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Post by TheChamp617 on Nov 19, 2022 21:20:05 GMT -5
Axel Tischer, formerly known as WWE’s Alexander Wolfe, was in Toronto today for Smash Wrestling Doors for General Admission ticket holders were to open at 3. I get there at 2:30 and do not see a line. VIP ticket holders were already let in; however, before GA people could enter, they needed to complete their VIP Fest, which was a Q&A with wrestlers that was exclusive to VIP ticket holders. Because there was no line, I inquired with the person at the door to see what was going on. He tells me that GA will be let in around 3:15 and that there wasn’t a line yet. This was good because although they are opening a bit late, I would be first in line for GA. I needed to leave right after I got my autographs for a family event so being first in line would help. 3:15 comes and we are told they just need a couple of more minutes. After a couple more minutes, GA ticket holders are let in. In the ring, there are photo-ops with Wolfe happening for VIPs. I walk around the venue to try and find their merch tables. I find Wolfe’s and wait there while he took photos with the VIPs. About 15 minutes later, the photo-ops are done. I doubted that Wolfe would come to his merch table because the rest of the talent weren’t yet out selling their merch. It seemed that he was walking towards the backstage area but before he could get far enough, I politely asked if he had the time to come to his table for a bit, which he was more than happy to do so. We arrive at his table and he asks “what can I do for you?” and smiles. I tell him I have three items for him I’d like to sign and ask how much it would cost me. He tells me that if I buy anything from his merch table, he will sign anything I brought. I ask him how much his 8x10s cost, and he tells me $10. Noticing that I had his WWE merch, he pointed out that he had a photo of him and Eric Young when they were a part of Sanity and the photo was already signed by Young. We would return to the photos later on as he first signed what I brought. I first have him sign his Elite figure, in white and personalized to me. He personalizes it, then asks me if I want “Axel Tischer” on it or “Alexander Wolfe”. I ask for “Alexander Wolfe” which he was more than happy to do. As he signed, we chat for a bit: Me: “I saw you guys wrestle at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto a few years ago. That was really cool!” Wolfe: “Yeah!” Me: “Do you have your figure as well” Wolfe: “Oh yeah, this was a bucket list item for me. To be in a video game and to have my own action figure” Me: “This one was super hard to find!” After he signed the figure, I have him sign a program. In response, he says “Oh! A WWE Program!”. He noticed that I had the page marked so I know where to flip to and he complimented my preparedness. I then open up an NXT program and he says “oh there we go!” as if he was particularly excited to see this one. I told him I already had Nikki Cross and Killian Dain sign it. He signs it as well. The Sanity section in the program spans two pages. He signs on one page and then on the second page, he writes “Sanity” in a stylized form without me asking. That was a nice touch. At this point, he signed all the items I brought for him and so I pay him the $10 for a photo. He asks my which one I would like and I ask for the one with Eric Young. I am not a fan of purchasing pre-signed items but this was too good of a deal to pass on. He starts shuffling around his items trying to find a sharpie. I tell him that he can use mine and if he needed one, he can keep it. He uses it, but tells me he has one somewhere around but wasn't sure where. After he signed the photo, we took a picture together, which he did at no extra cost. We then shake hands and thank each other. Wolfe helps me gather my stuff neatly and as he does so, I double check with him to see if he wanted my sharpie. He replies, “you know what, I’ll take you up on that offer. Thank you.” and takes my sharpie. I thank him again and as I began to walk away with my pile of merch, he tells me “here, take this too!” and puts something on top of my stack. He gave me one of his pins that he was selling. Very nice gesture. It seems that once he met me, he returned to the backstage area. Wolfe was very cool to meet. Thanks for reading!
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Post by Grumpyoldman on Nov 20, 2022 16:01:22 GMT -5
Great report. He seems like a legit nice guy. Congrats!
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Post by TheChamp617 on Nov 20, 2022 22:13:38 GMT -5
Great report. He seems like a legit nice guy. Congrats! Thank you! He really was!
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Post by tylerbreezee on Nov 21, 2022 15:57:06 GMT -5
I thought he was dead lol
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Post by TheChamp617 on Nov 23, 2022 19:26:25 GMT -5
Here’s another report. Rikishi, John Morrison, Chris Masters, and Colt Cabana were in Toronto yesterday for the Reena Rumble. This was an annual charity wrestling show hosted by Magen Boys Entertainment which was returning after a two-year hiatus due to covid. I have attended shows hosted by this promoter several times and they are always very nice and approachable. Some of you might remember my backstage meet and greet with Godfather/Papa Shango a couple of years ago. This is the same promoter. As they were announcing guests headlining the show, I ordered my meet and greet ticket, which usually includes an autograph and photo with each headliner. However, to no one’s surprise, I wanted extra autographs. I reached out to one of the Magen Boys who I had previously been in contact with in past years for their past events and I got quoted a price. It was their typical rate for extra autographs, but compared to other settings, such as conventions, this was a really good deal and given that it was for charity, I wanted to support. Doors were to open at 4:45 so I get there at 4:15. Ryan arrives shortly after me. Registration opens slightly after 4:45 where they look for my name on a list and see I paid for a VIP meet and greet ticket. I get my wristband and the event poster that was included with the price. I tell the person at the registration desk that I spoke to one of the promoters regarding getting extra autographs at the meet and greet. She tells me that he will likely be hanging around inside (i.e., inside the main room of the venue where the wrestling and meet and greet will be). I thank her and join the line for the meet and greet. We were about 15 people deep. The meet and greet was supposed to start at 5 but began about 15 minutes late. The line for the meet and greet was in a hallway that connected to the main room. The meet and greet starts, but oddly, it is only Rikishi out signing. They would let people in in batches to allow for crowd control. Once we are let in, there are still about 7-10 people ahead of us. While in line, I spot the promoter I was conversing with via email regarding the extra autographs. We haven’t met in person before, so I wanted to meet him such that he knows who I am so there’s no trouble when the volunteers see I am getting so many autographs, and such that I can pay him and thank him for helping me. I introduce myself and he tells me “I know you are!”, which I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. Yes, I make my rounds (that’s an understatement lol), but we’ve never met. He tells me that Masters and Morrison haven’t arrived yet and told me that I could get all my Rikishi stuff done here at this moment. This was great. I hop back into the line with Ryan and wait until it is our turn. It is now almost 5:30 and my turn to meet Rikishi. We start off with a handshake and i tell him it is nice to meet him. He replies “likewise!”. I then tell him that I spoke to Page about getting several autographs and that I paid for them, to which he said “ok!” The first items I have him sign are two figures that I have. One Jakks WWF TTL figure in blue, and one of his elites in yellow, both personalized. Before he signed, he would go over the item with his finger as if he was trying to find the perfect spot for the personalization and autograph. He takes his time with these which is great. As he signs these, I ask “do you collect your figures as well?”. The music in the venue was blasting so he couldn’t hear me and asked me to repeat myself a few times. He said that he did and he gets them before anyone else does. Given how loud the music was, I figured it would be hard to have a conversation so it was just the autographs from this point on. After the figures, he signed a WWE program and a magazine. Then, I have him sign all of his entries in the encyclopedia. During this, one of the volunteers starts to get annoyed and says “one or two more at the most”. In response, I politely say “I paid for these”, and Rikishi says “exactly!” Once he was done with the encyclopedia, I go behind the table and we take a picture together. Rikishi was very cool. One of the volunteers reiterated to him “try to keep autographs to one or two at a maximum”, and Rikishi just shrugged lol. Rikishi was awesome. Ryan then goes to meet Rikishi, and once he does, we go find seats. John Morrison and Chris Masters were not out signing as we expected them to. Turns out, they were not included in the VIP meet and greet. I wasn’t too concerned about this because the promoter knows who I am and what I wanted. The show started at almost 6:30, during which Colt Cabana defeated Chris Masters. John Morrison wrestled in a tag team match. Rikishi gave a stinkface. After the show ended, I approached the promoter I previously spoke to and before I could say anything, he said “you need to get your stuff signed, right?” I tell him “yes, please” and he tells us to follow him. This was a charity show with lots of kids so he had some kids following him as well. Turns out, Ryan and I are going backstage to get our stuff signed. Chris Masters was busy signing posters for some of the kids. Morrison was doing this same while also trying to pack up. A few minutes later, Masters was done with the kids so I approach him and ask “do you mind signing please?”. He responds, angrily (but jokingly) “NO!”. I smile, tell him I paid extra, and he replied “just kidding! What do you got?”. He signs the three programs I brought for him to sign. As a joke, he also defaces Carlito (shares the same page as him) and says “he [Carlito] always had a blue goatee!”. We both laugh, and I tell him that he improved it. We then pose for a picture. I was waiting for Morrison to be free as I didn’t want to jump in while he was busy fixing his gear and busy with the kids. While waiting, the promoter asks if I’m okay and I tell him I just need John. Once Morrison is available, I tell him that I paid extra to meet him and ask him to sign my stuff. I start off with the items I wanted done in yellow paint. He signs my Survivor Series elite, a DVD cover, and a poster. Before he signed anything, he stopped to make sure I wanted yellow on all of these items and which items I wanted my name on. When he signed the DVD cover, he took a good look at it and said “man, it’s been a while since I’ve signed this!”. When he signed the poster, he added “Johnny Drip Drip” without me even asking. As he signs these items, I tell him that I’ve met him several times before and that it is always a pleasure. He thanks me for that. Then, we move onto the items I wanted done in blue paint: a couple of Mattel Rumblers sets, as well as a trading card. Before he signed the first Rumblers set, he asked if I wanted it on the card or the bubble. I ask for the bubble and he signs. As he signs, I tell him “I was really excited when they [WWE] brought you back. I was really hoping they’d put the world championship on you this time around”. He replies, “yeah, they really messed that up!”. I ask, “do you think it would be different if Triple H was in charge when you were there?”. He nods and says “yeah, I think so!” I then move onto the items I wanted done in white, a Mattel Battle Pack and an elite. He also confirms with me about personalizations again. Lastly, we do the items I wanted done in regular blue sharpie. First was the Superstar Yearbook magazine from 2008 that I have a bunch of autographs in. When I opened the page, he immediately laughed at the photo, and said “oh man, Colin Delaney”. He gave a lot of thought as to where to sign before he did so. I then ask him to sign a Smackdown magazine as Johnny Nitro, which he was cool with. After this, we take a picture and thank each other. I thank him for his time and says "this was a fun show!". I’ve met Morrison several times and he never disappoints. At this point, I got everything I needed signed, so I wait just outside the backstage area to gather my stuff and let Ryan finish up. As I wait, Rikishi walks into the backstage area. I had already met him but the photo-op during the meet and greet was a bit awkward as he was sitting, so you needed to crouch down a bit. I thought this would be a good chance to get a proper standing photo. Some talent and volunteers take pictures with him, and not too long after, I do as well. I thank him, shake his hand, and he replies “you got it, uce!”. Overall, a very successful day. Huge shoutout to the promoters for always being so cool and to Ryan for being my photographer. Thanks for reading!
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Post by Scott! on Nov 25, 2022 12:43:23 GMT -5
Sounds like a fantastically well run show! The autographs look great, really turned out well. I love the old school WWF Jakks Rikishi, that's a terrific figure. Morrison and Masters I've met as well and both were absolutely brilliant with the fans so glad to hear they were so good here as well. Another home run for you!
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Post by TheChamp617 on Nov 25, 2022 21:26:27 GMT -5
Sounds like a fantastically well run show! The autographs look great, really turned out well. I love the old school WWF Jakks Rikishi, that's a terrific figure. Morrison and Masters I've met as well and both were absolutely brilliant with the fans so glad to hear they were so good here as well. Another home run for you! Thanks! More than happy as to how things turned out!
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Post by TheChamp617 on Feb 16, 2023 22:20:51 GMT -5
A short one to start off the year. Jimmy Hart was in Toronto this evening for Demand Lucha Jimmy Hart would be signing from 7pm to 8. My plan was to get there around 7; however, a busy work day delayed me and I did not arrive until 7:20pm. This was fine as I only wanted to get my autographs then leave as I still hadn’t finished work yet. Once I arrived I saw Ryan immediately who was asking about pricing for autographs. Upon getting his answer, he went back to his seats to grab his merch. I followed him in order to prepare my stuff, test my markers, and to catch up. A few minutes later, we are ready to get our stuff signed. Jimmy had no line. Ryan got an item signed then it was my turn to get my autographs. Having met Jimmy numerous times before and with how loud the music was, I didn’t have much to say to him. As usual, we start with a handshake and we ask each other how we are. I first have him sign the Mattel Retro figure in light blue. Then, I have him sign a record. Before he does so, he asks me which colour I want it in. He signs it, then says “I put the ‘The Gentrys’ on this!”. I thank him, and tell him that we met him in Michigan last summer and I was the one that brought four records for him to sign. I tell him that we are from Toronto but we still traveled to meet him and get our stuff signed last summer. He said “oh, God bless you!”, then thanked me. And that was literally it. Jimmy was awesome as always. Thanks for reading!
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Post by Scott! on Feb 18, 2023 11:17:35 GMT -5
Awesome stuff man! Jimmy Harts on my list of one of those 80’s era performers I would love to meet. Hopefully one day, and next time he finds his way across the pond I’ll try and see him. Sounds like a great man to meet as well!
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Post by TheChamp617 on Feb 18, 2023 18:09:46 GMT -5
Awesome stuff man! Jimmy Harts on my list of one of those 80’s era performers I would love to meet. Hopefully one day, and next time he finds his way across the pond I’ll try and see him. Sounds like a great man to meet as well! Thanks! I've met him at least five times and he never disappoints.
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Post by TheChamp617 on Mar 6, 2023 22:55:05 GMT -5
Trish Stratus, Sabu, Sandman, Godfather, Rikishi, D-Von Dudley, and Rhyno were in Livonia, MI this past weekend for the Astronomicon. I don’t have a need for Rhyno or Rikishi. I do have a need for D-Von; however, he will be at an indy show near me where I expect his rate to be cheaper. I did have a need for the other guests though. With josecalderon /Ryan needing some guests as well, he and I made the trip together. Our original plan was to attend the con on the Saturday, but I ended up getting a ticket to the WWE show, so we moved our plan to attend on the Sunday. This ended up being a good call because there was a snowstorm Friday night into Saturday which would have caused a messy Saturday morning commute. After 90 minutes of sleep Saturday night, I met up with Ryan and we made the trip to Michigan. The convention was to start at 11 but we made good time and got there around 10. We did a bit of figure hunting before going to the convention itself at just past 11. Once we were in, we went straight to Trish’s table, who was not there yet. Her line quickly grew. It wasn’t until almost 11:45 until she came out. Another half an hour later, it was our turn to meet her. Me: Nice to meet you again! Trish: Again? Where have we met? Me: So many times… we’re actually from Toronto Trish: How long was the drive? 3.5 hours, right? Me: Yeah, it wasn’t bad. We were supposed to be here yesterday but then the Toronto house show was last night. Trish: Yeah! Did you go? Me: I did! Trish and Ryan then talk about the particulars of the region in which they live. Me: “yeah, so if you wanted we can carpool on the way back” Trish: “Ooh, when are we doing this?” We later realize she misheard me. Me: “we’re making the trip back tonight” Trish: “oh okay”, with a tone that indicated she was a little confused Ryan: “yeah, you can carpool with us” Trish “OH! Carpool! I thought you said parkour!” The three of us laugh. Trish: “I was gonna say uhh.. I don’t know how.. and that sounds a bit dangerous.” We laugh some more. She then signs my elite, personalized to me. She also signs my Battle Pack with Chyna. I ask her to inscribe the figure with the event they had their match. Once she did that, she took a good look at it for a few seconds and said “I like it when these [autographs] are thought out!” I thank her and she thanks me as well. She also notices my Toronto 3:16 shirt which was partially covered by my jacket which she adjusted to get a better look. Once we were done with Trish, we find a place to pack up our Trish stuff. Ryan goes back to the car to drop off the item he got done by Trish while I waited. At around 12:30 we go back to the guests and I meet the next person I had a need for: Sandman. This was a first time meet for me so I was particularly excited to meet him. I pay the handler for three autographs and a photo. Handler: “He’s got three autographs and a photo” Sandman, annoyed: “I’m only doing two out of the three!” Me, laughing: “We came from Toronto to meet you” Sandman: “I hate Toronto! I tried to get there twice and they wouldn’t let me in” Me: “well, we’re huge fans there!” He first signs my encyclopedia. Unfortunately, the marker he was using was dying out, so before he signs my second item, he grabs a new marker and aggressively throws the marker into the garbage can right next to him. He then signs my Rise and Fall of ECW DVD cover. Lastly, he signs my ECW Belt. I had to pull it out of my bag and as I did, he looks at it and goes “Jesus Christ!”, again sounding annoyed. He gave me a nice big signature on the belt which I’m really happy about. After that, he came out from behind his table, with a kendo stick in hand to pose for the photo. Once the photo was taken, we shake hands, he smiles at me, then pats me on the back. Though not obvious, this gesture made me feel like the antics above were just him playing around. He was definitely fun to meet. As I put the belt back in my back, the handler takes a good look at it and is impressed. Sandman speaks up. Sandman: “where did you get it from?” Me: “WWE Shop” (this isn’t true, I blanked out lol) Sandman: “How much did you pay” Me: “Like, $200” Sandman: “That’s it?!” Me: “Yeah, it’s just the plastic (commemorative) type. Not the metal replica” The handlers, even more impressed, say that they couldn’t even tell by just looking at it. Right next to Sandman was Sabu, who was another guest I needed. I pay the handler for one autograph, then shake Sabu’s hand. I tell him that I met him before in Toronto to which he nods and says “oh okay!”. I know he doesn’t speak much at signings so that’s all I expected. After he signed, he shook my hand and thanked me. Ryan met Sabu after me. Once Ryan was done, we leave the room where the guests are to make sure our stuff is dry. I asked Ryan if he could watch our stuff while I quickly go get Godfather. Godfather had no line so I went straight up to him and paid the handler for one autograph. We exchange pleasantries and he sees my post-it note with my name and confirms if I wanted it personalized, which I did. When he finished signing, D-Von Dudley came to him and talked for a few minutes. Godfather had my marker in hand so I waited for them to finish talking. Once Dudley walked away, Godfather realized why I was still there. Godfather: “Oh sorry! You want your pen back. I didn’t mean to hold you up” Me: “No worries! Thank you! To be honest this is the third time within a year I am meeting you” Godfather: “Well it's nice to meet you again!” Me: “We were here [at Astronomicon] last year, then you were at the Hamilton Comic Con in Ontario-- I’m from Toronto” Godfather: “I was!”, responding to the Hamilton comment Me: “And now I’m meeting you here again. You always treat me so well so every time you come around, I want to make sure I support you” Godfather, offering a handshake: “Oh, thank you very much! I really do appreciate that” Me: “Likewise, nice seeing you again” Godfather: “Are you Alex?” Me: “Yeah that’s me” Godfather reaching out for another handshake: “thank you very much, Alex!” I thank him again and leave his table. As I was walking back to meet Ryan, I notice Dudley has no line. I don’t have anything for him as I am planning to meet him next week; however, I approach his table. Me: “How are you D-Von?” D-Von: “I’m good, how are you?” Me: “I’m good too! I’m from Toronto and I’ll be seeing you at Destiny Wrestling next weekend” D-Von: “Oh yes! Destiny Wrestling” Me: “Yeah I’ll see you there! Take care” D-Von: “You too!” At that point, Ryan and I had knocked out our wrestling guests. Ryan needed a few actors so I accompanied him for that. I ended up getting a photo with Ari Lehman because Ryan needed two autographs and photo-ops were free with the purchase of an autograph. Lehman was super friendly and took his time with everyone. And that’s the report! As hinted above, look out for one next week. Thanks for reading!
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Figgycent
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Nov 18, 2022 19:02:35 GMT -5
Posts: 134
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Post by Figgycent on Mar 8, 2023 8:29:58 GMT -5
Admiring strong. Are there many of these in the central florida area? I’d love to hit one up tbh.
Good to see Sandman alive in 2023 and volatile as ever whether in jest or serious lol. Sabu too.
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Post by Grumpyoldman on Mar 8, 2023 13:38:11 GMT -5
Wait. Blothar from GWAR & Jon Lovitz in the same building? Hell yes!
Great report. I always enjoy reading these.
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Post by TheChamp617 on Mar 12, 2023 21:55:21 GMT -5
D-Von Dudley was in Mississauga, ON tonight for Destiny Wrestling. As mentioned in the Astronomicon report, I could have gotten Dudley last week; however, because indy show rates tend to be better, I decided to wait and get him tonight. This was a good decision because he was only $25 Canadian, whereas he was $40 USD last week. To be honest, I have been feeling a little under the weather over the past few days; however, I decided to attend this one as I expected it to be a quick in and out, which it ended up being. Doors were to open at 5:40, and they opened a few minutes early. I was surprised by this because indy shows usually run late. Once I get in, I join the line for Dudley, who was already out signing and had a few people in line. I pay the handler for 8 autographs, then approach Dudley. I first hand him four magazines with a blue paint pen. As he signed, I tell him that I saw him at Astronomicon in Michigan last week. His reply: “oh that was a lot of fun!” I then have him sign a TNA program and three DVD covers. On the Rise and Fall DVD and Blood Sport DVD, he signed towards the top left corner. On the Extreme Rules DVD, he signed on the back where the black box is, which was kinda weird to me but can still be seen well in person. I wanted to talk to him more, but the music was too loud and I couldn’t raise my voice much. After he signed, we thank each other and I gather my items. In addition to Dudley, I also wanted Trent Seven and Fandango. Trent was at his merch booth, so I went to see him. I ask him how he is and he returns the question to me. I then ask him how much it would be to sign my card collection. He asks for $20, which I thought was fair. He took a good look at all of them, commenting on a few. When looking at the card with the green background, he goes “I look so drunk in that one…”. He then tells me his favourite card, which is the one in the bottom left in the collage below. I tell him my favourite is the one in the top left. He then takes another good look at the card in the top right, asking me “I only wore this gear once.. do you want to take a guess as to who my opponent was?”. I tell him that he’s got me stumped, and he replies “Steve Maclin!” - who happens to be his opponent tonight. After he signed, he starts blowing on the cards to make sure they dry well. I tell him “I saw you with Destiny before when you were with Tyler and Pete”. He remembers, “oh, the big one [show] with Marty Scurll!”. I then ask if we can take a picture too. He says “of course!” and we do it. We thank each other and before I leave his table, he asks me if I want to leave my cards with him so that they can dry. He insists that he’ll keep them safe. I politely decline and he jokes, “I’ll be offended if they smudge!”. I tell him, “I’ll make sure that won’t happen”. He replies, “if it does, come back and I’ll resign them!”. Seven was awesome. Fandango wasn’t out signing, and so I ask the promoter if he had actually made it to the show. I am told that he did make it but would be out at intermission. I needed to get home to get some rest so I called it a day there. I’ll get Fandango down the road. Thanks for reading!
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Post by TheChamp617 on Mar 12, 2023 21:56:18 GMT -5
Admiring strong. Are there many of these in the central florida area? I’d love to hit one up tbh. Good to see Sandman alive in 2023 and volatile as ever whether in jest or serious lol. Sabu too. Can't say I know for sure, but I imagine there should be! Thanks for reading! Wait. Blothar from GWAR & Jon Lovitz in the same building? He'll yes! Great report. I always enjoy reading these. Thanks for always reading!
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jason1980s
Main Eventer
Joined on: Sept 30, 2009 14:58:56 GMT -5
Posts: 2,335
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Post by jason1980s on Mar 13, 2023 10:17:37 GMT -5
D-Von really gives an awesome autograph. It's too bad his fan friendliness and really overall persona didn't work it's magic on Bubba.
I've met or been around Sandman about 4 or 5 times and he is really just playing the gimmick with you. Even in more private, personal settings he plays it up but he's a really nice guy. If the agents left his table for a length of time he'd be doing free autos and photos, he's just that type of guy.
A few more memorable experiences being around him: a show in New York, I think Collector's Universe he decided he wanted to do the signing and photos outside so he left the store and did the rest outside. Later that night Eric Simms (who I like) had a stack of 8x10s and Sandman had his young son with him and the boy was drawing on the back of a few 8x10s, as was OKd by Sandman. Eric was a little upset about this. Eric is all business as many fans know but he does take real good care of the guys he brings in and they keep coming back. Eric called him Hak or mentioned him as Hak, as we found out it is his real nickname.
Last one I can recall him being goofy was at a indy show (run by pre James Ellsworth). The WWE legends all had a signing table but Sandman did not. After his match he went in to the crowd and if someone had an item and a pen or a camera he was doing freebies.
He really usually just signs an "S" with a long scribble so that belt he signed was really a full autograph. Again, it's him putting on a show but even in private he does a little bit of the same thing. It wouldn't surprise me if some fan tried getting a freebie in front of an agent he would still do it.
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Post by Grumpyoldman on Mar 13, 2023 12:25:55 GMT -5
So Seven signed 7 cards for $20 total? Great deal. That's nice of him.
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Post by TheChamp617 on Mar 19, 2023 23:00:10 GMT -5
D-Von really gives an awesome autograph. It's too bad his fan friendliness and really overall persona didn't work it's magic on Bubba. I've met or been around Sandman about 4 or 5 times and he is really just playing the gimmick with you. Even in more private, personal settings he plays it up but he's a really nice guy. If the agents left his table for a length of time he'd be doing free autos and photos, he's just that type of guy. A few more memorable experiences being around him: a show in New York, I think Collector's Universe he decided he wanted to do the signing and photos outside so he left the store and did the rest outside. Later that night Eric Simms (who I like) had a stack of 8x10s and Sandman had his young son with him and the boy was drawing on the back of a few 8x10s, as was OKd by Sandman. Eric was a little upset about this. Eric is all business as many fans know but he does take real good care of the guys he brings in and they keep coming back. Eric called him Hak or mentioned him as Hak, as we found out it is his real nickname. Last one I can recall him being goofy was at a indy show (run by pre James Ellsworth). The WWE legends all had a signing table but Sandman did not. After his match he went in to the crowd and if someone had an item and a pen or a camera he was doing freebies. He really usually just signs an "S" with a long scribble so that belt he signed was really a full autograph. Again, it's him putting on a show but even in private he does a little bit of the same thing. It wouldn't surprise me if some fan tried getting a freebie in front of an agent he would still do it. Lol that's awesome. Sandman was definitely a memorable meet. So Seven signed 7 cards for $20 total? Great deal. That's nice of him. Yes, Seven was awesome!
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Post by TheChamp617 on Mar 19, 2023 23:06:39 GMT -5
Zack Ryder/Matt Cardona was at a local comic book store called Silver Snail today. He is also at the GCW Toronto show tonight. I was planning to get a ticket to that show to meet Ryder; however, tickets sold out before I was able to. This ended up being a blessing in disguise as I don’t have to pay admission at Silver Snail. Better yet, autographs were decently priced. At Silver Snail, it was a $40 combo, and you could add up to three additional items signed for $10 each. A few days ago, I preordered two combos, plus six additional items. Preordering two combos would be the only way I’d be able to get all the items I wanted signed. As seen in the poster above, he was slated to be signing between 2:30 and 4:30. I felt no need to get to the signing early because it’s downtown so it's easy to get to for me, and I did not expect him to have a line the entire two hours. My plan was to arrive about an hour after the signing started in hopes that the initial line had already died down. I arrived at Silver Snail a few minutes before 3:15 to see Ryan standing outside the store. He had already met Ryder so I asked him how it went, if there were any issues, etc. He tells me that everything went well and that I should have no problems. I then go inside to get my stuff done and Ryan comes with me to take pictures. There was one other person meeting Ryder by the time I was at his table. While that person was meeting Ryder, I showed the handler my tickets and he recognized my name given that I had bought two tickets at separate times. He tells me “I saw your name come through twice. I was wondering if it was because you were bringing a second person or if you had a lot of stuff”. It didn’t matter, but he politely said that out of curiosity, to which I told him it was the latter. Once the fan in front of me is done with Ryder, Ryder looks at me and asks “What’s up man?”. I then approach his table and shake his hand. Me: “it’s nice to see you again! I saw you at Summerslam” Ryder: “2019!” Me: “I have 8 items!” Ryder: “8 ITEMS?! I gotta film this! What do you got?” He pulls out his phone and starts recording me and my items. He comments on them as I pull them out. I tell him that I also have his headband from 2010 but I can't find where it is in my collection. He says that its hard to get now. Once he is done recording, he starts signing the items I wanted done in paint: a basic figure, the Edgeheads elite, and a Rumblers set. Before he signed, he tested my paint pens. As he did, I tell him “they should be ready.. I’m not always ready, but I’m usually ready”, which he laughs at. After he signed these, he tells me to make sure they dry. He then signs a DVD cover and a program. He then signs three more programs. He comments on a couple of these. As he signs the program with the Hype Bros, he asks: “can I draw an X over Mojo?”. I reply: “you can if you want to!”. He says, “I do!”. When I flip to the 2007 program where he and Hawkins are still the Major Brothers, he was really surprised to see it, saying “wow!” before signing it as Brett Major. After he signing these programs. he grabs his phone to take a picture of the 2007 one. The issue was that I had a post-it note saying “Brett Major” stuck to the program. He wants to remove it to take a proper picture, but he asks “you don’t need this, right?”. I say, “I don’t. It’s just to remind you, in case you sign as Zack by accident.” (I have seen Ryder sign Cardona items as Ryder or vice versa.) He laughs at that comment, which is the picture above. Once he took the picture, he asked if I wanted an 8x10 which is what the store would provide if you didn’t have an item. Technically, I didn’t pay for it but he was cool signing one for me. I ask him to personalize it to me. We then take a picture together. Once the picture was taken, I put my stuff away. As there was no one else in line, Ryan and I talk with Ryder for a few minutes. We talk about the local indies we would love him to appear at. I tell him if they ever bring him in, we’ll be there to support. He asks if there are any vintage toy stores and we mention the one he went to a few years ago nearby. We talked about his collection and him getting autographs. He talks about the rules he has for getting stuff signed, and I joke saying that at least he has self control, which is something I tend to lack (if it wasn’t already obvious with this thread lol). He says he has self control with the autographs, but with everything else, he doesn’t. He talks about his lack of space and the fact that his figure rooms are so small. He wants a bigger space that he can grow into. At that point, another fan had arrived, so we end the conversation so as to let the next fan meet Ryder. Ryan and I talk to a few other fans that are still in the store. As we leave, I realize that I had made a rookie mistake and put my 8x10 photo into my bag before it had dried. I go back to the handler asking if I could get a new one, which he was more than happy to do. Once I got the green light, I showed Ryder my photo and asked for a new one. He jokes, “rookie mistake!”. I remind him my name and I tell him I appreciate it. He replies with “no problem buddy!” I converse a bit more with him. Me: “I wanted to go to the show tonight just to see you but tickets had sold out before I was able to get one” Handler, appearing to be a wrestling fan, echos the comment Ryder: “I heard they sold out pretty quick” Me: “yeah they sold out even before they announced matches” Handler chimes in a bit more Me: “that’s why I’m glad they got you here. Thank you again!” I shake his hand. Ryder: “thanks for bringing all that stuff!” Me: “For sure, enjoy your stay!” I chat with Ryan for a bit more before calling it a day. Silver Snail/the handler was awesome. Ryder was awesome. A very smooth signing. Thanks for reading!
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Post by Grumpyoldman on Mar 23, 2023 14:20:36 GMT -5
Nice read. I like that picture of him with all the titles. Shades of Ultimo Dragon. Congratulations!
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