global Women's Sports Radio at Golden Days Was Solid Gold.

I had a lot of fun with Terri. She was as lively as always. I hadn't seen her in years, but it was just like old times when she greeted me as "Jay Leno." Then for whatever reason, Terri grabbed my hand and said we were going to run laps around the whole area. Who am I to argue with Terri? It was fun seeing all the odd looks and Terri and I had a lot of laughs.

I have meet Terri many times at GLCW events, including Blizzard Brawl. This year, Blizzard Brawl is on December 2 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Only a couple guests have been announced, but there will be at least 20+ legends and current wrestlers there. I'm hoping that includes Terri, because it is always great catching up with her. Either way, I will have updates here as announcements are made.

Go to GLCWWrestling.com for more info on Too Cool and other events. Also, check here and GWSR for my recurring coverage.

Terri Runnels and me in Cedarburg, WI-January 2022.

Terri Runnels at GLCW's Golden Days

Terri Runnels has had a fascinating career in wrestling. She started in World Championship Wrestling as Alexandra York, leader of the York Foundation, a group of wrestlers who used high tech computer info to defeat opponents. She moved to the WWE as Marlena, valet to then-husband Goldust. The cigar-smoking Marlena added a new layer to the intriguing Goldust character. Eventually, Terri assumed her true identity and became a manager for others. The little she-devil even won the Hardcore title once.

Terri has kept a bit of a low profile since leaving wrestling, although she does make appearances at various conventions and events. At the Motor City Comic Con many years ago, Terry started calling me "Jay Leno," a name I heard fairly often those days. This brought frustration to The Honkytonk Man, who was also there and thought he was the first to make that connection. Since then, I have seen Terri many times. She has been kind enough to give me a few interviews, a promo and even wore my shirt.

I will see Terri again Saturday at Great Lakes Championship Wrestling's Golden Days in Cedarburg, WI. It will be a great night of wrestling action, featuring Terri in a pre-show meet-and-greet. Will Terri get involved in any of the wrestling action? Will Terri attempt to mix it up with Linda Kay, the unexpected star of last month's Blizzard Brawl? I don't know, but I will find out while I am "On the Beat" there. I will report back here on all the action.

Go to GLCWWrestling.com for more info on Golden Days and other GLCW events. Check back here for my recurring coverage of GLCW.

Terri Runnels and me in Waukesha, WI-December 2012.

Cigars, Scars and Superstars With Terri Runnels

Terri Runnels broke into wrestling in the late 1980's.  She went on to become one of the most popular stars in the business.  She retired as an active performer in 2004, but she is still making appearances at events and comic cons.

I first met Terri at Wizard World in 2008.  I have had the pleasure of interviewing Terri several times since then and she is always a sweetheart.  She even did a promo for Johngy's Beat (see left column).  Terri was also one of the first celebrities to call me Jay Leno.

Recently, Terri announced that she was starting a podcast.  Cigars, Scars and Superstars debuts on January 23.  Terri will be joined by Matt Koon and Corey Forman.  Cigars, Scars and Superstars promises to discuss wrestling, but also other topics, like current events.  She will be reviving her advice column, too!  This sounds like a lot of good listening and I will be sure to check it out.

I wish my friend Terri a lot of luck.  I'm sure she will be her usual entertaining self.  She always has fun stories whenever I see her and I'm sure she'll delight her audience.

You can get more info and updates on the Cigars, Scars and Superstars Facebook page.  Of course, you can also follow the she-devil on twitter @TheTerriRunnels.  Lastly, you can get all of the Terri-related shirts at Pro Wrestling Tees.

Terri Runnels and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2008.

I Miss Terri Runnels

Terri Runnels had a successful run in pro wrestling basically from 1990 to 2004.  She has made convention and show appearances since then.

Terri was one of the first celebrities to refer to me as "Jay Leno."  In fact, at the Motor City Comic Con many years ago, she greeted me with that, much to the dismay of the Honkytonk Man who thought he was the first.  She also has done a Johngy's Beat promo (see left column) and has worn the Johngy shirt.  I was already a fan of hers, but all of this made me appreciate her even more.

Those of you who have met Terri know she is a real sweetheart.  If you haven't met her yet, she is doing a bunch of appearances.  You can find out her schedule at TerriRunnels.com.  You can also learn more about her, see her merchandise and find other fun stuff.

I haven't seen Terri in a few years.  I am way overdue.  Hopefully, 2018 will change that.

Terri Runnels and me in Oaks, PA-October 2010.

Terri Runnels Loves Johngy's Beat

I first saw Terri Runnels as Alexandra York in the old WCW.  Later, I saw her as Marlena in the WWE.  Eventually, she became better known by her real name.

No matter what name, I have always been a big fan of hers.  She has beauty, brains, talent and class.  She is certainly one of the most popular divas of all time.

I have had the pleasure of meeting her several times.  I have interviewed her a few times and she even cut a Johngy promo for me.  You might say I can never get enough of Terri!

Now, I am with Terri all of the time.  Well, me in the form of my shirt, is with Terri.  Boy, doesn't she look lovely in the shirt, too (of course, she would look lovely in any shirt)?

This is definitely one of my favorite pictures.  Years back when I first saw her, little did I know hat one day she would model my shirt.  I am very grateful to Terri for this, but really more for being so kind to me over the years.

Terri Runnels-March 2014.

Color Me Purple

I liked Star Wars.  Liked.  I did not love Star Wars.  It did not change my life.  I did not wait excitedly for the sequels (heck, I only saw the next two).

I admit for that time, it was very cool.  The effects were awesome.  Soon though, the stories got complicated beyond belief and the effects became too much.  At some point there is such a thing as overdoing something, even if it is a good something.

This year at C2E2, I saw a Star Wars character in a new light.  Actually, I saw R2D2 in regular light, but a different paint job.  R2D2 was purple!

A purple R2D2?  This I could find interesting.

Then I thought I had better check to make sure this really was a purple R2D2 and not another robot I did not know from the Star Wars franchise.  I'd hate to be accused of lazy journalism.

I found out that it is R2D2 with a custom purple paint job.  Now I could freely go on and on about how cool a purple R2D2 would have been.  Perhaps C3PO could have been a metallic purple.

In my search for answers though, I came across a picture on the MySpace page for Terri Runnels.  Apparently, I am not the only one who likes purple R2D2.

Then I had a thought.  Was this whole R2D2 purplization a clever ruse to get the attention of lovelies like Terri?  Wow.  If so, I have an even greater respect for it.

Heck, I would paint myself purple if I could get that type of affection.

Terri Runnels Poses with Erin Moran, Bernie Parent and Johngy

The 2009 Ultimate Collectibles Show was such a blast. There were so many celebrities (wrestlers, actors, athletes and other notables). It was awesome to meet them, but also pretty cool to watch them interact with each other.
I met Terri Runnels there again. We talked for a bit and joked about Jay Leno. She even agreed to do a video promo for Johngy's Beat.
Later during the event, I saw Runnels posing with Erin Moran (of tv's Happy Days). Then I saw Runnels posing with NHL Hall of Famer Bernie Parent. I also saw Runnels with several others, including several of her former wrestling cohorts. Despite her interest in posing with celebs, I must admit that the picture of Runnels and me below was requested by me however, not her.
Runnels wasn't the only celebrity to pose with other celebs. I think it is pretty cool to see such intermixing. I also like that the celebs, whom I like to meet, also like to meet celebs.
I have to say that yours truly was even requested for a photo. Michele Mupo (aka Fuchsia) asked me for a picture of the two of us. Of course, I also wanted one, since this was our first meeting. I guess it just means you'll never know who you might see posing together at a convention.

Terri Runnels and Erin Moran in Oaks, PA-October 2009.

Terri Runnels and Bernie Parent in Oaks, PA-October 2009

Terri Runnels and me in Oaks, PA-October 2009.

GT in LA:Patrick Warburton

One week ago, I was in sunny Los Angeles with the rest of the Global Traveler staff. Thursday night we had the annual GT Tested Awards cocktail party.
Patrick Warburton, star of Seinfeld and Rules of Engagement, was the guest of honor and spoke to the crowd on behalf of Pencils for Kids, an organization dedicated to lifting children from poverty through education.
Warburton arrived early and immediately started to mingle with the growing crowd. Of course, I grabbed our photog and got my picture with Warburton right away. As a big fan of Warburton's, I was not going to risk missing this opportunity. As I approached him and began to shake his hand, he asked me if anyone ever had told me that I look like Jay Leno. I asked him in return if anyone ever told him he looked like David Puddy. He got a kick out of that.
It wasn't the first time I have heard the Leno reference. I hear it quite a lot. In fact, at this party, I heard it about 5 times. Warburton would be the most famous of the bunch. Previously, Terri Runnels of WWE fame had been the most famous to ask me about Leno.

Warburton was very approachable, about as laidback as could be. We talked about Family Guy, his kids, other voiceover work and Los Angeles among other things. He seemed to be one of the most down-to-earth celebs I have ever met.

Patrick Warburton and me in Los Angeles, CA-January 2009.

Interviews:2008

Here is the complete listing and linkage for all of my 2008 interviews.

I interviewed Rick Monday right outside the Dodgers' clubhouse at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. We talked mostly about when he saved the U.S. flag from being burned. I wrote a piece about that for Global Traveler magazine's website. That GT piece was read by David Stein on Sporting News Radio.To hear the Rick Monday interview click hereTo hear David Stein read my piece click here


For another piece on GT's website, I interviewed wrestling personalities Al Snow, Terri Runnels and Scott Taylor separately at Wizard World in Rosemont, IL in August of 2008. We talked about travel, their current life and their future plans.To hear the Al Snow interview click hereTo hear the Terri Runnels interview click hereTo hear the Scott Taylor interview click here


I interviewed Mike Easler and Larry Bowa together during batting practice at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Easler talked about his favorite city, while Bowa wasn't quite as decisive about his. I also helped Bowa with fielding practice, although that is not part of the interview.To hear the Easler and Bowa interview click here


I interviewed Hall of Fame broadcaster Peter Gammons of ESPN on the field at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. It was long before the game started and there were only a handful of people even there. We discussed his favorite cities.To hear the Peter Gammons interview click here


The last interview I got at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008 was with Ryan Dempster. Dempster had an unbelievable season after converting back to a starting pitcher after being a reliever for several years. Dempster was very loose and seemed happy to talk for a bit.
To hear the Ryan Dempster interview click here


I interviewed ESPN broadcaster Jon Miller at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Miller gave me over 3 minutes of his time, which is quite a lot for an unscheduled interview. He talked freely about a number of his favorite cities.To hear the Jon Miller interview click here


I interviewed Hall of Famer Joe Morgan right as he headed into the dugout moments before the game at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Morgan only had about 30 seconds, but I logged in another Hall of Famer!To hear the Joe Morgan interview click here

Doing some research for another GT website piece, I attended a couple of TNA wrestling events in the Chicago area. At the fanfest, i was able to interview Christy Hemme, Lance Rock and Jimmy Rave (collectively known as the Rock N Roll Infection). We talked about travel and the expansion of TNA.To hear the Christy Hemme, Rock and Rave interview click here


At the Walk for Hope 2008, in Glenview, IL, I interviewed actress Andrea Evans for a GT online piece. Evans discussed her return to tv's One Life to Live, her commitment to Walk for Hope, her partnership with Lather and her future plans.To hear the Andrea Evans interview click here