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

Great reports. It seemed like both guys were in a good mood. Glad they were a good experience for you.
Did the Mankind mask have a stench to it? When I met Mick more than 20 years ago, you could smell the mask before you even got to his table.

From my experience, Foley is one of those to ensure the fan got their money worth.

I saw him in Hamilton years ago and had him sign the flag, after we posed for a photo, he pulled me in, quietly asking if I paid full price for the autograph (it was small due to not much room left on the flag) - which I did. He told me to pick out an 8x10 for him to sign as well.

He didn't have to do that - and I was more than happy to have the autograph on the flag as it was.

Another excellent report Champ! Foley's Dude Love signature looks amazing.

Would definitely not look forward to how long the line would be for The Rock lol. Thanks for reading

Butterbean, Jimmy Hart, Brutus Beefcake, Greg Valentine, and Jim Duggan are in Flint, MI this weekend for Really Cool Comic Con.



Of the names appearing, I wanted to meet all of them except for Hacksaw. I did, however, bring a magazine with Hacksaw on the cover in case I felt like I wanted to meet him last minute but decided not to get that signed. Venturing into Flint with me would be josecalderon (Ryan). Early in the morning, he picks me up and we head to the convention together which took us just over 4 hours. The convention was to start at 9am and we got there at just before 10 so the lines were already dying down.

We had a strategy in mind upon entering: 1. Let’s visit the wrestlers’ booths to see if autograph prices were not as advertised on the website. The website showed $30 per autograph, except for Brutus who had various pricing depending on the item you wanted him to sign. These numbers were not disclosed on the website. 2. Upon doing so, let’s scour the vendor room to see if there are any Legends figures of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine. In the weeks leading up to the con, I had tried to find these locally but they were always out of my price range or inaccessible. And 3., get our stuff signed.

When we entered the building and passed security, we made it into the main vendor room which also housed the guests signing autographs. Signs were posted around the venue that quoted the same autograph pricing as the website, so there was no surprise there. I was hoping that we could see what Brutus was charging. I was afraid to purchase one of his figures from a vendor only to realize Brutus was charging an astronomical amount (thankfully this did not happen). The only guests out at the time were Butterbean and Jimmy Hart. Realizing that the prices were as expected, we begin to look at the vendors to see if I could find the figures I was hoping to find. Almost instantly, there is a booth with four Brutus Beefcake Legends Figures, all of which were the standard non-chase version. I was expecting the price to be $40 to $50 for these given that we are at a convention where Brutus himself is appearing. I ask the vendor (which was actually a booth set up by the convention itself as it was selling Really Cool Comic Con merch) how much the Brutus Beefcake figures were. She says “15”. Thinking I misheard, I ask “$15?”. Ryan later tells me he was surprised I asked that because just like me, there was no way they would be just $15; however, the lady repeats “yes, 15”. Score! I pick the one in the best shape, and got one checked off my list. A few minutes later, we find a booth that had Greg Valentine Legends figures and a Brutus Beefcake Chase. The booth wanted $20 and $25, respectively, which was another really great deal so I bought both. And just like that, I was able to find the figures I wanted. I only wanted one of each so finding both versions of Brutus was a bonus, especially at a great price. We then look at the rest of the booths to see if anything else called our names but did not end up finding anything else.

It is now 10:40 and as we were done with the vendors, we go back to see the guests. First, we go for Butterbean, who had a few people in line. The guy in front of me randomly turned to me and started ranting about the fact he needed to get his transmission in his car changed and that it was a special car so it costed him $12,000. I entertained him for a bit, but when it was his turn to meet Butterbean, he continued that rant with him. Butterbean was super patient and nice, and let the guy speak. The guy got his autograph and then it was my turn. I shake Butterbean’s hand and tell him it is nice to meet him. I ask him how much for an autograph in my encyclopedia and a photo with him would be, and he tells me $30. I pay him, then open the book to his page. As he signs, I tell him that we drove from Toronto to meet him, which he seemed surprised to hear and thanked us for. He tells me that he hasn’t been up in Canada very often, and turns to the person beside him (perhaps his wife or business partner) and asks where in Canada they were recently. They say they were in Saskachewan which is and are booked to be in Halifax, which are very far from us. He tells me: “you guys have some app that everyone needs to fill in before entering into Canada, right? They turned us away at the border the last time and had us fill it out. What is it called? Narcan?”. I explain, “yeah it’s ArriveCan and you need to fill in your details before heading into Canada. It’s ridiculous”. He says, “yeah, it’s stupid!”.



After he signs, I go behind his table for a photo. Butterbean appears to be injured as he had his foot wrapped and was using crutches; however, despite that, he stood up for every photo, which is awesome. We take the photo together, and we shake hands again. He tells me “have a safe ride home!”, and I return the comment to him. Ryan then meets Butterbean after me. Butterbean was extremely friendly.

We then went to meet Jimmy Hart as Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake had just showed up and still had lines. I ask his handler for four autographs, which costed me $120. I first pull out the Wrestling Album LP, which I’m sure he sees often. However, I then pull up three Gentrys records. For those who don’t know, Jimmy Hart was in a band during the 1960s called the Gentrys. I love 60’s music so whenever I see their albums, I pick them up. When Jimmy sees the Gentrys records, surprised, he says “oh bless you, you brought the Gentrys”. I tell him that I’m a big fan and that it was nice to meet him again, which he thanks me for. With a blue paint pen, he first signs the Wrestling Album on the front. Then, unprompted, he signs the inside of the gatefold where he is also shown.



I tell him that we drove from Toronto to meet him. He was in the area a few weeks ago and I tell him that I was unable to catch him while he was there so I’m glad to be able to meet him here, which he thanks me for. We then move onto the Gentrys records. I have him personalize everything and do a couple of marker switches, which he was cool with. He even made comments on the inscriptions he was making (unprompted), saying things like “I’m gonna put ‘Keep on Dancing’ on this”



Once he signs those, I tell him that the 50s and 60s are my favourite era of music and when I learned his was in a 60s band, I was surprised that I didn’t know it. He then brings up Shawn Michaels theme song and how it has so many hits. I tell him that I wasn’t surprised, before thanking him and moving on to get my stuff dried. Later in the day, I overheard Jimmy talking about me. A fan asked about his music and Jimmy Hart said, “ah you should have been here earlier. There was a guy that brought four records for me to sign”, which was pretty cool.

Once my Jimmy Hart stuff is dry, we move over to Brutus Beefcake, who I needed on the two figures I bought earlier in the day, as well as the Wrestling Album. It took about 10-15 minutes to get through to the front of the line and once I did, I ask how much autographs on the three items would be. I was willing to pay a little more than usual given that I got a great deal on the figures. Brutus tells the handler that it would normally be $50 each, but he’d do the three for $120, which I was okay with. I ended up getting a bonus which I’ll explain later.

Brutus and I shake hands and I tell him that it is nice to meet him again. He thanks me then starts signing my figures. As he signed them, he tells me “I’m glad I won’t see these on eBay! Your name is on here”, in response to me asking them to be personalized. I laugh and tell him I’m a big fan.




Remember when I said I ended up getting a bonus? Well, for some reason, the handler asked me if I want him to take the photo or if Ryan will be doing so. Uhh… I didn’t pay for a photo, but without flinching I say, “He [Ryan] will take the photo” lol. I also ask him to sign the Wrestling Album LP in the top left corner where he is. He’s in an awkward spot on the cover, but he made it work. He signed small such that there is room for anyone else that I may be able to get this signed by. As he signed that, I tell him we came from Toronto to meet him, which he thanks us for. He says that he hasn’t been in Canada in a while because of the pandemic and he starts naming cities such as St. Catharines and Niagara Falls where he has been before. He says he wants to visit because the weed is now legal here lol. In response, I tell him that whenever he does come back up, we’ll be there to see him again. After that, I ask the handler if I can go behind the table for the photo, which they allow me to. Brutus hands me a pair of shears, and we pose for the photo. After the photo, we shake hands and thank each other.




Ryan and I went off to the side to let my stuff dry. A few minutes later, we go to see Greg Valentine, whose line had died down and only had a couple other people. I ask the handler for four autographs. Although the website advertised $30 per autograph, it seems that Greg Valentine had resorted to the Brutus Beefcake method and applied different pricing based on the item you brought. The handler tells me it’s $120 but to wait because Greg might charge something else. When Greg was done with the fan in front of me, the handler tells him that i want four autographs. Greg asks if I want a photo with him to and I tell him that I don’t need one as I’ve met him before. He looks at my items and says “they’re vintage!”. I tell him that I’m a huge fan and that these are for the collection (in case he was worried about eBay lol). Thinking that he was going to charge a lot, he asks for $80. I’m thinking that there had to be a mistake because that would be quite a drop. Regardless, I pay the $80 for four autographs.

I first have him sign the Legends figure as well as a PWI magazine. I’ve met Greg several times before and I know he never talks at these things, so I didn’t bother trying. To my surprise, he said something. He asks what year the magazine is from. We look at the cover together and see that it is from 1984. He comments on the condition of the magazine and how it is in such great shape. I joke, “it’s in better shape than I am”. He replies, “me too!”



Using the same yellow marker, he signs the back of the Wrestling Album LP where he is. I then have him switch to a blue marker for another magazine. After he signed the magazine he commented “this one is also in great shape. There’s me and Roddy Piper on the front!”. In response, I thank him, then Ryan and I then retreat to get my stuff dried again.




Hacksaw was Ryan’s biggest need and he wasn’t out yet so we drop my stuff off at the car, then return to the convention. Hacksaw was finally out and had a line of a few dozen people. Although I didn’t need anything from Hacksaw, Ryan needed four items, so I joined him to help him out. At almost 1pm, it is our turn to meet him and Hacksaw is his usual talkative self. We tell him that it is nice to see him again and that we came from Toronto to meet him. He thanks us and asks his usual question as to if we watch the product today. I tell him that I do, and he asks who my favourites are. I tell him that I’m a big Roman Reigns fan. In response, he asks if I watch AEW. I tell him that I don’t (as I don’t have enough time to do so), and he jokes “oh good! A purist!”. Ryan asks if he liked the Canadian gimmick and Hacksaw says that the reason they made him do that was because they were trying to get him out of his contract, but he made the gimmick work. Lastly, I tell him that it is nice to see him here and in great shape despite his recent health issues. He tells us that his cancer was caught through regular checkups so he recommends to go often because that's what saved him. Hacksaw was super friendly as always.


This con could not have been better. I found the figures I was hoping to find and at a reasonable price, Jimmy Hart signed an extra autograph for me, I got a free photo-op with Brutus Beefcake, AND Greg Valentine gave me a great deal on autographs. After the convention, we did some figure hunting before heading back home into Canada. Thanks for reading and thanks again to Ryan for being an awesome tag team partner. Check out his instagram at retrowwfcollector where he posts the awesome things he gets at these signings.



Thanks!

lol you did better than the poor slobs who got pics with Sasha and Naomi at C2E2 in Chicago!

You did really good as always, especially with Hammer and Brutus. Both guys really do have a rep for going into business for themselves with pricing. But both are really decent guys at heart. Hammer's normally pretty grumpy and unperson-able at shows but you got him talking some with your items. Brutus is more outgoing but they are cut from the same cloth with pricing.

From my experience at shows, wrestlers really want to see unusual items and hear different stories other than the normal fan stories of Wrestlemania and other shows and signing them same old items. You always have a knack for getting guys talking, if you had the time and energy and resources you could probably be an agent or put on shows yourself.

Jimmy and Hacksaw of course are probably two of the most friendly guys of all time.
The woman with Butterbean is probably his wife. They run a shop at a flea market, I think in Kentucky where they are very kind to fans.

Thank you! I don't have many signed records in general so I'm always excited when I'm able to get them signed.




Thanks for reading! I feel bad for those Sasha and Naomi fans after seeing those pictures lol




Butterbean was awesome. Thanks for checking out the report!





Thanks for always checking out reports! Putting on a show myself definitely sounds fun, but the time and energy isn't there at the moment. Maybe at some point in the future!

Fair question! I do that to try and give as much details as I possibly can while still remaining private.