What Is The Cauliflower Alley Club?

The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit organization that offers financial assistance to professional wrestlers and boxers, as well as recognizing the accomplishments of athletes through various awards. Named for the condition cauliflower ear, developed by boxers and some wrestlers after taking blows to the ear, the CAC acts as a fraternal club for those specific athletes, featuring membership from both men and women. Though admittance into the CAC once had stricter requirements, these days anyone can sign up by paying for either an annual or lifetime membership.

At its annual reunion, the CAC hands out a shifting list of awards each year, with some appearing annually while others are given out on a case by case basis. Annual awards include the Iron Mike Mazurki Award, meant to recognize success in more than one field, and the Lou Thesz/Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award — given to Ron "Farooq" Simmons — to honor those who excelled both in the ring as well as in other aspects of the industry over their career. Among the list of recent CAC award winners are Sting, CM Punk, and Mickie James.

While the CAC's annual reunion used to take place in California each year, the event began moving from city to city in the late 20th century before it finally settled on Las Vegas as a seemingly permanent home. Since 2022, the Plaza Hotel and Casino has hosted the event, and they'll do so again in 2025 for the 59th Annual Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion.

The organization was founded by wrestler and actor Mike Mazurki in the 1960s, beginning with weekly meetings at the restaurant he owned in Los Angeles, California. Mazurki's association with Hollywood meant that stars from the film industry were often in attendance, along with some of the biggest names in both boxing and wrestling, and the club soon began holding banquets to honor specific wrestlers.

By the late 1970s, the CAC had achieved status as a non-profit, with Mazurki and the rest of the group's Board of Directors using the funds at their disposal to help members and other wrestlers who were struggling financially. In 1980, due to what they refer to as "legal problems," the CAC had to re-organize, but the new leadership system has been in place ever since and Mazurki stayed onboard through the entire process.

The weekly meetings continued into the 1980s, but eventually the tradition stopped when attendance became too low to justify such frequent gatherings. However, the Club continues to hold events, including its annual reunion and fundraisers for wrestlers such as Chris Bey, who experienced a severe neck injury that nearly left his paralyzed.

Mazurki continued to serve as the organization's President until his death in 1990. Following in his footsteps has been a string of prominent names from the industry's history, including Lou Thesz, Nick Bockwinkel, and the current president, B. Brian Blair of the Killer Bees tag team.