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Cauliflower Alley Club stories
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Jake The Snake turns CAC banquet into a sobering experience
By GREG OLIVER - SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS -- Of all the promos that Jake "The Snake" Roberts has delivered through his wrestling career, the one Wednesday night to his peers at the Cauliflower Alley Club in Las Vegas was the toughest.
Though Roberts started off light -- "I'm killing my gimmick," he cracked, referring to being in a suit and tie, he turned sober, confessing that the next time that he expected to wear a suit would be at his own funeral.
April 18, 2013: Full Story
April 17, 2013: 'Addiction' to wrestling more than just baloney
Cauliflower Alley Club 2013 Reunion Photo Gallery
2012
Austin, Steamboat delight at Cauliflower Alley Club reunion
By STEVEN JOHNSON - For SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS – The sound of glass shattering in Sin City? No, it wasn’t a lost plateful of drinks or a down-on-his-luck gambler slugging a window pane in frustration.
It was a sound that wrestling fans recognize as the entrance music for Steve Austin, as “Stone Cold” made his way to the microphone Wednesday at the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino to accept the highest honor at the annual Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion banquet.
April 19, 2012: Full Story
Laughs and sage advice from Austin at CAC banquet
Wendi Richter's Cauliflower Alley Club speech
April 18, 2012: Starr, Webster, Kertsen, Lauer honored at CAC Baloney Blowout
April 17, 2012: Bobby Bass Guest Column: Laughing my way through the Cauliflower Alley Club reunion
April 11, 2012: Battle of the Sexes: Men vs Women tag in Atlanta
Cauliflower Alley Club 2012 Reunion Photo Gallery
2011
Honky Tonk Man steals show from CAC headliners
By STEVEN JOHNSON -- SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS -- Sgt. Slaughter won the main event, but Honky Tonk Man stole the show. Those were the results from an all-star card April 20 at the third and final day of the 2011 Cauliflower Alley Club reunion, which provided an evening of laughs, entertainment and emotion for a sellout crowd at the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino.
April 21, 2011: Full story
April 20, 2011: Lifetime honoree Foley captivates at CAC Baloney Blowout
2011 Reunion Photo Gallery
April 19, 2011: From wedded bliss to tearful goodbyes at CAC
October 6, 2010: Darling Dagmar re-enters the wrestling world
March 17, 2011: Pat Barrett's lengthy travels pay off
2010
Ross, DiBiase lead parade of honorees at CAC banquet
By STEVEN JOHNSON -- SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS -- For more than 30 years, Jim Ross has been calling slobberknockers. On Tuesday, he delivered one of his one.
The veteran announcer, whose Oklahoma twang represents the sound of the sport to a generation of fans, had a packed house at the annual Cauliflower Alley Club banquet hanging on his every word, as he accepted Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award.
April 22, 2010: Full story
Cauliflower Alley Club 2010 Banquet photo gallery
Cauliflower Alley Club 2010 photo gallery
April 21, 2010: Newcomers highlight CAC Baloney Blowout
April 20, 2010: Unpredictability rules at Cauliflower Alley Club
April 19, 2010: "Ho! Ho! Ho!" cries still ring out for Dean Higuchi
April 18, 2010: "Mr. Universe" Earl Maynard returns to the fold
April 16, 2010: Jim Ross to be applauded for a lifetime in wrestling
April 15, 2010: Peers celebrate Roger Kirby's skills
April 14, 2010: Joyce Grable to be honoured by CAC
2009
Top CAC award goes to top CAC man Nick Bockwinkel
By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS -- Wrestling is a worked business, and sometimes the workers have to work each other, even when it's the Cauliflower Alley Club president Nick Bockwinkel receiving the industry's top award.
The CAC's board of directors went to great lengths to pull off one of the great schemes in wrestling history -- presenting Bockwinkel with the Iron Mike Mazurki Award without him knowing.
April 15, 2009: Full story
April 23, 2009: O.D.B., Hero, Murdoch share CAC experiences
April 15, 2009: CAC Baloney Blowout overrun by Iron Sheik
Cauliflower Alley Club 2009 photo gallery
April 14, 2009: Health updates dominate Cauliflower Alley Club reunion
April 13, 2009: CAC to honour "King of Belts" Reggie Parks
April 10, 2009: Art Crews a post-wrestling success story
April 9, 2009: Wrestling for legends highlights CAC indy show
January 19, 2009: Princess Jasmine took her act to the road
2008
Hitman, Patterson, Dr. Death headline CAC awards
By FRED JOHNS -- SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - The 43rd Annual Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion came to an end Wednesday night with their traditional Awards Banquet. It was a historic night for the CAC; not only were men like Jim Ross and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in attendance for the first time, but Bret Hart and his father Stu became the only father and son duo to both win the prestigious Iron Mike Mazurki award.
June 12, 2008: Full story
June 11, 2008: CAC pays tribute to Los Luchadores!
Cauliflower Alley Club banquet photo gallery
Cauliflower Alley Club June 10th photo gallery
June 10, 2008: In awe at my first Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion
June 6, 2008: CAC to give Butcher Vachon long overdue award
June 2, 2008: Jim Ross off to first Cauliflower Alley Club reunion
2007
That’s entertainment! CAC banquet ranges from songs to stories to spoofs
By STEVEN JOHNSON -- SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - Just call it pro wrestling’s version of a Vegas-style variety revue. The 42nd annual Cauliflower Alley Club banquet was a mixture of music, mirth, and memories in a three-and-a-half hour package April 21 that perfectly reflected the extravaganzas associated with its host city.
Apr. 22, 2007: Full story
Photo gallery from the CAC banquet
Apr. 21, 2007: Wrestling hailed as one of Canada’s greatest exports
Photo gallery from the CAC Tribute to Canadians
Apr. 21, 2007: CAC, PM Harper honour Canadian grapplers
CAC Weekend Photo Gallery
Apr. 19, 2007: A lifetime of rewards for Bob Geigel
Apr. 18, 2007: Don Leo Jonathan earned CAC's top honour
Apr. 17, 2007: Tito Carreon reflects back on 15-year career
Apr. 5, 2007: For Dillon, it's all about emotion
2006
Race & Hennig go over at Cauliflower Alley Club banquet
By GREG OLIVER --
SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS -- It may have been Harley Race's night, receiving the top honour in pro wrestling and all, but it was his old partner Larry "The Axe" Hennig who really went over Saturday night.
June 11, 2006: Full story
2005
Terry Funk honored by his peers at CAC
By JAMIE KREISER -- SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - Wrestling tights were replaced by ties Saturday night at the 40th Annual Cauliflower Alley Club (CAC) banquet where Terry Funk received the night's top honor, the Iron Mike Mazurki Award.
Executive Vice-President and Co-presenter of what has been dubbed "professional wrestling's most prestigious award," Karl Lauer told those in attendance that the Iron Mike Mazurki Award had only been given out 14 previous times and had three requirements: the recipient had to be immediately recognizable, successful in two or more professions (Funk's being wrestling and acting) and someone who is benevolent.
2005: Full
story
Cauliflower Alley Club 2005 Photo Gallery
Adrian Street proposes to Miss Linda
By GREG OLIVER
-- Co-Producer, SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - In the make-believe world of pro wrestling, reality can often seem out of place. But Friday night, "The Exotic One" Adrian Street stunned a captive audience by proposing to his companion of 35 years, Miss Linda.
In front of a room of friends at a Baloney Blowout during the annual Cauliflower Alley Club reunion at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Street talked a little about his childhood before popping the question.
2005: Full
story
Cauliflower Alley Club 2005 Photo Gallery
Youth sweats it out in Vegas
By JAMIE KREISER
-- Co-Producer, SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - The Riviera Grande Ballroom reeked of aspiration and perspiration all day Thursday and Friday.
Approximately 40 hopefuls ignored the charms of Sin City and gathered around
a makeshift ring the past two days for a wrestling seminar put on by greats,
Les Thatcher and Harley Race. This is the third year the Cauliflower Alley
Club has included the tuteledge as part of its annual reunion.
2005: Full
story
Cauliflower Alley Club 2005 Photo Gallery
2004
Heenan given CAC's top honor
By GREG OLIVER
-- Co-Producer, SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - True to form, Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan was not lost
for words when he was unexpectedly given the Cauliflower Alley Club's
top award Saturday night.
Smiling at the podium, as he had been all night as co-master
of ceremony with Mike Tenay, Heenan recovered after being introduced as
the Iron Mike Mazurki award recipient by Nick Bockwinkel.
2004: Full
story
Cauliflower Alley Club 2004 Photo Gallery
Col. DeBeers: It's an honor to be honored
By GREG OLIVER
-- Co-Producer, SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - Man, it's hard to get out of bed here in Vegas. The
aches and pains of years of wrestling are only compounded by staying up
too late, drinking too much, and telling too many lies.
But the pain is worth it.
Tonight I'm being honored by my peers here at the Cauliflower
Alley Club reunion, and it's really a cool feeling.
2004: Full
story
Cauliflower Alley Club 2004 Photo Gallery
CAC a place to rekindle old friendships
By GREG OLIVER
-- Co-Producer, SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - The first day of the annual Cauliflower Alley Club is
always abuzz with who is going to be at the reunion, and unfortunately,
who can't make it.
With such a wide range of ex-wrestlers in attendance, it's
almost like a famous Las Vegas buffet -- there's someone for everyone.
2004: Full
story
Cauliflower Alley Club 2004 Photo Gallery
2003
Mad Dog gets top CAC honour
By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS -- In the end, the Dog did have his day. After 44 years in pro wrestling, and an estimated 13,000 matches, the incomparable Mad Dog Vachon was awarded the Iron Mike Mazurki Award by the Cauliflower Alley Club Saturday night at the annual gala banquet at the Plaza hotel.
2003: Full story
Cauliflower Alley Club 2003 Photo Gallery
News & notes from Vegas
By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - The annual Cauliflower Alley Club reunion keeps growing and growing. This year, at the Plaza hotel in downtown Las Vegas, the event expects to draw 700 people for the gala banquet Saturday night. Some of the attendees are regulars, and show up every year. Some are here for the first time.
2003: Full story
Cauliflower Alley Club 2003 Photo Gallery
Overwhelmed in Las Vegas
By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - Without a doubt, it is overwhelming when you first arrive at an annual Cauliflower Alley Club reunion. You look around the room, and are in awe of the legends of the sport of professional wrestling.
2003: Full story
Cauliflower Alley Club 2003 Photo Gallery
CAC reunion year's highlight
By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling
Forget Celine Dion and her big, expensive Vegas show. There's an even better reason to head to Sin City for me this week - it's time for the annual Cauliflower Alley Club reunion.
2003: Full story
Cauliflower Alley Club 2003 Photo Gallery
2002
Les Thatcher grooms tomorrow's stars
By GREG OLIVER -- for SLAM! Wrestling
Les Thatcher is a little like a gardener these days. His job in running
the Heartland Wrestling Association in Cincinnati is to prune and pamper
returning WWF talent, sew new talent, while improving the soil so that
the growing can continue.
Feb. 21, 2002: Full story
Benoit aching to get back in the ring
By GREG OLIVER -- for SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS -- There's a good side to everything. 'The Crippler' Chris Benoit may continue to find himself on injured reserve for the WWF after suffering a neck injury, but there have been blessings for the Canadian star.
For one, he's gotten to spend more time with his family, including two-year-old son Daniel.
"We're on the road so much, it's really hard to have quality time with your family. That's been really the upside of the whole thing," Benoit told SLAM! Wrestling at the 36th annual Cauliflower Alley Club banquet Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Feb. 12, 2002: Full story
Kowalski gets top CAC award
By GREG OLIVER -- for SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS -- One of the baddest men in pro wrestling is also one of its most-liked and most revered personalities. And now, after Saturday night's 36th annual Cauliflower Alley Club Banquet, Walter 'Killer' Kowalski is in even more select company.
Kowalski, who hails from Windsor, Ontario and now lives in Massachusetts, was presented with the Iron Mike Mazurki Award, the CAC's top award, named in honour of its founder. The Killer knows that he's gone from being hated to being loved.
Feb. 10, 2002: Full story
Book fair a hit at Cauliflower Alley
By GREG OLIVER -- for SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - It would be unfair to give Mick Foley all the credit, but the
former WWF champ and New York Times best-selling author is a big reason why
the Cauliflower Alley Club decided to hold a book fair this year at its annual reunion.
Over 20 different pro wrestling-related authors are on hand to promote their wares, but it is just as important for the writers to mingle and talk with the wrestling stars of yesteryear on hand.
Feb. 9, 2002: Full story
2001
A Strong statement with Ventura portrait
By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling
When Minnesota Governor Jesse 'The Body' Ventura needed a portrait done for the Governor's mansion, he knew who to turn to -- his old tag team partner 'The California Terminator' Steve Strong.
Saturday night in Las Vegas, Strong unveiled the new portrait at the Cauliflower Alley Club reunion, before Governor Ventura even got a chance to see it.
Strong's vision has Ventura, clad in armour, atop a while stallion and hoisting an American flag. It is bound to cause controversy in Minnesota when it arrives.
Feb. 14: Full story
Paul Diamond's 2001 Cauliflower Alley Club Gallery
Cauliflower Alley Club 2001 Photo Gallery
Stu Hart honoured by his peers
By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS -- This year's Cauliflower Alley Club banquet and awards ceremony may have been in Las Vegas, but it was the Canadians that stole the show.
At the top of the food chain was the legendary Stu Hart, who was given the Club's highest honour, the Iron Mike Mazurki Award, named for the Club's founder. In an emotional moment, Hart rose from his wheelchair to walk to the podium, accomplianed by sons Bruce and Ross, daughter Diana and former trainee and Stampede wrestler Dave 'Angel of Death' Sheldon.
Feb. 11: Full story
Paul Diamond's 2001 Cauliflower Alley Club Gallery
Cauliflower Alley Club 2001 Photo Gallery
Wrestling reunion full of magic
By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling
LAS VEGAS -- There are many magicians around Las Vegas, both those working magic in their spectacular shows and the card wizards who try to beat the house.
But a most interesting kind of magic has been happening at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in town, and it's far more rewarding and beautiful than the other kinds. It's reunion magic, and old friends are seeing old friends again thanks to the Cauliflower Alley Club.
Feb. 10: Full story
Paul Diamond's 2001 Cauliflower Alley Club Gallery
Cauliflower Alley Club 2001 Photo Gallery
Huge reunion set for Las Vegas
By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling
The pro baseball, football, hockey and basketball leagues all have strong alumni associations, and the stars of the past are celebrated each year at the Hall of Fame inductions.
Pro wrestling is a little different. It's more about sharing stories and telling tall tales rather than statistics and championships.
Feb. 7: Full story
Paul Diamond's 2001 Cauliflower Alley Club Gallery
Cauliflower Alley Club 2001 Photo Gallery
1998
Blassie toast of Cauliflower Alley Club
By GREG OLIVER --
SLAM! Sports
CHERRY HILL, NJ -- Classy Freddie Blassie came away the winner at the fourth annual Cauliflower Alley Club East Coast Banquet.
Not bad when he was competing against the likes of Lou Thesz, Harley Race, Danny Hodge, Dory Funk Jr., Killer Kowalski, Abdullah the Butcher and Tully Blanchard.
The cankerous yet loveable Blassie was introduced first with a video highlighting his wrestling and managing career. Then the eighty-year-old legend laboured to the front of the room where he proceeded to toss off one-liner after one-liner to all the peers and pencil-necked geeks in attendance.
Oct. 26, 1998: Full story
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