Bret Hart and Kelly Kelly Signing Report (10/20/2024)

Wow what a read. Keep doing these as it looks like you had a great time an keep on posting 👍🏼

Alrighty… back to regularly scheduled programming… I hope.

Just as things started to feel normal again with the return of autograph signings late last year, the Omicron variant shut things down in Ontario and it wasn’t until March that restrictions began to be lifted again. Since restrictions were lifted, this was the first event I was able to go to. RVD was in Toronto last night for Greektown Wrestling:



Greektown is a neighbourhood in Toronto. However, with the crowds at these shows growing, they needed to move outside Greektown to a different venue. This time, it was at the gym of a university. I purchased my VIP meet and greet ticket well in advance as RVD was someone I wanted to meet again.

I arrive at the venue about 35 minutes before 4pm, the start time of the meet and greet, and was the only one there at that point. The university staff check for proof of vaccination, give me a wristband to indicate that I’ve been checked, and have me wait in line until doors open. At around 4:10, the doors finally open and the Greektown staff check your ticket as you walk in. They also ask if you wanted any extra autographs. I paid for my extra autographs and they gave me tickets that show that I paid which I would give to the handler before meeting RVD. I looked at the line and there were only about 30-45 people, so I stepped out of line, found a seat, and took my stuff out. I stepped out of line since it was a small turnout and with how many items I had, I didn’t want to hold up the line. Out of nowhere, TONS of people started showing up. I was going to stay for the show anyway, so not being first to meet him didn’t bother me. I didn’t want to wait in such a long line so I just sat at my seat until the line died down. I spoke to the person making sure that RVD’s line was organized and told her that since I’m getting a lot of items signed, I’ll go last to not hold up the line. Her response, “Thank you. That’s very courteous of you. I’ll make sure we take care of you”. I thanked her back.

The line did not seem like it would die as many more people trickled in. On top of that, RVD was taking his time with everyone. The wrestling show itself was supposed to start at 6; however, since the meet and greet was taking so long, that start time was pushed. At 6:10, it is finally my turn to meet RVD. At first, he thought he was done by asking the handler “am I done the meet and greet?”, to which I responded “almost!”. I start off with a handshake and ask him how he is.

The first item I have him sign was not one of my items. Rather, it was for josecalderon . He was unable to make the event so he passed along his Classic figure to me to get signed for him. It turned out great. Pics can be found on his Instagram at RetroWWFCollector. Once he signs his figure, I have him switch to a blue marker to sign his basic figure, personalized to me. Then, to an orange marker to sign his elite, also personalized. As he signed the Elite, the lady I spoke to earlier came up to me and asked if I wanted her to take my figures to my seat. I told her that I would appreciate it. As such, she brought my figures to my seat. Then, once RVD finished signing the elite, she also brought that to my seat. This was great. I didn’t have to fumble around with so many items and didn’t need to worry about them drying.



After he signs the figures, I have him switch to a regular blue Sharpie for the rest of the items, starting with DVD covers. I tell him I’m a huge fan and that it’s nice to meet him again. I tell him about meeting him at the Hamilton Comic Con and then at an Impact taping in Toronto. He seemed happy to hear that, then asked “who’s Alex?”. I tell him “that’s me! I believe that’s your middle name, right?”. He replies, “yeah! I guess I did tell you that last time we met!”



Given how much merch I brought, I asked “do you collect your merch as well?”. He tells me that he tries to keep one of everything he’s on. He told me that he recently stumbled upon two magazines he had no idea about. He says this as he signs my three magazines.



I also ask him about action figures, and he says he’s really into them. I ask him if he has a favourite. He told me he does and that he couldn’t remember what the line was called, but “it’s an exclusive. Only 5000 made. It has the briefcase, uhh..”. I help him out and say “oh, the one with the two belts included?”. He replies, “yeah that one!” I continue “I’ve always wanted that one but could never find it. It’s always so pricey.” He replies, “is it?” He then signs a 2010 TNA program, as well as the encyclopedia in his entry with Kane.



After that, we take a photo together. Before he does, he asks if I wanted my mask off, which he was cool with. I take it off and we take the photo. We thank each other and I wish him luck in his match to end the meet and greet. As I went back to my seat, I first thanked the lady that helped me out. Her response, “no problem. You did us a courtesy, we’ll do you a courtesy”. Then, at my seat, I started to put my things away when another Greektown staff approached me “do you have everything, man?”. He wanted to make sure I didn’t leave anything behind since I had so many items. Awesome stuff. RVD successfully wrestled in the Extreme Rules main event. Fun night overall!



Thanks for reading!

Awesome RVD post

Thanks everyone! Back again at it with another report. This time with five WWE Hall of Famers.



This signing took place in Livonia, Michigan which is about a 4-hour drive from Toronto. josecalderon (Ryan) and I would be venturing into the US for this trip together. This was my first time back in the US since the pandemic started and it was definitely nice to visit again. With doors opening at 11am, Ryan picks me up at 6:20 and we make the drive over. We made amazing time until we hit the border. The border officer we lined up for seemed much more thorough than other officers as his line took the longest. Regardless, we were able to cross without issue and made it to the venue just past 11.

Once we got into the venue, we joined the line to exchange our prepaid tickets for lanyards/badges, then head into the main vendor/guest room. The Steiners were the first table we saw when we entered the room. I had noticed that the vendor that brought them in had increased their autograph price as compared to what was on the website. Before joining any line, however, we walked around to see where all the guests we wanted were situated, as well as checking for autograph prices to see if any other prices changed, which they did not. All wrestling guests that we wanted were at their tables, except for Godfather. Nash had a line of a couple dozen people, whereas X-Pac had a few people. We decided to first walk around to look at the merch in case there was merch we saw that we wanted to get signed. Upon doing so, we notice that Godfather had returned to his table. Of the two of us, I was the only one that needed Godfather and on only one item, so we decided to knock him out as he only had a couple of people at his table.

I pay the handler the $40 for the autograph and rest my figure and marker on Godfather as he takes a photo with the fan in front of me. Once he was done with the fan, he returned to his table and greeted me. We shake hands and ask each other how were are doing. He looks at my figure, notices my “To Alex” sticky note, and asks if I want the autograph made out to Alex, which I said yes please then told him that we came from Toronto to meet him and the other wrestlers at the con, which he thanked us for.



After he signed, Ryan pointed out that Godfather has such an awesome signature for all of his gimmicks, comparing it to the modern wrestlers who scribble. Ryan says, “you gotta tell them to put more work into their signatures”. Godfather replies, “yeah, but they say ‘that’s how you [older wrestlers] do it, but this is how we [younger wrestlers] do it’”.

I then reminded him of the last time he made an appearance in Toronto.

Me: You were actually the last wrestler I met before the pandemic started. You did a charity show in Toronto in March 2020.
Godfather: I remember that!
Me: Yeah, it was great because they actually brought me backstage to meet you because I wasn’t able to make it in time for the actual meet and greet
Godfather: Ohh.. I remember that now. (His tone and expression made it seem like he genuinely remembered meeting me backstage)

Godfather wrestled as Papa Shango at that event, which Ryan asks about. Ryan says he was surprised to see Shango in the ring. Shango replied saying that he did that because it was a special occasion and that would be the last time he would, which was interesting to hear. After this part of the conversation, we thank him and vice versa to end this encounter. Godfather was amazing as usual.

Kevin Nash’s line was dwindling down and so we decided to get him next. Upon joining the line, it only took us about 10 minutes to get to him. I pay the handler for two autographs, then set my items down on Nash’s table. I shake his hand, and ask him how he is. He returns the question to me. Nash is usually quiet, but this time, he felt even more quieter. Something felt a little off. Perhaps he was partying with X-Pac the night before or is still mourning over Scott Hall. I’ve met Nash many times before so I didn’t have anything to say other than thanking him for signing my figures. He thanked me as well. Ryan went after me and he’ll be posting the autographs he got at the con at RetroWWFCollector on Instagram. Check him out if you haven’t already. If he wants to add a supplementary report to this one below, he’s more than welcome to ( )



We then find a place to make sure our autographs dried properly. Once they were dry, we join the line for X-Pac, which had about 3 or 4 people. Right before me, X-Pac sanitized his hands and they were still a little wet. Despite that, he reached out for a handshake, but did so in an un-firm way such that my hands didn’t get wet. He wiped his hands on his table cloth before reaching for my merch. I first ask him to sign what I wanted signed in paint. That way, the drying process can start immediately as he moved on to my other items.

Me: Can you make these out to Alex please?
X-Pac: Sure!
Me: We drove all the way from Toronto to meet you!
X-Pac: Wow, how long was the drive?
Me: Just four hours, it wasn’t bad!
X-Pac: Did they give you a hard time at the border?
Me: Not really! The guy we spoke to was VERY thorough in his questioning though.
X-Pac: Did they ask you if you have weed?
Me: Nope!
X-Pac: Ah! If they ever ask if you have weed, say no! Otherwise, they’ll just make you turn around. It may not seem like a big deal-
Me, cutting him off: Yeah its legal in Canada
X-Pac: Yeah, it might not seem like a big deal but they’ll make you turn around!



Once he signed those items, we move onto the Encyclopedia.

Me: You’re in here 7 times, but I’m only having you sign 3 of your entries. Gotta save some for the next time I meet you. (In reality, I didn’t want to spend so much today lol)
X-Pac: Yeah!

Remember when I said Nash seemed a little off? X-Pac did too. Before he signed every item, he thought long and hard about where to sign on the item and how. I appreciate the thought he put into it, but it seemed like he took longer than usual as if he was over analyzing it. This was not a complaint as my items turned out well. When I opened to the Kliq page, for example, I ask him to sign anywhere. He presses the marker down, and pauses for five seconds. He then lifts the marker leaving a dot on the page lol, then asks “what did you say again?”. I repeat, “anywhere on the page is good”.

Me: I'm really glad you're here. I was supposed to meet you in Niagara Falls a few years ago but I believe they cancelled on you.
X-Pac: Oh yeah because I got arrested! They thought I was guilty, but I wasn't



After he signs, we pose for the photo. He does two poses, one with the “too sweet” hand gesture, and another with the DX gesture. As we pose, I realize I forgot to take off my face mask. I asked if I could take it off quickly, and he had no issue with it. Once we took the photo, we shake hands and I thank him. His reply: “the pleasure was mine, Alex”. X-Pac was also very cool to meet.

Ryan then meets X-Pac after me. Once we were done with X-Pac, we again find a place for our items to dry. Once dried, we put our items in our bag then try to go for the Steiners. However, the Steiners had gone for their lunch, so we take a little breather as it was really hot in that room. Michigan was hot that day. It felt like summer. Upon heading back into the main room, the Steiners are still not there. I ask the handler that was sitting there as to when they’ll be back. He told me that they should be back in about 20 minutes. This gave Ryan some time to knock out some of his actor wants at the con. When the Steiners returned, we headed back to their table. I pay for a group combo, plus an extra pair of autographs. I open up the Encyclopedia to the Steiner Brothers page.

Me: It’s nice to meet you guys!
Rick, not hearing properly, asked me to repeat, then says: Thank you, you too!
Scott says nothing

Me: We drove from Toronto to meet you both
Rick (mishearing): Nice to meet you too!
Scott says nothing again. I’ve met Scott before and while he isn’t mean or anything, I know that he says nothing at signings, so I knew I wouldn’t be having a conversation with him. I tried with Rick though.



Me: I’m a huge fan of Bron!
Rick asks me to repeat myself
Me: Bron! I’m a huge fan of his!
Rick: Ohhh… he’s okay! (He smiles, then jokingly does a hand gesture as if he was pushing the comment away)
Me: Ah, being humble I see!
Rick laughs.



We then pose for the group photo and I shake both of their hands. Before I rolled up my poster, Rick took a good look at it again and said “that’s really cool”, nodding his head in approval and I thank him in return. Ryan then meets Rick Steiner after me.

And that was it! It was around 1pm by this time. Ryan needed other actors, but first, we dropped off our wrestling merch in the car before heading back in. I looked around at the vendors again and grabbed a seat in the hallway while Ryan did his thing. My back was hurting so I needed to rest a bit. A short time later, Ryan was done and we did a little figure hunting. I was able to score some Legends figure on clearance, which was great. There were more items I would have liked to purchase but I wanted to limit my spending to prevent issues at the border since we technically aren't allowed to purchase goods if are in the US for less than 24 hours. We were done our hunting by 6:30, filled up the tank, then drove back home for 11pm.

This was a long day, but it went by extremely fast. Time flies when you're having fun.. well, it definitely flew. Great experiences throughout and thanks for being a great tag team partner, Ryan!



Thanks for reading!

TheChamp617 Odd question, but since yall were at Astro, did yall meet Twiztid?

Thanks for reading! That's awesome. Did you meet them?




Nope, we did not. As lame as this might sound, I've honestly never heard of them until the event. Thanks for checking out the report!




Thank you for your comments! This was my third time meeting Godfather and he was great every time. You definitely won't be disappointed when you do get that chance.

Scott Hall was actually scheduled to appear at this con; however, his death prevented that unfortunately. Very cool that you got to meet the three of them at the same time!

The poster is one of my favourite pieces. Just need Sting for it to be complete!

Very quick report today. Erick Rowan and Harry Smith are in Toronto tonight for a new indy wrestling promotion, Only The Toughest.



I wasn’t planning on going to this one because I had other plans. However, those plans got canceled last minute, which meant I was now able to attend this event. The only way to be able to meet Rowan and Smith was with an $80 VIP ticket, which included a seat in one on the first three row, a signed poster, an item signed by both, pizza, and pop. Extra autographs were $20. All in all, I thought these prices are fair given how more expensive the hobby is becoming recently.

Doors for VIP ticket holders were to open at 5pm. I get to the venue around 4:30 and there are only a few people there waiting. A few more people started to arrive, and the line eventually grew to about 15-20 people. This was a lower turnout than I expected; however, part of me wasn’t surprised given how new the promotion was. I didn’t end up sticking for the show so I can’t comment on how many General Admission people were there, but they had a decent number of seats in the venue. Anyway, despite the 5pm door time for VIPs, things were running late (as usual) and we get let in at 5:20.

Once we get in, Rowan and Smith are out signing at separate tables. You would first meet Rowan, then walk over to the other table to meet Smith. Rowan had some paint markers at his table provided by the promotion to sign posters, however, they were not prepped, causing him and the handler to scramble to prime them. Coincidentally, I am shaking my own paint pens to ensure that my autographs are good. Rowan notices and jokes, "more paint pens!" then points at me.

When it was my turn, I pay the handler for three extra autographs on top of the item included with my ticket, then place my figures on the table. Rowan and I ask how each other are doing and he begins signing my figures. First, he signed his basic figure in white. He saw my Post It note on the figure and asked if I wanted it made out to Alex, to which I said yes. I asked him: “Do you collect your figures too, or do you think it's weird?” He replied, “I try to get one of each”. He pauses, looks at the basic, then says “I don’t have this one..”. I reply telling him that this is the “chase” version with the belt which was harder to find as most of them did not come with it. After, he signs my Elite, which the handler says is his favourite one. In response, Rowan mentioned to me that his favourite figure is the Bludgeon Brothers one. I tell him that I don’t have that one but I wish I did.



I then have him sign my Battle Pack. First, I asked him to personalize it, and inscribe “Follow the Buzzards” over Luke Harper in an attempt to fill up the space since Harper cannot sign it. I tell him, “I can’t believe he’s gone”. Rowan says “yeah” and nods. I ask, “what was it like working with him?”. He replies, “you always had to be on your toes!” and smiled. He then signs the poster that was included with my ticket. Upon signing that, we pose for a picture and I thank him. Right after I did, I realize that I made a rookie mistake (after all these years of doing this). I’m entitled to the signed poster, one autograph, plus the three extra I paid for. I only got three items signed! I realize this quickly and tell the handler that this was the three extra I paid for and I forgot to get my other item out. Without a problem, my program gets signed in a blue sharpie I hand him. Rowan and the handler joke about my several markers, and how particular I am. The handler even asks "you've done this before [autograph signings], haven't you?" I smile and say "many times!" Rowan was cool to speak with.



I then thank Rowan again and move onto Smith. Smith was also very cool, which I expected as I met him twice before. We start off with a handshake and I tell him that he was one of the first wrestlers I ever met back when I was 13. I remind him of the location and he appeared to remember the occasion. I told him that I remember being so nervous since I was just a kid, but ever since then, I’ve met so many wrestlers. He first signs the poster I was entitled to. Once he does so, I open my Superstar Yearbook magazine from 2008 and have him sign his section. I have a bunch of autographs in this magazine and don’t have anything else for Smith to sign, so I decided to have him sign this tonight. When I opened it, he laughed and said “wow”. He seemed surprised at what I brought. I assume he hasn’t sign many of these or hasn’t seen something like this in a while.



We then pose for a photo and thank each other. I wish him luck in his match, which he thanks me for, and this ends the meet and greet. I chose not to stay for the show this time so I can’t comment on the actual wrestling itself, but I hope this promotion is successful as it would be great to have more opportunities for these meet and greets.

Thanks to all those who continue to read these!

Thanks! Meeting Kane must have been awesome. I thought about asking Rowan about figures because I remember seeing footage of him looking at some Hasbros at a convention somewhere. I admit I am a little tempted to get the Bludgeon Brothers elite, but I'm definitely happy with what I already have regardless. Thanks again for always reading the reports!

It really is...so much so that this signing report (and the comment about the shirt) sent me looking for it. Turns out it's a WWE product. I had my finger on the trigger last week, but I'm glad I waited, because it got knocked down even further today to $15.