Sting proves to be a perfect, pious headliner at CAC

LAS VEGAS — The top award in the pro wrestling business is the Iron Mike Mazurki Award, and there was no argument that Sting was worthy when he arrived on the stage at the 58th annual Cauliflower Alley Club reunion. What followed was half recap of a storied career, half testimonial.

The award probably could have been given to Sting (Steve Borden) a decade ago without argument, but he wasn’t done, and only recently retired for good. (We think.)

Lex Luger had the duty of introducing Sting, and they have been great friends since the late 1980s. Luger himself, having rolled up on the stage in his wheelchair, got a standing ovation.

“We can go on and on about Sting’s accomplishments in the ring,” said Luger, but he wanted to focus on the person. They were were tag partners, road partners, business partners in gyms, neighbors, raised their families together. “Words can’t describe the nearly 40 year friendship that we have,” Luger said.

Their one issue, Luger said, was when he thought he “lost his best friend to religion.” Their lives diverged, and Luger’s dark path circa 1998, was tough on both of them. It was Steve calling Larry Pfohl, not Sting calling Lex, who helped steer him to God and later baptized him. “The hand of God brought us full circle,” said Luger. “It’s truly amazing.”

“We’re going to be friends for eternity,” ended Luger.

Without face paint, wearing a shirt grey patterned sport coat and white running shoes, Sting threatened to read out the 40 years of his life from his journal, but didn’t.

Instead, he was his pretty humble self, praising others.

“How did I end up here?” Sting wondered, hitting a couple of highlights from his career, including facing Kurt Angle (“the most well-rounded wrestler, ever”) and the Main Event Mafia; teaming with Luger against the Steiners; his “buddies” the Dudleys; Marcus “Buff” Bagwell who sought out Sting’s help thinking that the Steiners hated him; TNA and the Joker character which was bigger in Europe; his brief WWE run and facing Seth Rollins; finally returning to AEW, courted by Tony Khan and Cody Rhodes.

“Tony knew I was somewhat reluctant,” said Sting, saying that he signed to do only cinematic matches … but only did one. But he was talked into wrestling again.

In AEW, “it seemed like pretty much everybody was on board,” he said.

“My last run was so darn fun,” Sting said, thanking Darby Allin in particular, for being able to showcase Sting’s strengths and cover for his weaknesses.

“I wanted to retire as Old Man Sting,” he explained, listing his previous variations of Sting. The idea was a Clint Eastwood-like figure from old Westerns. “He was getting the job done, just in a different way.” There would have been a cane instead of a bat. “Tony, why didn’t you let me do that?”

Clash of Champions 1998 against Ric Flair, “that was the match that put me on the map” and he thanked Flair for concluding the story, being there when Sting finally retired in AEW.

Sting thanked God for the strength to finish his story. “Revolution was the highlight of my career,” he said, adding that having his two sons involved meant the world to him.

God helped him “to finish strong.”

Going back in time, Sting recalled his wilder days of partying and infidelity before being born again as a Christian. He quoted some scripture, driving home his message just prior to concluding his 25-minute speech.

“Thank you for giving me another chance. I love you all,” he finished.

It was a fitting main event for a night with six awards (slightly less than expected due to a couple of honorees not in attendance).

The first night of the awards, held at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, used to be known as the Baloney Blowout as a tribute to life on the road where often all the wrestlers could get would be a loaf of bread and a pound of baloney sometimes with mustard. This year, the food was a big step up with pasta, but still served buffet style.

The evening began with “You Are My Sunshine” as a sing-along by Ata Maivia (mother of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on the ukulele followed by a hula dance.

The hosts were announcer Joe Dombrowski, “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart, brought to the stage by Debrah “Madusa” Miceli.

“I consider this the most important gathering in all of pro wrestling,” said Dombrowski, who was emcee for the second time running, and he noted that he “fell in love” with the CAC upon his first trip in 2023.

Club president Brian Blair and Executive VP Rich Ingling thanked the people who make it all happen before the first award was handed out.

That went to Lori McGee Hurst, who received the Red Bastien Friendship Award, who was a caretaker of The Boys in the World Class Championship Wrestling territory and then in subsequent Dallas-area promotions. Her presenter, referee James Beard, called her the “babysitter” for the wrestlers, and then the key person years later who returned the memorabilia to wrestlers and donors after the failure of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Wichita Falls, Texas. McGee Hurst only talked for a few seconds, noting that she did not rescue the PWHF memorabilia on her own.

The Courage Award is the only award not announced in advance, and was given to Rick Harris, who was known as Black Bart in the ring. The 76-year-old Harris has been battling Stage 4 colon cancer, undergoing chemotherapy, and was not in attendance, though did thank the crowd via video. Ingling paid tribute to Harris and his ability to “kick out and kick out”. Former world champion JBL accepted the award on Harris’ behalf.

“Bart loved me,” claimed JBL, describing Bart sitting in the Sportatorium in Dallas. Bart helped train both JBL and Bobby Duncum Jr. They had a special relationship though based a lot on humor, and JBL one time suggested that Harris start an “OnlyFats” page to raise money. Instead the GoFundMe page, a fundraising wrestling card and donations from friends and the CAC helped Harris pay for some of the expenses. “This award meant the world to Bart,” said JBL, adding that Harris really wanted to be in Vegas with his friends.

The REEL Award went to Todd Bridges, who most would know from the TV sitcom Diff’rent Strokes where he was Willis Jackson. But he had tried his hand at pro wrestling more than once, and was a perfect fit for the CAC, which was started by actor Mike Mazurki. Sunny the California Girl Patricia Summerland was his presenter, and she said he was one of her best friends.

Bridges was the first to drop a swear word, jokingly angry at the highlight video that brought up his time in prison. He didn’t speak long, mentioning recently getting married and now having six kids, but then Jimmy Hart wanted to talk about Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling. “He did great interviews,” Hart said of Bridges from that show. “You should have won” the reality show, concluded Hart.

The Women’s Wrestling Award went to Cathy Corino, who wrestled as Allison Danger. Her “much older brother” (as she is quick to always point out) Steve Corino was her introducer, but from NXT Arena. “A special award for a special person,” started “The King of Old School”, lamenting that he often ends up being her sounding board. “She has spread that love [of women’s wrestling] across the world,” he added.

Danger was the first to really work the crowd and delivered a fun speech, “on the fly.” She celebrated her “jerk” brother for walking the line of both teasing her and celebrating her in his video. “That’s my mom everyone,” she pointed out, after her mom popped at one point. Wrestling was always his brother’s dream, not hers, but she followed him around, took the suplexes at home, and eventually entered the business herself. “Never in a million years did I think I’d be up on this stage,” she said.

“Apparently I have a very kickable face,” cracked Danger, pointing to Cheerleader Melissa in the crowd. Melissa was one of the mainstays of SHIMMER, the all-women’s promotion run by Danger and Dave Prazak. “I came to fuck up a business,” she said, explaining how women’s wrestling changed. To end, she challenged everyone to make women’s wrestling even better than it is now.

It was a trip to Dudleyville for the Tag Team Award, honoring The Dudley Boyz, D-Von Dudley and Bubba Ray … with Dombrowski listing all the other various Dudleys for the competitions in the room. Their presenter was JBL, who was half stand-up comedian. “I think they are the greatest tag team of all time,” said JBL, saying they had surpassed the Road Warriors. “They made magic,” he said about them, especially when it comes to Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches.

D-Von started out thanking God, proving that his “testify” reverend gimmick was real. At 24 world tag team championships, D-Von is proud, but wouldn’t say that they were the greatest ever, if only because they never got to face so many greats. “We were the greatest tag team of our era,” D-Von said, before turning it over to Bubba Ray.

“Thank you, good night,” teased Bubba, pretending to walk away. Instead, he launched into a story about a CAC dinner where they were honored back in 1998, presented by the Wild Samoans, in an event in Newark, NJ, a team that first got him into pro wrestling, and who both died within the last three months.

“We’ve been attached at the hip for 20 years,” said Bubba, making sure to say that D-Von was the “wife” in the marriage. “Me and D-Von were always friends, from Day One.”

Though no one went through a table, Bubba got the crowd to do a group, “D-Von get the tables” … adding that “it’ll never get old.”

Amen.

TOP PHOTO: Sting (Steve Borden) on the stage, receiving the Iron Mike Mazurki Award at the Cauliflower Alley Club reunion at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. Photo by Scott Romer

2024 CAULIFLOWER ALLEY CLUB HONOREES

• Iron Mike Mazurki Award: Sting
• Lou Thesz/Art Abrams Award: Kurt Angle
• Karl Lauer Independent Promoters’ Award: David McLane
• Jim Ross Announcers’ Award: Jim Ross
• Women’s Wrestling Award: Allison Danger
• Tag Team Award: The Dudley Boyz
• Men’s Wrestling Award: Buff Bagwell
• Lucha Libre Award: Negro Casas
• Red Bastien Friendship Award: Lori McGee Hurst
• Independent Wrestling Award: “Night Train” Gary Jackson
• Charlie Smith Referee Award: Bill “Fonzie” Alfonso
• REEL Award: Todd Bridges
• James C. Melby Historian Award: Jason Presley
• Courage Award: Black Bart (Rick Harris)

RELATED LINKS

• Cauliflower Alley Club story archive
• Cauliflower Alley Club website