KC Confidential

Was a time being a seven-time World Heavy Wrestling Champion like Handsome Harley Race was a big deal…

Less so these days since the WWE wiped out the NWA and other regional wrestling circuits around the country. For example, the current WWE world champ is a 210 pound dude named Daniel Bryan who rather unceremoniously won the belt minutes after Wichita refugee Big Show took it from fellow behemoth Mark Henry.

These days, wrestling is about two things; ridiculously improbable storylines and high risk acrobatics.

"Actually the belts aren’t that important today," says retired promoter Jon Lunkwicz. "If you look at one of the most important wrestlers today, it’s John Cena, and he hasn’t been a champion for awhile."

Cena wrestles "The Big Red Monster" Kane in one of two headline matches Monday at the Sprint Center.

"The scripts have become as important as the matches," Lunkwicz says.

Thanks for that to WWE honcho Vince McMahon – the son of legendary World Wide Wrestling Federation promoter Vincent McMahon. The younger McMahon is credited with stealing Hulk Hogan from another circuit and playing all sorts of silly, in-ring charicatures of himself that continue to this day.

"Vince was evil, he was playing himself," Lunkwicz says. "He did a lot of bad things to wrestlers."

The other major difference in the WWE today has to do with the death-defying, high-flying stunts that have resulted in shorter career spans, Lunkwicz says.

Former longtime National Wrestling Alliance champ Lou Thesz, for example, wrestled from 1932 when he was 15 years-old until his retirement in December of 1990 at age 73!

That’s 58 years, for crying out loud. No way Thesz could have lasted that long flying upside down and sideways in and out of the ring onto the floor and into tables and chairs the way today’s WWE stars do.

"Well, they picked all that up from the Mexicans," Lunkwicz says. "Mexican wrestlers are called ‘luchadores’ and they did a lot of somersaults off the ropes and the American wrestlers picked that up."

The result being an endless parade of new faces and career-ending injuries.

"Take The Edge," Lunkwicz says. "He retired this year and he wasn’t that old – he was in his mid-30s. he had to have his neck fused. He was out of wrestling a year or so after he was injured and he came back, but he just couldn’t do it anymore.

"They (still) come back – like The Rock, he’s going to wrestle at Wrestlemania this year – but they don’t wrestle full time anymore. It’s a lot more dangerous and a lot more risky."

The Rock will turn 40 in May.

"He’s probably healthier now because when you think about it, he’s been out of wrestling for 10 years," Lunkwicz says. "But he doesn’t wrestle weekly anymore. Like Kane, you don’t really see him wrestle much anymore. You see him come out and threaten people. And his brother The Undertaker wrestles just a couple times a year, like at Wrestlemania. And he hasn’t been defeated yet at Wrestlemania – he has a stretch there of like 25-0."

By and larges – behemoths aside, the wrestlers of today are far more buff than the stars of yesteryear, like Race and deceased local star Rufus R, Jones pictured at right.

There’s a reason Kane, 45 – who wrestles Cena Monday at Sprint  – and The Undertaker, 47, are still in the game.

"They didn’t have to do the dangerous moves," Lunkwicz says. "They didn’t have to do the moves that could cause damage to their spine and neck. They didn’t have to do the high-flying stuff."

That’s because Kane wrestles at a billed weight of 323 and his brother The Undertaker at 299.

"The big thing was in the old days, you had the occasional big guy like Ernie "The Cat" Ladd and Andre the Giant and the matches were more actual wrestling and less acrobatic moves," Lunkwicz says. "We had a match even at the Beamont Club."

With the weekly television matches and pay-per-views like Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble going for $44.99, do many of today’s stars retire rich before their shortened careers get the better of them?

"It’s kind of like everything," Lunkwicz says. "It’s the upper 5 to 10 percent. First of all, the majority of them don’t have long-term contracts. That’s why you see guys come and go."

Like former WWE star Chris Jericho who is slated to appear Monday at Sprint.

"He was one of the superstars and he dropped out over a conflict with Vince McMahon, over how much he should be paid" Lunkwicz says. "And he tried to make it in a rock band, but just never did anything."

The 41 year-old Jericho was lead singer in the heavy metal band Fozzy.

Also on hand Monday, in one of the main events, is a wrestler known as The Miz.

"The Miz is an obnoxious idiot who’s catch phrase is, ‘I’m awesome,’ " Lunkwicz says. "But there’s nothing very interesting about him. C.M. Punk is interesting because he’s pretty small and he acts like he’s on the outside, but if he was an outsider, he wouldn’t be in the WWE."

And so it goes, in the WWE six-days-a-week, high risk world of wrestling entertainment.

That’s right…

Two months into one of the longest – at times silliest – and frankly saddest chapters in modern Kansas City jazz, the dudes who jumped the gun last month by telling the Pitch and Fox 4 they’d bought Jardine’s are poised at to do just that – buy Jardine’s.

Today partners Robert McCain and Joseph Fulgenzi met a drop-dead deadline for a payment owed by Jardine’s owner Beena Raja to the jazz club’s founder, Greg Halstead.

"We have, that is correct," Fulgenzi says. "We still have a couple more hoops to jump through, but it’s getting closer."

McCain and Fulgenzi must now finalize a deal on the lease with American Century, settle whatever taxes and outstanding debts may be owed and complete the aquisition of a new liquor license for the Plaza area jazz club.

The ETA on reopening Jardine’s?

"Within the next two weeks," if everything goes as hoped, Fulgenzi says.

"We’re in the last stages, we only have a couple things to do," Fulgenzi says. "We’ve actually applied for a new liquor license."

The $64 million question: can they dodge the bullet on debts incurred by Jardine’s former owner?

"I wish it were that simple," Fulgenzi says. "There’s still a lot we’re going to have to take care of. It is what it is. And we still have to live up to her lease."

To the tune of a reported $20,000 plus in back rent.

Halstead’s take on the potential new ownership group?

"I’m all for ’em, I really am," he says. "I’ve met both of ’em and they strike me as being pretty good people and I wish them all the luck in the world."

To borrow a vintage local expression, Helloooooooo, wrestling fans!

Longtime wrestling afficionados may recognize announcer Bill Kersten‘s pre match incantation. Which brings us to the state of pro wrestling today and this Monday’s big WWE Raw Supershow at the Sprint Center.

The match features two main events – a first for Sprint – including a battle between John Cena and Kane, along with a host of WWE stars ranging from Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, The Divas and Big Show.

Speaking of Big Show, it was former Beaumont Club main man Jon Lunkwicz who helped him during his formative years in Wichita.

"He lived with me for a couple of years," Lunkwicz says. "And I helped him get through the brief years he was at Wichita State and helped him get into wrestling."

He hasn’t seen much of Big Show – his real name is Paul Wight – since Lunkwicz was hospitalized three years back, but he may catch up to him this coming week, time and the good lord permitting.

"You know, his schedule is they work about six days a week," Lunkwicz says. "And unless they get injured, they don’t really have vacations. And (Paul) is trying to develope other career opportunities outside of wrestling. He’s done some movies and he’s very intelligent and has a wife that’s very supportive. And he’s been doing a lot of sponsorships."

Big Show’s paid plenty of dues to get where he is now in the WWE just days ahead of his turning 40.

"Paul was in wrestling for 10 years before he made a dime, because he was stupid and he spent (all) his money," Lunkwicz says. "His standard fee for a supermarket or something was like $10,000. Like he helped open a casino for Donald Trump and he took his money in chips and gambled it away. He got paid a very nice sum of money, but then he gambled it away. And like Bill Gates had a bunch of wrestlers come out to his compound just to show up and shake hands with the guests, and I think Paul got something like $20,000."

But back to Monday’s matches at Sprint…

The thing with Paul is they let him be (world) champion this year for like 15 minutes," Lunkwicz says. "But they don’t like to let big people be champions very long. Usually the champions are average-sized because the American public wants to see David beat Goliath."

In Big Show’s most recent WWE storyline he accidentally ran into and injured WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan‘s girlfriend at ringside, while chasing the champ after taking a chair thumping. When he realized what he’d done, Big Show broke down in tears and cried like a baby while pretend paramedics removed her from the ring apron.

So were Wight’s tears little more than – pardon the expression – a big show?

"I don’t think so, Paul did cry," Lunkwicz says. "Paul knows how to cry. Paul is a great actor. He is an exceptional human being. If he was more like Hulk Hogan’s size he would be a movie star today. He’s articulate, he’s funny and he does great imitations – like he used to come out like Hulk Hogan.

"One time we went to see Terminator 2 and we dressed Paul in my black leather bomber jacket – this was when he weighed only like 330 pounds at Wichita State – and he stood by the life-sized Terminator standee and talked to kids. It was great, it was wonderful."  

Big Show’s current girth came later, Lunkwicz says.

"He actually weighs close to 500 pounds. He can fluctuate 10 to 20 pounds in a day. There was one point when he had lypo, when he was going from WCW to the WWF, and they took 30 to 40 pounds out of each of his legs. They took like a whole human being out of him.

"He was the same size as Shaquille O’Neal in college. All the weight he put on was after he was in wrestling – all the magic juices they fed him. He (actually) had an operation when he was young so he would stop growing. They thought he was going to grow another five or six inches to 7 foot 6 inches."

There have surely been dicier business propositions than the sale of Jardine’s...

Then again, I’ve yet to be privy to one. Let’s review, shall we?

Following a series of flareups with her manager / chef, Jardine’s owner Beena Raja and a hairstylist pal returned to the club by cab in the wee hours Thanksgiving morning to retrieve the stylist’s car. Only to discover a passel of servers drinking and smoking illegally after hours at the club.

On Jardine’s dime, no less, Raja says.

Here’s where it gets a little dicey. Even though the staff was breaking the law – not to mention helping themselves to jazz club’s booze without paying – instead of firing everyone or sending them packing – Raja joined the group and they partied on well into the daylight hours.

Then later, after scolding the chef dude, he resigned, two subordinates were fired and a dishwasher walked, Raja says.

The rest is history.

A number of servers were apparently told they’d been fired and didn’t show up to work – even though they’d not heard directly from Raja. Another longtime server showed up at Jardine’s and tried to convince Raja to get a grip on herself and the business, sources say. However that backfired and ended in an unpleasent exchange with Raja calling the police on him.

Minutes later, the server’s stepfather, local jazz icon Stan Kessler and his band The Sons of Brasil showed up to play that night, learned of his son’s ouster, held an impromptu meeting outside on Main Street and decided not to play.

Oh, and one more thing…

Kessler then allegedly sent a mass email to other KC jazz musicians urging them not to play Jardine’s. Game on. A jazz club killing musician boycott ensued that rendered the club dark for most of the past two months.

The current nightmare / quagmire  is so complex even the most ardent jazz afficionados would be hard pressed to strain through it for the inner truth.

But in a nutshell two parties, a former Sprint exec and a pair of well-intentioned gay dudes have been actively pursuing the purchase of Jardine’s. However, as of today, the club’s future and ownership remain completely up in the air.

Here’s what passes for what’s known…

The ex Sprint dude – Paul Wilson – was unable to carve out anything approaching a deal that made sense or could be accurately delineated. So now, he’s basically out.

"From here, if everyone else defaults or drops out, we’ll buy it," Wilson says. "My grandfather always told me, ‘You don’t wrestle with a pig. You find out in about 30 seconds that you’re dirty and the pig actually likes it. That’s where we are. We’re real dirty at this point."

That leaves hair stylist Robert McCain and partner Joseph Fulgenzi – who famously told the Pitch and Fox 4 last month they’d bought Jardine’s – still in the running.

According to Raja, former Jardine’s co-owner Pat Hanrahan and founder Greg Halstead – who is still owed money on the purchase of the club by Raja – McCain and Fulgenzi are still in negotiations with all parties to buy Jardine’s.

However, a final deal is yet to be struck.

And an important deadline in this complicated mess goes down tomorrow. That being that Raja’s monthly payment to Halstead is due. And if it’s not reciecved Halstead could move on the assets of the club.

The bottom line: If McCain and Fulgenzi make the payment to Halstead, come to terms with landlord American Century and clear up whatever back taxes and liquor expenses are owed, they just might become the actual new owners of Jardine’s.

That’s a pretty big "if" though.

All that said, pretty much everybody in this tired game is hoping they can pull it off.

We’ll see.

Hank Williams III, Jane’s Addiction, Big & Rich, B.B. King…

Former Beaumont Club main man Jon Lunkwicz has partied with the best. For year’s he was the force behind hundreds of Kansas City’s top club level shows in the popular Westport live music emporium.

No mas.

Three short years ago the 60 year-old Lunkwicz awakened to find himself paralyzed. He’s since retired and now lives in a long term care facility just outside Kansas City.

"My world’s very uncomplicated," Lunkwicz muses. "It’s about an eight by eight space and I suspect the food’s about as good as prison food. And I get to shower about twice a week, that’s pretty exciting."

There’s more.

"Most of the people here are in their 70s and 80s," Lunkwicz says. "One floor’s all Alzheimer’s patients – that’s a treat. The best thing about them is you can run over their toes with a wheelchair and they can’t say anything."

It was on January 26, 2009 that Lunkwicz predicament unfolded.

"I woke up that morning and was paralyzed from the waist down," he says. "I’ve been thinking about writing a book. I was going to write a book about the Beaumont Club that was subtitled, ‘They took the hotdogs but not the buns.’ "

Meaning?

"Somebody broke into my apartment about two months before I became paralyzed," Lunkwicz says. "They took everything. They took my guitar that was autographed by B.B. King. And I went to my refrigerator and they had taken my hotdogs but not the buns."

All things considered, Lunkwicz has retained an upbeat attitude.

"It didn’t kill me but…" he pauses. "I just don’t get mad about stuff, it’s just not worth it. There’s too many moments you can look back on in life that were just so wonderful."

Lunkwicz take on the state of live music in Kansas City today?

"I think it’s wonderful but there’s almost too many venues," he says. "There’s got to be a weeding out."

Lunkwicz was disappointed, but not surprised, at how KanRocksas turned out, for example.

"They couldn’t get some of the smaller acts that would have drawn 2,000 or 3,000 people that would have made it a bigger event," Lunkwicz says. "And I’m sorry – the name KanRocksas – it made me think of somebody kicking Kansas in the ass."

It’s not often patrons at an upscale society shindig have to be warned not to come armed…

But that’s exactly what happened in the case of Saturday’s Party Arty at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. This year’s theme, "All the World’s a Fair," advised attendees to a) "come dressed" and b) "Steampunk flair preferred."

Here’s where it gets a little odd.

"No prop weapons or real weapons will be allowed in the Museum," the invite cautioned. "Security reserves the right to deny entry to guests whose attire and/or behavior compromises the safety of guests."

A high society event that urges partygoers to engage in themed costumary, and in the next breath warns them not to come packing?

You got it.

That’s because "steampunk," for the uninitiated, entails period clothing – from the 1700s and 1800s – and is often accompanied by weapons, such as British army officer William Elliot‘s 1866 Double Barrel Derringer or the seagoing Annihilator MK II blunderbuss rifle. Both are available for purchase on steampunkemporium.com for $53.95 and $129.95 respectively.

They’re sold alongside period clothing such as Men’s Victorian Outfits, Ladies Victorian Dresses and Suits, 3-D "Mad Scientist Goggles," pocket watches, "Debonair Mustaches" and the like.

Get the picture?

Aware of such peculiarities, organizers and the museum took preventative measures to ensure no such armaments found their way into the Nelson lest there be any foul play.

Steampunk…

Wikipedia describes the eccentricity as a "sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history and speculative fiction" evoking "a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or ‘Wild West’-era United States (remember that one?) —that incorporates elements of either science fiction or fantasy…(involving) futuristic innovations as Victorians might have envisioned then, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology includes such fictional machines as those found in the works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne."

So how did it all unfold?

Modestly, says KC Strip honcho Bill Nigro who ferried approximately 300 of the Steampunkers to a late night after bash in Westport.

"Some of the people were dressed like that," Nigro says. "I saw more guys in Victorian outfits than I did girls. I didn’t see too many girls in Victorian clothes, but it was kinda cold out."

No did Nigro see any of said forewarned dudes bearing arms.

"I didn’t see any weaponry," he says. "They probably had ’em under their coats."