Legion Of Detroit

Before I start things off here I just wanted to bring a correction notice to your attention. In my blog post "the wall" I mentioned it was the summer before I went into grade 8, as per usual memories manifest as this story unfolds and I recently remembered it was actually the summer before I went into grade 7 that "the wall" transpired.

The summer before grade eight I actually went with my parents to Windsor to visit some relatives on the Greek side of the family. I remember this now as I was in the peak of my wrestling phase of the 80's, there was one thing on my mind during the course of that trip and it was our day trip shopping to Detroit. I was determined to find some cool wrestling toys that weren't available in Canada.

Hangin' with my cousin in Windsor. 1987.

I can vividly remember the images in my mind from crossing the border & driving down the gritty streets. Shoes hung on telephone wires, shady characters drinking on the stoops of there very humble abodes which made houses from the H section in Brampton look like posh mansions, litter and refuse filled the streets and alleys. We finally found what I believe was a K-Mart or woolworths if I remember correctly....or maybe it was woolco.....never the less we found somewhere to shop and thankfully a safe place to park, as my uncle had lost his hubcaps the last time we were here for a wedding.

When we got in the store I was very excited and naturally I headed right for the toy department. I was blown away to see some AWA (American Wrestling Association) action figures and wouldn't you know it they had my all time favorites....The Road Warriors! I quickly snatched up Hawk & Animal but then realized they needed some opponents.

 I really wanted The Fabulous Ones but they were sold out. The only other choices were Rick Martel and The Long Riders, two bikers who feuded with the Warriors on a regular basis. I couldn't stand the Riders and the choices were slim, so who better for the Warriors to beat up on? I picked up Wild Bill Irwin and Scott Hog Irwin. I was actually amazed that my parents bought all four of the toys for me. I don't remember how much they were but the molds they were made from were the same as the He-Man figures, which on average ran for about seven bucks a piece in Canada.

I was happy as could be and felt my trip was complete even though we would still be visiting a few days. I rented some WWF tapes from the local convenience store to pass most of my time there, it was great because they had all different volumes that we didn't have in Brampton. On the way home my dad told me I had to open my wrestlers and play with them in the car so he wouldn't have to pay duty at the border. I happily obliged....how could I not.

This post is not musically related in any way but it naturally unfolded as part of the story. When I started writing this post I didn't even know what it was going to be about. After the correction notice in regards to "the wall" the memories kept coming and the words kept flowing. I hope you've enjoyed today's "out of left field" blog post.