If you heard the Steve Austin Unleashed Podcast last week, you heard Austin and Kenny Bolin discussing a promo where “Dr. D” David Schultz got Mean Gene to break up and laugh on camera. Here’s the video clip if you’d like to have a look:
Dr. D has been written out of a lot of wrestling history over the last 20 years, despite his runs in Stampede, Memphis, Florida, Japan, and the AWA as well as WWF. We’re going to set the record straight. Dr. D’s autobiography, “Don’t Call me Fake,” is on track for release this coming winter.
If you missed Breakfast with Bolin, you missed one of the funniest, most entertaining live wrestling chats ever held in Louisville. Even with a bad case of, well, whatever it was that was ailing the Starmaker that day, some amazing stories and timeless memories were made the day a packed room of fans gathered to hear Kenny and his best friend Jim Cornette share stories.
Bolin and Cornette are giving fans a second chance to get in on the fun, and it happens this weekend. A few seats are still available, but they will go fast. Do not miss out on this twice in a lifetime opportunity to not only spend two meals straight at the Golden Corral buffet, but to hear Kenny Bolin and Jim Cornette banter like an old time Vaudeville act.
If you missed Breakfast with Bolin the first time around, your second chance has finally arrived.
After being “ribbed” by Kenny and forced to carry the first Breakfast on his own when the King fell ill the night before, Jim Cornette has agreed to join Kenny and forty of his closest (i.e. paying) friends for Breakfast with Bolin 2. This time the Breakfast even will not only benefit Golden Corral’s charity Camp Corral, it will benefit the King himself, who has some serious medical bills coming due.
Breakfast with Bolin 2 will take place on Saturday April 29 from 3-6 PM at Golden Corral on Taylorsville Road in Louisville. Tickets for this twice in a lifetime event are $39.95. That includes the discussion between Kenny and Jim as well as the all-you-can-eat Golden Corral dinner buffet! There are only 75 seats available, and they are going fast.
No, don’t get your hopes up. There’s no Hall of Fame in the works by me, or anyone else I know of. Just a little hypothetical question:
If there were a Louisville Wrestling Hall of Fame, who would you want to see in it?
I have a long list of suggestions. In no particular order, they are:
Ed “Strangler” Lewis – A first ballot entry for sure, the Strangler got his famous name in Louisville after showing up two weeks late for a booking under his real name.
Heywood Allen – A referee turned promoter who was involved in the Louisville wrestling scene from the early 1900s until 1947.
Francis S. McDonogh – Allen’s successor, who took the Allen Athletic Club into its hey day in the 1950s, pioneering wrestling on Louisville television and drawing record crowds at the Armory.
Betty McDonogh – Wife of Francis and the business manager for Allen and her husband. She gets credit for helping to popularize wrestling with a female audience in the 1940s, when the promotion drew more ladies every week for a time than men.
Wild Bill Longson – The only man to win a world championship in Louisville. Longson was a fixture for the Allen Athletic Club throughout the 40s and 50s and even worked as a booker for the promotion.
“The Black Panther” Jim Mitchell – A true pioneer, Mitchell was an African American wrestler before, during, and after the “color barrier” was put in place. He was also a mentor to the legendary Bobo Brazil.
Col. Stu Gibson – A New Albany native and former football hero who became a huge heel in Louisville and San Antonio.
Wee Willie Davis – A wrestler and movie star who moved to Louisville and ran a few promotions during the late 50s and 60s.
Jerry Jarrett – Wrestler and promoter who brought Louisville into the Memphis territory in 1970.
Jerry Lawler – The King of Memphis could lay equal claim to royalty in Louisville with all the legendary nights he had at the Gardens.
Jim Cornette – Arguably the most famous Louisville native in the pro wrestling business. Considered one of the greatest managers of all time. With the Rock N Roll Express going into the WWE Hall of Fame, one can only hope Jim and the Midnight Express will be next.
Danny Davis – Wrestler and manager during the Memphis era who moved to Louisville and founded OVW.
Ian Rotten – Former ECW wrestler who founded IWA Mid-South, a promotion that has lasted just as many years as the more mainstream OVW.
Kenny “Starmaker” Bolin – Louisville native and life-long nemesis of Cornette, Bolin helped launch the WWE careers of more than 4 dozen wrestlers who once belonged to Bolin Services.
John Cena – OVW’s most famous son.
CM Punk – IWA Mid-South’s most famous son.
The “OVW Four” aka Rob Conway, Nick Dinsmore, The Damaja, and Doug Basham – Four Southern Indiana natives, two (Conway and Dinsmore) from right across the river, who made it to the WWE after starting in the OVW beginner class. Basham and Damaja were a tag team in the E. Dinsmore became the surprisingly popular U-Gene. Conway is the only Louisville native to win the WWE Tag Title and went on to become a two-time NWA World Champion.
Dean Hill – Current “owner” of OVW, Hill was a ring announcer at the Louisville Gardens before becoming the voice of Louisville wrestling as OVW’s TV announcer.
Okay, Louisville fans, let’s hear it. Who would you put in a Louisville Wrestling Hall of Fame?
Friends and fans and followers of Kenny “Starmaker” Bolin got a scare last night when his son Chris (aka “Catbox”) posted on Kenny’s Facebook page that his father was back in the ER. I’m happy to report that Kenny was sent home to continue resting and recovering.
Kenny recently had major surgery that doctors hope will help him get back to a healthier state. This is not the first complication he’s had as a result of the surgery, and he’s been under the knife at least once more that I know of to deal with some of these issues. There was some concern he might have had an infection, but the doctors found no sign of this before they sent him home.
If all goes well, Kenny will come out of all this lighter and fitter than he has been in years. No, he won’t be in ring shape, but the Starmaker’s days in the ring and beside the ring are done anyway. The goal is to get his weight down and get back to a healthier physique so that he can fulfill the number one item on his bucket list: to outlive Jim Cornette.
The Breakfast with Bolin event and DVD taping is only 11 days away. We’ve got a camera crew all set to capture the event, but do you know what we’re missing? A theme song!
I’m calling on all Kenny Bolin fans with a lick of musical talent to put that gift to work. We need a theme song to put on this DVD, and we want you to compose it. It doesn’t matter whether you play the guitar, the banjo, the accordion, or the lute; if you come up with the best tune that captures the essence of Kenny Bolin, we will use it.
About a year and a half ago, I had the privilege of eating lunch with Kenny “Starmaker” Bolin and his life long adversary Jim Cornette at Clarksville Seafood. Stories were shared about their childhood, their life together, and their days in the ring. Many of them made their way into Kenny’s book, but some details did not. It was an incredible time listening to two of Kentucky’s biggest wrestling legends banter back and forth, and it was arguably one of the funniest conversations I have ever had in my life.
On May 21 Kenny wants you to join him and Jim for a similar experience at the Golden Corral on Taylorsville Rd in Louisville! Breakfast with Bolin is a once in a lifetime chance to have breakfast AND lunch (yes, you read that right) with the Starmaker and the original Louisville Slugger.
The conversation, complete with questions from you and other fans, will be filmed for future release as a DVD and distribution on the INC Network on Roku.
The date, time and location are now confirmed: May 21 at 10 AM at the Golden Corral on Taylorsville Rd in Louisville. Kenny is now selling tickets direct through his Facebook page. $29 is the price that gets you two meals and a seat for one of the most entertaining days of your life. What’s more, Golden Corral has decided to make this a charity fundraiser, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the sons and daughters of veterans to enable them to go to summer camp.
If you’re a wrestling fan in or near the Louisville area, this is an opportunity not to be missed. Jim has traveled the country doing Q&A’s and giving talks on his career, but Kenny does NOT do this. If you’re one of the many who only download Jim’s podcast when Kenny is on, you will not want to miss this chance.
Please visit Kenny’s Facebook page to get in touch and book your spot before it sells out!
It’s two days until the biggest event of the year in sports entertainment, and a well-placed source in the WWE has just confirmed, John Cena will return at Wrestlemania!
That’s right, Cenation, Superman is back, and he’s coming to make himself a hero to those dreading the inevitable rise of the Roman Empire.
Or is he?
Cena will be inserted into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H and Roman Reigns, but he will not be doing so as a babyface! The long-awaited heel turn will happen Sunday night, and after Shane McMahon expels Triple H from Monday Night Raw, Cena will be the guy paired with the man Vince McMahon still hopes to make into the next Cena!
But wait, how in the world will the WWE get the fans to cheer Reigns over Cena, especially heel Cena? Cena was the most hated man in Louisville when he was at OVW. He was exceptionally good at working the mic when he was a heel, and it’s not too far-fetched to think that a “smark” Wrestlemania and post-Mania Raw audience will fall in love with heel Cena. To make sure that the fans boo Cena like never before, the WWE has paired Cena up with an advocate, a blast from the past, an ace in the hole sure to make him the biggest heel since the Iron Sheik!
You are not dreaming, wrestling fans. John Cena will be paired up with his former manager, the man who helped launch him to superstardom, Kenny “Starmaker” Bolin. Under Bolin’s tutelage, Cena became hands down the most hated man in Louisville when he was at OVW. Now that he has reunited with his old protege, Bolin will not only turn fans pro-Reigns and anti-Cena, he will make Cena the top heel for years to come, extending his career in a way not seen since Hulk Hogan became “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan.
Doubt me if you will, wrestling fans, but some Sunday night, April 3, in front of the largest audience ever assembled for a live wrestling event, John Cena will steal the spotlight and the title from Roman Reigns, and Bolin Services will finally begin its long overdue WWE run at the Showcase of the Immortals!
Kenny will still be at The Nerdy Planet on Saturday from 3-5 PM, selling books and signing autographs with me and Little Jimmy LeBeaux. We had originally planned on an evening event, starting around 6 PM, but just before we announced the event on Facebook, Kenny called and asked me to move it up earlier in the day. If you’re not buying it, join us Saturday and ask Kenny for yourself. He’ll be happy to neither confirm nor deny what’s about to go down at Wrestlemania 32.
If you want to meet Jim Cornette this week, you’ll have to travel to Dallas, home of Wrestlemania 32, to see him at IHWE/NWA Parade of Champions. But if you want to meet Jim’s son, Little Jimmy LeBeaux, you will need to be in Jim, Sr.’s hometown of Louisville.
It’s a cruel twist of fate that brought Little Jimmy to town on a weekend when his daddy will be absent, but it’s nothing new for the thirtysomething Cajun. Jim Cornette’s been absent Little Jimmy’s whole life, and he’s been ducking Little Jimmy ever Kenny Bolin first told Jim he was a father. That won’t stop Little Jimmy from having a good time this weekend when he makes his first public appearance Saturday afternoon at the Nerdy Planet!
The Nerdy Planet is Louisville’s newest and coolest destination for all things comic books and pop culture. Kenny Bolin and I will be there from 3-5 PM Saturday signing copies of Bluegrass Brawlers, Eat Sleep Wrestle, and I Probably Screwed You Too: The Mostly True Stories of Kenny Starmaker Bolin. As a special treat, we have invited Little Jimmy LeBeaux to be our guest, and yes, Little Jimmy will be available for pictures and autographs too!
Is it a shoot? Is it a work? This Saturday, you can meet Little Jimmy LeBeaux and decide for yourself if he is the true heir to the Cornette fortune. Bring your cameras, your autograph books, and your book money down to the Nerdy Planet Saturday from 3-5 PM,and let’s show Little Jimmy a little Louisville hospitality.
When was the last time you went to OVW? This week, the promotion that groomed the top WWE stars of the last decade has a must-see main event.
Mitchell Huff is a former OVW student turned trainer featured in the book, Eat Sleep Wrestle. After taking a few years off, he returned a few years ago and took the Midwestern indy scene by storm. He’s become a star at OVW and leads his own training group every Monday at The Arena in Jeffersonville.
His opponent is Daniel Eads, the Man of Tomorrow. Eads not only has the look of a superstar (not to mention Superman), he recently caught the eye of former OVW manager Kenny “Starmaker” Bolin. Kenny is not an easy man to impress, but the Starmaker saw a potential superstar in the young wrestler.
OVW still bills itself as the place to see the Superstars of Tomorrow today, and that’s certainly the case with these two. Whether you’re a regular at Davis Arena or haven’t been there since the WWE banners came down, Mitchell Huff and Daniel Eads is a match up worth seeing.
OVW is located at 4400 Shepherdsville Road in Louisville. Bell time for the weekly TV taping on Wednesday night is 7:30 PM.
Ed “Strangler” Lewis – A first ballot entry for sure, the Strangler got his famous name in Louisville after showing up two weeks late for a booking under his real name.
Jim Cornette – Arguably the most famous Louisville native in the pro wrestling business. Considered one of the greatest managers of all time. With the Rock N Roll Express going into the WWE Hall of Fame, one can only hope Jim and the Midnight Express will be next.
It’s two days until the biggest event of the year in sports entertainment, and a well-placed source in the WWE has just confirmed, John Cena will return at Wrestlemania!
If you want to meet Jim Cornette this week, you’ll have to travel to Dallas, home of Wrestlemania 32, to see him at 
