He's famous enough that when I Binged/Google him, quite a few images popped up.
Cool, famous by association Ink.
Story time...
In 1982 Tommy was doing a show in Kalamazoo. We lived in a little town called Lawton at the time, about 20 or so miles away, so he invited us to come see him wrestle.
Before his match, he comes and gets me out of the crowd and take me back stage and introduces me to a guy named Bruce (I think, I was 9 at the time) and tells me his wrestling name is Mad Dog.
He tells me he wants me to go down to the ring with him, and hold his belt... which is a championship belt of some sort, and just hold it above my head and walk around the ring. When this guy Mad Dog comes over and scowls at me, they want me to slap him hard as I can across the face, and when him and Tommy start fighting, get out of the ring under the bottom rope fast.
So being a kid, of course, I do. The announcer working the P.A. system announces my cousin, accompanies by the Little Fire (what a stupid name, ya know?) and we go down to the ring.
This Bruce guy gets right in my face as I walk around the ring with this belt over my head and gives me the most ridiculous scowl I have ever seen in my life, and it takes me by total surprise. He has one eye just about bulging out of his head, and is making a face like Popeye just ate sour apples.
I can't do anything but stand there stunned. I totally forgot to slap him, because he face was so god awful funny.
He stands up, and then leans over and gives me the same face again. I lose it. I start laughing at him, which gets the crowd laughing at him. I don't know if he was supposed to be a bad guy or not.. but he's trying now to laugh at me, and I'm trying to stop laughing at him.
So he picks me up over his head and spins me around a couple of times, which I had no idea was coming. I nearly pissed on his head, seriously.
He puts me down, and I'm a little dizzy but not bad, and he whispers at me "You're supposed to slap me now kiddo".... and I'm like "RIGHT!" and I haul back and slap him as hard as I can... which probably feels about like dropping a tissue on his face to this ugly fucker.
As soon as I slap him, he raises his arms up like a bear and yells and then reaches for me, and then Tommy kicks him in the gut, and I slide out of the ring. The crowd is yelling like crazy.
Problem is.. I don't know where my seats are now. I can't see my dad anywhere, so I wander around the ring for a while. This gorgeous woman comes down, and takes my arm, and takes me back stage and tells me I can wait there for Tommy.
Before long there are four or five of these barely dressed extremely gorgeous ladies talking to me, telling me how great I did out there.. etc...
Pretty soon this Bruce guy comes back and tells me he will take me back to my seat. I look at these gorgeous ladies and respond "You try to take me away from here right now, and I'll slap the crap put of you again pal!".
I thought they were all going to die laughing... and I was serious. HAHA.
Anyway, incredibly long and totally pointless story. Hope Mitch Albom doesn't steal that one from me.
