Alex Marvez's weekly look at professional wrestling

"Rugged" Ronnie Garvin's disdain of today's pro wrestling isn't surprising.During his heyday, Garvin was considered a no-frills performer even by the more subdued standards of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. His interviews were as direct and intense as his hard-hitting style. Garvin didn't even wear a ring jacket, instead entering matches with a towel wrapped around his muscular neck."To me, it was not so much about being a showman like Hulk Hogan tearing his shirt off," Garvin said this week in a telephone interview. "That stuff is all fine, but that was not my style. Nowadays, it seems like all the action comes before the bell and when the guys are in the ring it goes downhill."I didn't want the lights, explosions and all the glitz. My belief was that people had paid their hard-earned money to see a fight."Garvin always delivered one, which is why he is being honored next week at the Cauliflower Alley Club's annual convention in Las Vegas. Garvin and other legendary grapplers like Bret "Hitman" Hart, Paul "Butcher" Vachon, Pat Patterson and Steve "Dr. Death" Williams will receive awards from the CAC, which is a nonprofit group composed primarily of retired pro wrestlers.The Montreal-born Garvin (real name Ronald Barnes) broke into the business in 1962 when he was only 17 years old. He formed the legendary Garvin clan with "brothers" Terry and Jimmy. The latter, who found solo fame as "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin, was actually Ronnie's stepson.Ronnie Garvin's greatest success came as a solo performer. He worked primarily for regional territories in the Southeastern United States before garnering national prominence in the mid-1980s with Jim Crockett Promotions (the precursor to World Championship Wrestling). Garvin even enjoyed an improbable two-month run as the National Wrestling Alliance heavyweight champion during a legitimately brutal feud with Ric Flair. The two slapped and chopped each other mercilessly, generating welts that remained long after their matches had ended."We did beat each other, but we enjoyed it," Garvin said. "A lot of guys would complain to the promoters about being hit too hard, but Ric never did."When I started wrestling, Johnny Valentine or Wahoo McDaniel would hit you and you'd have a mark for a couple weeks. Fans wanted fights that you could get into and believe."World Wrestling Entertainment was promoting a less physical product in the late 1980s, but Garvin still carved a niche in feuds with Greg Valentine and the late Dino Bravo. Garvin then retired from full-time action in 1990 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot that lasted for 13 years. Garvin began flying in 1971 and would often transport peers from show to show."I was making fairly good money in (WWE) and I was happy, but I just didn't belong there," Garvin said. "The old saying is, 'I couldn't sing, dance or rock and roll,' so I didn't fit."I told (WWE owner) Vince McMahon that I had a great time. I got along real well with him. He's a heck of a businessman. The thing is that his wrestling was totally different than what I was brought up with."Garvin, though, could still be a showman. He once entertained a sparse Canadian crowd by conducting a match with the "Invisible Man" -- himself."I pretended the other guy was in the ring," a chuckling Garvin said. "We shook hands and locked up. It took two or three minutes for the people to realize what was going on. I was throwing myself into the ropes and giving myself backdrops. I finally beat the guy. People at the end were laughing, clapping and going crazy."Garvin should receive another "pop" from his peers when receiving his CAC award."Wrestling was part of my life for 30 years, so it's going to be nice to be reunited with a lot of people I haven't seen in a while," said the 63-year-old Garvin, who now lives in Charlotte, N.C. "I've always looked at life that if things are 80 percent good, I'll take it. That's how it has been for me. If I could start over tomorrow, I would do the exact same thing."For more information on the CAC, visit www.caulifloweralleyclub.org.(Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro wrestling column for Scripps-Howard News Service. Contact him at alex1marv(at)aol.com.)