Millenium Wrestling Federation’s Dan Mirade issued the following:
Wednesday, August 1st, 2012 — 7:39AM
Boy, am I glad I couldn’t sleep well last night (extreme sarcasm). I would like to take this opportunity to talk about Kamala / James Harris along with the good will the Millennium Wrestling Federation has extended over the past eleven years to the wrestling community and non-profits alike. Even though I might not be an ex-“WWE Superstar” like Kamala, much like James Harris, I’m a human being and I deserve to be given the same common courtesy as anyone else. Kamala’s spoken, now it’s my turn to pour a little common sense into a situation I’m long past tired of talking and thinking about. I request you read this with an open mind, then judge for yourself.
IMPORTANT: before I even begin, as you can probably tell by the photograph above as well as the email Karl Lauer (Executive Vice President of the Cauliflower Alley Club) sent to myself and Kamala yesterday, there is no issue with money being sent. Zero. Zilch. It’s a continuation of Kamala’s lifelong “poor me” pity party that led him to walk out of numerous promotions (without giving notice), burning bridges, costing himself thousands of dollars he could have in the bank right now. If Kamala made his YouTube video after July 27th, that speaks to his character and integrity as well, as James Harris saw the photograph of it days before the email from Karl.
I’m responding to a video Kamala apparently put up on his Facebook page. I say “apparently” because poor, abused Kamala personally chose to block us from his Facebook page the day he learned that his money was sent to him. I only wish it was Thursday, as I could make a video response to what Kamala said, but, if I’m leaving anything out once I see this video, I will do so tomorrow night at MWF Studios as I’ve had it when it comes to Kamala / James Harris. Whether he’s confused, has no common sense or is a complete and utter liar, I have absolutely no idea.
Our history with Kamala: he competed on MWF events on several occasions, as well as took part in an emotional three hour Studio Shoot Interview DVD. Out of all the documentary studio-style DVD’s we’ve done, none have ever had the layers of sadness this one did – if you ever see it, you’ll want to give Kamala a hug at the end. I don’t know if Kamala discussed his working relationship with us in the video, but if he has one negative to say about it, he is a 110% liar. Every aspect of every business agreement we ever had was lived up to; to be fair, likewise, Kamala has always lived up to his end of the bargain when working for us.
The Millennium Wrestling Federation is preparing for it’s 11th anniversary weekend starting Saturday, September 22nd in Melrose, MA. In our eleven years, we’ve prided ourselves on the charity work we’ve done. I’ve always tried to set a good example to my ex’s two young children in that you can put a lot of good into this world, that it doesn’t cost ten cents to be kind. Setting a good example for those kids has always meant the world to me, far beyond professional wrestling. I really don’t want to drag other people into this, but where we’re “under attack” and most fans are likely to believe Kamala because he was a “WWE Superstar” they enjoyed from TV and James Harris has the “poor me” routine down to a science, I feel it is something we have to do. There are a few people / circumstances I’ll leave out for privacy reasons and I don’t want “stars” real life matters dragged into this because of the tour de force of stupidity Kamala has gone on.
In 2011 and 2012, the MWF was named Special Olympics Massachusetts Partners for work we’ve done with them going on five years now. We’ve done a great deal of work for Make-A-Wish, Big Brothers, American Red Cross, various clubs & schools to benefit kids programs, holiday toy drives, even things you’d never expect a wrestling organization to try to help out, such as Mick Foley’s RAIIN efforts. Since day one at every live event I can think of, we have done some kind of charity work to show non-wrestling fans that the sport they choose to look down upon can do a lot of good in the right hands.
Our friend Bushwhacker Luke is on Facebook and can verify this example. In 2001, Bushwhacker Butch almost died after wrestling in a dirty ring and had a giant staph infection. After being unable to reach him for three days, Luke found Butch in his own feces trapped in bed. We had known the Bushwhackers going back to 1993, when they competed for “Boston Bad Boy” Tony Rumble’s Century Wrestling Alliance, and simply, doing something to help was what we had to do. We organized a live event fundraiser for him that was nearly ruined by Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart’s lies and theft, but, in the end, Butch was able to use the money we raised and he bought himself a computer to be able to do customer service work at home to be able to have income.
In 2009, myself, John Cena Sr., Superstar Billy Graham and the Cauliflower Alley Club teamed to help get the now late “Mermaid Girl” Shiloh Pepin into a summer camp for disabled children. Between our online drive and a live event, we were able to get Shiloh, known around the world from two Discovery Channel documentaries, to a special camp that was the first time leaving home overnight. Sadly, she passed away three months later.
At every live event we have, we run auctions and raffles. The afternoon of our biggest annual event, SOUL SURVIVOR, this past March, while having to pay extra rent and for a police detail, we ran a free event for kids from local non-profits. John Cena Sr. was kind enough to let these kids pose with a real-deal WWE spinner Championship Belt of which I believe there were only five ever made. That night, we raised money for several of the groups already mentioned, including several hundred dollars alone for our friend John Layfield’s Beyond Rugby Bermuda, which he can verify. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, as the point of this column isn’t the history of the Millennium Wrestling Federation’s charity work.
Back to Kamala. Late last year, I heard Kamala had his feet amputated and doctors had to continue up his legs. It sounded like an awful story. Kamala was a good guy, someone I considered a friend. As someone that’s been a CAC member for over a decade and has, again, raised a good chunk of change for the Club, I believe in it’s principals of helping those in need. The night after our reunion in Las Vegas, I ran into a CAC official when we were having dinner and explained Kamala’s plight. I also explained that many in the wrestling community had told me about someone pretending to be Kamala’s “son,” wrestling as Kamala Jr., who is of no relation to him whatsoever and many feel is taking advantage of Kamala. I’ve never met or spoken to the man, but warned the CAC that if the Club decided to do anything, to make sure any payment went to JAMES HARRIS and no one else. What became of that conversation?? Let “Poor Me” Kamala tell you that story about how the big, bad wolf interacted with him, right James?? Did you mention that in your Please Pity Me video??
Just about a month ago on Facebook, James wrote one of the saddest posts I’d ever seen. With so much going on in my own life, I don’t even remember what it said, but it pulled on the strings of my heart. I emailed Kamala privately, and we began talking online and texting daily (which I thankfully saved). We were already in the process of organizing something called MWF CARES DAY on Sunday July 15th, wrestling’s first cyber-charity event, to benefit the non-profits we work with regularly. “Little Mirade’s” 7th birthday was a few days after, and as always, I wanted to show him the good you can do. After Kamala / James Harris explained what was going on in his life right now, I decided that we HAD to do something to help him. Our “Cares” Day turned into Kamala Day almost on the spot. Graphics designers had to drop what they were doing on a holiday weekend, we had more work to do at MWF Studios when folks would have preferred to be home with their family. I was determined to make a difference. . .
Leading up to MWF CARES DAY, I will say I was extremely frustrated with certain wrestling “superstars” not being able to do something as simple as taking two seconds – two seconds – to re-Tweet the message we were trying to get viral to raise as much money for Kamala as possible. Didn’t they care that one of their peers lost his legs and had no income?? What if it was them?? Wrestling can be such a selfish business at times it’s revolting. The Rock repeats the story about how he had seven dollars to his name when WWE signed him; he couldn’t take two seconds to hit RT to try to help one of his fathers peers, instead Tweeting about the Williams sisters tennis match?? Kamala made Hulk Hogan look like Superman, but Hulk must have been too busy saying his prayers and taking his vitamins to Tweet about Kamala.
On July 11th, I had an issue of my own. Since 2008, I’ve suffered from CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome). It is, by far, the most painful thing I’ve ever felt in my life when it flares up. In 2010, I was out of work for three months as a result of it; last year, I missed five months. Sometimes it starts in the toes and the top of the foot / feet and goes away after a couple of days; sometimes it gets bad – really bad. When I was at the CAC reunion this past April, I had to have extra medication FedEx’d to me as I began to flare up and wanted to enjoy the reunion, not rent a wheelchair. The wrestling God’s were on my side and was able to prevent a full blown attack. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, it continued to get worse. My feet had become swollen and discolored. I was in so much pain on MWF CARES DAY, any sane human being would have postponed it. You have to be a little insane to be involved in such a crazy industry (hence this matter), so it went on as planned (see videos below, including interviews with Paul Bearer, Ron Simmons and Big Daddy V). People outside wrestling would be shocked if they knew how loaded on prescribed medications I was on to get through the night. I was in so much pain, I couldn’t even walk around the studio on my cane – I had to be wheeled around in an office chair as if I had a wheelchair. But in the end, we did it. Below are three of the videos we created (i.e. wasted our time) that night in an attempt to help James Harris:
The following day, Monday, July 16th, my body was thrashed. The pain was so bad I could not get out of my bed. I began a “water diet” and had to use a jar as my toilet. The pain from the CRPS was so bad I wanted to die. . . unless you’ve experienced it – which I hope you haven’t – you cannot even begin to understand what it feels like. It drains you physically, mentally. You think about how much better you’d feel if you went to Home Depot and bought a saw to cut your leg off. It throws your sleep patterns off wildly. Since I first reached out to Kamala / James Harris the weekend before July 4th, the 16th was the first day we didn’t speak. The night before, the 15th, we were texting throughout the night and he knew I was in rough shape.
I finally got my bed and medications in order around 3AM that Monday night / Tuesday morning. Then at 6AM, I was awaken by a text from Kamala. How rude do you have to be to wake someone up that early in the morning groveling for money like a dog looking for food?? The “Poor Me” party had already started. I told him it was way too early for me to even try to use my brain and that we’d talk as the day went on. He texted me again at 8:11AM, waking me out of a dead sleep with “I guess I don’t get any money,” where I again explained that once I was AWAKE, I’d explain everything to him. Not good enough for ol’ James Harris, though. . . he had three stints as a WWE Superstar you know. . . they only lasted a grand total of about four years total because he wasn’t treated fairly and paid what he should have been, so he kept leaving and had “Poor Me” parties. . .
Anyway’s, on the 17th, I woke up feeling like an animal was attacking my leg I was spasming so wild. With CRPS, you can feel your heart beat through your feet, and each time it beats, it shoots extreme, severe pain up your leg. I honest to God wanted to die it was so bad. I again couldn’t take ten steps across the hall to brush my teeth or go the bathroom, so I had to go to the hospital. Once I was checked in, I was put in a wheelchair in the waiting area and began texting James. . .that’s right, “the bad guy” that spent two weeks of his life trying to help Kamala was texting him from a wheelchair in THE EMERGENCY ROOM. What an a******, right?? As my hospital adventure continued, I was shot up with and prescribed diladud (“hillbilly heroin”) to try to ease the never ending pain and massive swelling in my feet. Met with MWF Chairman Neil Manolian in the hospital parking lot for about an hour enjoying the nice weather, venting about how p***** I was about a few things (i.e. Kamala).
And what did I come home to?? Not one, not two but THREE insulting posts on Facebook from Kamala. Are you kidding me?? I had it at that point. After putting myself in the hospital trying to help the guy, I was going to be called a “hoax” by an idiot that had zero common sense. As I’ve explained I don’t know how many times to Kamala / James, the process (which he apparently doesn’t like) is this:
1.) A fan bids on an item.
2.) The fan pays for the item.
3.) The MWF receives the money.
4.) The MWF sends the money.
When I explained this process to Kamala, he starts with “do I get a check and when??”, and then “count me out of everything.” Instead of APPRECIATING that SOMEONE in wrestling actually gave a rats a** about him and his legs, it was time to whine. He really p***** me off with his “don’t worry about my legs and van, you had time to talk before the 15th,” as if I had the magic ability to get people interested, how much people were supposed to bid and to get them to rush as fast as humanly possible to send their payment in. Am I f***ing Peter Pan?!?!
Pretty simple, right?? Not to Kamala. He just wanted to whine on Facebook to get people to get people to feel bad for him. “Poor me, I’m getting screwed again, just like when I walked out on WWE three times, just like when I walked out on WCW, World Class and I can’t remember how many other promotions because I wasn’t being paid what I wanted. Poor me.” At first, I was honestly confused as to why he was attacking and insulting me. My responses were polite to a point, but he just wouldn’t stop. Then all of his Facebook “friends” / internet tough guys started taking digs at me, making matters even worse. How many of those folks took a minute of their lives or a dollar out of their pocket to help him?? Exactly. . .
As I think back on this, I’m spending more time worrying about Kamala and this BS than my own health. I couldn’t walk, I had giant, discolored feet that CRPS were destroying, yet JAMES HARRIS and his stumps had become the center of my daily life. Anger continued to build by the day (and to this very minute), and I had forgotten that we did even MORE to try to help Kamala. The aforementioned Kamala Studio Shoot Interview DVD – that Kamala was paid quite handsomely to do – was discounted on the site and the money from THAT was going to him. It wouldn’t end. We’d look like scum if we didn’t go through with it, but there would be more whining and pouting from the ex-WWE Superstar if we did. No win situation. . .
This might fall into the “too much information” category, but WWE led me to a college university that specializes in war amputees getting replacement limbs. Daily, I was in communication with these people to try to get him help. As “funny” as it might be, I was at one point scheduled to have a teleconference with them today at 9:30AM to see what could be done to get James a replacement right leg so he could walk again. The “bad guy.” Don’t know what all his Facebook pals were doing to try to get him walking, but I’m the “bad guy” as he cries us a river with “Poor Me.” Anyway, being the genius that he is, he wouldn’t return any form of communication about getting him this leg – phone calls, email, text, Facebook message. Instead of getting it fixed, he wanted to sit around and feel sorry for himself instead of taking part in something that could radically change and improve his life. While I can’t explain him, the amount of stupidity in that decision making process blows me away. . .
Last week, some of the payments had reached us, some had not. Getting tired of this bulls**t, I said the hell with it, on July 27th I was sending it out. . . I just hoped the money I fronted the payments for would show up (you know, “the bad guy”). Knowing the money was being sent on that day, July 27th, James Harris blocked us on his Facebook so we couldn’t post the link to the photo of the money order, the story we had online, etc. (i.e. the truth), all so his Facebook pals would continue to feel sorry for his “Boo Hoo Poor Me” story . . . he wanted all of them to feel bad for him, to feel bad about “poor James” getting screwed over again. No “thank you,” there was no response at all. That takes me to this morning, August 1st, where I had emails waiting for me from friends and people I didn’t even know about this Kamala video I’ve yet to see.
In eleven years, we’ve never gone back on our word to any athlete that’s ever been a part of the Millennium Wrestling Federation, from young athletes in training schools to the top superstars in the sport that have been a part of our events. While Kamala can sit there confused, lying, whatever, trying to feel sorry for himself, ask several dozen stars if they were ever “screwed over” by myself or the MWF. . . WWE and TNA. . .Mick Foley. . . Road Warrior Animal. . . Paul Bearer. . . Low Ki. . .Shelton Benjamin. . . Boogeyman. . . Carlito. . . Jimmy Snuka. . . Bobby Heenan. . .X-Pac. . . Road Dogg. . . Rikishi. . .Scotty Too Hotty. . . Velvet Sky. . . D-Lo Brown. . . Jim Duggan. . . Bob Orton. . . Paul Orndorff. . . John Cena Sr. . . Harley Race. . .Al Snow. . .Awesome Kong / Kharma. . . JBL. . .Tony Garea. . . I could go on and on and on and on. . . we take pride in what we do and how we do it. I refuse to sit back and have Kamala’s “poor me” celebration degrade the efforts of EVERYONE involved in the Millennium Wrestling Federation, from the main event stars to the folks that set up the chairs and everyone in between. . .
I don’t know nor care what James Harris’ situation is with Dawn Marie’s foundation. While I’ve heard stories about it, I have nothing to do with it and she’s always been polite to me. . .
I for one am TIRED of these “superstars” that didn’t save enough money, didn’t make enough money, have no life skills, etc., taking it out on regional wrestling promoters that won’t make in a lifetime what WWE makes in a day. We’re not to blame for your failures with what you did and didn’t do in WWE. It’s not WWE’s fault, it’s not our fault. Go try working for regional, independent events and get paid on the same percentage basis you would in WWE, instead of your “guarantee” and see what your value is based off of what you actually draw. Help wrestling instead of whoring it out to benefit yourself because you didn’t have the spine to “get your money” in WWE or wherever. . .
SHAME ON YOU JAMES HARRIS. . . shame on you for not opening your eyes to see that you had people that cared enough to help you when almost NONE of your peers cared enough to hit a re-Tweet button. . . shame on you for trying to run my name and the MWF’s through the mud because you didn’t get your precious check as fast as you wanted to, waking people up at 6AM whining not even 48 hours after the event was over. Shame on you for hiding like a coward after the money was sent to you and trying to prevent people from seeing the truth. I don’t care if you were a WWE Superstar or a homeless person, you should be ashamed of yourself as a man. When I wake up and look in the mirror, I know the face looking back at me is one that cared and is one that did everything he could to help someone that needed it. The face staring back at me has character and integrity. HOW DARE YOU INSULT AND ATTACK ME AFTER ALL I DID FOR YOU, YOU GUTLESS P***Y!! Grow a spine and be a man. Be grateful someone wanted and tried to help you, not p*** on their efforts. What runs through James Harris’ mind would be a psychiatrist’s dream come true. Then again, I’m the guy that’s been working on this column for four hours. . .
Sadly, I regret ever getting involved in James Harris’ situation. Like 99.9999999% of the “brotherhood,” I should have said “that’s too bad, get well soon” (or ignored him altogether like the majority) and gone about my day. Instead, I dove into the shallow end of the pool to try to raise money and awareness about a situation that happens far too often in our industry. I might not like James Harris right now, but in my heart I know what he’s been subjected to by insurance company scum is wrong. At the same time, Kamala / James Harris knew of the medical battle I was going through, and not one time did he ask how I was doing. In case you’re interested in knowing James, the swelling has gone down a bit and I’m able to shuffle around the house painfully with my cane. The diladud has helped to an extent.
Once you get your ever so precious check from an effort you didn’t lift a finger to help with, if you’re a man, I expect an apology from you. When you go to cash it and put the money in your wallet, ask yourself why almost no one in the sport cares enough to do anything to help you at all, and why you selfishly attacked the one person that did. I want you to be able to walk. . . I want you to be able to drive and have an income again. I was going to work to the bone to make sure you got your leg. I was going to continue our online drive August 19th. I was going to raise money for you September 22nd at our live event. Now, I simply expect an apology from you. If you are publicly honest about the situation and still want a helping hand, I will honor my word to you in trying to obtain the right leg your insurance company refuses to pay for then never have anything to do with you again. I might be an idiot for it, but I’m a man of my word. . .
In closing, there was one thing Kamala said that made sense, and that was when he texted me “As the old saying goes, some people you just can’t help. Guess I’m one.”
Amen.
MWF fans, I look forward to seeing you at our event for kids from various non-profits, ZERO TOLERANCE, as well as our 11th anniversary BIG BANG BIRTHDAY BASH, both Saturday, September 22nd at Memorial Hall in Melrose, MA, as we continue our efforts to put good will into professional wrestling, not trash it for our own selfish reasons. . .
