"Doctor D" Joins the Jay Leno Club

At the SICW FanFest in May, retired pro wrestler David Schultz joined the Jay Leno Club when he asked if anyone ever told me I resemble Leno. Yes, Mr. Schultz, many, many times.

After debuting in 1974, Schultz made his way to the AWA and WWF, where he made his mark in pro wrestling. He later became a bounty hunter, where he gained more notoriety.mHe certainly had a colorful career, befitting his colorful nature.

At the FanFest, Tony and I chatted a bit with him. Admittedly, Tony knew more about Dr. D. and purchased his book. When I asked for a picture with him, Schultz didn't want to charge me, a rariity in the meet-and-greet industry. As we were leaving, Schultz stopped me and asked the famous question, thus joining the club.

This was a rare public appearance by a great character in wrestling, whose career was relatively short (around 15 years). Schultz joined about 30 other interesting wrestling legends at the FanFest and we enjoyed meeting all of them.

We definitely plan on returning next year for FanFest 4. Until then, check SICW.org for other fun stuff and info on next year's event.

 David Schultz and me in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

The Godfather at Blizzard Brawl 2019

Blizzard Brawl 2024 is just over two weeks away. Great Lakes Championship Wrestling's biggest event fo the year looks to be better than ever.

Promoted and run by #Superfriend David Herro, Blizzard Brawl is held at Waukesha County Expo Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin. It features a night of great wrestling combined with a meet-and-greet prior to the show and at intermission and after the show. Despite the huge crowd, if you want to meet one of the wrestling legends, there is plenty of time to do so.

I have attended Blizzard Brawl for more than a decade. I have seen Kal (son of David and current Ohio Valley Wrestling star) grow from a toddler to a legit rising star in wrestling. What a trip it has been, too. I have seen hundreds of awesome wrestling legends and stars, as well as dozens of fantastic matches.

This year, I am looking forward to meeting WWF legends Wendy Richter and Jacqueline, along with too many others to list. I'll be quite busy meeting everyone, but as I wrote, I rest assured knowing it is so well-run I will have time to do all.

One of my favorite guests from previous years was The Godfather. A member of the Jay Leno Club, Charles Wright always greets me with a big smile and "hey Jay Leno." Although I like the encounters, I have to admit, he makes everyone feel special.

Actually, all the wrestlers make every encounter special for the fans. I have not had one bad encounter, nor even heard of any ever, at any Blizzard Brawl.

For more info on Blizzard Brawl, go to GLCWWrestling.com. Check back here for my coverage.

Charles Wright and me in Waukesha, WI-December 2019.

Celebrity Jersey Cards #642 Jay Leno & Chris Rose

Celebrity Jersey Cards is a weekly series in which I create virtual trading cards for celebrities wearing jerseys. Today, I continue wandering alphabetically through all MLB teams.

Born in New York and raised in Massachusetts, Jay Leno has carved a legendary career in the entertainment business. In 1977, he first appeared on The Tonight Show, a show he would later host. Leno has tossed out many jokes in his career, but it took a ceremonial pitch toss to get him a Celebrity Jersey Card. As faithful readers know, Leno has also been the subject of The Jay Leno Club, an exclusive group of celebrities who tell me I resemble the entertainer.

Born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Chris Rose rose to fame as a sportcaster and television host. The Best Damn Sports Show Period was his first big gig and he has gone on to many more successful projects. Rose donned his home area Indians jersey and cap for his appearance onfield, thus earning a Celebrity Jersey Card.

The Squared Circle Expo Is Fast Approaching!

 The Squared Circle is three weeks away. After a  necessary postponement due to the pandemic, the Squared Circle Expo will debut in Indianapolis May 14-15. I have been to hundreds of conventions and I have no doubts this one is going to be special.

The convention organizers have been diligent in keeping everyone updated as the process went along. From announcing the delay to progress through the wait to the procedures at the convention. They have gone way above and beyond to make it safe and enjoyable.

Also above and beyond is the announced superstar guest list. This is a Hall of Fame lineup. The entire guest roster announced so far is Madusa, The Boogeyman, Jake Roberts, Booker T, Kane, Vickie Guerrero, The Godfather/Papa Shango, Dr. Britt Baker, Darby Allin, Tay Conti, Dustin Rhodes, Sammy Guevara, Renee Michelle, Dan Severn, The Highlanders, Duke Droses, Shar Boy, The Gunn Club (Billy, Austin and Colten), Francine, The Headbangers, JTG, Chris Masters, Francine and Melina Perez.

I have met about half of these legends. I look forward to meeting the ones I have not met yet, but also seeing the others again. Charles Wright (The Godfather/Papa Shango) is always fun, like when he calls me "Jay Leno" or chokes me.

Melina Perez is one I really want to see again. Melina is one of the most underrated women of the WWE. She doesn't get the credit she deserves from her time in the WWE. She was a solid manager and a multi-time champ, plus she had one of the greatest ring entrances ever.

The Squared Circle Expo promises to deliver a unique fan experience. Promoted as a " convention dedicated to the culture of professional wrestling and sports entertainment," the Squared Circle Expo takes the best elements of conventions and adds a few new ones to deliver a unique fan experience. The two day event will include wrestling superstars, meet and greets, photo ops, special events, seminars, memorabilia vendors, Q&A panels and more. There will even be a live wrestling show on Saturday night.

I'll be "On the Beat" all weekend and have reports on social media, as well as recaps here and on GlobalWomensSportsRadio.com. Until then, go to SquaredCircleX.com for all the current info and updates.

Melina Perez and me in Waukesha, WI-December 2019.

Friend Encounters: Dolly Parton and Evil Zebra

Friend Encounters is a weekly seeries featuring friends who have met celebrities.

It's been a while since we visited the Evil Zebra, everyone's (nobody's) favorite retired referee on the east coast. EZ would say he is the celebrity, but for the purpose of today, I say he takes second place to Dolly Parton.
The pair met on the set of The Mike Douglas Show. I still do not know how EZ got on the show. One day, I will pin him down and get the full story. Until then, I just get to enjoy his "Blast from the Past" posts on social media.
I keep telling EZ he should write a book or at least put his stories online somewhere. The guy has dozens (hundreds) of stories. His connection to the late actress Dana Plato is enough to merit publishing.
I'll continue prodding EZ for more stories and details, but I must be careful. He can be a bit surly. He is against pineapple on pizza and Chicago pizza in general. I try to explain that all Chicago pizza is not deep dish. We have some awesome thin crust and I actually prefer the thin crust better. He does embrace his place in The Jay Leno Club, although he often uses it for comedic fodder.
It's always fun seeing EZ encounters. I will continue featuring EZ and hoping to get more stories.

Evil Zebra and Dolly Parton in California-1980.

Papa Shango at Days of the Dead Indianapolis 2017

Days of the Dead takes over Indianapolis tomorrow through Sunday. As I head to what promises to be another great weekend, I look back at some of the fun moments from previous years.

Jayson Maples is the man behind Heroes and Legends of Wrestling Fan Fest, a great wrestling event held several times a year in Indiana. Jayson has become one of the staples at DotD, bringing in a series of awesome wrestling legends.

At the Days event in Indy 2017, he brought in Charles Wright. Perhaps Wright is better known by one of in-ring names, including Papa Shango, Kama, Kama Mustafa, The Godfather and The Goodfather. I met Wright at a previous event, when he was in his Godfather gear. He "choked" me there and also made reference to me looking like Jay Leno, thus joining my Jay Leno Club.

At Days Indy 2017, it was a rare opportunity to meet Wright as his Papa Shango character. I could not pass up that chance. Yes, he also made the Jay Leno reference there, too.

During his WWE career, Wright won the Intercontinental title and the tag tiles (with Bull Buchanan)  He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.

Wright is a great example of hard work and perseverance. He mad several characters work to varying degrees of success, but each had their moments. Wright seemed to be the ultimate team player in a universe which is often self-centered. More importantly, he always seemed to be having fun, just like he did at Days.

At Days Indy 2019, wrestling guests scheduled include Kurt Angle and Sgt. Slaughter. I am sure Jayson will be there, as will a few indy wrestlers from the area.

Go to DaysoftheDead.com for more info and scheduling. Also check out HeroesandLegendsWrestling for info on those fun events. 

Papa Shango and me in Indianapolis, IN-July 2017.

Judge Reinhold at Days of the Dead Chicago 2016

At Days of the Dead Chicago 2016, Judge Reinhold joined two of my clubs.  As previously mentioned, he joined the Jay Leno Club, be requesting a photo with me.  He also joined my ever-growing list of Seinfeld characters I have met.

While I have not met any of the big four of Seinfeld, I have met quite a few actors who have appeared on the epic sitcom.  That list includes Patrick Warburton (David Pudd), Larry Thomas (Soup Nazi), David Naughton (off-the-wagon Dick), Brenda Strong (the braless wonder) and Lee Arenberg (Mike).  Obviously, there are so many actors still to go and Rena Sofer would be at the top of my list.

Reinhold has had an excellent career.  At the top of his resume I would put Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but he also had great roles in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, Gremlins, The Santa Clause and more, including his role as Aaron, the close-talked, on Seinfeld.

Fans greeting Reinhold at Days of the Dead, spanned the ages.  Of course, a lot of people approached him and "close-talked" him.  The novelty and humor of that had to wear thin after a while, but Reinhold never showed signs of wear.  He was a great guest, laughing and talking at length with many fans.

It was a rare midwest appearance for Reinhold and leave it to Days to bring him here.  At a convention with a few huge headliners (Ric Flair, Alice Cooper, Tony "Candyman" Todd), Reinhold was one of the most popular guests.

Judge Reinhold and me in Schaumburg, IL-November 2016.

Judge Reinhold Joins the JohngysBeat.com Jay Leno Club

I recently wrote about actress Jennie Garth joining the JohngysBeat.com Jay Leno Club at REWind Con.  The next weekend, actor Judge Reinhold joined the club at Days of the Dead Chicago 2016.  Sometimes these things come in bunches.

I was talking to some people at Days and we were near Reinhold's table.  He stood up and walked away from his table a bit to take a picture with a fan in line.  As he moved back to his table, he saw me and said that he wanted to take a picture with "Jay Leno."  I never refuse a picture request (I don't get many), but especially a picture request from a celebrity (I get even less of those).

Reinhold asked me if I ever heard that before and I had to burst his bubble and tell him that I hear it fairly often.  I did brighten his day by telling him he just made the Jay Leno Club, though.  I'm sure that ranks up there with his other awards and acknowledgements.

Reinhold is the 17th celebrity to join the Jay Leno Club.  He's also the second Seinfeld character (Patrick Warburton is the other) to be in the club.  You never know when or where another celebrity will join the club, but when it happens, I will report it right here.

Jennie Garth Joined The Johngy's Beat Jay Leno Club

Over the years, I have heard many times that I resemble Jay Leno   I usually laugh it off and joke that I wish I could make it profitable.  As I started to cover the various conventions and sporting events, I started hearing it from celebrities.  Thus,. the Johngy's Beat Jay Leno Club was formed.

The most recent addition to the Jay Leno Club is actress Jennie Garth.  At REWind Con 2016, as I approached her, Jennie made the reference.  I chuckled and told her I hear that a lot.  Then she grabbed her Beverly Hills 90210 costar Luke Perry and pointed it out to him.  He didn't seem too impressed.  Actually, I think he was just busy.

Jennie thus becomes the 16th cdelebrity to join this exclusive club.  As you'll notice by the picture below, many of the club members are in the world of pro wrestling.  Spider One and Peter Tork are musicians.  Jennie joins Patrick Warburton from the acting field.  Vince Papale is a former fotball player and the subject of the movie Invincible.

It's funny, because I never really expect it.  I can always tell it will happen though, because it usually starts with "Did anyone ever tell you...?"

As I continue covering events, the Jay Leno Club is bound to grow.  When it does, I'll report it back here.

Sean "XPac" Waltman Joins the Jay Leno Club

For a long time, I have had people mention that I look like Jay Leno.  To be honest, I don't really see it, but many people have made the reference.  I started to hear it from celebrities and I started the Johngy's Beat Jay Leno Club for those celebrities.

I don't remember which celebrity was the first.  I think it was the Iron Sheik.  I know it wasn't the Honky Tonk Man, much to his disdain.  In fact, he wasn't even the first at one specific convention, where Terri Runnels beat him to it, much to his real disdain!

For some reason, a large percentage of the celebrities in the Jay Leno Club are wrestlers.  Of course, I meet a lot of wrestlers, but it is still disproportionately heavy on wrestlers.  Maybe wrestlers watch a lot of late night television.  Maybe wrestlers are just a bit out there and they make the connection.

In any case, the latest celeb to join the Jay Leno Club was also a wrestler.  Sean Waltman (aka XPac) achieved that highly respected status at the recent C2E2.

I was at the booth where Scott Hall and Waltman were appearing on behalf of Dream Wave Wrestling.  We were just about to take a photo, when Waltman stated, "I didn't know we would meet Jay Leno today."  I was caught off guard and laughed out loud, messing up the picture.  Then everyone laughed and we redid the picture.

With that, Waltman became the newest member of the Jay Leno Club.  Clearly, he won't be the last member either.  When the next celebrity joins the club, I will report it right here.

Happy Half-Birthday Evil Zebra!!!!

Today is a very special day (or at least half-special).  It is the half-birthday of the legendary Evil Zebra.  You might ask why I am dedicating a day to celebrate EZ's half-birthday, instead of waiting for his real birthday.  The fact is I did not want to wait that long and be lumped in with all of the other well-wishers.
I have known the Evil Zebra for a few years, although I have never met him.  He claims to be evil, but I have yet to see that side of him.  I am not saying he isn't evil though (hedging my bet, just in case he is...I don't want to get on his bad side).
I know he is based on the east coast.  I know he has met a ton of interesting celebrities (or some celebrities have met him).  He has even shared some of those pictures and stories on JohngysBeat.com.  I still say he needs to write a book.  I know he runs a fun Evil Zebra Yahoo group.  He is also very patient with me whenever I have problems logging onto the group.  (See, another non-evil example.)
Aside from his many accomplishments and awards he has attained in his life, he has achieved two milestones on JohngysBeat.com.  He is the first (and thus far only) member of the JohngysBeat.com Jay Leno Club to wear a Johngy's Beat shirt.  He was also the first member of the wrestling community to don the Johngy shirt.  Those two facts alone make him legendary.
I want to take this time to publicly thank EZ for all of his support over the years.  The Evil Zebra is truly one of a kind.
So thanks EZ...oh and enjoy your half-birthday!
...and somebody please, get the man some cake!!!!

The stylish Evil Zebra somewhere on the east coast-Fall 2012.

The Bella Twins Join Johngy's Jay Leno Club at Wizard World

The Jay Leno Club has expanded, thanks to the Bella Twins at Wizard World.  The Jay Leno Club is comprised of celebrities who have mentioned a Johngy-Jay Leno resemblance.  Now, Nicole and Brianna Bella (aka the Bella Twins) have joined this prestigious group.
The Bella Twins are former WWE divas.  Each Bella held the WWE Divas championship once during their stay in the WWE.  The Bella Twins are also known as Brianna Monique Garcia-Colace and Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace.
If their names confuse you, their beauty will amaze you.  I am also happy to report that they were both as sweet and pleasant as could be.  Matt and I had a fun exchange with them at their both and I saw plenty of other fans walk away happy and impressed after meeting them.
Lots of talented people pass through the WWE and then disappear.  I believe the Bella Twins will go on to bigger and better things.  I hope so, because they seem like very genuinely nice women.
I hope to see them again at a future convention.  No matter what though, they will always be special to me and the Jay Leno Club.
My only real problem though is how to count them.  Are they the fourteenth member or the fourteenth and fifteenth members of the Jay Leno Club?

Spider One Joined the Jay Leno Club

At the Days of the Dead convention, the Jay Leno Club gained a new member.  Just as a quick recap, the Jay Leno Club is comprised of all of the celebrities who have made a reference to me resembling Jay Leno.
I posted the interview with Spider One about a month ago.  Right at the start of the interview, he asked me if anyone has ever told me I look like Jay Leno.  Thus, he joined the Jay Leno Club.
For those who missed the interview (and do not wish to burn the calorie by clicking above to go to it), I am showing the first 11 seconds, which contains the Leno reference.

Even without the Leno comment, I really enjoyed talking to Spider One.  He is the founder of Powerman 5000 and the brother of Rob Zombie.  We also talked about his interview work during conventions.
Spider One became the first member of the Jay Leno Club to join during the interview.  He also became the 13th celebrity to join the Jay Leno Club.
Who will be the 14th?  You will just have to keep checking here to see who is next!

It's Hammer Time

I have met Greg Valentine several times.  Valentine is generally a pretty quiet, but friendly guy, despite his reputation in the wrestling ring and his nickname of "the Hammer".  I did write "generally".
At the Motor City Comic Con, apparently Valentine had enough of my humor.  I approached his table and the next thing I knew, his big, beefy hands were encircling my neck and squeezing tighter with each passing second.
Once Cuzz was able to talk Valentine into releasing his grip, we had a fun conversation.  He even asked me about looking like Jay Leno (which put him into the Jay Leno Club).
Valentine was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.  It was a fitting honor for a wrestling veteran like the Hammer!

Greg Valentine and me in Novi, MI-May 2011.

On the Beat with Spider One at Days of the Dead

Spider One immediately became one of my favorites when he opened our interview by joining the Jay Leno Club!  That's right...Spider One asked if anyone has mentioned that I resemble Leno...and it is right there on video.
From then on, it was all a blur.  No seriously, it was a great time talking to him.
Spider One (born Michael David Cummings) is the lead singer (and only continual founding member) of Powerman 5000, a metal band based in Boston.  He is also the brother of Rob Zombie.
I had a lot of fun talking to him.  He mentioned being on the other end of interviews, as he conducted some for FEARnet at a comic con.  It was interesting to see his take on it and who he wanted to meet.
Aside from his work with Powerman 5000, he created Death Valley, a mockumentary series on Mtv.  I really enjoyed the shows and hope to see more of them.  It's horror, comedy and all very entertaining.
Spider One was totally cool, making me feel at ease.  He had a steady stream of fans at the convention and was a hit with the horror fans.
After you watch the interview, check out Powerman5000.com and the Powerman5000 Facebook page to stay updated on Spider One and his activities.

Peter Tork Joins the Jay Leno Club

Last summer at Wizard World, Peter Tork joined the Jay Leno Club.  As regular readers know, the Jay Leno Club is comprised of celebrities who have made a reference to me resembling Jay Leno.

The magic words were stated as I approached Tork's booth.  I laughed about it and explained the Jay Leno Club to him.  As he signed my photo, I announced his induction into the club (as captured on the video below).
I was really looking forward to meeting Tork, who as part of the Monkees, was one of my childhood favorites.  Tork did not disappoint.  We talked for a few moments (pretty long considering the number of fans in line) and then took a picture together.
Tork is the twelfth member (and third non-wrestling member) of the Jay Leno Club.  As longtime reader, sometimes contributor and Jay Leno Club member himself Evil Zebra stated, "First a zebra and now a Monkee in the Jay Leno Club...what's next?"  What is next indeed!  Nobody knows, but when it happens, I will report it right here.

"P Diddy" Joins the Jay Leno Club?

The Jay Leno Club is usually reserved for celebrities who have mentioned me resembling Jay Leno.  On my trip to San Francisco earlier this summer, I almost had another inductee into the club.
While we were riding the famous cable car, the conductor asked my friend Jim if he thought I looked like Jay Leno.  Of course, my ears perk up any time I hear "Jay Leno".  I started laughing and said that I get that a lot.  The conductor then said he hears that he looks like P Diddy.
Because he did bear a resemblance to P Diddy and he made the Jay Leno reference, I tried to snap a picture (which wasn't easy considering it was night and the cable car had no interior lights).  I would have asked for a picture together, but he was kind of busy at the time (driving the train and all).
He doesn't officially make it into the Jay Leno Club though, because he is not a celeb.  The club would be too big if I included every regular person who made the connection.  Still, he gets an Honorable Mention or maybe a special plaque when I get the museum built.
If he has his own site and he has a P. Diddy Club, I wonder if he will write a similar post about "Jay Leno" joining that club.

Cable Car Conductor in San Francisco, CA-July 2011.

Bill Apter Joins the Jay Leno Club

As previously explained, the Jay Leno Club is a group of celebrities who have made some sort of comment about me resembling Jay Leno.  Long time journalist Bill Apter is the newest member of the club, although I might have cheated him out of an earlier entry.
Bill is considered to be the best wrestling journalist.  He has been informing and entertaining wrestling fans for over 25 years.  Currently he can be found at 1Wrestling.com and also at wrestling conventions.  I have met him a few times and he is a great guy.
I recently exchanged emails with Bill about some of his celebrity stories.  In one of his responses, he said that he remembered me from the Wrestle Reunion in 2005 and then he referred to me as the Jay Leno lookalike.
Obviously, that remark put him into the Jay Leno Club.  I am just not sure if he called me that at any of the events when I previously met him.  It doesn't really matter.  There are no lifetime stats for longevity in the Jay Leno Club.
I am proud to induct Bill into the Jay Leno Club.  The membership now stands at eleven.  Who will be the twelfth?  Who knows?

Greg Valentine Joins the Jay Leno Club

I have been told many times that I resemble Jay Leno.  While I don't really see it myself, I hear it often.  A while back, I started the Jay Leno Club, which consists of celebrities who have made the Jay Leno connection.
For some reason, wrestlers dominate the club, with 8 of the 10 members being in the wrestling world.  I have no idea why wrestlers make the connection at a much higher rate than the rest of the celebrities I meet.  Maybe wrestlers are just more talkative and thus they mention the Leno thing, where other celebs simply are quieter.
At the Motor City Comic Con, Greg "the Hammer" Valentine became the latest member of the club.  While casually talking about the convention and  wrestling, Valentine brought up the topic.  I laughed and told him he wasn't the first.  In fact, some of his friends (or at least colleagues) had made the Leno reference to me over the years.
The Jay Leno Club now stands at 10 members.  As always, I never know when the club will grow, but as always, when it does, I will report it right here!

Vince Papale Joins the Jay Leno Club

Vince Papale has accomplished a lot in his life.  He caught the first pass in the history of the World Football League.  He tried out for and made the Philadelphia Eagles at the age of 30, thus becoming the oldest non-kicker rookie in the history of the NFL.  He was named special teams captain.  He was the subject of the movie Invincible.  Perhaps most importantly, he is a cancer survivor.  Papale added one more line to his impressive resume on January 18, 2011.
Papale asked me if anyone ever mentioned that I look like Jay Leno.  With that simple question, Papale joined the very exclusive Jay Leno Club, which is comprised of various celebrities who have mentioned my alleged resemblance to Jay Leno.  The Jay Leno Club now stands at nine members, including Patrick Warburton and wrestling personalities Evil Zebra, King Kong Bundy, the Iron Sheik, Larry Zbyszko, Nasty Boy Brian Knobbs and Terri Runnels.
Who knows when and where another celebrity will make question me about my Jay Leno resemblance?  When it happens, I will be sure to induct that celebrity into the club and report it right here!