Mat Matters: Expect the unexpected at the CAC

Greg Oliver

Paige Von Hess Sutherland, Ata Maivia and Haku at the Cauliflower Alley Club reunion at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday, August 18, 2024. Facebook photo

LAS VEGAS — How else do you explain a Cauliflower Alley Club reunion but to expect the unexpected?

As it officially gets under way today, Monday, August 19, at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, I find myself a little fuzzy and overtired reflecting back on a pretty great Sunday — the unofficial day, where you hear “when did you get in?” a whole lot.

Some random musings from my 22nd CAC reunion, plus a CAC dinner…

Did I expect to spend some time with “No Class” Bobby Bass and Ron Hutchison at Pearson on Sunday afternoon? I did, since I knew they were on the Porter flight with me. Just sitting around the waiting area with the gang was a real hoot. Bass was working the gimmick, with a cane just to be able to get onto the plane a little earlier. I had a seat up front, so walked down to the plane with “Gramps” who decidedly does not want to be called “Gramps.” All the more reason to do it.

Who's head? Yep, "No Class" Bobby Bass. Photo by Ron Hutchison
Who’s head? Yep, “No Class” Bobby Bass. Photo by Ron Hutchison

Unexpectedly, I managed to get through the hotel without stopping to talk to anyone from the CAC in the casino itself, but in the line to check-in, I had a good visit with Justin Crockett, who informed me there’s a Punk Rock Museum in town now (hmm, I am cooler than I look, really, that might be worth a trip), and Al Getz, whose head was all nicely shined up from his Melby Award win in Waterloo, Iowa, at the Tragos/Thesz Hall of Fame in July. You know it’s Vegas, baby, when Al noted that he was headed out for a night of debauchery and hoped to still be around the next day to chat further and sell some books.

Did I expect to want to swim? Sure, I’m Canadian and it’s ridiculously hot and I’m in Vegas. But you can’t predict who’s going to be pool-side and what you will be talking about. My Montreal Expos hat got Dennis McHawes/Atilla Khan and Haku and I talking baseball, and Haku told a story about his very first game, an Expos game at Olympic Stadium when he was wrestling as King Tonga for International Wrestling. As a kid growing up in Tonga, there was “rugby and drinking” as activities so he had no clue what was going on. Then he told another tale about going to his first hockey game, seeing the famed Montreal Canadiens from the private box that the Habs had to host past players. And it sounds like the next time I see Dennis, I might be his art-supply mule, bringing something across the border he apparently can’t get in the US.

Did I expect to find myself watching a wrestling show? Not the way it was promoted ahead of time. A number of people noted that they didn’t even know there was a card. But in many ways, the wrestling was the backdrop, a place where everyone could gather, hug, chat, and have a couple of (overpriced) drinks. The days of Vegas being a cheap place are long, long gone. I couldn’t tell you much about what actually happened, who won/lost, not because of the beer, but just because I don’t really like to sit still and kept moving around and visiting with people.

The not-CAC affiliated wrestling show with all the CAC people in attendance.
The not-CAC affiliated wrestling show with all the CAC people in attendance.

Did I expect to be laughing so much in the presence of Cathy Corino, better known as Allison Danger? No. She’s a hoot, and we’d never met until Sunday, though she insisted she’d been to a previous CAC when she lived in Vegas. Like a good daughter, she had to leave early to pick up her mother, who invited herself on this trip to see Cathy get the Women’s Wrestling Award.

Did I expect to be drinking beer with Dan Murphy? Absolutely. Murph is among my favorite people and the dude once wrote a book about beer in Buffalo. But Dano also has some “official” work to do, setting up the vendor’s room here at the Plaza, so tapped out (relatively) early. I headed out with Jay Grymyr, who lives local but becomes part of the fabric of CAC during its duration, onto Freemont Street, where it had cooled down to just a touch under 100 degrees. It’s still crazy to me how smoky it is under Freemont’s “Experience” and all the overhead lights. I’m feeling the grossness this morning.

Along the way, I collected fellow author Brian R. Solomon and instead of hanging out on Freemont, he and I found a quiet place at the Canadabar at The D, which the Canadian crew had raved about last year that I never made it to. It was great and it was nice to just chat about everything from his books on The Sheik and Gorilla Monsoon, which was to be expected. Unexpectedly, we got into a lot of family stuff, the complications of families in general, especially when people pass away.

Then I passed out, but fortunately it was in the comfort of my hotel room after a late night.

What do I expect today? For one, to chat with so many people I didn’t get to on Sunday (like The Rock’s mom, Ata Maivia, in the photo above), whether I saw them from afar or they aren’t here yet.

It’s a cliche, but there is always magic in the air at the CAC. In fact, I expect it.

TOP PHOTO: Paige Von Hess Sutherland, Ata Maivia and Haku at the Cauliflower Alley Club reunion at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday, August 18, 2024. Facebook photo

2024 CAULIFLOWER ALLEY CLUB HONOREES

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