JBL and Aliyah Autograph Signing Report (11/03/2024)

Seemed like a pretty good Impact card with most of their top stars being there. Madison is looking good and great report man I really enjoy reading these it sucks you couldnt get Joey and Matthews just rushed through it but seem like you still had a good time.

Looking forward to it

Nice stuff champ! Are you going to slammiversary?

Great stuff again man, glad everything went better for you this time.

Thanks guys! Next report should be this Sunday!

King Silva - I’ve met Gail twice now, and she was great both times so definitely meet her next time you have the opportunity to do so.

One report for two events today.

It was initially supposed to be three events because Shannon Moore and Teddy Long were scheduled to be a little North of Toronto today. Their appearances, however, were cancelled.

The first event had doors scheduled to open at 5, with a 6pm start time. The second event had doors scheduled to open at 6, with a 7pm start time. With the times being close together, I knew I had a slight challenge. Luckily, they were both in downtown Toronto. The first event was the Demand Lucha indy show with Quebecer Pierre and Justin Gabriel.



My priority for this show was Pierre. I’ve met Gabriel before, but I do have some programs for him to sign, so I brought them along in case I am able to get him to sign. However, as long as I got Pierre, I’d be happy. As mentioned, doors for this show were to open at 5, so I leave my place at 4:15 to walk to the venue, which was a concert/bar-type venue. I get there just a few minutes before 5. A few minutes after 5, the doors open. Once I get in, I look at the merch area hoping that Pierre would be out and signing (Demand Lucha’s twitter page said that a meet and greet would take place when the doors open); however, he was not. I figured I’d have to wait until intermission. The short started right on time, and Pierre (now going by “PCO”), wrestled in an extreme rules style match. The dude was amazing; he did flips, went through a table, wrestled at the bar, and more. The guy is 50-years-old, which isn’t exactly old, but definitely isn’t young, especially for an athlete. PCO, however, worked like he was still in his prime. If I knew nothing about wrestling, I’d assume PCO was a young, up and coming wrestler.



Anyways, come 8pm, intermission is announced. (Note that I said 8pm - I had already missed an hour second event I had intended to go to). Pierre is not signing, but Joel Gertner is. Joel Gertner was around for the original ECW days, and though I do not know much about him, I figured that for $10, I’d add his autograph to my collection. This guy goes above and beyond for the people who come to meet him. Total class act. The lighting in the venue isn’t good for pictures. The fan before me wanted a picture with him, but the picture didn’t turn out well, so Gertner suggested an area in the venue where there was slightly better lighting, however, it still was not good enough. So what does he do? He takes the fan that wanted a photo-op outside the venue. Because the sun is still out, lighting was guaranteed to be good and a proper photo could be taken. He went out of his way to make sure that the fan was happy with the photo. When it was my turn, I pay him $10 for an 8x10, and in addition, he signed his picture in an ECW magazine I brought along at no extra charge. He asks for my name, confirms the spelling, and signs my 8x10 personalized. As he signs my magazine, I try to take a picture of him signing it, but am too late. He notices that I take the photo late, so he bends down again and poses as if he is still signing it. I thank him and he thanks me sincerely and says: “enjoy the rest of the show!”, and we shake hands.



I leave the merch area because Pierre is not out yet. It turns out that Pierre was being interviewed by a local blogger. Literally a minute before intermission ends, I notice him walking into the venue from outside. Pierre is quickly stopped by a fan who wants a photo. Pierre does the photo. As Pierre takes the photo with the fan, I get my encyclopedia ready. Once he is done with the first fan, I tell him that his match was great, which he smiles and thanks me for. I then ask if he can sign my book. In response, he says “I’ll sign over here” and motions towards a bar table. I have him sign The Quebecers entry and his Jean Pierre Lafitte entry. Once he signs, he asks “do you want a picture?”. I say “yes, please”, and we pose for a picture. We thank each other and I begin to put my encyclopedia away.



Because he wasn’t formally signing autographs (as mentioned, we are getting him as he walked in), he didn’t have a marker to use for the other fans. I let him use my blue sharpie for the time being. As he signed for the other fans, I was still beside him as I was fixing my stuff. The fans weren’t talking to him, so I decided to talk to Pierre a bit more. I simply told him: “the only reason I came here today was to meet you”. He seemed to appreciate that and thanked me again. One other fan had Pierre sign 5 8x10 photos, which Pierre was happy to do. The best part was that he signed everything and took photos for free. By then, it was about 8:20 and I leave for the second event. I didn’t get Gabriel, but I was happy enough to get Pierre.

The second event of the day was a show featuring Ken Shamrock, where he told stories about his career:



The venue for this show was the Rec Room, which is basically an upscale adult-version of Chuck E. Cheese. I get there at 8:46, and the show was to end at 9. I pretty much miss the entire show. I fully intended to attend the entire show because these shows are really interesting. The same company that brought in Ricky Steamboat and Ted DiBiase in my older reports was the same company running this show. When I arrive, he is in the middle of his last story. I wasn’t able to get the context because of my late arrival, but he was talking about Dan Severn low blowing him, but ultimately hurt himself because Shamrock was wearing a steel cup (Hey, AJ Styles, take notes).



To end the show, Shamrock says that he loves doing these shows because he loves talking to the fans and that these shows give him an opportunity to say a thank-you to everyone for their support over the years. The show ends at 9, and the host tells us where the meet and greet will be held. Luckily, I wasn’t too far from that area, so quickly go over there and was 10th in line. 10 minutes later, it is my turn to meet Shamrock. I pay the handler $80 for two autographs in my book, an autograph for my elite, and a photo-op. Once I pay, I go to Shamrock and shake his hand. I also tell him that it is nice to meet him again. I first have him sign my encyclopedia in The Corporation entry, then in The Union entry. When I open up to the Union, he is unsure where to sign, but I point out the entry and he instantly realizes.



Next, I have him sign my elite. I ask him to personalize it To Alex (and I had the post-it note), but he doesn’t. He signs his name in yellow paint, and was about to give the figure back to me without the personalization, however, the handler reminds Shamrock. Shamrock personalizes the figure, then adds “God Bless” to it.



After, we pose for a picture. I then shake his hand and thank him. In response, he thanks me and says “great to meet you!”. I tell him that it is great to meet him as well, and call it a night. Overall, Shamrock was a nice guy. I didn’t talk to him much, but he seemed personable.

I believe PCO stands for Pierre Carl Ouellet.


Cool that you got to meet him though, the Quebecers were one of my favourite tag teams back in the mid 90s.

Good stuff Champ!

I really enjoy reading your experiences.