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Wrestling announcing fulfills longtime dreamI have always believed that without holding your own personal dreams in this world, you don’t have a lot to look forward to.Even if you have a truly wonderful life, there’s always that one extra thing that can push you to a higher level of existence.I know my dreams are what keeps me going day-in and day-out. Granted, they have changed in the 24 years I’ve been alive.When I was eight or nine, I would have been satisfied with being the hero of one of my Little League games and getting a date with Laurie Partridge. As I got older, my dreams became more realistic. I dreamed of becoming the play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs and of getting a date with Valerie Bertinelli.If you’re going to dream, you might as well go first class.But sometimes if you work hard enough and believe, your dreams come true. That was the case for me last weekend.You see, for the first time in my life, I got to announce Professional Wrestling.That may not seem like something all that exciting to many of you. It may seem downright stupid to others.But for me, it was a couple of days of sheer fun and excitement.I have been a fan of this form of sports/entertainment since I was about eight years of age. I’ve seen guys from Moose Cholak to Baron Von Raschke to Hulk Hogan get in the ring and do battle. I have had the pleasure of attending Wrestlemania III, the most attended indoor event to this day, as part of the working press in Pontiac, Michigan.Yet, there was still something missing from my pro wrestling repetoirre.I knew that I could never get in the ring. The fact that I have one bad knee and weigh about 200 pounds less than anyone except the midgets prevented that from ever becoming a reality.But through wrestler and promoter “Freebird” Buddy Roberts and my sports show on Jones Intercable, “The Sporting View,” I got a chance to do the next best thing— announce.I started as a ring announcer at the Championship International Wrestling card at the Copernicus Theater in Chicago on Thursday. I have to admit, even with the fact that I have interviewed people from George Halas to Muhammud Ali, I was a little nervous.You could hear it in my voice.“This match is one fall and 15-minute time limit,” I bellowed to the crowd. “First of all, from the Heartland, weighing 240 pounds, ‘Pit Bull’ Johnny Poisson.Pit Bull?’ Yes, that was his name and it went on like that for the rest of the evening. I introduced everyone from ‘Lightning’ Lonnie King to ‘Mr. Karate,’ Juan Hernandez. As the night went on, I got more into the flow of show.And by the end of the night, I was the embodiment of Pro Wrestling.The fun was only just beginning.The Friday and Saturday cards approached, and I was transformed from Scott Merkin, wrestling ring announcer to Scott Merkin, wrestling ring announcer and play-by-play broadcaster.Yes, just like the great Vince McMahon and the legendary ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund before me, I was adding my name to the lore of broadcasting wrestling.After a few early problems, things really got going. I used my vast broadcast knowledge and formal education to come up with such phrases as “Oh, what a shot to the chest!” or “If he hooks the leg, he’s going to get the three-count.”Pretty sophisticated stuff.But nothing was as impressive as my horrified yells when one of the wrestlers not on the fan favorite lists ran into the ring to attack the good guy from behind. My astonishment and anger played over the air was worthy of an Academy Award.So, what was the final upshot of my three nights of work? The bottom line was that I had a great time.I know a lot of you out there question why anyone would follow something like professional wrestling— especially some of you talented amatuer grap-plers. But I think if you take wrestling for what its worth, you can come away having a great time.Sure, you can question the authenticity of some of the moves. There aren’t too many people I know that can take a chair to the head and stand up minutes later to talk about it. But why would you question it?Do you question how Arnold Schwartzanaegger takes on 117 enemy commandos, with no assistance, and disposes of them all while barely gaining a scratch? No, because it’s a movie and you accept it as an entertainment form.And there you have the allure of wrestling.It’s great escapism, it’s two hours of pure action and entertainment. It’s like, as my dad would say, the old-time serials with the forces of good battling the forces of evil.So, why fight it. Just enjoy it. I know I always will.I truly felt a part of the little circuit known as professional wrestling over this past weekend, especially when a couple little kids in Kankakee came up and asked for my autograph.Yes, me, a young man from Chicago just trying to earn a living.... and trying to make my dreams come true.
Newspaper Details
Frankfort Star
Frankfort, Illinois, US
Thu, Aug 09, 1990
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
TN, USA 13 Jun 2019
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