Say One for the King

Shocking news from Monday night- our friend Jerry “the King” Lawler, after taking part in a tag team bout on WWE’s “Raw” show, collapsed while doing commentary. He was treated by the ringside EMTs and rushed to a Montreal hospital, having suffered a heart attack. At the time I’m writing this, Jerry had an angioplasty and had a stent inserted to open his clogged arteries. (I had this same procedure ten years ago.) The last report I read said that he is stable and responding well to treatment. His loved ones are, at this point, on their way to Montreal to be at his side. In an odd coincidence, earlier before the incident, I remarked how amazing it was that the 62 year old “King” had thrown a perfect standing drop-kick in his match. I would hope that his athletic training and fitness, as well as the fact that he does not smoke or drink, would help him to get through this heart attack. It’s been noted that, with the medical personnel right there to treat him, they may have indeed saved his life, since quick action is beneficial in heart attacks and strokes. There’s still a lot that has not been addressed- but, we’re hoping for good news and a speedy recovery. Having heart disease myself, this all scares me- but reminds me, and I hope, you as well, to have your heart health checked regularly- and then- follow the doctor’s orders. I recall one of my check-ups where they asked what I was doing, since I was doing pretty well. I responded that I was just doing what the doctor had advised, the best that I could- and the response was-“you’d be surprised how many people DON’T.” My longtime friend and co-worker, sportscaster Kenny McReynolds, suffered a heart attack a few months ago, coincidentally, while doing a game broadcast. I’m happy to say he’s doing well, and has been back on the job for quite a while now. I sincerely wish the same for Jerry Lawler- please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. No matter what his wrestling personas have been, in reality, he is a really nice guy, a great artist, and I am very flattered that he watches our shows when he can. I’ll try to provide any updates I can here in the blog. On to more pleasant things- let’s all wish my dear friend, the lovely Candi Gomez, a happy birthday today! You can currently hear her every Sunday night on KISS-FM, as well as see her hosting various events around town- and, of course, as a t-shirt model in our promotions for the Sven glow-in-the-dark t-shirts! Here’s hoping for more radio airtime for our effervescent friend! In other good news- you might remember me mentioning that the Ted Okuda/Mark Yurkiw book “Chicago TV Horror Movie Shows: from Shock Theatre to Svengoolie”- was being made available again after being out of print for about three years. Well, Sharon Woodhouse of Lake Claremont Press kindly left us a comment after the blog where we confirmed that- in case you didn’t see the response, Sharon wrote: Hi all--Thanks Svengoolie for mentioning that the book is back. All you say is true. "Chicago TV Horror Movie Shows: From Shock Theatre to Svengoolie" will be available to ship towards the end of this coming week. Feel free to call (312/226-8400) or drop me a line ([email protected]) with any questions.

Sharon, thank you- and we’re happy to see that this well-written, informative book that includes great chapters on both the original Svengoolie, Jerry G. Bishop, and myself, is again available for Sven fans old and new across the country!