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WITH THE RETURN OF FANSLAM THIS WEEKEND, PROMOTER FIERRO HOPES FOR FRESH START

In March 2004, Fanslam drew over 1,000 fans to Totowa, New Jersey in what was billed as "A Tribute to Wrestlemania 1." It appeared that the sky was the limit for promoter Tommy Fierro, a New Jersey native who helped revitalize the wrestling convention circuit that had been dormant for years.

By March 2005, the convention scene was booming thanks to a horde of different promoters nationally. None of them were Fierro. He was nowhere to be found, having canceled several conventions in the midst of dealing with severe personal problems, including a publicly admitted drinking problem.

Fierro took to the Internet with explanations and apologies, noting he was trying to deal with his issues and didn't want to run until he had. He eventually dropped out of sight completely for well over a year, leaving a number of disappointed and upset fans in his wake.

This weekend, Fierro's Fanslam convention returns to its old stomping grounds in the Totowa Holiday Inn. A humbled and repentant Fierro hopes to start over and make good with any fans he burned in the past.

"I was going through a lot of personal problems right after my Tribute To WrestleMania 1 convention. I had two conventions booked after that, one being in July and one being in August. The one is August was going to be an Extreme Fanslam event, which was basically going to be a ECW Reunion convention. Now I thought of this idea one year before Shane Douglas or WWE ever did. With Tod Gordon's help, I had everyone and their mother appearing at the show. It was going to be a convention in the day time and a show at night with Terry Funk vs. Sabu in a cage with Mick Foley as the referee. A few weeks into organizing the ECW convention is when all of my problems began. It got pretty bad and there was no way I'd be able to mentally pull off back to back big events like that. On top of that, the day I was planning on running the ECW convention was turned out to be Crowbar's wedding day. The wedding wasn't the reason I canceled the ECW convention though, it was because I was messed up at the time and wouldn't have been able to pull it off with a level head. After that I took a year off from running Fanslam and told myself I wouldn't return to running events until I knew I was back on the right track and level headed again."

With a talent pool of Bruno Sammartino, The Young Stallions, Earl Hebner, Crowbar, Hillbilly Jim, Ivan Putski, Tatanka and Brutus Beefcake, Fierro sees this as a chance to redeem himself. "Why should fans give me another chance? People make mistakes in life and have to learn by them. If another event is ever canceled in the future, I'm personally telling you to wash your hands of me and never give me another chance. Something like that will never happen again. The past is the past."

Fierro, who has tried to make good with fans owed merchandise from prior cancellations, says he's looking forward into "jumping back into the mix." Beyond the standard autograph sessions, there will be a one hour Q & A Session with Earl Hebner where he'll discuss his version of events of the 1997 Survivor Series Montreal screwjob, among other topics. A later Q & A will see Bruno Sammartino discuss his career while the remaining guests will take part in a press conference style discussion about the business to close out the day.

"I always wanted Bruno Sammartino as a guest. I mean come on, he's Bruno Sammartino. I thought getting him in for the event would be a major plus. Earl Hebner has never done a convention before and with him recently getting released by the WWE, he was right on the top of my list when I began setting this thing up. His Question and Answer session should be really interesting and I suggest anyone that is going to the event to check out his Q&A. Tatanka hasn't ever done a convention before either, and with him fresh off a RAW appearance a few months ago, he's another one I wanted right out of the gate. Hillbilly Jim was another I always wanted in the past because I think he'll do very well. Mix in a Young Stallions reunion with Paul Roma & Jim Powers, Ivan Putski, and The Barber Shop at Fanslam with Brutus Beefcake; you have a good little mix I think. It's not every day you get the chance to meet "The Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino. It's not every day you get to sit in at a Earl Hebner Question & Answer Session and ask him what was going through his head the day of the 1997 Survivor Series. It's not every day that Brutus Beefcake can give you a haircut."

Guests appearing courtesy of other vendors and local wrestling promotions include Vince Russo, who will be signing copies of his new autobiography, TNA Knockout Traci Brooks, Hillbilly Cousin Luke, and former WWE Tough Enough champion Maven. There is also a new wrinkle for the convention scene - a mystery guest.

"It is something that hasn't been done before. I felt that it would be a little something extra I could give to the fans coming out this Saturday. It also builds last minute steam to the event. People are going to be saying, "Well, who the hell is it going to be?"

With promises of a new beginning, Fierro's Fanslam, the convention that kicked off the current wrestling convention craze, jumps back into the fray this weekend. If things go well, Fierro intends to go back to his original stated goals for the entity.

"The ultimate goal is to tour Fanslam to different states next year. Last year, I was well on my way to that dream happening until all the personal stuff put a setback on that. This time however, I'll make sure my plans for Fanslam play out the way I want them to."

Fanslam takes place this Saturday 11/19 in Totowa, New Jersey at the Holiday Inn. The schedule of events are as follows:

9 AM - Convention opens

10 AM - "The 3 Count with Earl Hebner" Q & A Session

11:30 AM - "Between the Ropes with Bruno Sammartino" Q & A Session

12 PM Signing Session with Earl Hebner, Hillbilly Jim, Tatanka, Ivan Putski, Brutus Beefcake, Jim Powers, and Paul Roma.

12:30-2:30 PM Signing Session with Bruno Sammartino

3 PM "Memories of Matches, Manias, & Mayhem" with Hillbilly Jim, Tatanka, Ivan Putski, Brutus Beefcake, Jim Powers, and Paul Roma Q & A Session

For more information on Fanslam, visit www.fanslamonline.com or call (201) 757-7686.

Mike Johnson can be reached at Mike@PWInsider.com.

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