ICONS CollectorFest: Funk, Hardy, Vicki, Sting, More!
Sept 19, 2016 12:23:28 GMT -5
HHH316, Patrick Bateman (original), and 9 more like this
Post by Flair Forever on Sept 19, 2016 12:23:28 GMT -5
All,
I haven't been posting as regularly lately..... my apologies, I've been pretty busy hitting the indy circuit & doing some side photography for various indy feds in my area..... hasn't left me a whole lot of time for my Wrestlingfigs buds...... I'm trying to get caught up! I had tried posting some of my indy photos in the "Other Feds" room, but they got so little response/views that I decided it wasn't worth the time it took to post them.... but I've still been lurking around here!
Had a fantastic time on Saturday at the ICONS Collectorfest at the old ECW Arena in Philly! Hard to believe I initially wasn't really planning to go..... but a buddy of mine got me to come when he revealed that they weren't having a professional photographer do the Sting photos, just a "bring-your-own-cell-phone" type of thing - he wanted something better for $130, so he convinced me to come along!
Once I rounded up some of the merch I had laying around, I realized that it really DID make sense for me to go, as there were a lot of wrestling legends appearing that I needed for my collection!
So let's get to it......
First guy we saw...... Abdullah the Butcher! I'm not a huge Abdullah fan.... I appreciate his matches, and I respect his accomplishments.... but I was never a "hardcore" Abdullah The Butcher fan. I noticed he seemed a little, "aggressive" with the fans?
When I approached the table, I found that "yes".... he was a little aggressive. No prices were listed, so I politely inquired about an autograph for my JAKKS Classic figure......
"How about two photos..... one with fork, one without...... and you can keep the fork....... and 3 autographs...... fifty bucks?" he offered......
"Hmmm.... tempting." I replied. "How much for an autograph and a regular photo op?"
"20 bucks." he countered.
That was more what I had in mind! SOLD....
Now, I must say.... cheap as I may be - the guy really did give me my twenty bucks' worth...... look at the detail he put into this autograph. More than most guys will do! He even signed the side!
Next up...... the lovely Vicki Guerrero!
I was really looking forward to meeting Vicki.... for years, I couldn't stand her character. But I was really mesmerized by her final night on RAW, when they somehow managed to turn her villainous character into a sympathetic heroine in about an hour and a half. It's that kind of storytelling that makes me LOVE wrestling! I wanted to show Vicki my respect.....
And I pretty much F'd it up...... I thought her Basic Mattel would look good with an oil-based Orange paint pen..... I even tested out the paint pen on the sleeve of 8X10's I had brought with me to ensure it was working properly.... but when she went to use the pen on the plastic of the figure, it totally did not come out the way I thought it would..... looks terrible: I noticed it pretty quick but wasn't quick enough to stop her & pull out a different, water-based white pen or something & it came out looking like this..... EPIC fail on my part...... I guess it happens.
I tried saying "EXCUSE ME" while she was signing it but she kept going, so I guess I'll just leave it the way it is.... it actually looks a little better in the photo, in real life, it's nearly transparent & doesn't "pop" at all.....
On the bright side, Vicki couldn't have been nicer! I did tell her how much I enjoyed her "finale" on RAW a while back....
And I can tell you..... that the oil based paint-pen now resides in the bottom of a trash can in the ECW arena.....
Up next..... the new sensation in the WWE Enhancement Talent division - James Ellsworth!
I've actually done photography at some local indy shows that James has been involved with, so we somewhat know each other already..... but it was a pleasure for me to do what A.J. Styles would not do....... and that's to shake the hand of the man James Ellsworth!
What happened next will be remembered by my buddy & myself for many years to come..... as we rounded the corner, we kind of got held up by a line of people (I think they were waiting for Harlem Heat). We found ourselves kind of stuck next to the table of "The Franchise" Shane Douglas!
I was never a huge Douglas fan..... let's face it, that "Dick Flair" stuff never appealed to me. But Shane used to be involved with a local promotion that my buddy and I attend regularly, so we struck up some conversation with Shane.
And the next 20 minutes of verbal gold cannot even be accurately described. Shane Douglas talked to us about Presidential politics, Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton, Parkinsons' Disease and it's symptoms, transgender bathrooms...... something I was not aware of that is referred to as "Furries"...... and pooping....... the best quote: "Rabbit-people cause distractions."
You always hear about people having these rich experiences with the talent at these conventions - but I'm not sure I ever had just sat with a wrestling legend and talked for nearly 30 minutes before...... but this was pretty cool!
I was a bit worn out from Shane Douglas..... whew. Somebody get this dude a podcast!
So I looked at merchandise for a few minutes.....
As the convention had been going a little while, some of the bigger "stars" were starting to arrive...... so we decided to cash in our pre-paid tickets for Terry Funk!
You may have heard the news stories that Terry Funk is very ill..... and that was a bit apparent. He was a little confused.... seemed to have some trouble using the pen that was on his table (it was the kind that you have to press in to lock with your thumb).
However - once sitting at the table, the man could not have been nicer. He joked, laughed, and generally had fun with everyone who came up to meet him.... and he truly seemed to be enjoying himself! As he was signing my Elite Mattel figure, I was surprised when someone came up & tapped him on the shoulder....... well that's Perry Saturn!
I said to Terry that I wouldn't be happy until he called me an "egg-sucking dog"...... and sure enough, he whispered "You Egg Sucking Dog!" right in my ear as this photo was taken! So cool!
Don't let Terry's gruff facial expression give you the wrong impression, he was so nice & funny!
He really liked my friend....
And as I was walking away from the table, tenderly carrying this & waiting for the paint pen to dry..... I dropped it, front-first, on the floor of the ECW arena.... 'DOH. The signature sustained a little damage, which I tried to fix a little, but whatever..... it's the memories that count.
As we wrapped up with Funk, we noticed a 2016 ECW Reunion taking place across the aisle! Complete with a drunken Justin Credible.... was this a reunion, or an intervention?
Well that was interesting....
Not sure what The Million Dollar Man is saying to Nikolai Volkoff here..... perhaps they're discussing the time that Dibiase "bought" Nikolai for the Million Dollar Corporation & made him wear that shirt with a penny symbol on the back?
As if we hadn't had enough excitement..... time next to get our prepaid "Hardy Family Portrait". Surprisingly - there was no line for this! I guess $40 is too steep? Not for me, as this was $40 well spent for my collection....... and don't you know - Matt Hardy was in full-character the entire time. It was also a pleasure to meet the young King Maxl! I said "Hola, Senor Benjamin. Prepare the battlefield for massacre!"
Honestly, this is one of my new favorites!
At this time, Sting was beginning to sign.... I did not need a Sting photo or auto, as I've met him twice already in 2016.... but this was my buddy's main reason for coming!
While we waited in line (which, oddly, was NOT very long)..... Bobby Fulton (Fantastics) came up & spoke with Sting for a minute!
Also, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase came to say hello!
Finally, the big moment...... hoping I wouldn't screw up my buddy's photo op, since this is the reason he convinced me to come along!
Thankfully, it came out pretty good! I'm happy with it.....
Somewhere in here..... we went & visited with The Steiners..... they were not extremely high on my list, but my friend really wanted to get a photo op with Scott Steiner.... he ended up doing the dual-photo-op, and I gave him the money to make it a combo & got my Rick Steiner JAKKS Classic signed! This was mostly uneventful....
Well, I needed to get a Bret Hart signature - but the line was quite literally running out the door of the ECW arena! I did not see the sense in waiting in such a long line, so I figured we'd get a few more autographs and I'd grab Bret's at the end.... and hopefully avoid some waiting in line?
I was surprised that Bret Hart's line was so much longer than Sting...... just not what I expected!
As we made the rounds a few more times, I caught a glimpse of Brian Knobbs (Nasty Boys) "making the rounds"..... I like this shot!
We had another funny moment (or three), it seems that Tony Atlas thought that he personally "knew" my friend! He kept coming up & saying things to him, but my friend couldn't really understand what he was saying! Very strange (but funny).....
Here's Tony again, fooling around with Barry Darsow "Smash" of Demolition, and Tatanka.....
My friend also had gotten a photo op with Mr. "Feed Me More", Ryback himself!
So, I finally sucked it up & got into the Bret Hart line..... which was still all the way to the door! The wait wasn't too bad, though.... about 30 minutes I guess. And while waiting, I chatted with "Amish Roadkill" who sells figures..... and I bought this Ric Flair piece that I don't have for ten bucks! He was selling a couple of them loose, I refuse to do the whole "blind bag" thing.... but I wanted this for my collection!
As I got closer to Bret Hart.... ECW Legend Bill Alfonso came up & greeted "The Hitman".....
Once I was one or two people away from the front, one of the attendants asked me if I wanted to use their Pink paint pen....
"Nope! This figure needs to be signed in yellow!" I responded....
"That's a great idea!" they replied....
"It's The Simpsons!" I exclaimed.....
Bret was cool.... I had a continuation of our discussion in June, regarding the safety record of Seth Rollins & the recent Finn Balor injury..... "He's a great wrestler" Bret said.... "But you're only as good as your safety record."
Good stuff!
Finally, exhausted, I left the 2300 Arena & headed home........
And began editing some videos we had recorded all day! See, my friend who went with me is very closely involved with an indy promotion in the area..... as part of the storyline, he has been named the "CEO" of the wrestling fed......
We got many of the stars of the day to wish him good luck as the new "CEO" of the indy fed! Here's the video I put together, as a promotional tool for their upcoming event!
This is just a teaser...... as the official "poster" hasn't been released yet. This is just to get a buzz going! But it's my first attempt at producing an actual commercial......
I think you guys will get a kick out of this!
Thanks for looking - and join us on October 15th at the Lancaster Host Resort for a fun night of wrestling!
As my buddy said to Tony Atlas on the way out, "see ya later, Marblemouth!"
I haven't been posting as regularly lately..... my apologies, I've been pretty busy hitting the indy circuit & doing some side photography for various indy feds in my area..... hasn't left me a whole lot of time for my Wrestlingfigs buds...... I'm trying to get caught up! I had tried posting some of my indy photos in the "Other Feds" room, but they got so little response/views that I decided it wasn't worth the time it took to post them.... but I've still been lurking around here!
Had a fantastic time on Saturday at the ICONS Collectorfest at the old ECW Arena in Philly! Hard to believe I initially wasn't really planning to go..... but a buddy of mine got me to come when he revealed that they weren't having a professional photographer do the Sting photos, just a "bring-your-own-cell-phone" type of thing - he wanted something better for $130, so he convinced me to come along!
Once I rounded up some of the merch I had laying around, I realized that it really DID make sense for me to go, as there were a lot of wrestling legends appearing that I needed for my collection!
So let's get to it......
First guy we saw...... Abdullah the Butcher! I'm not a huge Abdullah fan.... I appreciate his matches, and I respect his accomplishments.... but I was never a "hardcore" Abdullah The Butcher fan. I noticed he seemed a little, "aggressive" with the fans?
When I approached the table, I found that "yes".... he was a little aggressive. No prices were listed, so I politely inquired about an autograph for my JAKKS Classic figure......
"How about two photos..... one with fork, one without...... and you can keep the fork....... and 3 autographs...... fifty bucks?" he offered......
"Hmmm.... tempting." I replied. "How much for an autograph and a regular photo op?"
"20 bucks." he countered.
That was more what I had in mind! SOLD....
Now, I must say.... cheap as I may be - the guy really did give me my twenty bucks' worth...... look at the detail he put into this autograph. More than most guys will do! He even signed the side!
Next up...... the lovely Vicki Guerrero!
I was really looking forward to meeting Vicki.... for years, I couldn't stand her character. But I was really mesmerized by her final night on RAW, when they somehow managed to turn her villainous character into a sympathetic heroine in about an hour and a half. It's that kind of storytelling that makes me LOVE wrestling! I wanted to show Vicki my respect.....
And I pretty much F'd it up...... I thought her Basic Mattel would look good with an oil-based Orange paint pen..... I even tested out the paint pen on the sleeve of 8X10's I had brought with me to ensure it was working properly.... but when she went to use the pen on the plastic of the figure, it totally did not come out the way I thought it would..... looks terrible: I noticed it pretty quick but wasn't quick enough to stop her & pull out a different, water-based white pen or something & it came out looking like this..... EPIC fail on my part...... I guess it happens.
I tried saying "EXCUSE ME" while she was signing it but she kept going, so I guess I'll just leave it the way it is.... it actually looks a little better in the photo, in real life, it's nearly transparent & doesn't "pop" at all.....
On the bright side, Vicki couldn't have been nicer! I did tell her how much I enjoyed her "finale" on RAW a while back....
And I can tell you..... that the oil based paint-pen now resides in the bottom of a trash can in the ECW arena.....
Up next..... the new sensation in the WWE Enhancement Talent division - James Ellsworth!
I've actually done photography at some local indy shows that James has been involved with, so we somewhat know each other already..... but it was a pleasure for me to do what A.J. Styles would not do....... and that's to shake the hand of the man James Ellsworth!
What happened next will be remembered by my buddy & myself for many years to come..... as we rounded the corner, we kind of got held up by a line of people (I think they were waiting for Harlem Heat). We found ourselves kind of stuck next to the table of "The Franchise" Shane Douglas!
I was never a huge Douglas fan..... let's face it, that "Dick Flair" stuff never appealed to me. But Shane used to be involved with a local promotion that my buddy and I attend regularly, so we struck up some conversation with Shane.
And the next 20 minutes of verbal gold cannot even be accurately described. Shane Douglas talked to us about Presidential politics, Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton, Parkinsons' Disease and it's symptoms, transgender bathrooms...... something I was not aware of that is referred to as "Furries"...... and pooping....... the best quote: "Rabbit-people cause distractions."
You always hear about people having these rich experiences with the talent at these conventions - but I'm not sure I ever had just sat with a wrestling legend and talked for nearly 30 minutes before...... but this was pretty cool!
I was a bit worn out from Shane Douglas..... whew. Somebody get this dude a podcast!
So I looked at merchandise for a few minutes.....
As the convention had been going a little while, some of the bigger "stars" were starting to arrive...... so we decided to cash in our pre-paid tickets for Terry Funk!
You may have heard the news stories that Terry Funk is very ill..... and that was a bit apparent. He was a little confused.... seemed to have some trouble using the pen that was on his table (it was the kind that you have to press in to lock with your thumb).
However - once sitting at the table, the man could not have been nicer. He joked, laughed, and generally had fun with everyone who came up to meet him.... and he truly seemed to be enjoying himself! As he was signing my Elite Mattel figure, I was surprised when someone came up & tapped him on the shoulder....... well that's Perry Saturn!
I said to Terry that I wouldn't be happy until he called me an "egg-sucking dog"...... and sure enough, he whispered "You Egg Sucking Dog!" right in my ear as this photo was taken! So cool!
Don't let Terry's gruff facial expression give you the wrong impression, he was so nice & funny!
He really liked my friend....
And as I was walking away from the table, tenderly carrying this & waiting for the paint pen to dry..... I dropped it, front-first, on the floor of the ECW arena.... 'DOH. The signature sustained a little damage, which I tried to fix a little, but whatever..... it's the memories that count.
As we wrapped up with Funk, we noticed a 2016 ECW Reunion taking place across the aisle! Complete with a drunken Justin Credible.... was this a reunion, or an intervention?
Well that was interesting....
Not sure what The Million Dollar Man is saying to Nikolai Volkoff here..... perhaps they're discussing the time that Dibiase "bought" Nikolai for the Million Dollar Corporation & made him wear that shirt with a penny symbol on the back?
As if we hadn't had enough excitement..... time next to get our prepaid "Hardy Family Portrait". Surprisingly - there was no line for this! I guess $40 is too steep? Not for me, as this was $40 well spent for my collection....... and don't you know - Matt Hardy was in full-character the entire time. It was also a pleasure to meet the young King Maxl! I said "Hola, Senor Benjamin. Prepare the battlefield for massacre!"
Honestly, this is one of my new favorites!
At this time, Sting was beginning to sign.... I did not need a Sting photo or auto, as I've met him twice already in 2016.... but this was my buddy's main reason for coming!
While we waited in line (which, oddly, was NOT very long)..... Bobby Fulton (Fantastics) came up & spoke with Sting for a minute!
Also, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase came to say hello!
Finally, the big moment...... hoping I wouldn't screw up my buddy's photo op, since this is the reason he convinced me to come along!
Thankfully, it came out pretty good! I'm happy with it.....
Somewhere in here..... we went & visited with The Steiners..... they were not extremely high on my list, but my friend really wanted to get a photo op with Scott Steiner.... he ended up doing the dual-photo-op, and I gave him the money to make it a combo & got my Rick Steiner JAKKS Classic signed! This was mostly uneventful....
Well, I needed to get a Bret Hart signature - but the line was quite literally running out the door of the ECW arena! I did not see the sense in waiting in such a long line, so I figured we'd get a few more autographs and I'd grab Bret's at the end.... and hopefully avoid some waiting in line?
I was surprised that Bret Hart's line was so much longer than Sting...... just not what I expected!
As we made the rounds a few more times, I caught a glimpse of Brian Knobbs (Nasty Boys) "making the rounds"..... I like this shot!
We had another funny moment (or three), it seems that Tony Atlas thought that he personally "knew" my friend! He kept coming up & saying things to him, but my friend couldn't really understand what he was saying! Very strange (but funny).....
Here's Tony again, fooling around with Barry Darsow "Smash" of Demolition, and Tatanka.....
My friend also had gotten a photo op with Mr. "Feed Me More", Ryback himself!
So, I finally sucked it up & got into the Bret Hart line..... which was still all the way to the door! The wait wasn't too bad, though.... about 30 minutes I guess. And while waiting, I chatted with "Amish Roadkill" who sells figures..... and I bought this Ric Flair piece that I don't have for ten bucks! He was selling a couple of them loose, I refuse to do the whole "blind bag" thing.... but I wanted this for my collection!
As I got closer to Bret Hart.... ECW Legend Bill Alfonso came up & greeted "The Hitman".....
Once I was one or two people away from the front, one of the attendants asked me if I wanted to use their Pink paint pen....
"Nope! This figure needs to be signed in yellow!" I responded....
"That's a great idea!" they replied....
"It's The Simpsons!" I exclaimed.....
Bret was cool.... I had a continuation of our discussion in June, regarding the safety record of Seth Rollins & the recent Finn Balor injury..... "He's a great wrestler" Bret said.... "But you're only as good as your safety record."
Good stuff!
Finally, exhausted, I left the 2300 Arena & headed home........
And began editing some videos we had recorded all day! See, my friend who went with me is very closely involved with an indy promotion in the area..... as part of the storyline, he has been named the "CEO" of the wrestling fed......
We got many of the stars of the day to wish him good luck as the new "CEO" of the indy fed! Here's the video I put together, as a promotional tool for their upcoming event!
This is just a teaser...... as the official "poster" hasn't been released yet. This is just to get a buzz going! But it's my first attempt at producing an actual commercial......
I think you guys will get a kick out of this!
Thanks for looking - and join us on October 15th at the Lancaster Host Resort for a fun night of wrestling!
As my buddy said to Tony Atlas on the way out, "see ya later, Marblemouth!"
.