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Ken Hoffman goes head-to-head with WWE's Trish Stratus and Amy 'Lita' Dumas

Ken Hoffman goes head-to-head with WWE's Trish Stratus and Amy 'Lita' Dumas
Photo courtesy of Comicpalooza

Trish Stratus gabs at Comicpalooza.

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

Trish Stratus and Amy "Lita" Dumas are best friends for sure. They're both retired WWE superstars, both pioneers of today's style of women's wrestling, both successful entrepreneurs outside of the ring. Stratus inducted Lita into the WWE Hall of Fame. Lita is godmother to Stratus' son.


Stratus and Lita were celebrity guests at Comicpalooza in Houston on May 11. They were the featured stars of a panel discussion called "Team Besties." I was the panel moderator. I thought my first question was a good one, to get the ball rolling.

"What do you find in each other that makes you best friends?" Stratus looked at me, paused a moment, and said, "I'm going to let you answer that question. Why do you think we're best friends?"

So that's how it's going to be? Look, I've got 20 questions ready for you and Lita, you expect me to answer them for you? Isn't this what got Lori Loughlin in trouble?

Dog steals the show
I knew it was going to be a bumpy ride when I introduced Lita and she brought a small tote bag with her onstage, unzipped it and out popped her dog, McKenzie, a 16-year-old Yorkie. McKenzie gave me a good sniff and a couple of licks. I got into journalism with dreams of being a serious journalist, making a difference, keeping politicians honest. Now I'm hosting a panel discussion at Comicpalooza, in front of grownups dressed like Marvel Comics characters, interviewing two women wrestlers while I'm wrestling with a Yorkie. I wanted to be Woodward and Bernstein — wound up Barnum and Bailey.

Comicpalooza is the biggest comic book, sci-fi, anime, gaming, and pop culture event in Texas. Some 50,000 people attended over three days at the George R. Brown Convention Center. A hundred celebrities, cartoonists, voice actors, writers, astronauts, and professional video game players met their fans, posed for photos, signed autographs and held panel discussions and question-and-answer sessions. There were quidditch lessons on the third floor. The biggest draw of Comicpalooza was actress Emilia Clark, the Mother of Dragons in Game of Thrones. Not bad timing, huh?

The "Team Bestie" panel was held in the 1,000-seat general assembly room at the George R. Brown. I met Stratus and Lita backstage and, as directed, asked them if any topic was off-limits. They said, don't worry, if anybody or anything gets out of hand, we'll handle it. I had no doubts about that. Stratus insisted on sitting on the far right of the panel table. Lita sat to her left. Then the dog. Then me.

I'm a fan of Stratus and Lita. Out of respect for them and pro wrestling, I took moderating this panel discussion seriously. I wanted it to informative and interesting, like a Sunday morning news program.

The best of The Besties
I asked Stratus and Lita, "We all have best friends, but generally speaking, we don't smash their heads into a turnbuckle every night across America and around the world like you did. Did that ever get in the way of your friendship?

Lita said, "No, we knew each other's moves so well, we knew what to expect."

When you were on the road, what did you do when you were so sore you couldn't get out of bed? Both chimed, "We got out of bed."

When you retired from wrestling fulltime, did you let go and eat everything that was on your no-no list?

Stratus waved her hand, "I did! I went to McDonald's and held my head down in my car so people wouldn't see me."

I had never met Stratus or Lita, so I didn't know what to expect. Turned out they were charming and high energy. They were funny, too. At least Lita thought it was funny when she fed dried seaweed to her dog and saw me scrunch my face. She broke off a piece and insisted that I try some. It may have been the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten. It was crunchy and reeked and tasted like rotten fish. (Just for the record, Senator Mitch McConnell has never made Chuck Todd eat seaweed on Meet the Press.)

Lita is a devoted dog person. She adopted McKenzie from a shelter, and runs the animal charity Amy Dumas Operation Rescue and Education (ADORE). That impressed me so much that I tried my hardest not to gag on the seaweed. I ducked under the table so the audience didn't see me spit it out.

Stratus owns a yoga studio in her native Canada, where she's a film actress, reality TV star, and commercial spokesperson. Both wore their WWE Hall of Fame rings. Stratus was inducted in 2013, Lita the following year.

This was the first time that I've moderated a panel discussion. My goal was to make sure only one person spoke at a time. I can't watch CNN anymore because the hosts, especially Chris Cuomo, let arguing guests shout each other down. It's annoying and unproductive and unwatchable.

Continue reading on CultureMap to learn about Ken Hoffman moderating the panel discussion and the talking stick.

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The Astros are looking to avoid being swept at home. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros are looking to avoid an unexpected sweep Wednesday night as they wrap up their three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park.

Winners of six of their last ten despite back-to-back losses, the Astros (55-37) turn to left-hander Brandon Walter (1-1, 4.15 ERA) to steady the ship and salvage the finale. Walter has been reliable in his recent outings, and he’ll face a Guardians lineup that has struggled to string together hits, batting just .204 over their last 10 games.

Cleveland (42-48) entered the series on a 10-game losing streak, but now has a chance to sweep the AL West leaders and take the season series. Slade Cecconi (3-4, 3.56 ERA) gets the start for the Guardians. The 26-year-old righty has kept his ERA under 4.00 this year and will look to neutralize a Houston offense that leads the American League in batting average at .260 and is hitting .295 over the last 10 games.

All eyes remain on Jose Altuve, who has driven in 16 runs and slugged four homers over his last 10 games. He’s been the heartbeat of the Houston offense, while Isaac Paredes continues to deliver steady power at the top of the lineup. The Astros have scored five or more runs in eight of their last ten games, but the bullpen faltered late in both of the first two games of this series.

Cleveland counters with the steady presence of Carlos Santana and the always-dangerous Jose Ramirez. Though Ramirez is just 6-for-38 in his last 10 games, he’s delivered key home runs in the series and remains the Guardians’ biggest threat.

With the season series now 3-2 in favor of Cleveland, Wednesday’s matchup carries added weight for the Astros as they look to regroup and avoid letting momentum slip further. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -144, Guardians +121; over/under is 8 runs

Astros lineup for the finale

What stands out? First off, Jake Meyers returns to the lineup after missing a couple of games with a calf issue. With Meyers back in the two-spot, Cam Smith returns to hitting cleanup. Caratini is playing first base again and hitting fifth, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Cooper Hummel (DH), Taylor Trammell (LF), and Mauricio Dubon (SS).

 

  Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.

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