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The last time they were together. ❤️

Crash Holly should have turned 55 years old today.

Instead, the wrestling community has spent more than two decades remembering a man it never should have lost so young.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw Crash wrestle. I was young, watching him face Christopher Daniels at a fair in Georgia, and I was completely blown away. There was no massive television production surrounding them—just two incredibly gifted wrestlers showing everyone in attendance what professional wrestling was supposed to look like. Long before I understood everything that went into creating a great match, I knew I had witnessed something special.

Millions would come to know him as Crash Holly—the “super heavyweight” who supposedly weighed well over 400 pounds, carried his own scale and helped turn the Hardcore Championship’s 24/7 rule into one of the most entertaining parts of the Attitude Era. He could make people laugh before the bell rang and then remind them what an outstanding wrestler he was once it did.

That was Crash. The character was entertaining, but the talent underneath it was very real. He could wrestle anyone, play any role and make whatever he was given matter.

Michael Lockwood’s life ended tragically in 2003 at only 32 years old. But his life should never be remembered only for the way it ended. He was a son, a father, a friend, a tremendous performer and a beloved member of the wrestling family. His work continues to make people smile, and those fortunate enough to have watched him in person still remember exactly how he made them feel.

Happy heavenly birthday, Crash Holly. You left us far too soon, but you remain one of wrestling’s own—and you have never been forgotten.

— Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers

I didn’t watch Dark Side of the Ring with Vader.
It’s hard for me to hear people talk about him who never would’ve said two words to his face.

I met Vader for the first time the day these pictures were taken. He didn’t know me or my brother. We were just two young guys booked in a handicap match with him.
He wrestled us hard—and then took us out for dinner.

Later, he gave me work helping with his bookings.
But the most important thing he ever did? It wasn’t wrestling related.

I started wrestling at 16. My dad never liked that I used a “wrestling name.” He never really accepted it.
When Dad got sick with terminal cancer, Vader used to call him every week.

He didn’t have to.
He wasn’t getting anything out of it. He didn’t have anything to gain as he was giving me work. He just did it—because he cared.

That’s the guy I remember.
That’s the Vader I knew.
And that’s who he’ll always be in my house.

Vader Time forever. ⏰

— Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers
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This may be the final fan photo ever taken of The Ultimate Warrior.

Dale Fitzpatrick crossed paths with Warrior at the New Orleans airport on the morning of April 8, 2014. Warrior had just completed an unforgettable return—his Hall of Fame induction on Saturday, WrestleMania on Sunday and his first appearance on Monday Night RAW in nearly 18 years.

Just the night before, Warrior had spoken on RAW about a man’s heart eventually beating its final beat. Nobody listening could have imagined how quickly those words would take on an entirely different meaning.

Dale asked him for a picture. Warrior stopped, put his arm around him and smiled. It probably took less than a minute.

Later that day, after returning to Arizona, Warrior collapsed while walking with his wife and passed away at only 54 years old.

Dale left the airport with a photograph he knew he would always treasure. Only hours later, it became something neither of them could have imagined.

Warrior was finished with his appearances and trying to get home after a long weekend. There was no autograph table and no obligation to stop, but he still made time for Dale.

Unless another photograph surfaces, we may never know for certain whether this was the last fan picture Warrior ever took. We do know it was one of the final ones—and there is a very real possibility that we are looking at the last.

Thank you to Dale Fitzpatrick for sharing an important piece of wrestling history with us.

— Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers

“What I’d like to have right now… is for all you beer-bellied bass hogs to keep the noise down while I show the ladies what a real catch looks like.”

This picture is an easy one to have some fun with because it fits Rick Rude’s old entrance line so well. But behind the joke is something most wrestling fans probably never knew: Rude was a serious fisherman.

Rude was from Minnesota, and Steve Austin has described him as a skilled fisherman who knew exactly what he was doing on the water. We’ve also seen photographs of Rude with his close friend Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart after fishing trips. This wasn’t something Rude did once for a picture. Fishing was a real part of his life away from wrestling.

Austin told a great story about spending time at a hunting camp in South Georgia with Rude and Paul Orndorff. There was a fishing hole nearby, so Austin and Rude went out together. According to Austin, Rude found the right spot and kept pulling fish out while Austin struggled to keep up.

“Rick Rude caught probably 20, 25 fish. I might have caught three.”

When they returned to camp, Austin ended up outside cleaning the catfish with a pair of pliers and a board across a trash can. Rude came to the screen door and asked what he was doing. Austin told him he was cleaning the fish and asked if Rude wanted to help.

Rude said, “Nope,” turned around and went back inside to watch Cape Fear.

Most fans knew Rick Rude for the robe, the physique, the promos and the confidence that made him one of wrestling’s greatest heels. This photograph shows something different: Rude in his jeans, cigar in his mouth and a large bass in his hand, doing something he genuinely enjoyed and was apparently very good at.

Rick Rude wasn’t just holding somebody else’s catch for a picture. He was the fisherman—and by Steve Austin’s own admission, a pretty damn good one.

— Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers

“Chris Masters was doing a show in our small town. Our boy knew exactly who he was. At the red light, he jumped out of the truck and ran over to Chris and caught him off guard. Chris was amazing to him. They talked about the master lock and the boy's favourite version of Sting.

Later on that night Chris saw him in the crowd and made sure he said hi to him again. He made the boys night.”

- Jason Despins, Book Pro Wrestlers Reader

“This photo is from a hotel balcony in Dallas, TX.
It was taken during my graduation week from SMU. Dad was so proud when I graduated college and went on to post-graduate study.

After I graduated, he told me later:

‘Son, at that moment I finally realized that you were going to use your head, not your body.
A little part of me always wished I had broken you into the business, until that moment.
I knew then that you would be safe and healthy all your life,
and be able to have a family that you could spend all of your time with.’”

That’s what Harley Race told his son, Justin—his only son—during one of the proudest moments of their lives.

We’re honored that Justin Race has been so gracious in sharing this deeply personal photo and memory with us here on Book Pro Wrestlers.

In June 2017, Harry Smith - also known to wrestling fans as Davey Boy Smith Jr. visited Tom “Dynamite Kid” Billington for what would become the final time.

Harry wasn’t simply visiting one of wrestling’s most influential performers. He was sitting beside the man who, alongside his father, Davey Boy Smith, formed the British Bulldogs and forever changed what tag-team wrestling could be.

Davey Boy had been gone for 15 years, but through Harry, something of that legendary partnership was back in the room. The son of one Bulldog was there with the other—carrying the family name, their shared history and the legacy they created together.

Dynamite Kid passed away the following year, on December 5, 2018—his 60th birthday.

Harry Smith is available for bookings via Book Pro Wrestlers

— Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers

VINCE McMAHON TURNS 81 TODAY— INSIDE THE PRIVATE WEEKEND WHEN HE TURNED 80

Some people reading this will wish Vince McMahon a happy birthday today. Others will not.

Few figures in wrestling history inspire stronger—or more divided—reactions. We aren’t here to tell anyone how to feel about the man. But the history is the history, and there has never been another figure quite like him in professional wrestling.

One year ago, as Vince turned 80, a private weekend in New York brought together family, friends, wrestling legends and people whose lives had intersected with his across several generations.

Over the past year, Book Pro Wrestlers has revealed separate pieces from that celebration. Today, on Vince McMahon’s 81st birthday, we’re placing those pieces together to create our most complete look yet: the gold presentation book given to every guest, one of only 100 sculpted busts created for selected attendees, and the sculpted piece of ice made in Vince’s likeness and displayed inside the celebration.

THE BOOK

The textured gold-and-black presentation packet wasn’t merely an invitation. It was a welcome letter, weekend itinerary, concierge guide, security notice and permanent souvenir—all assembled with the kind of detail Vince demanded from the productions that made him famous.

The opening page was addressed simply:

“Dear Family and Friends.”

Vince’s message read in part:

“This weekend is not just about my birthday—it’s about celebrating the people who have shaped, supported and brought joy to my first 80 years on this earth.”

That message matters because it establishes how Vince viewed the weekend. This wasn’t presented as an industry function, corporate gathering or public celebration. It was framed as something for the people he considered part of his life.

The itinerary began Friday, August 22, 2025, with a cocktail event from 8 p.m. until midnight inside the Grand Salon and Bar at New York’s Baccarat Hotel. Cocktail attire was requested, and guests were instructed either to leave their cell phones in their rooms or place them in a secure phone check.

Saturday began with daytime activities before the black-tie birthday gala. Even inside the private guest packet, its location was printed only as:

“TO BE REVEALED.”

Guests were told to gather on the Baccarat Hotel’s second floor by 5:30 p.m., with transportation beginning at 6:30. Once again, the instructions were explicit: no photographs or videos at the formal events. Phones were to remain in hotel rooms or be surrendered to the secure phone check.

There was even a dedicated event concierge team available from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. to assist with plans, transportation, recommendations and virtually anything guests needed during their stay. Every movement was arranged. Every detail was controlled.

The packet itself reads almost like a production script—and considering whose birthday it was, perhaps that is fitting.

INSIDE THE CELEBRATION

The destination was later revealed to be Gotham Hall, where the black-tie gala and live entertainment took place.

Sgt. Slaughter later described arriving to the sound of an orchestra hidden behind a curtain. When that curtain opened, Vince was standing onstage, welcoming everyone to come down and celebrate with him.

The Godfather described the entire weekend as “all first class” and said Jelly Roll performed. The reported guest list stretched across several generations of WWE: The Undertaker and Michelle McCool, John Cena, Kane, Shane McMahon, Booker T, JBL, The Godfather, Sgt. Slaughter, Gerald Brisco, Bruce Prichard, Jerry Lawler, R-Truth, Teddy Long, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, The Miz, Maryse, Titus O’Neil and others.

Official event cameras were present, but the guests themselves weren’t permitted to photograph what they were seeing. That helps explain why so little from inside the room ever reached the public.

THE BUST

Then there was the white sculpted bust of Vince himself.

Only 100 were created and presented to selected people from the celebration. It wasn’t wrestling merchandise and it wasn’t something made for public sale. It was a private keepsake representing attendance at one of the most closely controlled wrestling gatherings in recent memory.

It may also be the most unmistakably Vince McMahon party favor imaginable.

Some will look at it and see ego. Others will see the showman in him creating something memorable for a milestone occasion. Plenty will see both. Whatever your interpretation, nobody could look at it and wonder whose birthday they had attended.

When Book Pro Wrestlers first revealed the bust, the photograph traveled across wrestling media. Until then, something created specifically for that private circle had never been seen by the wider wrestling world.

THE ICE

Inside the celebration was yet another likeness of Vince—this one reportedly sculpted from ice and positioned high above the room.

Think about that image: guests entering a black-tie gala, an orchestra playing, generations of wrestling royalty gathering below—and Vince McMahon’s face sculpted into an enormous piece of ice looking out over the scene.

For a man who spent decades making everything larger than life, even his 80th birthday décor carried the same philosophy.

THE COMPLETE PICTURE

Taken together, these objects tell the story better than any ordinary party photograph could.

The book shows the planning, luxury and extraordinary level of control. The bust shows the exclusivity and theatricality. The sculpted ice piece shows the scale—and the unmistakable personality—behind the entire weekend.

Some will view the celebration as an expression of gratitude toward the people who helped shape Vince’s life. Others will view it as excessive, self-mythologizing spectacle. Again, plenty will see both.

That division is part of the Vince McMahon story. His legacy could never fit neatly inside one caption, and people will continue debating the man long after today. But these rare pieces don’t ask anyone to forget, forgive, celebrate or condemn. They simply document what happened behind those closed doors.

Today, Vincent Kennedy McMahon turns 81.

This is the most complete look we have been able to assemble at the private weekend when he turned 80—told through the pieces created for the people who were actually there.

— Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers