10 Fun Facts From My Trip To WWE WrestleMania 29

1. Visiting One Of The Key Players From WrestleMania I

I haven't really told this story publicly, but I feel comfortable doing it now. George Scott was one of the most influential bookers in the history of wrestling. He turned Ric Flair into The Nature Boy, he redefined Mid Atlantic in the 1970's and he was Vince McMahon's right hand man for the creation of the first two WrestleMania events. In 2012, I got in contact with George's wife and explained how I'd love to help write a book on George's career and his influence that seemed to, sadly, be forgotten. George was battling some memory issues and health problems but we tried to work it out and decided I'd make the trip to Florida to meet George and discuss the project right after WrestleMania 29. He was the nicest old man in the world and he and his wife welcomed me into their home. It became clear that George wasn't going to remember nearly as much as he'd need to for us to do the book. I interviewed George on tape for around fifteen minutes, but I'd never release it. It wouldn't be fair to him or his family. But, for a few hours on that sunny day in April 2013, I met the great George Scott, spent the afternoon with him and got shown a lot of his memorabilia before heading back. George passed away not long after our meeting and we were never able to work on the project. I'd loved to have told the story of George's career and show wrestling fans the impact he had behind-the-scenes aspect on the likes of Flair, Hogan, Piper, Steamboat and many others, but sadly it wasn't meant to be. Meeting George Scott was a real honour and I'll never forget it. So thank you, George. RIP George Scott 1929-2014