Friend Encounters: Jerry Lawler and Scott Romer

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities. 

Scott Romer is a legendary wrestling photographer. He has had an amazing career and is still at it.

His book When It Was: My Life on Both Sides of the Camera should be on every wrestling fan's shelf. Even if you aren't a wrestling fan, you'll enjoy stories of presidents, heads of state, U.S. Supreme Court justices, athletes, movie stars and more.

Scott still appears at wrestling conventions selling his book and talking wrestling. He can talk wrestling with the best of them, because he has met pretty much everyone. Did I mention he is the son-in-law of Dick the Bruiser? That's just one of so many fascinating stories in his book.

Although wrestling is the backdrop, this book is the story of a man who had a drream as a youngster and made it happen. It's a great read, with the wrestling stuff being a bonus.

I usually see Scott a couple times a year. One of those times was last year at SICW FanFest where Romer took the picture with Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler. I see two kings in that picture.

Look for Scott's book at When It Was. If you see him at a convention, stop by to talk a bit of wrestling.

Jerry Lawler and Scott Romer in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

Friend Encounters: Greg Valentine and Herb Simmons

Friend Encounters is a weekly series about friends meeting celebrities.

Herb Simmons is the man behind Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling. One of the great events is the Fan Fest. This year, it is May 8-9 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Last year, Tony and I made the trek south to cover Fn Fest. Our main goal of Kevin Von Erich had to cancel due to horrible weather in St. Louis. We actually almost drive into a tornado one day. Anyway, despite his cancellation, we had a great time meeting so many other legends like David Schultz, B Brian Blair, Ricky Morton and many others.

This year, the guest lineup is just starting to get released. So far, Johnny Rodz, Spike Huber, Mick Foley and a few others have been announced.

Herb works tirelessly to make this a great event. Usually on the first night, some of the wrestlers are at their booths, but there is also a special session. Last year, it was a Q&A with the legendary ill Apter. This year, Foley is doing something special.

I don't see a lot of pictures of Herb with wrestlers. He is probably too busy making sure everything runs smoothly...and it does. I did manage to find a pic of him with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. That makes two legends and Hall of Famers in one picture.

We are planning on being "On the Beat" again at Fan Fest. It's a fun roadtrip and there are great wrestlers to meet. It is also always good seeing Herb.

Go to SICW.org for more info on Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling and the Fan Fest/. Check here for my recurring coverage.

Greg Valentine and Herb Simmons in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

Friend Encounters: B Brian Blair and Tony

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

I witnessed and photographed today's Friend Encounter. I also helped plan it.

Since missing the SICW Fan Fest in 2024, Tony and I kept waiting for the announcement for this year. Once it came out and we saw the guest list, we knew were had to make the trip to St. Louis for it.

Herb Simmons runs a fantastic Fan Fest every year. It features about 20 wrestling legends. This year, B Brian Blair was one of our main targets.

Blair attained his biggest success with Jim Brunzell as The Killer Bees in the WWF. Blair wrestled in the WWF from 1981-88 without winning any titles. Keep in mind, titles did not change hands very quickly and the WWF had a lot of great tag teams at the time. Still, The Killer Bees made a name for themselves. Blair continued wrestling for many years after leaving the WWF.

In 2021, he released his autobiography, Truth Bee Told. Unfortunately, he also lost his son Brett to a murder.

As excited as I was to meet Blair, I think Tony was even more giddy. Blair is old school. No offense to more recent wrestlers, but Tony and I will always have a soft spot for the wrestlers from our youth.

We had a blast at the SICS Fan Fest and plan on returning next year. For more info, check sicw.org and look for updates here.

Tony and B Brian Blair in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

Friend Encounters: David Schultz and Tony

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

When Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling announced Dr. D David Schultz as a guest for its Fan Fest, Tony and I immediately started making plans to make the trip to St. Louis. Several more wrestling legends were there, but Schultz was one of our main targets.

Schultz had a relatively short wrestling career. He is possibly most known for his interaction with ABC reporter John Stossel. Still, old school fans like Tony and me recall him fondly.

When we arrived, we saw his saw removed and were so disappointed. Fortunately, his spot was only moved. As is our usual style, we kept looking for him to appear and once he did, we were right there to meet him. When you want certain folks, you get them first to ensure the meeting.

Schultz was extremely engaging. I think Tony really won him over by mentioning some specific matches and feuds. Unlike his wrestling persona, Schultz was as nice as could be. It was one of the best experiences of the weekend.

Tony purchased his book, but I already had it. I still got a picture with him though. I wasn't going to miss that opportunity. I was probably happier for Tony though. He was a bit giddy, but he looked calm on the outside.

David's book, Don't Call Me Fake: The Real Story of "Dr. D" David Schultz, is available on Amazon. Tony and I highly recommend it.

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

Friend Encounters: Nickla Roberts and John

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

John D. is another friend I met through conventions. I always look forward to seeing him at a wrestling show, comic con or other such event

It was at a wrestling event earlier this year that John met Nickla Roberts, best known for her stint in pro wrestling as Baby Doll. Roberts was involved in several big storylines with Tully Blanchard, Dusty Rhodes and the Four Horsemen. Roberts was married to former wrestlers Sam Houston (half-brother of Jake Roberts). Roberts has since remarried.

Usually I am envious of the folks John meets, but this time I am okay, but only because I met her at the same eevnt. Roberts looked great and was very engaging with fans. The same could be said for John, too.

The event was a fan fest hosted by Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling. Led by Herb Simmons, SICW holds several events during the year, culminating in the big fan fest. This was the first one I attended, but it won't be the last.

For more info and scheduling, go to sicw.org. For more on John, check back here or look for him at events.

Nickla Roberts and John in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

Friend Encounters: Dory Funk Jr. and Herb Simmons

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

I have featured a few Friend Encounters from Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling's FanFest. None of that happens without promoter Herb Simmons.

A longtime promoter, Simmons started SICS with the goal of keeping St. Louis wrestling memories alive. He certainly has achieved his goal and continues doing so.

At SICW 2025, Simmons had more than 25 wrestling legends, a Bill Apter Q&A and a full wrestling card. The FanFest drew a huge crowd. Part of the fun was recalling wrestling memories with other fans. It was a fantastic two days.

Simmons is on site making sure all goes smoothly, which isn't an easy task. Wuth that many guests and fans, stuff is bound to go wrong. Additionally, a tornado ripped through the St. Louis area on the day of the convention, causing flight delays and cancellations. Still, most wrestlers made it.

I am featuring a pic of Simmons with Hall of Famer Dory Funk, Jr. Part of the legendary Funk family, Dory, Jr. is a former NWA champ and one of the greatest, oldest living wrestlers.

Go to sicw.org for more info on their events. Check here for my recurring coverage.

Dory Funk Jr. and Herb Simmons in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

Friend Encounters: Nikita Koloff and Tony

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Once again, I have a feature from the Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling FanFest. Held in St. Louis, it is a weekend of fun with wrestling legends.

This year, one of the legends was Nikita Koloff, making a rare appearance. There were about 25 wrestling legends there, but Koloff alone would have been enough to get Tony and me there. Koloff was a rising bad guy wrestler in the NWA. When he turned into a good guy, his fandom exploded. At the height of his popularity, Koloff stepped away to care for his wife who was battling cancer. Since then, he made a few random returns, but never for real stints. Koloff is a devout Christian, who changed his name legally from Scott Simpson to Nikita Koloff.

I am pretty sure Tony was a bit giddy meeeting Koloff at the SICW FanFest and I can't blame him. Koloff was about as big as it got during our early years of following wrestling. Fortunately, Koloff was extremely nice to us, talking for several minutes. Tony helped the situation by bringing up some specific matches, which impressed Koloff.

Go to sicw.org for more info. Check here for my recurring coverage.

Nikita Koloff and Tony n St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

Friend Encounters: Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson and John

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

With the goal of keeping St. Louis wrestling memories alive, Herb Simmons is the promoter of Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling. One of the highlights of the year is the SICW FanFest.

My schedule finally alowed me to attend the FanFest earlier this year. It started with a Bill Apter Q&A on Friday night. Saturday morning and afternoon had a meet and greet with about 25 wrestling legends. A full wrestling card on Saturday night fnished the event with a bang.

My pal JD is a regular attendee at the FanFest. JD is another of my convention pals. Although our connection is usually limited to conventions, it is always fun seeing him. We catch up and compare notes about whatever convention we're attending and future ones.

At SICW, JD met the Rock and Roll Express. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson were one of the best tagteams ever. Although they didn't wrestle much in the biggest companies, they were still one of the most well-known and popular teams. 

Go to sicw.org for more info on the company and FenFest. I hope to see you there next year.

Ricky Morton, John and Robert Gibson in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

The Legendary Bill Apter

Bill Apter has covered wrestling for more than five decades. Debuting in 1970, Apter started as a writer and photographer of wrestling and boxing. Nearing 80, Apter is still at it and as sharp as ever.

I first met Apter about 20 years ago at a convention in Florida. I don't remember the specifics, but for whatever reason, he thought my girlfriend was upset and he came over to see what was wrong. Nothing was wring, but we appreciated his kind gesture.

A few weeks ago, I saw Apter again at the SICW FanFest 3. Apter was the first celebrity we saw. Despite it being before the con actually started, he was absolutely generous with his time.

Later that night, he hosted a Q&A with wrestling legends. Apter exchanged quips with fans and wrestlers as he took us all on a ride through wrestlers' stories. His energy was amazing, as was his memory and knowledge. There is a reason why he is so well-respected. He truly is in a class by himself in his field.

The SICW FanFest featured more than 30 wrestling legends. We had a great time and highly recommend it. We will definitely be back for FanFest 4.

Go to SICW.org for more info and scheduling on the FanFest. Check back here for my coverage.

 Bill Apter and me in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.