My friends know I am terrible at recognizing people. That includes people I know. At Chicago Fan Expo 2023, that statement was proven a few times.
While roaming Artist Alley, a man came up and greeted me. I had no idea who he was, but he apparently knew me (and not just recognized me from my articles etc.). I was honest and simply admitted I didn't recognize him. I did quickly add that I usually don't recognize people, so as not to offend him.
As soon as he said who he was, I remembered him. It was Johnny Wild, a man I met many years ago, when he was a manager on the Chicago independent wrestling scene.In my defense this time, Johnny lost some weight, wasn't dressed in his usual wrestling attire and it had been about a decade since I saw him. Of course, Johnny understood and we had a fun time catching up a bit.
Johnny was an entertaining manager back in the day. He has worked since then, but not much the last few years, although I think mostly it has been his choice. Either way, he would be a great addition to any wrestling company. He knew how to work a match. He new the psychology. He knew how to engage with the crowd. You knew if Johnny was involved, it would be entertaining.
It was fun seeing Johnny. It brought back good times from my early years of covering wrestling. It was fun to reconnect with an old friend among the thousands of folks at Fan Expo.
No comments:
Post a Comment