Hideo Itami and Subculture Signing Report (04/14/2024)

Very short report today. I was able to meet Alexa Bliss as she was doing her media rounds to promote tonight’s house show in Toronto.



I planned to try to meet her at a particular television studios downtown. Normally, I would try to get the wrestler as they leave their interview, but this time I was early. This would end up being a good thing. I arrived at the studios and see two other fans waiting outside. Alexa had not yet arrived. I waited around about 10 minutes in the cold and Alexa’s vehicle pulls up. Immediately, 5 people in two parked cars come out and gather around the area by Alexa’s vehicle. They were waiting in their cards to avoid the cold lol. All of us were lined up along the path leading from her vehicle door up to the door of the TV studios. As she made her way to the studio, she went to each one of us and signed. I take out my light blue paint marker from my pocket and try to take the cap off with one hand. My hands were numb from the cold, so I couldn’t! I was struggling to get the cap off, and she was coming to me next. I quickly put my stuff down on the ground to free my second hand in order to use it to get the cap off. As I do this, Alexa skips me, but luckily didn’t get too far (literally just the next person over) by the time I was ready. She turns back to me, and grabs my marker. I politely ask her to personalize it, and she does with a smile. Once she signed, I thanked her, and she happily replies: “yeah!”. She signs a few more for others, takes a selfie, then heads in.



I also had a WWE program with me. My plan was to get a selfie on her way out, and try to get the program signed as well. After her interview, her and her people quickly spam the door and straight to their vehicle. Alexa was apologetic and said that they were in a rush to get to their next appointment. Although it was a quick meet, Alexa was very nice. I’m sure if she had the time, she would have stopped, and signed more and taken more pics.

Thanks for reading!

Mick Foley was in Toronto for Greektown Wrestling today:



For this wrestling show, you had the option of General Admission to meet Mick during intermission at the show, or you could get a VIP ticket which included admission, a photo, and an autograph. The VIP ticket was more economic at $60, so I bought one for myself and one for josecalderon a few weeks prior to the event. They were being sold at an eatery that was a sponsor for the show, and is where the signing took place.

Fast forward to today. The signing is supposed to start at 3:30. The eatery is about a 25 minute walk from where i live, so I leave at 2:30 with the intention of getting there by 3 to get a good spot in line. When I arrive, I join the line and was about 10 people from the front. Not too long after, josecalderon finds me and joins me in line. We chat until the signing starts. 3:30 came and a staff member from the show came out to update us and tells us that Mick is running late and will be here in 20 minutes. josecalderon mentions that a 20 minute wait extra isn't too bad, but I joke.. after 20 minutes, they'll come out again and tell us that it'll be another 20 minutes. I was half-right: there wasn't another update on time, but it did take almost another 20 minutes before we got in. Once Mick arrived, people were let into the eatery in small groups. Before you meet Mick, there is a guy at a nearby table that you would pay if you wanted extra autographs. I wanted an extra 7, which would have been $140 at $20 each. It seemed like he didn't know about that $20 per extra item rule, so he asked one of the promoters (who is also a local indy wrestler) for details. The promoter explained the $20 per extra item rule and thanked me for bringing so much stuff. I pay the guy and wait until it is my turn to meet Mick. A few minutes later, it is my turn and I go up to him and shake his hand. He sees my stuff and says: "oh what do we have here! A TNA program!". I tell him that I have a whole bunch of stuff for him to sign. He responds: "you must be a big fan then!". I tell him that I am and remind him of the multiple times I've met him before. As we speak, I have Mick switch markers multiple times. After the TNA program, I had him sign two magazines in blue. Although I prepped the blue paint marker, it was actually dying.



I tell him that I met him at Comicon last year along with his daughter, Noelle. He remembers the event right away and even asks if I was there during the day Bret was there. In response I tell him that I was. I also bring up the Toronto Santa Claus parade, and he recalled being there as well. We switch markers again for my Dude Love magazine.



I also bring up meeting him at Santino's gym. He made two appearances there, one of which was a surprise appearance. He asks me: "which time was it? I was there as a surprise one time!". I told him that it was his first appearance. Really cool of him to remember the appearances he makes, especially considering that he does make a lot of them. I then have him sign my Battle Pack and Pop. I'm not too big on Pops, but decided to do something different this time. Also, after he signed my Battle Pack, Mick says: "you're going to have to get Steph on there!". I tell him, "yeah, but it's going to be difficult!", to which he smiles.



Lastly, I have him sign my Cactus Jack elite and Mankind retro. I had a yellow marker for him to use and with all the stuff I brought, I lost the yellow marker in the sea of merch. I tell him that I have a yellow one somewhere, look underneath one of the magazines, and it was there. As he signs the Cactus Jack elite he says "I'll put a 'bang bang' on there for you!", and I also have him personalize it.



After he signs all my stuff, we take a picture and it was josecalderon's turn. The pictures of Mick above were all taken by him, so thanks again! I take picture his pictures for him too and once he was done, I start packing my stuff. VIPs were supposed to get a Socko, which you could get signed if you didn't have anything. We were given these Socks AFTER meeting Mick Foley. You would think that they would give it to you beforehand, especially if you wanted to get it signed. Anyways, josecalderon gets his unsigned sock, but I don't. I didn't think too much of it. However, once we get out of the eatery, I ask if he got Foley to sign the sock and I ask that because I didn't see it. He looks at the sock and it isn't signed (we were also kinda under the impression that there were presigned). He says that it's fine, but I figured that since he did pay for his own extra autographs with the intention of getting Foley to sign a Socko, we should talk to someone. We did that and explained the situation. They let us back inside where we talk to more staff about the situation. They then grab josecalderon's socko and hand it to Mick to sign. I simply explain that I didn't even get a sock. I was supposed to get an unsigned one, but the staff thought I was in the same situation as josecalderon, and they ended up having Mick sign a sock for me. It worked out very well and once were done, we chatted a bit more before parting ways. Good seeing you!

As usual, Mick was very nice and loved chatting with fans. I thought that it was really cool that he was able to recall some of his previous appearances in Toronto.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day!

Quick report today. Alberto Del Rio, Austin Aries, Matt Sydal, among others were at Battle Arts (Santino’s gym) for an Impact Wrestling taping in collaboration with Destiny Wrestling.



I didn’t need to get Aries nor Sydal, having met them times before. I planned to get Del Rio on three figures and two programs. Plans don’t always go like the way I want them to.. more on that later.

I get there at 6:50, with the doors already opening beforehand, I didn’t need to wait in line, and was able to just show my ticket and walk in. I then go to the merch area to see who is out signing. Several, including Aries, were out signing. Alberto was not. I figured I’d have to wait until intermission, so that’s what I did. I found a seat and waited for the 7:30 bell time.

Just before 9, intermission was announced. I head over to the merch area. Myself, along with about 20 others were waiting around for Del Rio. Again, he didn’t come out.. so I guess I’d have to wait until after the show. The second half of the show featured Alberto Del Rio vs. Moose, Allie vs. KC Spinelli, and Kongo Kong vs. Austin Aries vs. Matt Sydal. I had an aisle seat up in the bleachers. Some of the action went up that aisle. Moose has a really big butt, especially when it's in your face. For the sake of not spoiling those who actually watch Impact, I won’t mention results, but here are a few pictures:





At about 10:30, the show is over. Again, I go over to the merch area in hopes that Del Rio would soon come out. After about 10-15 minutes, there is still no sign of him. Soon, he is seen in one of the staff rooms at the gym/arena. A small crowd then forms around him. He steps out and word around is that he won’t sign autographs. As he makes his way to the back, fans ask for autographs and selfies. He does a few as he walks. With the crowd that wanted to meet him, it was hard for me to get to Del Rio. I figured that since he has to go to the backstage area, I’d walk a few feet ahead in that direction. That way, he would have to walk to me. That’s exactly what he did. I first ask him for a selfie, and he smiled and stopped for one. Then, I asked him to sign my elite, personalized. He was very polite and happy to do so, which kinda surprises me that he wasn’t formally signing autographs. Like I said above, I planned to get five autographs, but due to the circumstances, I could only get one. It was better than nothing though; he didn’t sign too many before leaving. Best part was that he didn't charge.



That’s it for tonight. Kane was supposed to do a signing here in two weeks, but he cancelled. Mick Foley will be at an indy show here in two weeks, so watch out for that update. Thanks!

Mark Henry, James Ellsworth, Jim Duggan, and Virgil were in Toronto tonight for an charity indy wrestling event.


Chris Masters was also supposed to be there, but he cancelled and was replaced with Santino Marella. This event was pricier than usual at $50 for general admission plus $50 for the VIP meet and greet, but it was being held in a banquet hall and included autographs. There was some confusion as to how many autographs were included for VIP holders. The general conclusion seemed that you would get one autograph and photo-op from each wrestler, then each one thereafter would be $10 each. I emailed the promoter weeks ago and was able to set something up with him. He seemed to remember me from when I attended their last "Time for Some Action" event in 2016 (the report from that show is also in this thread - January 2016), and was willing to let me get three autographs from Mark Henry before having to pay the addition $10. He told he would set it up with the door lady and all I needed to do was mention my name.

The meet and greet was supposed to start at 5, and I got there about 10 minutes before. As I walk into the venue, I see ARUN and we headed into the venue while chatting for a bit. A few minutes later, we show our tickets to the door lady and exchange it for a VIP wristband. I tell her the situation with my autographs and she instantly asks: "Oh! Are you Alex?". It was really great to see that the promoter I had talked to was true to his word. Promoters can be shady, and while I didn't think he would be, I thought there was a change he might forget, but nope, everything was all set out. She explained everything to me which basically was what the promoter and I had agreed to. I also needed extra autographs, so I paid for them there. There was no ticket system, so there was no physical proof that I had actually paid for the extras, but the door lady told me that if there are any issues at the meet and greet itself, tell them to ask for her and she'll back me up. Great staff at this promotion. Arun and I then join the meet and greet line, where we also run into A-Rock: Kane Collector . A few minutes past 5, they open the curtain to begin the meet and greet. They bring us into a room where Virgil, James Ellsworth, Jim Duggan, and Mark Henry were signing. They had us all in one line and had us meet each wrestler one after the other. This made things a bit more difficult for me because I had several items. There was only one line as opposed to each wrestler having their own line. Virgil would be the first person everyone meets.

Virgil was... well, he was Virgil. He saw that we were getting his new Elite figures signed and he didn't seem too happy about it. He said to the handler something along the lines of that there's nothing in it for him and that he wants a cut as well. He talked about the figure and that it was his new one. Even though one autograph from him was to be included with what we paid, he didn't seem to happy to be signing the figure for that reason. (Price gouging at a charity event.. nice).The handler tells him to just sign them and that he would deal with it later. When I meet Virgil, I hand him my figure and a purple paint marker. I ask him to personalize it. He does.... but doesn't actually sign it. He gives it back to me with only "To Alex" on the figure, and didn't sign it. I'm not sure if he did that by accident (as if he forgot), or if he was hoping I wouldn't notice, because remember, he didn't exactly seem to want to sign it as part of the price we already paid. I ask him "umm.. can you sign it please?". He then signs it lol. I then hand my phone over to the person behind me to take a photo for me. When I stand beside Virgil, he starts plugging his merch to the people behind me, thus delaying the picture. He tells them that he's got photos and such that he can sign later on. I just wanted my photo-op...



Anyways, with Virgil out of the way, James Ellsworth was next to him. James Ellsworth was quiet, but friendly. I open up the recent program to his page and have him sign it. He says: "oh! I'm in this one?". He seemed like he didn't know he was in the program. I tell him "yeah! It's the newest one". He then points to Carmella and says "I miss her. She was such a great friend". In response, I tell him that I'm a big fan and mention to him that it was great to see him as a surprise guest at the Destiny show a few weeks ago. He smiles and says that that was fun.



Beside him was Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Duggan has been around here several times so I didn't have a need for him, but I did realize he was in my Superstar Yearbook magazine that does have some autographs in it, so I decide to bring it along to get signed. Before he signed that, however, I had him sign a WWF Magazine which was for josecalderon . Like always, Hacksaw was super friendly. He asked if I wanted the autographs personalized and what marker I wanted. Hacksaw usually likes to chat, but this time was different as they were people needed to keep going in order to prevent delaying the line.



Delaying the line was something I definitely did. After meeting Duggan, I met Henry as Henry was right next to him. I'm a huge Mark Henry fan, and at $10 per additional item after the first 3, I thought I might as well get as many as I could considering that if he were to do another signing elsewhere, I'd probably be paying more than just $10. $10 was a great deal, so I got a whole bunch of autographs. First was on the ECW Commemorative. I first hand him a silver paint marker for him to use and he asks me where I want him to sign it. I point to the general area on the strap, and he signs it. He smiles and says "I was the first one to hold this belt!". (For those who don't know, my ECW belt is the grey one they released back in 2008). I then have him sign my encyclopedia under his own entry, and the Nation of Domination entry using a blue sharpie



After he signed those, I had him sign 5 programs. As he signs, I tell him I'm a big fan and that I was really excited to hear he would be at the event. He smiled in response.





Next, are the figures. I have him switch to a red paint marker. All these marker switches... Henry didn't seem to mind. The first was the Elite Series 5 figure (above), and then his E32, B2, and BP.

--

Lastly, as a VIP, we also received an event poster signed by the four wrestlers above. The poster can be seen at the top of this report.
After all of that, I moved over to the side. It was a lot of work because of how many items I got signed, as well as the format of the meet and greet in terms of the way they lined us up to meet them. When I say it was "a lot of work"... it really was. I was even sweating lol. My fault for bringing so many items, but hey, I'm a big fan lol.

I pack all of my stuff, move over to the side and continue talking with Arun and A-Rock for a bit. After a while they had to leave, while I decide to stay for the show. Before I head to my seat, however, I ask if I can get my picture with Mark Henry retaken since it was a little blurry. The handler was cool with it, but when I put my hand on Henry's shoulder, he joked: "don't touch me or I'll bite your hand like its chicken!". It was all in good fun and he smiled after saying that.

This time, I stayed for the actual event. I usually leave once I get my autographs, but I wanted to stay out of respect for the promoter helping me out, and also the fact that it was in a nice banquet hall:



The show was interesting to say the least.. James Ellsworth defeated indy wrestler Rob Rage.



Also, Santino Marella guest refereed a match that was supposed to be a source of comedic relief. Mark Henry was the special guest enforcer for the match. A bit of background info: the promoters of this show are twins. At the show, one of the twins acted as a heel wrestler (though I do not think he is actually trained), while the other twin was the ring announcer (the one that I've been emailing). The heel twin declared multiple open challenges to anyone in the room. If he were to lose his match, the ring announcer twin would have his heel twin do something. The first who answered was someone in the audience, who I'm sure was a plant. It didn't take long for the heel twin to win. The next wrestlers to come out then be defeated were "Roman Reigns' brother", "Ultimate Warrior's nephew", and a bootleg Doink. It was all in good fun, but some jobber eventually beat the heel twin. As a result, the ring announcer twin declared himself as the GOAT.. then brought out an actual goat. The consequence for his brother's loss would be to kiss the goat's butt.



Lastly, in the main event, Hacksaw Jim Duggan wrestled victoriously in a tag team match.




And that's it for the night! Solid night of autographs and wrestling! Thanks for reading!

Quick report today. Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake was in Mississauga, ON today signing autographs at a toy show.



I’ve met Brutus four times before, but wanted to meet him to get my E49 figure signed. A month before the signing, I tweeted Toys R Us Canada to see if they were going to get the WresteMania 34 Elites, and in response they told me they expected them mid-March. Because I wanted it for the signing, I went ahead and ordered it. Then last week, the set gets released at Walmart. Great lol. This was surprising to Canadian collectors because elites being released is a seldom occurrence.

Anyways, on to the signing. He was scheduled to sign during the entire duration of the show, which was 10-4. Autographs at this toy show has always been $20, but this time, the price was raised to $25. I got there around noon and once I got in, I ran into yeetman13 , who it was nice to see since it’s been a while. We chatted a bit as I prepped my markers. A few minutes later I join Brutus’ line, which had two people. It took me another 5 minutes before I could get to Brutus because he was having a good conversation with the guy two people ahead of me. The first time I met Brutus, it seemed like he didn’t want to be there (a lot of people years ago would say Brutus isn’t too friendly), but today was the total opposite. Brutus appears to be getting nicer and nicer each time I meet him.

When it was my turn, he immediately offered his hand for a handshake and said “you’ve got both of them!”, referencing to me having both his elites. I told him yeah and that it was nice to meet him again. In response, he said “you too!” and as he said that I hand him a pink paint marker to sign his E49 with. Before he signed, he says “I love these pink ones! They show up really well!”. I tell him that the paint markers are great for figures, then ask him to personalize it to me. He seemed to be really excited and happy that I had both of his elites.



As he signs, the handler asks me where I got the first figure (it wasn’t released at retail here). I told him I got it off Amazon. He then asked where I got the second one and I explained the situation above, where I ordered it in advance then they started randomly showing up at Walmart. I then hand Brutus a yellow marker to sign the WrestleMania elite with, also personalized.



And that was it. We thank each other and shake hands, and I was off to look for toys in the dealer’s room. Didn’t buy anything this time around. Brutus was really friendly and really seemed to appreciate the fans who came to see him.

Thanks for reading!

First update (of hopefully many) in 2018! Austin Aries, Pete Dunne, and Evan Bourne/Matt Sydal were in Mississauga, ON for Destiny Wrestling tonight:



That poster was first released months ago; before Austin was Impact Wrestling champion. Tickets initially sold out really quick and with the demand the event was creating, more tickets/seats were released. Many people were quick to hype up this match considering the potential there was for this match to be a great one. Once Austin Aries won the Impact Wrestling championship, there was even more hype around the match as it featured an Impact Wrestling champion against a WWE Champion.

The show was supposed to start at 7:30, so I planned to get there around 6:30 which is when I expected the doors to open. Once I arrive, I see no line... or so I thought. They normally have people line up in a southerly direction from the front door, but this time they had people line up the opposite way. The line was LONG. This was the longest lineup I had seen at a Destiny Show; at least 150 people were lining up. Doors opened almost on time and they were slowly letting people in. Due to the turnout, they had to modify the seating arrangement a bit in order to accommodate for more seats. No one was signing before the show, but that was okay. Usually, I want to get my autographs and leave, but this time, I actually wanted to stay for the main event.

The show started right on time at 7:30. There were three matches before the show, including an Impact Wrestling TV taping featuring Matt Sydal against Petey Williams. When intermission started, I was slow to make my way over to the merch area, and that was because of where I was sitting. A long line towards the merch area had already formed. The ring announcer named some wrestlers who would be out and signing, and did not mention Austin Aries. This made me think that Austin wasn't out yet. I squeeze my way to the front to see what was going on, and of course, Austin Aries is already out there signing. Luckily, I saw A-Rock: Kane Collector in line, who was three people away from the front. He let me join the line with him. (Thanks again!). Autographs from Austin were $20 each, I tell the handler I need three, and give her $60. Once I approach Austin, he offers his hand out for a handshake and greets me. I tell him that I'm a big fan (had to tell him three times.. he couldn't hear me because the music playing in the venue was too loud) to which he said that he appreciated that. I open up my NXT program to his page. He uses a light blue paint marker that was given to him by A-Rock before me.



Next, I hand him a white paint marker to sign my two figures with. I ask him to make them out to Alex, and in response, he asks "A-L-E-X?" to make sure he has the spelling right. I told him he did, and reminded him about a time I met him last year when he was in Toronto. I told him "you were really nice to me and I appreciated that!". He tells me: "don't post that on the internet! People will think I'm actually a nice guy!". We both laugh at that joke.



After he signed those, we shake hands again and thank each other. Couldn't speak to him much because the music in the venue was too loud, but I was still able to get a few words out. Before I leave his table, I wish him luck in his match and he says "thanks! I'll need it!". Austin Aries was a very nice guy.

Next, A-Rock and I found a spot to chat for a few minutes. Caught up with each other a bit, so it was nice seeing him. After, I went to go meet Matt Sydal. I had met him a few times, including one time a few months ago, but he's always so generous to me, so I felt like I should support the guy and simply grab an 8x10. There was about 8-10 people in line for Matt. Just like all other times I've met him, he was super friendly and super talkative. What was interesting was that he had his own handler did (and so did the other Impact Wrestling stars). Also, the only 8x10s were Impact Wrestling 8x10s. It seemed to me like Impact Wrestling was helping out with their stars and their autographs/photos. When I met Matt a few months ago, he took a photo with me for free after I bought some autographs. This time, photos were an extra $10. I just opted for the signed 8x10, personalized. I pay the handler $20, expecting back $10 change. I felt like she was hoping I wouldn't notice (or that i would forget about the change) because she didn't even try to give me change until I asked. She didn't have a 10, but told me to stick around and she'll give it to me when she can. I tell Matt: "I posted about my experience meeting you on Instagram a few months ago. You liked the post and I thought that was really cool!". He says: "yeah, if you post again, I'll like it again!". He thanks me, I thank him, and I linger around to wait for my $10. Two people after me, the handler gets a $10.... but doesn't give it to me. Matt had to remind her.



Anyways, after I met Matt, intermission would soon be over. Pete Dunne (who had appeared for Destiny several times, and is actually their current champion) only signs autographs in the ring after the show. I knew I would have to wait for after the show, but like I said before, I had wanted to stay for the main event, so it worked out.

The first match after intermission was a Royal Rumble-type match, with entrants coming in after every minute. A surprise entry, was none other than.. James Ellsworth. I heard his music, but couldn't remember who's music it was until the ring announcer said his name and he came out. James Ellsworth came out to a huge pop, and ended up winning the match. Winning the match implied that he'd get a Destiny Championship title shot in the future. After his match, Ellsworth cut a promo and insulted the crowd in a heelish way. A women's match followed, but everyone wanted to see the main event which came after the women's match. The match was solid.. until Ellsworth came in. I really liked the back and forth action between Aries and Dunne, but during the match, Ellsworth cashed in his opportunity for a championship match and inserted himself into the match. Soon after, Dunne pins Ellsworth ending the match, and the show.



As the show is over, people are either leaving the venue, or lining up for the merch area. I wait around the ring because that's where Pete Dunne would be signing and taking photos. James Ellsworth was doing autographs and photos in the merch area, but I didn't have anything for him to sign, so having met him before, I passed on Ellsworth. After about 5 minutes, Dunne comes back out and into the ring. They were offering 8x10 photos which he'd sign for $10, while photo-ops were $20. A few days ago, I had printed out three 8x10s from Walmart with the intention of getting Dunne to sign them. I ask the handler if getting my photos signed would cost me, and the handler said I could get them signed for free. I did pay $20 for a photo-op though. I figured three autographs and a photo-op for $20 wasn't too bad. I climb into the ring, shake Dunne's hand and tell him it's nice to meet him. He mumbles something (couldn't understand him with the mouthguard in) and I hand him a blue sharpie. He tells me that he has a black one, but asks if I'd rather him use blue. I tell him yes and have him sign the first 8x10, which features him and Enzo. Dunno jokes by saying he wants to cross out Enzo and motions an X over Enso without actually doing it. We laugh, and I flip to the next 8x10. I had a sticky note that said "To Alex", in order to signify that I wanted it personalized. He removes the sticky note and gives it to me as under the sticky note is where he put the personalization. Lastly, I had him sign an 8x10 with the inscription "The Bruiserweight". Before he signs, he asks "who is this to?". I tell him I don't want it personalized, but ask him to inscribe it and he was happy to do so.





After he signs those three photos, we do our photo-op and thank each other. Dunne was friendly; not too talkative, but still nice.
That was it for the night. Overall, a solid night of wrestling and autographs.

Thans for reading!

This might be the last update for 2017. It’s been two years since I started this thread and I hope everyone still enjoys reading the reports. Prior to opening this thread, I would post reports in the stickied autograph thread, but decided to open a thread myself and it’s been great so far.

Gail Kim and Ricky Steamboat were in Toronto for two separate events. Gail Kim would be wrestling for Smash Wrestling, and Ricky Steamboat would be doing a show where he talks about his career. Due to their closeness in times (Doors open at 5pm and 6pm, respectively), I was afraid that I would have to choose one. If I were to choose one, I would have chosen Gail Kim as I need her in my encyclopedia and I had already met Ricky last year. However, I knew that Ricky Steamboat would be signing after his show. My plan was to get Gail Kim right when the doors open (assuming she’s out signing then and there) then go to Ricky’s show after. The issue was that there is a chance Gail might not be signing right when Smash’s doors open, which may cause me to be delayed for Ricky’s show. Furthermore, since Ricky’s show is in a comedy show-type venue, latecomers may not allowed in. To mitigate this, I got into contact with one of the promoters for Ricky’s show and made some arrangements. This gave me a better chance of meeting both Gail Kim and Ricky Steamboat at their events. Everything ended up going smoothly.

First, was Gail Kim:


Doors were to open at 5 and I got there at around 5:20. Most people were already let in, which implied that they opened doors either on, or close to on time. I went inside and to the merch areas. Gail Kim wasn't signing yet.. turns out I'd have to wait until intermission. Kudos to Smash who started on time. Most indy shows I go to start late.

Intermission came and Gail Kim comes out. The ring announcer says that she'll be doing in-ring photos for $20, then sign autographs after the photos are done. When it was my turn for the photo, I shake Gail's hand and tell her that it's nice to meet her. She says it's nice to meet me too, and we pose for the photo. After the photo, she thanks me and tells me to enjoy the show. After, I hang around the ring and wait until the photo line ends so that I could get my autographs. The wait wasn't too long as they were trying to get as many fans done as possible in the short intermission time. Autographs were $15 each. I first had her sign the encyclopedia and a Raw magazine.



Next, I had her sign two programs. I had taken a picture of Gail signing my encyclopedia (seen above) and one of the staff members of the show told me not to take photos. I thought that was odd. Gail didn't seem to mind. Anyways, as she signs I tell her than I'm a big fan, and she smiles then thanks me for that.



I would have loved to speak to her more, but the time crunch prevented me to. After I got my autographs, I left for the Ricky Steamboat show.



This show, I assume, would be similar to the Ted DiBiase show back in April (there's a report on that below). I enjoyed DiBiase's show and really wanted to attend Steamboat's, but the conflict did not make it possible. The show was expected to end around 8:45 to 9, but I get there around 8. One of the promoters for the show sees me and asks if I'm here for the signing. I explain my situation of not being able to go for the show itself, and he tells me that I'd have to be towards the end of the line of the meet and greet. That way, it could be fair for those who actually paid to see the show. I told him that I understood and that it would be no problem (shoutout to this promoter.. he sees me towards the end of the line later on and asks if I'm okay. Very nice gesture). I stay around the bar area until the show finishes, which it did at about 9. The meet and greet line forms and quickly grows in the lobby. Ricky doesn't come out until about 15-20 minutes later.

I wait for the line to buildup and join it when it seemed reasonable for me to. The line moved slowly! Ricky wasn’t rushing anyone and was taking him time with each autograph. While in line, I was able to meet fellow member josecalderon ! Nice meeting you! At 10:30, it was finally my turn to meet him. Prices were decent. I ended up paying $100 for a photo and four autographs, which I thought was pretty good for a legend like Ricky Steamboat. I first shake his hand and give him a blue sharpie to use. He signs my WWF Program and inscribes WMIII without me asking:



Using the same marker, he signs an 8x10 personalized. I wasn't planning to get an 8x10, but I liked the particular photo, so I chose to get that signed as well. As he signs, I tell him “I met you at Niagara Falls last year!”. He recalls: “oh at Comic Con!”. I tell him “yeah, I’m a big fan so I had to come and meet you again!”. He smiles. Next, I hand him sign his DVD in an orange paint marker. When he saw the paint markers he exclaims: “oh! Paint pens!”.



Next, I had him sign my commemorative IC championship in a gold paint marker. (I needed to use three different markers and he was really cool with it). His signature is HUGE on the belt. The picture doesn’t really show it, but it takes up a good chunk of the strap lol. I’d rather have the signature smaller so that I can fit more autographs on it, but oh well, still cool nonetheless.



Once he signs, he tells me to make sure that the autograph dries. After, we pose for the picture then thank each other, which brings us to the end of my meet with Ricky. As I gather my stuff, the promoter I had talked to when I walked in offered me help with putting my items away since I had been struggling with holding everything to make sure they dry lol. Thirty seconds after this, another promoter tells me: “thanks for waiting! Hope you can make it for the actual show next time!”. I figured that this was the guy I had emailed, and it was. I thank the both of them and they thank me as well. I’m putting this in the report because promoters can get a bad rep, but these guys were super friendly. Anyways, that’s it for tonight (and possibly the year!).



Thanks for reading!

Evan Bourne was in Toronto for Smash Wrestling this evening:



I've met Evan twice before and when I heard he was coming back to Toronto, I looked for stuff to get signed, but didn't have anything particularly great. I still, however, wanted to go meet him because: 1. the venue is near where I live downtown, and 2. Evan is usually generous when it comes to signing things for fans. This time, I decided to mostly get trading cards signed for a change. Haven't gotten cards signed in a while, but used to get them signed years ago.

The doors were to open at 4. I got there at around 4:15 and doors had not opened yet. Doors finally opened about 15 minutes later and once I got in, I went to the area where wrestlers were signing autographs. Evan was not yet out, so I waited around, hoping he'd come out before the show. About 10 minutes later, he came out and I approached him at his table. I shake his hand and ask him how much he is charging for autographs. He said he'd do $10 for everything, but then saw how many items I actually had. He told me: "Last night we were doing $5 an autograph, so...". He stopped to think, but then I spoke up and said "can you do $20 for everything? I'm a huge fan!". He responds: "you know what, that's very fair, and I'll even throw in a baseball card. It's a PWG one! All of yours have Evan on it, which I'll sign, but you need to have one with my [real] name on it!". I tell him I appreciated it, and paid him. First, I had him sign a rumblers two-pack, in light blue. After he signed that, I handed him a board with all the trading cards, as well as a photo of me and him taped to it. He signed them all in a regular blue. As he signs, I tell him: "I've met you a few times before, including one time at Santino's gym!". He remembers the event, and says "oh, at Destiny!". Pretty cool that he remembered the event.





I also tell him that I collect all the merchandise, which is why I have all of these items. He seemed to appreciate that. I ask him if he keeps up with WWE and he tells me that he is aware of everything going on in the industry, but doesn't actually watch the product. In response, I ask him for his thoughts on the cruiserweight division. He tells me that he likes what they are doing, and that if they had that back when he was still with the company, he'd be a Neville-type character.



I mention that I feel like he could really elevate the division and that I miss seeing him on TV. He replies by saying that he doesn't miss being on TV. "I didn't sign up to be on TV". I reply "that's true. You signed up to wrestle!". He then says that he's content with what has going on in his career and that he's glad he's gotten so many opportunities in wrestling. One of the trading cards I had him sign had Ted DiBiase Jr. on it, he brings my attention to it and says "see, I've had the chance to wrestle guys like Ted DiBiase", then reiterated that he's gotten many opportunities over the years.



He also jokes with me and the autographs by saying something along the lines of, "if you're gonna do it, gotta do it right. You even brought the good markers!". Lastly, I had him sign the Titantron Tower Rumblers set. He asks me if I want the autograph big on the box, or just in the window where is Rumbler is. I tell him that the window is fine and have him switch to a red marker.



Just like my two prior meets with Evan, he was super nice and great to talk to! Needed him to switch markers a few times, and he was cool with it. After he signed everything, we took a photo and thank each other. He ends our meet and greet by saying that i should tell my friends to come out and watch wrestling as well. I told him that I would, and thanked him again.



Thanks!

Quick report today. JTG was in Toronto for CRW today.



This was CRW’s debut in Toronto, and I had never been to one of their shows before. Admission was only $10 if you were to preorder online! I’m used to may $25-$30 for indy shows, so this lower admission price was a welcome surprise. Considering they’re new to Toronto, they probably are offering a below average admission price to get more people to come and generate interest in their company. Admission being less than what I usually pay meant that JTG would be getting more of my money money (yeah yeah).

Doors were to open at 3:30. I got there 10 minutes beforehand to see a line of only 7 people. This show was running late as the doors did not open until 4:30. Only about 50 people showed up for the show. Really small turnout for a Toronto show.
CRW's Toronto debut was not good: a small turnout and a very late start did not put a good first impression on me. Everything else did, however, go smoothly. Once I got in, I found a seat while everyone else was being let in. For those who remember my Glacier report, you might recall that I gave an extra ticket to a guy for free. The same guy was at this show and he approached me, said hi, and asked how me I am. Thought it was nice that he remembered me. As for JTG, I'd have to wait until intermission to meet him.

The show finally starts 10 minutes later. Heels' attempts to get heat was quite easy as they could yell at the crowd and be heard by everyone, though not many fans were heckling. During the matches there were even times where everyone was silent for a few seconds at a time. JTG wrestled in a triple threat match:



After JTG"s match, intermission was announced. I approach the area JTG was at, and two fans were there asking JTG for pictures, which he did for free. When it was my turn to meet him, I ask him how much he's charging. He tells me he's charging "$10 Canadian" for autographs. I tell him that I need 9 and ask if he can do all 9 for $60. He was happy to do that and even said he'd throw in one of his 8x10s. He first signed one of my programs, then proceeded to grab the 8x10. I ask him to personalize it to Alex.



He continues signing the rest of the programs, but before he does, he asks if I want the rest personalized. I tell him no and that the just the signature would be fine.



As he signs, I tell him that I actually met him a few years ago at Santino's gym. He seemed to appreciate that.



I also ask him as to why creative broke him and Shad up. He tells me that creative wanted to see what they could do alone, but that creative didn't really have any plans for them. I tell him: "I figured that that would be the reason. I assumed they'd try to elevate your guys' singles career, so I was excited to see where it would go, but it kinda just dwindled which was disappointing". He agreed with me and said he felt the same way. For the last two programs, I ask him to switch to a metallic marker to sign with considering that the background of the photos were dark. He was cool with it.



After he signed, I ask for a photo. We take it, and he thanks me for coming and I thank him as well. Overall, JTG was nice. Not super talkative, but was willing to engage in conversation if you wanted. The father of one of JTG's opponents actually approached JTG and mentioned that he wrestled his son. JTG smiled at him and said "he's a good kid!".



Thanks for reading!

The Mountie and Jimmy Hart were in Oakville, ON today:



Oakville is just a 40 minute drive west of Toronto. I was particularly excited for this signing because while we do get legends signing here often, they usually are the same names over and over, such as Hacksaw or Nikolai. This time, we had someone new and that was The Mountie. Jimmy Hart has done several signings in the area over the past few years, but I needed him on an action figure. Both were signing throughout the day at the GTA Comic Con. Because they'd be signing during the whole duration of the convention (9:30am to 4pm), I did not feel the need to get there right away. I planned to get there around 1, but something came up which required me to be home early, so I went to the con earlier than I expected, which was about 11am. There was no line to get into the con. I paid my $15 and headed to the area that had The Mountie (who was wearing his gimmick!) and Jimmy Hart. I notice a paper on their table with the prices and decide to have a look at that first.



As I do so, Jimmy greets me and asks me where I'm from. I tell him I'm from Toronto and he recalls memories of meeting fans on Yonge Street. I also tell him that I saw him back at June at Hogan's Beach Shop when they did their signing. I explain to him that I was in Florida to celebrate my aunt's birthday, and by complete coincidence, they were doing a signing. Jimmy seemed enthused to hear that and asked if I've ever been back since. I tell him that I haven't, and in response, he tells me that they put up a statue of him inside the store. I then tell him that I'd love to go back there. After that, I excuse myself from Jimmy by telling him that I'll grab a few autographs. He tells me, "sure, talk to that lady [the handler] over there". I go to the handler and tell her I need three autographs from Jacques (The Mountie), and one from Jimmy, as well as a photo with the both. I pay what she asks then pull my book out of my bag. I turn to The Mountie and shake his hand. With his French accent, he asks me "how are you?". I tell him that I'm doing well, ask him how he's doing, and tell him that I'm a big fan. I first flip to The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers entry.



Next, I flip to The Mountie entry and then The Quebecers entry. As I do so, the handlers say that they like how prepared I am with the pages marked. I tell them that I've done this several times before (quite an understatement, huh?), and that I have a bunch of autographs in the book. The Mountie then says something along the lines of the book being a really nice one. He seemed to know where his sections were right when I flipped to the page and signed them under his multiple personas without being reminded/prompted. He was great.



After, I take out my WCW Jimmy Hart figure with a light blue paint marker. Again, the handlers compliment my preparedness but this time with the marker. Jimmy asks if I want my name on it, and I say sure and tell him my name. He spells it out to make sure he has the right spelling, then signs it.



Once he signs it, he starts blowing on the signature to help it dry. He then puts it down and they let me come behind the table for a photo. Jimmy lets me hold his megaphone, while The Mountie takes a replica IC belt and puts it on my shoulder. He jokes: "you deserve to be champion for a few minutes!". We take the photo, I shake both of their hands while thanking them. They thank me as well, but before I leave Jimmy tells me to check the photo to make sure I'm happy with it. I tell him that it turned out great, and thank them again. As I leave their table, Jimmy says "appreciate you!".

After I was done meeting them, I go take a look at the vendors. Even though this is billed as a comic con, all it really is is a small toy convention. Ended up going home with this lot:



Overall, a great convention. Jimmy and The Mountie were awesome people to meet, and I was able to add some figures to my collection. One of those DM Randy Savages, though not in the greatest shape, may end up on the classifieds. Thanks for reading!

Another quick update today. Glacier was in Toronto for Lucha TO.



A few weeks ago, I had won two free tickets to the show. I usually go to these shows by myself (other than board members, none of my friends like wrestling), and so I had an extra ticket. I first offered the extra ticket to anyone on the boards, but no one took it.

Fast forward to today. Doors were to open at 5, and the venue is a forty minute walk from where I live. I walked to the venue and was there around 4:15. I had first wanted to stop by the art supplies store a block away to grab some markers. After doing that, and checking out a bookstore, I was back at the venue around 4:45 to see a line of about 20 people. Doors opened right on time at 5, and I saw that the person in front of me did not pre-purchase his ticket online and intended to get his ticket at the door. I told him that I have an extra ticket and that he can have it. He asked me if I was sure about it, and I said that it would be no problem. He seemed to really appreciate my gesture and thanked me several times, before and after the show. The wrestling community has been quite good to me, so whenever I can do something nice, I'll do it. Anyways, once I was let into the venue, I go to the area where wrestlers sign autographs. According to Lucha TO's twitter, Glacier would be signing before the show. I didn't want to stay for the show, but it turns out that I'd have to wait until intermission to meet him as he ended up not signing before the show. The wrestling was enjoyable, so I didn't mind waiting.

During the show, recently released from WWE, Jimmy Jacobs wrestled. After his match, he cut a promo to say thanks to the crowd, and let everyone know that he'll be taking "you're fired" selfies during intermission. He joked that the selfies won't get him fired, but may get you [the fans] fired lol. (During intermission, I find that Jimmy Jacobs was charging $20 for selfies. I wasn't planning to meet him, but am just surprised at the price. When I met him three years ago, we took a photo for free. He must be trying to capitalize on the extra exposure he's been getting lol.)



Glacier also wrestled in a match. After his match, intermission was announced.



I go to the merch area and wait for Glacier. I was the first one to his table. While waiting, I put my items down on his table, and when Glacier finally came, he saw my items, said "oh wow!", then pointed and smiled at them. I ask him how much he is charging for autographs. He said he normally does $10 each, but he'd be willing to do "both for 10". He didn't see that I had a third item, and asked him how much he'd charge for three, as well as one of his 8x10s. We agree that he would sign my three items and an 8x10 for $30. I hand him a blue paint marker to sign my toy car and trading card with. Once he grabbed my marker, he started shaking it to ensure the marker was ready to use. As he does, he asks "do you want them personalized?". I say sure and tell him my name.



Next, I had him sign a picture inside a WCW magazine. I ask him to switch to a regular blue sharpie for it, which he was happy to do. He also says: "I like how you came prepared!". In response, I tell him that I'm a big fan. I wanted to talk to him more, but the music in the venue was too loud. After he signs the magazine, I ask for an 8x10, which he signs.



After he signs my items, I ask him if we can take a picture. He says "of course!" and comes out from behind his table for a proper photo. After the photo, he tells me to come back after the show, and he'll have all of his entrance gear on and that we can take another photo. In response, I shake his hand, thank him, and tell him that I'll see him after the show for the photo. I initially wasn't planning on staying for the rest of the show, but once I heard that he'll do photos with his entrance gear, I decided to stay. Once the show was over, I waited around for Glacier. I had noticed his 8x10s at the merch area were gone, so I started to doubt he'd actually come back out. My doubts were soon confirmed as he didn't come back out. Oh well. Glacier was a cool guy, nonetheless.

Thanks again, everyone!

Quick report tonight. John Morrison was at the Destiny World Wrestling show in Mississauga, ON tonight. The main event featured him against Pete Dunne for the promotion's championship. Tickets for the event initially sold out, and 50 more were released. Those sold out as well. Great turnout, an usual, for Destiny.



Doors opened right on time at 7, while the show itself started just a minute late. These shows usually start later than advertised, so things starting on time was a great start. I would have to wait until intermission to meet Morrison. 8:40 came and a 20-minute intermission was announced. I make my way to the merch area and was about 15th in line for Morrison. While in line, I begin to prep my red paint marker for Morrison to use on my Mattel Rumblers set. As I shake the marker, part of the top becomes loose and the tip becomes messy with paint. Because of that, I chose not to get the set signed as I'd probably get a red mess everywhere. While still in line, I met a young guy named Amin (I hope I'm spelling his name right), who told me he reads my reports and enjoys them. That being said, you're probably reading this, so thanks for saying hi, Amin! Great meeting you! As I got closer to Morrison's table, I saw that prices on personal items are $10 each, and he would take a photo with you for free if you bought one of his items. I wanted six autographs, but having met him twice before, I didn't need another photo, but the handler asked if I wanted one. I asked her if it would be at extra cost and she said that since I'm getting six items signed, I could get a photo as well.



I paid the $60, and go to Morrison and shake his hand. When he saw the programs I brought, he said "oh man! You brought the old school stuff!". As he says that, I hand him a blue sharpie to use. I noticed his black sharpie was fading, so I had him use my marker. I told him that I'm a huge fan and ask him to sign the first two as Johnny Nitro.



I mention to him that I first met him years ago at a flea market not too far away from here (the venue). He said that he remembers that signing. I then had him sign his DVD and a magazine and asked him to put "The Guru of Greatness" on it, and he was happy to do so.



Next, I had him sign two more programs. I also tell him that I met him a second time, which was at the House of Hardcore in Toronto. He seemed to appreciate that and asked if I had heard about his movie. I told him I heard about it, and he gave me a printout of the movie poster. When I got home, I looked at that printout, and there was a handwritten message on the back. It's photocopied, but still cool nonetheless.





Once he signed, he got up from his seat for the photo. As we were posing for the photo, he continued to plug his movie, saying that it's on Amazon and to write a review on it. I told him that when I get the chance to see it, I'd tweet him. He told me that it would be great for me to do that, and also told me that it was nice to meet me again. I gather my stuff and thank him again. Just like my two previous meets with Morrison, he was quite friendly. I wanted to meet Pete Dunne and stay for the main event; however, Pete wasn't signing during intermission, and I have a midterm Tuesday morning, so I needed to get home and study for that. Sucks, but I figured that there will still be other chances to meet Dunne in the future anyway. Furthermore, Dunne retained the championship, so he will probably be back soon.

Thanks again to all those that continue to read my reports! Next one should be in two weeks with none other than WCW's Glacier. I won tickets to the Indy show he'll be at, so I'll most likely attend that one.

Nikolai Volkoff, The Killer Bees, Road Warrior Animal, Jim Duggan, One Man Gang, and Shawn Michaels were at the Hamilton Comic Con today:



Shawn Michaels is my all-time favourite wrestler, so when I saw that he was appearing close to where I live, I got excited and wanted to meet him once again; however, this time, his autograph price was $115. Having met him twice before, I decided to pass up on meeting the Heartbreak Kid.

The con opened at 10am and I got there at 10:30am. Once I enter the venue (the Canadian Heritage Warplane Museum), I make my way to the celebrity autograph area. Each of the wrestlers all had lines of about 10 people, and I decide to hop into The Killer Bees' line first. A few seconds later, I realize that Nikolai Volkoff actually had no line, so I decided to get him out of the way first. I initially did not plan on meeting Volkoff, but I checked Wikipedia and read that before he was Nikolai Volkoff, he had the ring name of Bepo Mongol. I check my encyclopedia and find that there is an entry under that name.

I go up to Nikolai and pay his handler $30 for an autograph. I shake Nikolai's hand and he asks me who my descendants are (ie. my nationality). I tell him that while I was born in Canada, my parents are from the Philippines. He tells me that he has wrestled there before. He then points at the area where he intends to sign the autograph and asks me if I am okay with him signing there, and I was. He continues talking to me by asking if I've ever been to the Philippines before, and in response, I tell him that I've been there one time when I was little. I tell him that I didn't like it because it was too hot, at which comment Nikolai and his handler laughed at. He then asked me if this was the first edition of the encyclopedia, and I told him that it was. He said to turn to page 225, and on that page was another entry of his that was already signed. He said: "I remembered the page!". I thank Nikolai again and shake his hand before moving on to The Killer Bees.



After a 10 minute wait in line, I was able to get to the front of the line for The Killer Bees. They were quite friendly as well. Once I got up to the table, I pay the handler the $50 combo price (great deal as the price included both members), and have them sign my encyclopedia. The Killer Bees and I then exchange the typical pleasantries (nice to meet you, how are you?, etc.). Jim Brunzell grabbed a sharpie pen, not a marker, to sign my book with. I thought about asking him to switch to a marker, but I remembered seeing pictures of their autographs online and thought that a fine point pen would be better, so I let them use what they wanted. I tell them "you guys were in Niagara Falls a few years ago!". Bronze smiles and says "yes!", and I continue "I wasn't able to attend that signing, so I'm glad to see you guys here!". They both thank me and B. Brian Blair says: "This is a nice encyclopedia!". After they sign, they both come out from behind the table for my photo. Once the photo was taken, I shake their hands and move on to the next one.



The One Man Gang was my biggest want at the convention, but his line seemed like it wasn't moving (he was really taking his time with everyone). Because of that, I decide to get Road Warrior Animal out of the way. Being my third time meeting Animal, I didn't have much to say to him, but I did have him sign a program from 2006. I paid the $30 to the handler and shake Animal's hand. As he signs, I simply told him that I've met him twice before and that I'm glad to have the chance to meet him again. Animal was quiet, and once I got the autograph, I left and joined One Man Gang's line.



After about a 15 minute wait, it was my turn to meet OMG. I ask the handler if a two autographs count as a combo, but the handler said that a combo is strictly a photo and autograph. I then ask for one combo and two extra autographs, which came to $110. What was great about OMG was that he standing.. in front of his table! He wasn't seated behind his table like everyone else, but was actually standing up and in front of the table, which made meeting him more personable. I shake his hand and he asks me what my name is, and tell him that my name is Alex. He asks me if I keep up with the wrestling today and whether or not I watch the old wrestling as well. I tell him that I'm a huge fan and that I watch wrestling today while still checking out older stuff. OMG then tells me something along the lines of the fact that every time he can meet a fan, it feels great to do so. I first had him sign his One Man Gang entry in my encyclopedia. Before he signed, he asks me where I want the autograph and I tell him that anywhere in his entry would be fine. As he signed, I tell him that I like how he takes him time with the autograph (he literally took his time with every letter), and he tells me that his autograph is something that he takes a lot of pride in. In response, I mention that a lot of wrestlers nowadays just have a quick autograph. OMG says sometimes autographs don't turn out well when the signing is rushed or there is no time. He also says: "some people say I have the best autograph!". I then flip over to the Twin Towers entry and have him sign that.



After he signed the encyclopedia, I bring out my Hasbro figure, which he seemed surprised to see. I ask him to make it out to Alex, and he asks "A-L-E-X?" to make sure he has the right spelling. He then asks me "where should we try signing this?". I point at the only area where an autograph might fit, and he signs it with an inscription: "You Jive Soul, Bro!". As he signed, he saw that I was taking a picture of him signing, so he stopped and posed. I explain to him that I collect these action figures and display the autographed ones on my wall. Once he signed the figure, we take a photo together. He had a chain with him that he put around my neck for a great photo-op. After the photo, OMG thanks me and shakes my hand.




Lastly, I went and met Jim Duggan. I've met him many times before, but needed him in my 2007 program, which is filling up with autographs. Duggan had no line, so I went right up to him and told him that it was nice to meet him again. He asks me how I am, and I tell him that I'm doing well and that i met him back in April at a toy show in Mississauga, ON. In response, Duggan says "oh yes! How have you been?". I answer that question again and return the question back to him. Before he signed my program, he had a look through it. He first looked at the cover and commented on some of the wrestlers. He commented on Johnny Nitro's abs, and also pointed out that they had put The Undertaker far in the background of the cover. At that point, Jim Brunzell of the Killer Bees was also looking at the program with Duggan. Duggan flips through the program and talks about some of the wrestlers, even telling me that he thought Torrie Willson was the hottest lol. He then realized that his profile was towards the end of the program. He says: "of course the stick me near the end!", jokingly. In response, I say: "they were saving the best for last!", which he laughs at. He asks if I wanted the autograph personalized, and I say "sure" and tell him my name. After he signed, the thanked me and shakes my hand.



And that's the con! I was able to get all of my autographs in about an hour, and I did catch a glimpse of Shawn Michaels, as well as Hillary and Ashley Banks from Fresh Prince of Belair, and Burt Ward. I got all the autographs I needed, so I looked around at the booths, but ended up not buying anything.

Thanks for reading! The next report should be in two weeks with John Morrison and Pete Dunne!

Chris Jericho.. you just made the list... of wrestlers in my meet and greet thread. He brought his book tour to Oshawa, ON this evening:



The day started off with me walking to a bookstore in downtown Toronto to buy two of his books in case the bookstore that was hosting the signing sold out of copies (they eventually did). I normally have class until mid afternoon on Mondays, but luckily, I was able to change my schedule last minute and attend an earlier class. This would allow my dad and I to try and get to the bookstore early, and to our surprise, avoided rush hour traffic as well. Expecting a high turnout, my dad and I were there at around 1:30. I speak to one of the cashiers for details of the signing. She asks to see my receipt for the books and once she saw it, she gave me two tickets for the signing. She told me that there were 100 tickets being given out for the first 100 people that purchase the book. Those with a ticket holder would be guaranteed to meet Chris Jericho. If you didn't have a ticket, there would be a chance that you may not meet him. Furthermore, the tickets were divided into 5 groups of 20. I had "Group 5" on my ticket, which meant that we'd be in the last group to guarantee meeting Chris. Also, you could get one other item after the book signed. We were told to come back around 6:30 to line up in our respective groups.



6:30 came and my dad and I found the line for Group 5. At 5 minutes before 7, I leave my dad in line to go to the front and take pictures/videos of Chris Jericho's entrance. He was running a bit late because of an interview he was doing in the back, but eventually did come out at 10 past 7. It was ironic because my dad and I's spot in line was right by the washroom.. right before he signing, Jericho uses the washroom. Had i not left my spot in line, I would have seen Jericho early on lol. Jericho walks to his table with cheers from the crowd. He says hi to us and a fan yells "so it looks like you're not on Raw tonight?!". Jericho responds: "I'm a clone!". The signing starts, so I go back to my dad in our spot in line, and as I do so, I see ARUN in line. Nice seeing you! Later on, I go back to take more pics of Jericho, and end up running into A-Rob . Nice talking to you!



Fast forward to 8:20, it is our turn to meet him. Like I said before, I bought two books. This is because I wanted to get two other items signed. I had my dad go meet Jericho first, and sent him with one of the books, as well as my E20 figure and a red paint marker. My dad was wearing a random shirt he had that had a picture from the movie, The Omen, and Jericho called it creepy lol. Jericho signs the book personalized to me, then signs my E20 figure. As he does so, the handler comments on how nice the red marker looks. I glance on the figure and notice that Jericho inscribed "G.O.A.T." on the figure without being asked, which was great; however, did not see the "To Alex" note I had on the figure. I politely yell out to my dad and Jericho to personalize it. They then pose for a picture, and my turn to meet him comes.





I go and meet Jericho myself, starting off with a handshake. I thank him for coming and tell him that it's nice to meet him again. He thanks me as well. I was thinking about telling Jericho that I really enjoyed his run with "the list", but I figured he hears that so often, so I decided I'd talk about something else. As he signs my second book and encyclopedia, I ask him: "What was it like being on Whose Line is it Anyway?"?. (That's an improv comedy show, for those who don't know). He said that he had a lot of fun doing the show. I then tell him that I'm a big fan of the show and so to see him as a guest on the show was great. I continue by saying: "You were even on Hollywood Game Night too, right? That was great as well". He says: "yeah, man, that was fun too. They keep calling me! ". I respond by saying that it's good to hear that because I'm a big fan. We then pose for a picture, then I shake his hand and he thanks me for coming. I thank him as well and we were done for the day. Long day, but definitely worth it. This was my second time meeting Jericho, and like the first time, he was really cool and laid back.



Thanks for reading!

Dan Severn, Pat Patterson, and La Resistance were in Mississauga, ON for the first Pride of Wrestling event.



Bobby Heenan, David Hart Smith and Chris Masters are on that poster as well; however, Bobby Heenan and Smith cancelled, while Chris Masters no showed. (UPDATE: Sept 6; According to Masters, he was never even contacted/booked for the show).
VIP doors opened at 5, while general admission doors opened at 6. Thinking there might be a decent line, I arrived at the venue (Santino's gym) at 5:30pm to see a line of about 6 people. I walk into the entrance/lobby of the gym to grab my admission ticket and in the same lobby, Dan Severn is signing autographs. He was charging $25 for a combo, which I paid. It's funny because he asked me how the show worked, what time they were supposed to be letting people in, and what time the show was supposed to start. I told him the information I knew. I open my encyclopedia to Dan Severn's entry and ask him to sign it. In response, he points to where he intended to sign and asks if that's what I want autographed, to which I responded "yes, please!".



I don't really know much about Severn, so I didn't have much to say, but I did thank him as he signed. We also posed for a photo and after the photo was taken he told me: "check the picture and make sure you like what you see!". I told him the photo was perfect and thanked him again. He also told me: "enjoy the show!" before I left his table. While I didn't have much to say to him, Severn was talkative to those who wanted to strike up a conversation with him. Severn seemed like a really cool and nice guy.

Right at 6pm, doors opened for General Admission ticket holders, and a line quickly formed by Pat Patterson's table. He was $20 for a combo. When it was my turn to meet Patterson, he seemed more interested in catching up with Rene Dupree who was at the table to his right. I had my gold paint marker ready to use and was giving it to him to sign my Intercontinental Championship. Because he was distracted with talking to Rene, he almost signed with a regular red sharpie, but before he could, his handler told him to use my marker. As he signed, Patterson asked me how I was. I told him I was doing well and that it is nice to meet him. After he signed I went behind the table for my photo with Patterson. He was nice, but I felt like I didn't have his full attention.



Next, I went to meet La Resistance, who were SUPER great. When I met Rene a few months ago, he was pretty quiet, but with Sylvan by his side, the duo were awesome to meet. The deal was if you buy their 8x10 photo for $20, they'd take a photo with you and sign anything else: "for $20, you can get everything. Even a massage!". I told them that I have a bunch of items I'd like signed. Rene asked me how many I had, and Sylvan joked: "he brought his library!". Because I had a bunch of items, they asked for an extra $10, which I was cool with. I decide to have Sylvan sign what I needed him to before asking Rene to sign. Sylvan saw that I had my pages in the encyclopedia marked, and he said something like: "the pages are marked! Yes! He's prepared!" and pointed at the little tabs I had to mark the page. I open the book and as I do so, I tell Rene that I already have his autographs in the book. in response, Rene exclaimed: "nice! So I can just sit here and relax!". As he signed the La Resistance entry, he saw the picture of Lance Cade, pointed at it, and softly said that it was one of his closest friends in the business. I told him that it's said he had to leave us so soon and he agreed.



I then had Sylvan sign two programs. After he signed the program from 2007 (top left corner of picture below), he showed the program to Rene. Rene thought that his autograph needed on the page so he went to grab a marker, but Sylvan yelled: "no you're not there!" and called him a name. Sylvan continued by saying that he wanted Rene to look at his picture in the program: "look at my intensity!". In response, Rene jokes: "I don't care about your intensity!".



I then flip to the pages in those programs that had Rene. In one of the programs I had 4x6 photo of me and Rene from when I met him a few months ago. I asked him to sign it and personalize it to me. He then signed a program from 2004. Sylvan joked again: "Unfortunately, Fifi couldn't be here today!" and pointed at the dog's picture. I joked back saying that I was disappointed to hear that as I'd rather meet Fifi than Rene. As Rene signed the program from 2007, Sylvan pointed out Jimmy Wang Yang and mocked him by saying his name in a high voice. Rene then asked if he could put a booger in Jimmy's nose. I said sure and Rene used his sharpie to put a black dot on Jimmy's nose.



As Rene signed, Sylvan asked me if I attend wrestling shows often. I told him that I try to go to as many shows as I can. In response, he tells me that he's trying to bring GFW in the area sometime next year. He's trying to get a few Canadian dates and I told him that I'd definitely attend the show and would look forward to it. Lastly, both of them signed the 8x10 they had. Ironically, that 8x10 contained a typo (anyone know who Rene Durre is?). After, I was able to go behind their table and pose for a photo-op. They had a replica of the World Tag Team Championship and they let me put it on my shoulder for the photo.



After that, I go find myself a seat, hoping that Chris Masters would show up soon. At this point, Masters' status was unknown, but I don't think he ultimately showed up (I left before the show started) as he wasn't answering phone calls. At my seat, I make sure that I did not forget anything. That's when I realize I had forgotten to get Sylvan in another program. I go back to La Resistance and ask Sylvan to sign the program. He was cool about it.



Next, I decide to hang around by the merch area where the wrestlers are in case Masters does show up. As I do so, I listed to Sylvan/Rene and Pat Patterson joke with each other. Pat Patterson grabs one of Rene's 8x10 and makes fun of the name "Rene" saying that it sounds gay. It seemed like all of them were genuinely have a great time. At this time, I also contemplate buying Pat Patterson's book. The book was $30, but he would sign it at no extra cost. I thought it was a good deal because if I were to buy the book at a bookstore, it would cost me $28, so to get it signed for an extra $2, I figured that I might as well. Furthermore, it's Pat Patterson! Not sure when I'll ever get the chance to meet him again, so I went up to Pat once again and bought the book. I had him use my regular blue sharpie and personalize it to me.



Once I got that signed, I asked one of the guys running the show for an update on Masters. He told me that they have no idea where he is and that he is unlikely to show. After hearing that, I decide to leave as I didn't want to stay for the show itself. Overall, a great time. Would have been nice to meet Bobby Heenan, but with his health, he wasn't able to travel. Dan Severn and Pat Patterson were great to meet, but La Resistance were even greater! Before the show started, La Resistance left their table to go to the backstage area and as they do so, Sylvan walks by me. I thank him again and he says "no problem!" to me and pats me on the back.

Thanks for reading!

Super Crazy was in Toronto for Lucha in the Six, while Chavo Guerrero was in Mississauga, ON for Destiny Wrestling.

The first signing of the day was with Super Crazy:



I literally found out about this a few hours before the actual show though their Twitter page where they announced that Super Crazy was their special guest. Unless I missed their any of their other announcements, I believe that was the only time they mentioned him so I guess they were keeping him as a surprise. I only intended to go to the Chavo show, but once I found out that Super Crazy would be in Toronto, I tried to go to that one as well. Timing worked out great.

Doors open at 5 for the Lucha show, while Destiny's show started at 7:30. Knowing that wrestlers typically sign before the show at Lucha Toronto, I thought that if I could get there early enough to meet Super Crazy, I'd still be able to make it for the Destiny. That's exactly what I ended up doing.

As I said, doors open at 5. I took a forty minute walk to the venue and was fourth in line. They let fans in a few minutes after five. I pay my $20 admission, get into the venue, and right by the bar, Super Crazy was signing. He was still getting settled in, but I approached his table to get my stuff ready. He looked at me, smiled, and asked me how I was doing. I told him I was doing well and ask him how he was. When he was ready, I asked him how much he would charge to sign my book. He told me: "I don't like charging, but they [the indy company] want me to charge for these photos [pointing at his 8x10s]." I ask him how much they are and he responded "Ten dollars. Is that okay with you?". He was very nice and apologetic about it. I said that it would be no problem and handed him a twenty. He told me he didn't have change, but he instantly went to the bar and asked the cashier for change. Once he did, he gave me the change right away and thanked me. I first had him sign his two entries in the encyclopedia, as well as two DVD covers:



As he signed, I told him: "I was very excited to hear that you would be here today!". He responds by saying "me too!". I tell him that i'm a big fan and he thanks me. Next, I pull open my 2008 Superstar Yearbook magazine and two programs. I apologize to him as I didn't want him to think I was taking advantage of him by getting a bunch of thing signed. He said that it was completely fine and there was no need to apologize. Once he signed those, I had him sign the 8x10 provided. I asked him to personalize it to me, and before he did, he wrote my name down on a piece of paper he had in order to make sure that he had the right spelling.





After he signed, I had my photo with him. Once the photo was taken, I shake his hand and thank him. In response, he thanks me several times as well.
Once I got my autographs, I had my dad pick me up and drive me to Destiny Wrestling to meet Chavo Guerrero.



Alberto Del Rio was originally supposed to be the guest, but Destiny pulled him from the show and replaced him with Chavo. I had really wanted to meet Del Rio because I have a few figures I wanted signed by him. On top of that, I've met Chavo before, but I prepaid for my ticket a few weeks before they pulled Del Rio, so I felt like I still had to go. It still ended up being fine because I wanted to add Chavo to some of my programs.

My dad and I got to the venue (Santino's gym) 10 minutes after the first match was scheduled to start. This was great because everyone was already inside so there was no line and I could just walk in. I quickly found a seat during the show and waited for intermission, which is when Chavo would be signing. Once intermission was announced, I made my way to the merchandise tables where Chavo would be and was about tenth in line. Shoutout to the deejay for playing music from the 50's and 60's during intermission. I definitely did not expect to hear The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love" at a wrestling show lol. Anyways, once i got to him, I shake his hand and tell him that it was nice to meet him again. Chavo was charging $10 per autograph, and I ask for four.



As he signed, I thank him for coming and he responds by saying "thanks for having me!". Once he finished signed, I put away my programs and before I leave his table, I thank him again. In response, he thanks me as well and offers his hand for a handshake again. While I didn't have much to say to Chavo, he was very nice and polite, just like the first time I met him.



Two great signings today. Both guys were nice, polite, and seemed to appreciate the fans that came to see them.
Thanks for reading!

Bobby Lashley was in Toronto for Smash Wrestling this evening.



I was particularly excited for this one because I was a huge Lashley fan growing up. He was feuding with Cena when I was 10, and unlike the typical 10-year-old, I was cheering for Lashley rather than Cena. I had purchased my ticket for this event a few weeks ago.
Doors were to open at 4, but with the venue being walking distance from where I lived, I literally left my place just before 4. Doors opened a bit late, as usual, but they were quick with letting people in. Once I got in, I went straight to the merch area, hoping Lashley would be there signing already. This is because I had other plans for the evening, so I was hoping to meet Lashley, and leave. Unfortunately, while he had his stuff on the table, Lashley was not out signing, so I would have to wait until (hopefully) intermission.

Intermission came and Lashley was doing in-ring photos only. Photos were $20 and the line quickly grew. I joined the line because I had wanted to get a photo with Lashley anyway. Lashley was really cool to everyone, including the fans and the staff at the show. There was a tables match right before intermission, therefore, there was some table debris still in the ring. Before the photo session, one of the referees was sweeping up the ring. Lashley grabs the broom from him, sweeps a bit, then uses the broom as a weapon to attack the ref as a joke lol. When it was my turn for the photo, I climb into the ring with my belt, he shakes my hand then says "we got the real deal!" and taps the main plate on my belt. It's the plastic commemorative version though lol. We pose for the photo and once the photo was taken, I quickly ask if he will be signing autographs after the show. He said yes and pointed to the merch area to which I responded that I'd see him later.

Intermission was finished, and Lashley's match was the second one after intermission. He defeated "Speedball" Mike Bailey in a decent match. The whole show was actually solid. Like I previously said, I had other plans and needed to be somewhere else, but it turned out to be a good thing that I couldn't get the autographs right away because the wrestling was great.



Finally, the show ends at just before 9 and I make my way to the merch table where there are three people ahead of me. I find out the Lashley is charging $10 per item, which I thought wasn't too bad. When it was my turn to meet him, I give Lashley $50 to sign 5 items. Earlier, I had noticed that he was given a random black sharpie, and I was worried that his sharpie wouldn't work that well, so I asked him if he could use my blue one. He responded: "sure, whatever you need!'. I open up my encyclopedia, which had other stuff I needed signed inside it, and he said "oh nice!", before signing my One Night Stand 2007 DVD cover:



Next, I had him sign this 8x10 that I had printed. I thought it would be funny to get an 8x10 like this signed, so I had one printed. Turns out, he also had the same idea because he had other 8x10s of his own from WrestleMania 23 that included a particular president.




I also had him sign my encyclopedia, a program from 2007, and my ECW Championship. Before he signed the belt, I hand him a silver paint marker and he pointed at the area he intended to sign. He wanted to make sure that he was signing in an area where I wanted. He ended up signing really big, which I'm actually okay with.




And that was it. I wanted to talk to him more, but I really needed to leave lol. I thank him and he thanks me. As I pack my stuff, I apologize for taking so long in doing that. I had a few items and I was trying to put them away neatly. Lashley was really nice and didn't rush me at all. Before I left his table, I say "thanks again!", and he replies with "my pleasure!". Bobby Lashley was a really cool guy to meet! He's shorter than I expected; he's billed at 6'3", but he isn't much taller than I am and I'm about 5'10".

Thanks for reading!

Very short report today. Jinder Mahal was doing media rounds this morning to promote Smackdown Live being in Toronto. He did multiple interviews around town and I went to the TV studios at which one of his interviews would take place. There were about four or five other fans there as well.

After his interview, Jinder, along with reps from WWE, stepped out of the studios to go to their vehicle. They were doing construction on this particular street and so the vehicle was unable to park directly in front of the doors of the TV studios and ended up having to walk towards us. I first ask Jinder for a selfie. We take the photo and I then ask him to sign my Battle Pack which is already signed by Ryback. This Battle Pack is kinda funny to me because everyone expected Ryback to become world champ and look who's WWE champ now lol.




Next, I had him sign my basic figure and had him personalize it to me:




And that was literally it. It was really quick because they had other places to go to. Jinder was quiet, but friendly and made sure to accommodate everyone. He signed whatever you wanted and took photos with everyone. One of the fans there even got 3 8x10s signed, which was great of Jinder to do. Jinder was honestly taller and bigger than I expected lol. Thanks for reading!

Xavier Woods was signing autographs at ConBravo! (a Youtube and gaming convention) in Hamilton, ON today.



I didn't even know about this signing until a friend asked if I wanted to go to some gaming convention with her and a few others. I search it up on the internet, and lo and behold, Xavier Woods would be at the convention. I was really surprised that I didn't know about this signing because I'm usually up-to-date on these events. Glad I did not miss out on this signing because it turned out to be a great one. Better yet, autographs were free; I would just need to pay admission.

Alongside Woods, Brennan Williams was also signing autographs. Brennan is apparently signed with NXT, but I've never heard of him. Both were signing from 5-7pm at the con today. 5pm was also the time at which the con was scheduled to start. I got to the convention centre at about 3:30 to get my admission ticket and once I did, I made my way over to where Xavier would be signing. I was there just before 4 o'clock and was about 10th in line. The line only had about 50-60 people by the time the signing started. 10 minutes before 5, Xavier is seen walking towards the room in which he would be signing, therefore, the signing started right on time at 5.

The volunteers let us into the room and had us line up in a zigzag pattern. Xavier and Brennan were great; talked to each fan that came up to them and never stopped smiling. No one else seemed to know who Brennan was, so five minutes into the signing, Xavier stands up and asks for everyone's attention. Xavier tells the crowd who Brennan is then continues signing. When it was my turn, I approach the table and shake Xavier's hand and lay down my figures on the table along with the markers I needed. He signs a piece of WWE paper that was provided for those who didn't have anything to get signed and slides it to Brennan to sign. I tell Xavier that I am a big fan and that I was really excited to find out he was going to be at the con. He thanked me and started signing my elite in the blue marker I had on top of it. He initially didn't personalize the figure, but I pointed at the sticky note that said my name and asked him to personalize.



The handler exclaims "very efficient!" with the way I had things organized - markers and sticky notes requesting personalizations. I apologize to Xavier for bringing quite a few figures with different markers. He tells me that it's completely fine and that he'll take care of whatever I need. Xavier was very nice and patient with me. I had him switch to a pink marker for this basic. Next, I had him switch to another marker to sign a second basic, as well as the Booty O's Elite set. Before he signed the Basic, he first double checked with me: "do you want light blue on this figure?", to which I responded "yes, please". The handler then joked "whoever 'Alex' is, he must be a very happy guy!". I laugh and tell him that I'm Alex and tell Xavier that I collect this stuff.



He signed the Booty O's set over Kofi, which I thought was odd, but it's alright. Also, despite me not having a "To Alex" note on the set, he personalized it anyway. Either way was fine with me. He also commented that the packaging of the figure is the best ever because it looks like the cereal box. Brennan looked at it and said that he's never seen it before, so I showed it to him a bit more. After he signed that, I go behind the table for a picture.



I thank them and they thank me. I move over to the side to let my stuff dry.


That was it.. or so I thought. The signing was scheduled to be two hours long. I packed extra stuff in case the line was short enough for me to loop it, and it was. By 6:15, there was only two people left in line and so I joined the line again. I approach them and they remember me. The handler even remembers me by name. I explain again that I'm a huge fan and have some more stuff I'd like signed and Xavier is cool with it. I explain that I wanted to give everyone a change to meet them, so I decided to wait until the very end. Brennan said: "ah! This guy had a plan!". I say "yeah, I wanted to be fair to everyone by waiting until the very end to come back again." I start opening my stacks of programs and Xavier jokes saying "wow" and "are you selling these on the streets?!". He said this in a joking manner because I've told him that I collect the merch. I even show him a picture of my collection and tell him that these autographs are going to a good home. He first signs my Booty O's box, a program, and a WrestleMania 32 magazine:



As he signs, I tell him that I really enjoyed his match at Battleground, which he thanked me in response for that. The programs kept on getting older and older as I flipped through them and he commented on that: "these are getting older and older with each one!". I also ask if he would sign as Consequences Creed and he nods his head as I pull out a TNA program. He says: "wow TNA!" and signs it. Xavier and Brennan both seemed interested in the TNA program and even flip through it a bit.



And that was it. I thank the both of them several more times before leaving, and tell them that it was nice to meet them. Both were GREAT. Both were super friendly and talked to every fan that came up to them. They seemed to genuinely enjoy being there. I ended up getting 14 autographs for the price of admission ($45 for a weekend pass), which is solid.

That's it for tonight. Thanks!

Hulk Hogan did a signing at his store in Orlando, Florida today.



This signing report is a bit unusual because this didn't take place in or near Toronto like my usual reports. My dad and I in Florida for a week to celebrate my aunt's birthday, and by coincidence, Hogan is doing a signing the same time I'm here. I doubted that I'd actually make it because it's a 3.5 hour drive near where we are staying; however, my dad and the rest of my family (uncles/aunts) that came on this trip were cool with me wanting to head to Orlando to meet The Hulkster. Once I got the "okay" a few days ago, I ordered my ticket online. It was $100 for a standard item signed plus photo-op, and then $60 more for additional standard items signed.

Fast forward to this morning. The signing was to be from 4pm to 8pm. I wanted to start lining up by 2pm, and to avoid from being late, we left early at about 7:30am. On the road, we made a few stops to stretch and for breakfast, and made it to Hogan's Beach Shop in Orlando around noon.



We go into the store, and Jimmy Hart is there signing autographs. I didn't need to meet Jimmy again as I've met him three times before. I looked around at the displays and the merch, and bought a yellow Hulkamania shirt. To kill some time, we went to the McDonald's across the store. This McDonald's had stuff I'd never seen at a McDonald's before, like cheesecake, pizza, and pasta. Thought that was cool lol.

We left McDonald's at 1:30pm and I decide to start lining up early for Hogan, hoping that I'd be one of the first to meet him so that we could start heading back. My dad and my family members who were with us went to do a bit of shopping as they waited for me. It's a good thing I got there early because it was extremely hot and there was shade for the first few people in line; I was fifth. The wait seemed longer than it actually was because of the heat. Hogan's staff brought out some water bottles for us, which was great. Ten minutes before 4, Jimmy Hart comes out with the megaphone announcing that the signing will start in time and thanked us multiple times for coming. Around this time I peek through the window and Marc Mero is inside walking around. He left shortly after saying hi to Hulk so I couldn't meet Mero.

The signing did start on time at 4. For whatever reason, there were a few fans already there inside meeting Hulk. Once they met Hulk, they let about 15 of us that were outside into the store. I finally met Hulk at 4:25. Hulk offers his hand out for a handshake and asks how I'm doing. I tell him that I'm good and open my encyclopedia with my DM and a yellow paint marker. They had paint markers there, but I'm more comfortable using my own because I know it's prepped for sure. Hulk grabs the yellow marker and asks where I want the autograph on his page in the book. I ask him to use the marker for the figure only and to use blue for the encyclopedia.



As he signs, I ask him "when are you coming back to Toronto? That's where I'm from." He replies saying that he isn't sure, but that he loves the city. He even threw in a "brother!" in the middle of it lol. He signs my encyclopedia, then we pose for a picture.



I thank him, and he thanks me. He also thanks me for representing Hulkamania with the shirt I was wearing. I tell him that I bought the shirt here today, and smiles and pats me on the back. He also asks me if I went and met Jimmy Hart already. I tell him no because I've met him many in Toronto. He starts laughing and thanks me again.

That's it for now. Thanks again!

Cody Rhodes was in Hamilton, ON for Alpha 1 Wrestling today:



Cody was scheduled to sign before the show, and then after, but not during intermission. The preshow signing started at 3, and wanting to meet him before the show, I got there at around 2:45 and they were already letting people in. I pay my $20 admission, and head to the line to meet Cody. They had a table with 8x10s and t-shirts set up in the ring. As seen in the above picture, combos are $30, and I had messaged A1 on twitter a few days beforehand and was told that autographs on personal items would be free with combo purchase.

There were about 25 people ahead of me in line. Fast forward to 3:30, it was my turn to meet him. I ask for a combo, and double check with the handler to see if Cody will sign personal items. The handler told me "yeah, but he can't sign all of them". I thought this was odd because, I didn't even tell her how many I wanted yet lol. I told her that I had brought quite a few items and she told me that there was no time for it. He would be signing after the show, so I don't see why time was the issue. Anyway, she tells me that I could get one extra autograph. I settle for that, and ask if it would be cool to come back again after the show. She told me that it would be fine, but I would have to line up again.

I approach Cody, and he offers his hand out for a handshake. He starts off our meet similarly to the last time I met him, by asking: "how are ya doing? Doing alright?". I tell him yes, and ask him how he is as well. I hand him a gold paint marker to sign my IC belt with. Before he signs, he asks me as to where I wanted it. I show him a general area and he signs. I tell him that it is nice to meet him again, and tell him that I'd be back after the show to get more autographs. Next, I choose one of their 8x10s to get signed, and Cody personalized it to me. We pose for the photo-op, and I thank Cody and tell him "see you later!".



During the show, Cody Rhodes won the tag team championships with Ethan Page in the main event. This implied that Cody will be appearing at the next A1 show, which was announced towards the end of the show and would take place on July 30th. At the end of the show, Cody talks about today being Fathers' Day. He says that while he could be visiting Dusty's tombstone, or visiting the place where ashes were scattered, he was right here wrestling instead. He said that he would rather be wrestling because in the wrestling ring is where he feels most closest to his dad, which was cool to hear.

The show ends and the postshow meet and greet starts, and again in the ring, but this time Ethan Page was standing with Cody.. Line was much shorter this time, and the handler remembered me from before the show. She asks me how many autographs I want. I tell her how many, and she says that it is too many (I'll admit that, yes, I did bring too many items; however, I was willing to pay extra to get them signed, so I don't see why it would be an issue. I'm a big fan of Cody Rhodes). She tells me that she might have to charge me $5 per autographs, and I told her that it was fine. Before she charged me, she told me to wait a second, and walked over to Ethan Page (an indy wrestler who helps runs these shows) to explain the situation where I needed to get a bunch of things signed. She explained that I had been at the preshow meet and greet, etc. Ethan said that it would fine for me to get my items signed (woohoo!), and she also verified with Cody, who was also cool with it (woohoo, again!). The handler comes back to me and says that Cody will sign my stuff. I thank her, and approach Cody again.

As I walk up to Cody, I tell him: "I'm back!", and Cody replied: "Yeah, you're Alex, right?". He remembered my name! Did not expect that. I explain to him that I've met him on two separate occasions before, but because I'm a really big fan, I had to come meet him again today. I first hand him my Mattel Mutants figure with a light blue paint marker to get signed. He exclaimed to Ethan, "this glows in the dark! Not too many people know about this one!". Cody then says something about being paid $19000 for the figure. I then hand him a gold paint marker with my Stardust/Stephen Amell 8x10. Cody looks at Stephen's autograph and says: "did he sign this already? That bastard!". It was all in good fun.



Next, I bring out three stacks of programs, with each stack having three programs. (I had one program put inside another, which was then put inside another to keep the pages Cody were on). I start with opening the first program. He signs it and says: "ugh! That face!". I reply with a joke "It's dashing!", as I flip to the program with the Undashing Cody Rhodes photo with the mask. Then, I flip to another program. As I'm doing this, Ethan tells me with a smile: "I love how you have the pages tabbed so well.. you've done this before, haven't you?". I tell him "yeah! many times!". I then bring out two 4x6 photos of my prior meets with Cody. Cody immediately remembers the events and smiled at the photo of him sitting in his car. He remembered the story behind that car photo and explains to Ethan Page that it was for some charity thing.



Next, even more programs lol. When I flip to the first Stardust one, he says that his brother, Goldust, hated every second of that. I tell him that I enjoyed every second of that and tell him that I really enjoyed him as Stardust. He says that Goldust hated him as Stardust because he thought that Stardust was upstaging him. Not sure if that was a joke, but it was interesting to hear. Cody asks if I'll be coming to the next show and I tell him that I'm planning to and would love to meet him again to support him. Ethan tells me "yeah! bring some friends too!".



Next, two more programs and the 2008 Superstar Yearbook magazine. When he saw the magazine, he says that he was untrained during that time in his career. I finally flip to the last program and say: "this is the last one!". Cody replies: "the finale!". I thank both Cody and Ethan several times before exiting the ring. They seemed to appreciate me coming to the show and made sure that I didn't leave anything behind. Cody was super friendly, just like the first two times I met him. He was also a gentleman to the kids and ladies who had trouble getting out of the ring.



Thanks for reading!

The Niagara Comic Con took place over the weekend.





The original line-up featured the wrestlers in the picture above, as well as Rick Martel. However, months ago, Martel cancelled. Then, with X-Pac's incident, the con cancelled his appearance. Lastly, less than a week before the convention Nash cancels due to a film schedule conflict, and Hall cancels because he can't get into the country. Ugh.

I intended to meet everyone except Ryback because Ryback was a Saturday only guest, and I would be attending on Sunday only since Sting was a Sunday only guest. However, with the cancellations, my list was down to just three: Sting, Tito Santana, and Mean Gene.



To meet Sting, you would first need to purchase an autograph ticket at the merchandise booth outside the main room of the convention before joining the autograph line. Sting was signing Sunday only, but despite that, Sting autograph tickets were being offered on Friday and Saturday also. Tickets had to be limited because Sting was scheduled to be signing for only 90 minutes. Fearing that they would run out of tickets by Sunday, I asked if any board members could grab a ticket for me during the Saturday. Luckily, Blair was willing to do so, and he did. Thanks again! (Sting autographs were $100, photo-ops were $120)

The convention was about an hour and a half from where I live. I arrive at the convention at 8am, while the doors open at 10. It was raining and the wait was outdoors, so it was not a fun two hours. Luckily, they opened the doors a few minutes early. I go straight to Sting's autograph line, find Blair, and get my ticket. Sting was scheduled to sign from 12-1:30, so it would be another two hour wait. At first, the volunteers had no idea what was going on with the lines, but they somewhat were able to get it organized. The area allotted for Sting became full and fans who came a little later were told to come back when the line got shorter. Just on time at 12, Sting comes out in his full gear and facepaint. The signing begins.



The volunteers had those with VIP passes go first followed by those without VIP. They kept the line moving rather quick to accommodate everyone. Considering that Sting was only to be signing for 90 minutes and that there were a lot of people, there was not that much opportunity to speak to Sting, but he did try to engage in conversation when he could. Overall, however, he seemed like a quiet and reserved person. 20 minutes after 12, I am finally three people away from meeting Sting. Coincidentally, the person in front of me happened to be ARUN ’s brother, so we spoke for a few seconds before he met Sting. A volunteer then takes my ticket, and Sting’s handler grabs my figure and asks me if I had any special requests. I hand him the red paint marker, and say that I want it personalized (and point to the note that says “To Alex”.

I go up to Sting, and tell him “it’s a pleasure to meet you, sir! I’ll be seeing you again in a bit because I also have the photo-op with you!”. In response, he says something along the lines of “I’ll see you there, then!”.



That was my quick interaction with Sting. I move onto the side and walk around the convention a bit to give the autograph some time to before meeting Tito Santana. About 10 minutes later, I approach Tito Santana’s table. There was no line, but Tito had not yet finished with another fan, so I had to wait a few minutes. Once Tito Santana was finished with the fan before me, the handler calls me up and asks me what I want. It was $30 for an autograph or photo, and I needed both. I’ve met Santana twice before but never got a picture, so I got that done today. I also needed him to sign my HOF figure. I pay the $60, and put the figure on Santana’s table with the red marker next to it. Santana says: “you brought a nice pen too!”. I ask him to make it out to Alex, and he was happy to do so and confirms the spelling with me. I tell him that it was nice to meet him again and he thanks me for that.

As he signs (took a while; he was writing an essay), I go around behind the table to get beside him for the photo. Once he finished signing, he got up from his seat and asked me to do a pose with him. We did the photo, I thank him, and he thanks me.



Again, I move onto the side to make sure the autograph dries before heading to meet Mean Gene. Mean Gene had a line of a few people. I was talking to two guys behind me, and one of them turned out to be marklud . Nice meeting you!

Pricing for Mean Gene was identical to Santana, except that Mean Gene offered a $50 combo. I decide to get the combo and just get an 8x10 signed. I pay the handler and the handler asks if I want it personalized, which I did. He tells Mean Gene that I paid for a combo and my name. Mean Gene says “ah! An autograph and photo, the whole schmozz!”. I tell Mean Gene that it was nice to meet him and tell him the name of the convention at which I last met him. He remembered it and said “oh yes, that was 3-4 years ago!”. I tell him that I’m a big fan, which is why I came to meet him again. (I also didn’t get a photo-op last time, so I needed to get that done today). Mean Gene tells me “I’ll give you a memory from Legends’ House”, and inscribes “Holy Balls!” on the 8x10. After he signs, he stands up to take the picture with me.



After I meet Mean Gene, I wander around the convention, but then decide to look for the area where Sting’s photo-ops would be. Turns out, this would be a good idea because the line was already massive. I join the line and wait for the 1:30 photo. Once Sting’s photo-ops started, the line moved rather quick, mostly because of the process. Put your stuff down, shake Sting’s hand, pose, and leave. That’s pretty much how it went. After my photo was taken, I line up again to get the 8x10 printout. This was my first time doing one of these professional photo-ops, so it was cool to see how fast the photos got printed. I had also paid for a digital copy, which meant that once I got my printout, I would have to stand in another line to get the company to send me the email with the jpeg.

It was the end of Sting’s photo-ops while I was waiting to get my digital copy taken care of. Sting walks towards the exit (which is where I was), and before he exits, Sting says: ”you guys over there didn’t want a photo with me, did ya?” and points to the photo-op line for the next celebrity. Sting continues: “well ya know what, it’s showtime in this line right here!” and points to us fans who had just gotten a photo with him. A video of this is posted on my Instagram.

And that was it for the convention. While I am disappointed that many wrestlers cancelled, I’m still quite happy with the autographs I got today.

Thanks for reading!

Another quick report tonight. Rene Dupree and DH Smith (now known as Davey Boy Smith Junior) were in Toronto for WCPW tonight.



I live close to the venue so I walked over to it and was there by 7. Doors opened before 7:30 and wrestlers were already there signing autographs and selling their merch at the merch tables. The two I wanted to meet, however, were not out signing, so I went a found a seat. DH Smith had his stuff out, but wasn't at his table.
At about 9:30, intermission was announded and I made my way over to the merch tables again. Rene Dupree was there signing autographs and so I went to get him done first as getting him to sign my encyclopedia was my priority. A few people were ahead of me, and once it was my turn I went up to him and asked him to sign my enyclopedia. In response, he politely asks me if I can buy one of his 8x10s. I ask him for price and he tells me $10. I told him that it would be no problem, and he proceeded to sign my encyclopedia. First, I had him sign his own entry:



Then, I had him sign the La Resistance entry. After he signed my book, I chose an 8x10 for him to sign and ask him to personalize it to me.



After he signed those, I ask for a photo with him, and he said it would be $20 in total (i.e. $10 for a photo-op). I pay him, then ask the person behind me to take the photo. Once the photo was taken, Rene offered his hand out for a handshake and used both of his hands for a sincere handshake. My hand was pretty much engulfed in his two hands lol. He smiled and said thanks to me, and I thanked him back. DH Smith was still not at his table, so I went back to my seat and figured I'd get him after the show.

Fast forward almost two hours later, the show is over and I go to see DH Smith at his table. Yet again, he wasn't there! Instead, he was chatting with other wrestlers at the bar area of the venue. He had his 8x10s and shirts for sale at his merch table, but wasn't even there selling them. Thought that was interesting.

I approach Smith and wait for a break in his conversation before asking him to sign. When it was appropriate, I politely ask him to sign a program. He was happy to sign for me. I told him that I was a big fan and he thanked me for that. Furthermore, I tell him "it's very nice to meet you again", and he says "it's nice to meet you too!".



After he signed the program, he tries to hand the marker back to me, I tell him that there is one other program I would like signed, and he signs it as well. Both autographs were free!



Once he finished signing the program, I thank him and go off to the side to gather my stuff so that other people can also meet Smith if they wanted to. After, I then ask Smith for a selfie and he was happy to do so. I thanked him again and in response he says that it was no problem.

Interactions with both wrestlers were very quick. They were not too talkative; however, both were polite and thanked fans for coming.



Thanks for reading!

Short report today. Trish Stratus was doing a few media interviews around town today to promote Canadian Infertility Awareness Week, as well as her magazine cover related to that cause.

http://instagr.am/p/BT1wrW1FREB

Member ARUN texted me last night to let me know that Trish would be at a local TV studio station (thanks again!). I looked into it more and it turns out she would also be at a radio station also nearby. My plan was to try to get her at the TV studio, and if that failed, I would try the radio station. With only 1.5 hours of sleep, I woke up at 6 this morning to get ready, and commuted to the TV studio to be there by 7. There was one other fan there hoping to meet Trish as well. This particular TV studio has signs saying "No Trespassing" around their parking lot. On top of that, there were two exit/entrance gates, both of which were opposite ends from each other. This made things more challenging. Knowing that Trish needed to head south after her stop at this TV studio, I decide to wait at the south exit. At around 7:30, I see her and her driver (could have been a family member, or something. She's from the area, so she could have had a relative driver her. I'll just call him "driver" for the purpose of this write-up lol) pull up to the exit I am at, but they were rushing so I didn't have the chance to ask for an autograph. They drive away, so I then decide to try and go to the radio station.

I walk over there and arrive around 8:05. This place was easier because it was a public place and so I didn't need to worry about trespassing. Her interviews were supposed to be done by 8:40. At around 8:45, Trish and her driver came out. I happened to be standing in the area in which Trish intended to go to, so she literally walked right towards me. I look at her, smile, and say: "Hi Trish, I'm a huge fan. Is it possible if you can sign a few autographs for me?". She smiled and said "sure!". I then hand her my light blue paint marker and my HOF figure. She asks me if my marker is "ready to go", and i tell her yes. I tell her my name and ask her to personalize it. She was happy to do so.



After, she hands me back my marker. I then give her a regular blue sharpie to sign the rest of my stuff in. She was really happy to do so and asks me if I want the other items personalized. I told her that I'm a huge fan and that I collect all of this stuff. I also tell her that I really appreciate her stopping for me. She tells me something along the lines of "no worries, that's why I'm here". She signs two Raw magazines:




Then, she signs three DVD covers, including the rare Special Collector's Edition of her 100% Stratusfaction DVD. I also tell her that I've met her before at a fitness expo and that it is really nice to meet her again. She tells me "it's nice to see you again then!".



After, her driver asks me if I have a camera. I tell him that I have my phone camera, and he takes it to take a photo of me with Trish. Once the photo was taken, Trish offers her hand for a handshake and again says: "it was nice to see you again!". I thank her a few more times, and leave.

I walk away to go to a bench to put my stuff away in a bag. After I did, I walked through the parking lot, as it was my way to get home and I see Trish in her car again. I say a quick thank you to her again, and in response she gives a thumbs up, then waves. Trish was definitely great. Happily signed six things for me and posed for a photo with me as well. Great morning! Needless to say, I was 100% Stratusfied!

(NOTE: I understand that approaching celebrities in this manner can be a bit of a touchy subject. However, I asked VERY politely and Trish was more than happy to sign for me.)

Thanks for reading!



Edit - Trish replied to my tweet in which I said thanks to her:

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan was at the 80's Toy Expo in Mississauga, ON today:



He was signing from 10-4, and with this long period, I knew I didn't have to be there early and decided to go a bit late. I ended up getting to the venue at around 1:15, paid my $10 admission and headed to Jim's table. I look at the prices, and it was the standard $20 price at these toy shows for autograph or photos. I needed two autographs and a photo with Jim. I've met Jim three times before, but have never gotten a photo with him, so I decided to get that done today. I give the handler $60 and he gives me back $10, saying that it will only be $50 and that I would get an autographed 2x4. I misunderstood him (more on this later) and tell him that I actually have two of my own items to get signed.

Jim was there talking to another fan, but the fan seemed like he wanted to talk to Jim even more, so he told me to go ahead before him. Jim shakes my hand and asks me how I am. I tell him that I'm doing well and that it's nice to meet him again. I explain to him that I've met him three times before and he said "I was going to say you look familiar!". (It's been almost two years since I last met him, so I doubt I would look familiar to him, but it was nice of him to say). I hand him my blue paint marker for him to sign my Summerslam Heritage Basic figure in. Jim says: "see guys! Another paint marker. They really like these!". When he said "guys" he was addressing the handlers. The handlers said: "yeah, now we know for next time!". Jim asks me my name and asks if I want it personalized, I said yes and thanked him for that.




Next, I had him switch to a regular blue Sharpie for the magazine. He looks at the magazine and says "wow! From 1989 and still in great shape!" As he signed the magazine, he asks me if I still watch wrestling. I tell him that I watch it all the time. He then asks me who I like and I tell him: "I'm a huge AJ Styles fan! I'm sure you hear that a lot though!". He responds by saying "yeah, but ya know I haven't really gotten bit by the AJ bug yet. What's his character like again? Is it 'Perfection'?". I correct him and tell him that it was "Phenomenal".




After he signed the magazine, I tell him that I also paid for a photo with him. He got up from his chair and took my magazine to pose with it for the photo, and told me to grab the figure to hold up. He also said: "thumbs up, Alex!" for the photo. He held my magazine up, and I held my figure up to pose for the photo with our thumbs up. After, we put our stuff down and Jim says "okay, now lets to a wrestling pose!", and he puts his hand around my throat. He tells me to make a "wrestling face" lol.

After the photo-op, we continued to talk a bit more. He asked me if I collect the merchandise and I told him that I do. I quickly show him a picture of my collection on my phone and he was amazed at it. He even said that it looks like a store lol. Next, the handler tells Jim: "he bought the special deal" and handed Jim a 2x4. The 2x4 was pre-signed, but Jim asked me if I wanted it personalized. I said "yes, please", and Jim added the "To Alex" on the 2x4. This was great! I did not realize that the 2x4 was included in the $50 I paid. I was extremely happy with this because I spent $10 less than I expected AND I get a third autograph.




After Jim added the personalization, he tells me "It was very nice to see you again, Alex!". I thank him again and tell him that it was nice meeting him again as well. Another great experience with the Hacksaw today.



As always, thanks for reading!

Posting this a bit late considering that I normally post a report right when I get home, but better late than never, right?
Ted DiBiase brought his show to Toronto last night:



This was similar to the Shane Douglas event I attended a few months ago, but with a much higher turnout. I would estimate around 200 people attended the show at a stand-up comedy place in Toronto. I got to the venue half an hour earlier than I expected, which turned out to be a good thing because there was already 30 people there.

The show started right on time at 8pm. Before Ted came out, the host of the show (who was responsible for helping bring Ted) told stories to the crowd about working with Jake Roberts and Jim Duggan on their respective shows similar to this one. Funny stuff including the fact that they would pull ribs on him. The host also said that he wanted to get Virgil for the show too, but joked "Virgil wanted $17, which was $9 too much!". After, a stand-up comedian also performed, who did an amazing Arnold Schwarzenegger impression. Anyways, it was finally Ted DiBiase's turn to come out. Throughout the show he told stories about his career, but the first thing he talked about was his HOF3 figure. He mentioned that he often gets asked about the little boy in the basketball scene and what ended up happening. He explained to the audience that it was show business, etc. but the boy was legitimately scared. Ted says that when he saw that HOF3 figure, he couldn't believe it when he realized it came with a basketball!

Some highlights of the show (i.e. most of what I remember):
- He addressed Virgil, by asking the crowd: "Have you guys heard about... Lonely Virgil?". Apparently, Virgil had gambling problems in the past.
- Ted DiBiase told stories about ribs, including a rib which Mr. Perfect did on him. Mr. Perfect asked Ted DiBiase for some pill to help him fall asleep. Unbeknownst to Ted, Perfect drugged Ted's drink with Ted's own pill.
- Ted also talked about his character and how excited he was to play it, especially when Vince told him that they would provide him with limos, first class airfare, etc, to make it seem like he truly was the Million Dollar Man.
- Getting fully cramped in an elevator with Andre the Giant and strangers in Japan. Andre did not have any room and wanted to clear the area, so he let out a very very very... very long fart.
- Being hated in New Orleans for defeating the Junkyard Dog

The show ended at 9:30 and the host of the show came back out to announce that Ted DiBiase will be taking a quick break before signing autographs. The host also mentioned that they still have to set up the autograph table. As he did so, he was also speaking with his hands and motioned to a particular area in the room, which led me to believe that the signing would take place in the same room as the show. Turns out, the signing was actually in the other room where the bar was. Furthermore, they didn't even announce that Ted would be signing already (that "quick break" was two minutes) Because of that, I was about 50th in line when I realized he was signing.

The line went by slowly! Ted was not rushing anyone and was willing to talk to everyone. Fast forward 45ish minutes later, it was finally my turn. I ask the handler for prices, and I thought they were decent. $20 for autographs on toys, $10 for autographs on books/magazines, and $15 for a photo-op. I've met Ted twice before and haven't gotten a photo-op yet, so I made sure to get that, as well as five autographs.

As Ted was taking a photo with the fan before me, I put my stuff on his table. Since Ted was already standing up for the photo with the fan before me, he told me "let's do the photo first". He handed me the Million Dollar Championship for the photo and we take the picture. I tell him that I'm a really big fan (had to repeat myself a few times because the music was a bit loud), and he responds: "yeah! I can see that! You have all this!". He then sits back down to sign my stuff. He asks me what colour I want the magazines signed in, and I asked for blue. He first signed the PWI magazine, and he looked at it and said: "this was actually the last photo I took for Bill Apter before I became the Million Dollar Man!" He then signed the WWF Magazine.




I tell Ted that I really enjoyed the show and he thanked me for that. He then grabbed his own gold marker to sign his Money Inc. entry in the encyclopedia.




Next, I hand him my gold paint marker for him to sign my two figures in. I asked him to personalize them to Alex and he was happy to do so.






After he gives me back my marker and shakes my hand. He smiles and sincerely tells me: "thank you so much for coming out tonight". It was a very sincere thank you and I felt that he truly appreciated the fans. I thank him as well, gather my stuff, and called it a night.

This is my third time meeting Ted DiBiase, and again, he was great. More talkative tonight that the last two times. What was great was that he did his signature laugh a few times which was cool to hear. He even cut a promo on video for a fan.

Thanks for reading!

Quick report tonight. Billy Gunn was in Mississauga, ON for Destiny Wrestling:



Billy Gunn signed autographs during intermission. I'm usually one of the first in line, but this time I was about fifteenth in line, which wasn't too bad.
I intended to get him to sign my Battle Pack, as well as my Encyclopedia. The problem (or, so I thought) was that Billy has 5 entries in the book. I figured that the costs to get all 5 entries signed might add up to be a bit much; however, the price for autographs was fair. Autographs were $10, and photo-ops were $20. When I got to the front of the line, I paid the $80 for 6 autographs and a photo-op. Solid deal, in my opinion!

Billy seemed very happy and eager to meet fans. He seemed to appreciate the fans that came to meet him and never stopped smiling. Before I could even say hi, he saw my marker resting on his table, reached over to grab it and gladly signed my battle pack with it.



As he signed my battle pack, I open up to the first two entries in the Encyclopedia: "Billy Gunn" and "Billy & Chuck". I tell him that I'm a big fan and thanked him for coming. In response, he smiled, switched to a black Sharpie, and signed the two entries. I wanted to say more to him, but the music in the venue was a little loud and I would have had to raise my voice. School is tiring me out; didn't feel like raising my voice tonight lol.



Once he signed those entries, he put his marker down, but I opened up the book to the D-Generation X entry and asked him to sign that as well:



Again, he went to put his marker down. I tell him that I paid for enough autographs to get all entries signed (just in case that was what he was wondering about) . I flip to the New Age Outlaws page and he signs that:



He also signed the Smoking Gunns entry. He seemed a bit puzzled at Jake's autograph. Jake didn't feel like switching to a silver sharpie to sign his Snake Pit entry a few years ago and signed in the Smoking Gunns section. He had to think for a few seconds as to where to put his signature before actually signing it.



Then, I ask for my photo-op. Billy got up from his chair (which is great!) and I was able to stand beside him for a proper photo. My dad was taking the picture, and he can be a bit slow with cameras. My dad was pressing the shutter button a few times and the picture wasn't getting taken. After the photo was taken, Billy even joked: "he kept on reloading, but it wasn't firing!". We both laugh and he then offered his hand out for a handshake and thanked me. Billy was great! Very nice to everyone that came to him and was willing engage in conversation with everyone. If you have the chance to meet him, go for it!



Thanks guys!

Bret Hart, as well as Mick and Noelle Foley were at the Toronto Comicon today:











I've met Bret and Mick several times before, but I really wanted to go and get my Elite figure signed by Bret. The convention hours were from 10-6, and Bret was to be signing throughout the day, except for when he has his to do Q&A and professional photo-ops. I didn't feel the need to get there early because he would be signing for a long time, so I got there around noon and went straight to his line. I found his line around 12:20 and Bret was there signing. There was about 60 people ahead of me. His professional photo-ops were at 1:15, so I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make it to Bret before he had to leave for those. Luckily, I was one of the last few able to meet him a few minutes before he was supposed to leave.

I went up to him and shook his hand. With this being my fifth time meeting him, I know that Bret isn't exactly the most talkative person at these meet and greets. I simply told him that I appreciated him coming out and signing today. In response, he said "I appreciate you coming today as well." After he signed my figure, we pose for a photo-op, and he says "thanks, Alex!".



Then, I went to go meet Noelle Foley. I decided to pass on Mick this time, but wanted to meet Noelle as I feel like she'll eventually get a bigger role in wrestling. They had a line of about 20 people, so the wait wasn't too bad. When I went up to the Foleys, Mick was talking to someone else, but Noelle first asked me how I was. I told her I was good and that I'm here to meet her. I also told her: "I've met your dad four or five times, so it's finally nice to meet you!". She replies: "whoa! that's a lot of times! Are you going to meet me five times as well?". I respond: "sure! You would have to come back five times though!". She laughed, and I told her it was nice to meet her. Mick was done talking to the fan ahead of me, so I shook his hand and said hi to him as well, and explained to him that I've met him several times. He thanked me for that. I didn't have anything for her to sign, so I chose one of the photos they provided. This photo is actually an 11x17. She asked me for my name and personalized it to me. After, she comes out from behind the table and poses for a photo with me. After the photo I shake her hand and we thank each other.



Have a nice day! Billy Gunn will be at an indy show near me next weekend, so watch out for that report! Thanks!

Met Jake "The Snake Roberts at the Smash Wrestling event near Toronto this evening:




There was a room specifically for merchandise and autographs with the wrestlers. Luckily, Jake Roberts was already there signing and with no line too! I went up to him, and he was talking to one of the staff. Once he saw me, he cut the conversation, and said "Next!". I yelled: "that would be me!" and shake his hand. I ask for prices for autographs, which were $25 each, or a $40 combo. He saw that I had two items, and told me he'd do $40 for the two. I agreed with it then asked him to sign using a green paint marker. He joked: "I don't like that colour!", then smiled and grabbed the marker from me. I first had him sign a WWF Squirt Head. I figured that instead of getting a typical magazine, or something similar signed, I'd change it up and get a more unique item signed. He even exclaimed to his handler: "look at this thing!".




Then, I had him sign his WWE Pick Your Poison DVD, personalized to me. I didn't really have much to say to him because this was my third time meeting him. I simply told him that I appreciated him signing my stuff and that I hope he enjoys his stay here in Toronto. He told me: "yeah! I won't be here for long though!"



Next, I asked for a photo-op, which was another $20. Jake stood up for the picture with me, and he was taller than I expected. I pulled out my digital camera to use for the picture, and the handler said: "whoa, an actual camera. He [Jake] hasn't seen those before!". In response, Jake looked at the camera disgustingly with a confused look, then pointed at it and yelled: "what is that!? what is that!?" lol. I assumed that it was because most people use cellphone cameras now. Thought that was pretty funny. We took two photos: one normal one, and then a second one where he stuck up his middle finger lol. After the photo, I shake his hand and thank him again. Jake was very awesome to meet. Joked around and seems to be happy to be there.



Thanks again!

DISCLAIMER: With this write-up, Shane might come off as a bitter person to you. That is NOT the case. Please keep that in mind as you read this. Shane was a very great guy who had some interesting thoughts and ideas.

A bit of a long write-up tonight. Shane Douglas was in Toronto tonight for an Uncensored Tell-All event about his career and thoughts of wrestling.



Last week, I had gotten my ticket to the show at the advance price of $25. I arrived at the venue (a small bar/lounge) at around 6:45, while the show was to start at 8. When I went into the venue there was barely anyone there yet, but The Franchise Shane Douglas was. I approach him, shake his hand and tell him that I’m here to meet him. He tells me “Oh! It’s nice to meet you! What’s your name?”. I tell him my name and explain to him that “I met him a few years ago, but I’m a big fan so I wanted to come meet you again!” He said that he appreciated that, then disappeared for a few minutes, presumably to use the washroom.

A few minutes later, I notice that Shane had taken a seat by himself in the little lounge area towards the back of the bar. He was by himself, so I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to talk to him. I go there and said “Hey, sir!” and continued from where our prior conversation left off. I show him a picture on my phone from the last time I met him, he took my phone, looked at the photo, smiled, and said that he appreciated me for coming.

He continued by asking me if I had watched the Elimination Chamber PPV, and asked me what I thought of it. I told him that I really enjoyed it. He asked “really? I thought it was sh*t. I was watching it and thought to myself ‘someone had to be ribbing me!’”. He told me what he thought of it. He thought that since they were going a spot with the glass of the elimination chamber door, they should have used sugar glass for a better effect. Furtermore, he didn’t like the fact that AJ Styles was in the match because it would do nothing for him. He feels like they just through AJ in there to do moves, and that’s it. That was his major complaint about the product: it seems as if all they are there for are to do moves. In response, I asked him: “If WWE were to offer you a job, say at the performance centre, would you take it?”. He said absolutely not, and that he turned them down four times.

He also ranted about Vince McMahon and talked about how greedy he is. He talked about the concept of a Legends Contract and told me the details of it. Apparently, those who sign the contract don’t make money at all and is just a way for Vince to get even richer. He also noted that its sad how wrestlers like Sabu have to make a GoFundMe page and beg fans for money to pay for surgery. He argued that it should be Vince that should be paying for the surgery because Vince is profiting from the wrestlers putting their body on the line. Also, apparently, he’s good friends with Ivan Koloff who is unhealthy due to liver disease. According to Shane, Ivan wrote Vince a letter asking for a legends contract. The story goes that Vince (or WWE) replied with “I’m not running a f*cking welfare business”. He called Vince a piece of sh*t for that. He said that royalties that they get paid are barely anything, if anything.

I also ask him: “do you still stay in contact with any of the ECW originals?”. He tells me yes and lists a bunch of those who he still talks to, including Steve Corino and Tommy Dreamer. I told him that I’ve met those two a few times and they were both extremely nice to me. He agreed and said that those guys have always been great.

Furthermore, he talked to me about the late Nicole Bass and told me how wonderful of a woman she was. “I have nothing bad to say about her”. Shane talked about how great Nicole was to work with. Related to this, I bring up George Steele’s death, and he said that he enjoyed working with Steele as well. Shane also said “the guy was almost 80!” and I agreed that Steele was lucky to live that long compared to other wrestlers that die young.

That was most of what we talked about personally. Shane actually took the time to talk to me for about 10 minutes and it was great. He apologized to me and said that he would like to get some shut-eye before the show. I told him that it would be no problem and that I appreciated the time he took to talk.

Now, the actual show starts. For the show he took questions from the audience, and told stories and thoughts. Some of those thoughts included the ones he personally told me. Some other stuff he mentioned (that I can remember):
- He was supposed to team with Brian Pillman to form the Hollywood Blondes, but turned it down because he didn’t feel like the timing or role was right for him
- TNA failed because Dixie Carter wouldn’t listen to the advice that Shane, along with others (like Mick Foley) was giving her
- Having beef with Ric Flair
- He also told a few stories of ribs that occurred while on the road, including Mr. Perfect lining another wrestler’s cup rim with crap
- Said that Shawn Michaels was the greatest in-ring performer of all-time.

There was a bunch more stories he told, and it was great listening to him. After the show, he stepped down from the stage and shook the hands of people in the outer rows, thanking them, including myself. He then signed autographs.

I had him sign his Dean Douglas entry in the Encyclopedia. I already had him sign his Shane Douglas entry a few years ago, but didn’t realize he was also in it as Dean. This is because the glossary is sorted by Last Name, but for some reason Dean Douglas fell under “Dean”, not “Douglas”, so I ended up finding out about the entry by accident one night when I was flipping through the pages.



The best part – autographs were free. I had him sign my book, and a photo-op from the last time I met him. The guy helping Shane out asked: “oh? Is that a picture of you and Shane?”. Shane responds: “Yeah! This guy met me at a show a few years ago!”. I then tell Shane: “thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me before the show.” He replied “no problem, sorry I had to cut it short. When you get old like me, you have to take naps!”. I said: “that’s okay, I really appreciated it!”



We then pose for a photo (also free), and that was it for tonight. We thank each other again and I call it a night.



Shane was great! I LOVE the fact that he actually took the time to talk to me personally. Definitely a nice guy. Just a reminder, even though Shane shared some negative thoughts, he was not a bitter guy at all. Also, he does a great Terry Funk impression!

Thanks for reading!

Two quick meet and greets today.

First, The Honky Tonk Man was at the Ontario Collector's Con in Mississauga, ON today.



Admission was $10, and like all wrestlers who appear for this convention, autographs and photos were $20 each. Having already met him twice before, I only wanted one autograph, and no photo. I got to the con a few hours after it had already started, which meant that there would most likely be little to no line up for Honky Tonk Man. Once I got there, I was able to go straight to Honky to get my Basic signed.

I went up to him, said hi, and handed him my blue paint marker for him to use. He tested the marker on a little piece of cardboard he had beside him, then looked at my little sticky note that said "To Alex". He spelled my name out loud to make sure he was reading it correctly, to which I told him that he had it correct. I didn't really have much to say to him, but I reminded him of the autograph signing he did a year or two ago at a local flea market. He said "Yeah! I was there!" then asked me: "has there been any more wrestlers signing autographs there?". I told him that there haven't been any, and that he was the only one. The handler taking the money asked about the signing and I mentioned the specifics as to which Flea Market it was. Us three speak about it and Honky recalls "I remember the booth I was at. They had tons of wrestling stuff!" I told him that I agreed with him, then thanked him for signing my figure and shook his hand. He thanked me as well.




Later in the day, there was a Lucha Toronto independent wrestling show, which had Sami Callihan (also known as NXT's Solomon Crowe).



I was a fan of his during his run in NXT, so I wanted to go meet him and get his autograph in a program that he was in. Admission was $20, and once I got into the venue (a local gym facility), he was already there signing autographs at there merch tables. This was great because I didn't want to stay for the wrestling. I just wanted the autograph.

I approach his table and get my program ready. There was another fan there talking to Crowe, so I waited a few minutes. Once it was my turn, I open up my program and ask him to sign it. He looked around his table and told me that he doesn't know where his markers went. Luckily, I still had the blue paint marker I had Honky use in my pocket, so I let him use it. I told him that I was a big fan of his during his NXT run and told him that I wished he got to do more. He told me "I'll be back!" and smiled. We then pose for a picture, and I thank him. In response, he thanks me as well, and tries to sell me a shirt or DVD by saying "ya know, I've got shirts and DVD here too!", in a nice/polite way though. I apologize to him and tell him that I'm on a budget. In response, he says "Alright man, I understand! Thanks!". (Compare this to Virgil... who will never stop trying to sell you his stuff lol). The best part was that he signed my program and took a photo with me, both for free! So for my $20 admission got me a combo with Sami, which I was satisfied with. He was awesome.




Great experience with both wrestlers today, as well as Madusa yesterday! A great weekend! Thanks for reading!

I met Alundra Blayze/Madusa in Toronto today. Alundra was in Toronto for her farewell tour for Monster Jam as she is retiring from monster truck driving. Alundra was to sign autographs during the pre-show Pit Party. The way to get access to the Pit Party was that you must have gotten a ticket to the event itself, as well as a ticket to the Pit Party. I'm not a Monster Jam fan, so I decided to go for the cheapest seats. I ended up spending about $35 for the tickets to both components.



Alundra was to start signing at 3.. I got to the arena just before 2, and security let fans into the building at 2:30. Once I got into the arena, I went straight to line up for Alundra and was third in line. A few minutes later, ARUN joins me in line, and we talked while waiting for Alundra. As always, nice seeing you! At five minutes past 3, Alundra comes out and starts signing.




Arun met Alundra first and I could tell with the way Alundra was interacting with him that Alundra was a nice woman. Towards the end of their interaction, I think Alundra was talking to Arun about how cool his name was. This is because when it was my turn to go up to her, she asked "do you have a cool name too?". I laughed, and said "no it's just Alex!". I think Arun also joked: "its not as unique!". Us three laugh, and I start taking my stuff out. She was grabbing her marker for her to use, but as she did, I tell her: "the only reason why I came today was so I could meet you". She gave me a surprised look and asked "seriously?!", then immediately put the marker down, looked me in the eye and offered her hand out for a very sincere handshake. She seemed to really appreciate that I said that. I tell her that it was true, and that I'm a really big fan. I first had her sign my encylopedia:




I then start taking more stuff out. I apologize to her and tell her that I have a bunch of stuff. She smiled and said "thats okay! I'll sign everything". After the encyclopedia, I had her sign a WWF Magazine from August 1995, she laughed and joked "oh wow! This is so embarrassing!" lol. I also had her sign an 8x10 photo, personalized to me. Before she signed the photo, she asked me to make sure that I wanted her to sign as Alundra on the photo, not Madusa.



I then had her sign inside two WCW magazines, one of which is one of those full-spread photos and the other is a little profile section of her.



Next, I had her sign a Wrestling Eye magazine, and the WCW Ultimate Guide Book. When she saw the magazine, she laughed and said "that must have been a Madusa kind-of-day!"




Lastly, I had her sign the second edition of the WWE Encyclopedia, and disc 3 of the Wrestlemania 31 DVD. I normally don't get my second edition of the encyclopedia signed, but because she was signing anything you wanted, I thought that I might as well bring it along. As she signed those last two items, I told her that I really appreciated her signing everything I brought. I explained to her that I have a huge collection, which is why I have all of this. She smiled, and thanked me as well.




After she signed all of those, we pose for a picture, and that was the end of our meet. As me and Arun leave her table, she thanks us for being loyal wrestling fans. Thanks again Arun for taking photos for me.
Throughout the duration of the pit party (2.5 hours), her line did not die down at all. They even had an overflow section for her at one point. It was a mixture of wrestling fans, and Monster Jam fans that came to meet her. At one point, she was interviewed by one of the Monster Jam interviewers (kinda like the Renee Young or Charly Caruso of Monster Jam lol), and Alundra said that she appreciates the fans and even said "I've had a few guys with piles of wrestling merch to get signed and it's great!". Hmmm... Sounds like someone I know. (Ahem, me).

I ended up also staying for the Monster Jam show as well because I wanted to see what all the excitement was about when it came to monster trucks. I've never been to one of these events before, so I thought that I'd check it out and perhaps I might like it. I ended up leaving during intermission. It's just not my thing.




Alundra was great. She happily signed anything you wanted, made jokes, and was willing to engage in conversation. She was also very appreciative of the wrestling fans and their loyalty. I also tweeted Alundra after I met her, and she even sent me a reply:












Thanks for reading! I'll be meeting the Honky Tonk Man tomorrow, so watch out for that one!

It's been a while since my last autograph signing report. There weren't any that has happened in my area since the last time I posted, so it's nice to finally have one today, and it was a great one.

I met Ryback at the Destiny indy wrestling show in Mississauga, ON this evening:



Ryback signed autographs during intermission and after the show. Wanting to be one of the first to meet him, just before they announced intermission, I went straight to the merchandise table where Ryback would be signing and was second in line. Once Ryback came out, he immediately started singing and taking photos with fans. Prices were $30 combo, or $20 per autograph. I paid for a combo and three extra autographs.

I first shake Ryback's hand, and give him a red paint marker to sign an Elite and Basic with. As I do so, I tell him: "it's nice to meet you again!". (This is normally how I start my conversations with wrestlers I've met before). He asks me: "Oh! Where have we met before?". I tell him that he did a signing at a Walmart a few years ago not too far from the area, and he said that he remembered that signing. We spoke about that signing and I mentioned to him that he had to stay a few hours longer for that signing because of the huge turnout. I told him that it was really nice of him to do so that day, and he smiled.



I also briefly talked about his time in WWE and told him that I was a big fan and really wished he had a run with the world title. He smiled and thanked me for saying that:




Lastly, I told him that he seems to be pretty successful without WWE. He thanked me again, and said that he's been happier with what he's being doing now as compared to when he was with WWE. 



After he signed my items, we pose for a photo and he thanks me by name. Just like the first time I met Ryback, he was really friendly and seemed very humble. I really wish I got to talk to him more, but there was a good-sized line for him, so once I got my autographs and photos, I thanked him and left. For the actual show, Ryback defeated Moose in a decent match which ended in Ryback giving Moose the Shellshock.




That's it for now! A quick, yet great experience. Feed Me More.... autograph signings! I'll be back next week for a couple of signings

As always, thanks for reading!

I met AJ Styles and Mick Foley during the morning of Survivor Series at two separate events.

First, AJ Styles did a free signing at the EB Games in Downtown Toronto.



AJ Styles was originally supposed to do a Talk is Jericho podcast, but was replaced by Kevin Owens because AJ Styles had other obligations to fulfill. I guess these were those other obligations lol. Having never met Styles before, and because he's the current WWE World Champ, I had to go to this, and wanted to go early enough so that I would finish meeting AJ early to go to the next thing I wanted to go to (more on this later).

AJ was scheduled to be there at 11 and sign for 400 people. I overheard an employee say that there were over 400 people there. Whether or not that's true, I'm not sure because I never bothered to check the line after I met Styles as I was in a rush. I arrived at the EB Games around 6:45 and was 10th in line. Two and a half hours later, my dad joined me and we waited until wristband distribution at 10. Once they gave out wristbands, the store opened and we were let in. This was great because it was windy and snowing outside.

AJ Styles started signing right on time and was signing at the upper level of the store. They had us line up at the lower level and would bring people up in groups of about 10. When it was my turn to meet Styles, I shook his hand and asked for an 8x10 personalized to Alex. He signs and asks: "Is that with an E-X, or A-X?". I've never heard anyone named Alax, but I guess AJ has, so I politely said "E-X, please."




We pose for a photo and then I had him sign a TNA program, and a Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine. After he signs, I thank him, and my dad and I were off. Quick signing here.. AJ was quiet, but still nice.








After AJ, I parted ways with my dad to go to the Santa Claus parade. Yes, the Santa Claus Parade. Why? To deliver my letter to Santa, of course! Lol no. The real reason was this:













Mick Foley was to signify the start of some marathon/race they did at the Santa Claus Parade. The race was to start at 12, and I had finished with AJ around 11:25, but luckily, the commute was only 15 minutes and I was able to make it there before the race started. Right before noon came, Foley made the announcement and the race was on.



After all of the racers went away, I approached Mick and asked if he had time for an autograph and photo. He said "yeah!", and posed for a selfie with me. I then pull out my encyclopedia and he says "whoa! you brought your encyclopedia!". I respond: "yeah I was hoping to meet you here. This is actually my second time meeting you!" (it's actually the third, but apparently, I can't count lol). He responds: "oh really? Where was the first?". I tell him: "at a Destiny indy wrestling show in Mississauga." He didn't seem to remember it, but when I mentioned that it was at Santino Marella's gym, he instantly remembered and said "Oh! That was a fun night!" He signed my encyclopedia in the Rock n Sock Connection entry:



I then flip to The Union entry, and he says "Ah! The Union". He signs that too.



After, the WWE representative he was with had Foley start walking. As he did so, I ask for one more quick autograph personalized to Alex. The WWE guy said "come on, man, you got your one autograph already. We gotta go." Mick ignored him and gladly obliged. They weren't in a rush at all, they were literally just walking down the street lol. I thank Mick a bunch of times and was on my way.



Overall, two great experiences with AJ Styles and Mick Foley.

Thanks for reading!

Shinsuke Nakamura did a signing at an HMV in Downtown Toronto to kickstart Survivor Series weekend




They had announced this signing a few weeks ago. The process was that starting on Nov. 7, you would have to buy a WWE DVD at that HMV to get a wristband. Not wanting to take any chances, I went and got a couple of wristbands that day to make sure that I was guaranteed to meet Shinsuke. Turns out, I didn't have to go on that first day because they still had wristbands this morning and I don't think they got rid of all of their wristbands.

The signing was to start at 5. I have class on Fridays until 4, but because I had my wristband, I didn't need to worry about getting there early; however, I attended an earlier session of my class and was at the signing at around 3:30! Soon after, I met up with ARUN and JHTB® (nice seeing you both!) outside in line and we chatted, which helped passed the time. At around 4:45, my mom finds me in line. My mom came to help me get a few more autographs, which was great of her to do so.

A few minutes later, they bring us inside HMV and to the upper level where the signing would take place. A few minutes before 5, Shinsuke's music starts playing, and of course, the crowd sings along! However, Shinsuke doesn't appear yet lol. The song then played again, and finally Shinsuke came out and started signing. (Check out my instagram for the HMV Toronto Shinsuke Choir )




Shinsuke had the NXT Championship with him and he would either let you hold it, or put it on your shoulder. Also, Shinsuke never sat down! He stood the whole time, so that proper pictures could be taken, which was great. The signing was somewhat rushed, but that was to be expected. What Shinsuke would do is sign around 5 of the WWE-provided 8x10s all at once, then after a fan gets a picture, the security guard would hand one 8x10 to that fan.

20 minutes later, it was my mom and I's turn to meet Shinsuke. Shinsuke first put the NXT Championship on my mom's shoulder for the picture, who later told me: "that belt is SO HEAVY!"




I sent my mom up with a PWI magazine and an 8x10 I printed out, both of which Shinsuke signed. My mom said something to Shinsuke, and he gave an extra big smile to her and started laughing a bit. I later asked my mom what she said, and she couldn't remember lol.




I then go up to Shinsuke and first shake his hand. We pose for a picture, and I then ask him to sign two more 8x10's that I printed. I asked if he could sign using my blue paint marker, which he responded with "okay!". He signs the two, and shakes my hand again. I thank him then grab one of the WWE-provided 8x10s that Shinsuke signing a few minutes before.






As we were leaving, people from WWE gave out these mini WWE Championship pins:




Yeaoh! That's my experience with the King of Strong Style! Thanks for reading! Shinsuke was great to his fans, never stopped smiling, and was very polite! Not too talkative, but I expected that. Either way, Shinsuke was great to those who came to meet him.

I met Cody Rhodes at the Smash independent wrestling show slightly west of Toronto today:




Doors were to open at 4, so my dad and I got there around 3:30 to start lining up. The way they had set this event up was that Cody Rhodes would be signing autographs before the show, outside the actual arena. You would only have to pay admission to get into the arena to watch the wrestling. A line of about 15 people who had prepaid for their tickets started to form. I did not prepay for a ticket and planned to buy it at the door. However, I had talked to one of the people that worked there and asked if there was an option to just meet Cody and not stay for the show (and therefore, not pay admission). The lady said that it was totally fine, and told me to join the line because the line was also for those who wanted to meet Cody.

Cody came out before 4 and started to sign. The deal was an 8x10 photo and a photo-op for $30. Before you meet Cody, you would have to pay the handler first. I explained to the handler that I want 5 autographs and a photo. She explained to me: "an 8x10 and a photo with him is $30. You could get all your items signed too". All my items signed for $30? Awesome! I had to ask again to make sure, and yep.. 5 autographs for $30. Solid deal.

I walk up to Cody and shake his hand. Me and him had a decent convo lol. Here's what the conversation entailed (to the best of my memory):
Cody says: "how are you doing? Doing okay?" and smiles.
Me: "yeah, it's really nice to meet you again!". As I say this, I open up my two programs and a magazine to get signed
Cody: "'again'? When was the last time we met?"
Me: "We met at Emily's House!" (Emily's House is a hospice in Toronto where he and Stephen Amell did a charity thing last year.. I went to that hospice hoping to meet Cody that time, and did.)
Cody: "Oh! In Toronto? Wow. I don't think I've ever met anyone from there again" I then show him a picture. The significance of this picture is that he was sitting in his car at the time I approached him for autographs, and he says "oh! that was outside" and smiles.
Me: "Yeah it was really awesome meeting you there. I went there that morning hoping to run into you, and was lucky enough to do so. You were really nice to met that morning, so thank you for that."
Cody: "I remember that day. I remember it was really hard getting to that place."
Me: "I bet it was worth it though!"
Cody: "Yeah, it felt really rewarding!"







I then bring out two figures for him to sign. I first hand him a blue paint marker to sign my Jakks figure with, personalized to Alex.




After, I had him sign my Stardust basic, but asked him to use a light blue marker this time. He said: "ah! a lighter blue for this one!".
I tell him: "I really like using these paint markers because of their colors". He responds: "yeah, these paint ones have never failed me!"




Once he signed those figures, we move over to the side of his table and pose for a picture. I shake his hand, and my dad and I thank him. He responds: "thank you guys!"




Cody was awesome! Very polite and soft-spoken, and willing to engage in conversation. Another successful signing!

I met Finn Balor at a Walmart in Mississauga, ON this morning:



This signing was not well advertised at all! I literally only found out about it a few days ago when A-Rob mentioned it in a post in the Canada board. There was also very minimal information about it online. The signing was to start at 10, while wristbands were being handed out at 8:30. Interesting to note: there were 400 wristbands available at this signing, even though it was just a typical two hour signing. Normally, it would only be 300 wristbands, and two hours isn't even enough time for 300 people, let alone 400. Thought that was a bit weird.

Anyway, I tried to get there before 7, and was there around 6:45. Despite the minimal advertising and thinking that there wouldn't be much people, my dad and I decided to go extra early so that we don't get turned away like at the Big Cass and Enzo signing from last month. When the store opened at 7, we went directly to where the signing would be, and a line of about 20 people formed. The line did not grow that much at all. I would say around 75 people showed up by 10am, including ARUN . Nice seeing you!

Wristbands were handed out about 15 mins past the time they were supposed to - no surprise, and about half an hour before the signing was supposed to start, Walmart brings out multiple cases of E41 Balor. This just goes to show how last minute this event might have been. You would think that they'd have Balor figures out once the store opened, and not shortly before the event was supposed to start. I already have a E41 Balor, and signed by him from the last time I met him, so there was no need to get it. They also put out fresh cases of Elite Lost Legends, but I had already ordered what I wanted off Amazon, so again, there were no new figures I needed.

At 10:05, Finn, wearing a sling, finally comes out while to crowd cheers. He smiles and waves to the crowd, and the signing is started. The line moved at a decent pace. No fan was rushed, and you could get multiple things signed if you wanted to. The small turnout must have played a factor in this.



When it was finally my turn, I go up to Finn and stick out my right hand for a handshake. This was wrong of me to do because Finn has restricted movement in his right arm, so was unable to shake with his right hand, but did do a somewhat awkward handshake with his left hand. I first open up my programs, and hand him a yellow paint marker. I tell Finn that I really hopes he gets better soon as I'd love to seem him back in the ring again. He thanks me for that and signs the first program. Inside the program, I also had a printed photo-op with him from the last time I met him. He instantly remembered the event and said "Oh! this was the signing at HMV a few months back!", and signed that photo too. Really cool of him to remember the event (although, the big HMV logo in the back of the picture was probably a big giveaway lol).





I then flip to another program, to which he says "oh! Another one?". I respond: "yeah! I'm a really big fan!". He signs the second program, then says "thanks for the support!", then offers to sign 8x10 which was provided by Walmart/WWE, to which I said "yes please" and asked him to personalize it to me. We thank each other again, and it was my turn for my dad to meet him. I quickly had my dad go up to him to grab another signed 8x10. Finn was super cool about it and really appreciated the fans who came out. My dad and I thank him, and we were done.



Overall, another great signing. Finn was really nice, just like the time I met him back in May!

I met “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters, Victoria, and Jeff Jarrett at the Destiny World Wrestling and Global Force Wrestling collaborative indy wrestling show tonight in Mississauga, ON.



The three signed autographs during intermission and after the show. Right when intermission was announced, I went straight to the merch area where they would be signing. I first went up to Chris Masters, who was standing beside Sonjay Dutt. While Masters was finishing up with the fan ahead of me, I was speaking to Dutt for a bit and told him that it was nice to meet him. I didn’t want to get anything signed by him, but I did tell him that I was a fan. When it was my turn to meet Masters, I first asked how much he was charging, which he said he was charging $10. I asked for three autographs, and he said that he would do the three autographs for $20, which I thought was great. I first had him sign my encyclopedia and a program:




Then, I had him sign my Jakks RA figure in red. I asked him to personalize it to me and he was happy to do so. He also mentioned how well the marker works on the figure and that he liked how it looks. I told him that he could have the marker if he wanted it:




After he signed my items, we posed for a picture at no extra cost. Chris Masters signed three autographs and posed for a pic with me all for only $20. I thought this was a great deal to the point where I’d come back later for a fourth autograph (more on this later).

Victoria still had a decent-sized line, while Jeff Jarrett had a line of just a few people. I decided to meet Jarrett after I met Masters. When I went up to Jarrett, he exclaimed “oh hey man!” almost as if he somewhat remembered me from a few months ago (it was his tone and the way he said it which lead me to be under the impression that he somewhat remembered me). I told him that it was nice to meet him again, and asked him to sign his “Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart” entry in my encyclopedia. The deal was $10 per autograph, and $10 per photo-op. I opted to get both, especially because this time, he had a Bullet Club shirt on, which I thought was cool.




After we took the photo, we thank each other, and Jarrett tells me to enjoy the show tonight. Then, I finally join the line for Victoria. She was taking time with fans and engaging in conversation with all of them, which was nice to see. By the time it was my turn and right before I went up to her, she started fanning herself as the room was really warm. She joked with me, “how are you wearing that?! it’s hot!” (I was wearing a sweater). We laugh, and I asked how much she wants for two autographs and a photo with her. The handler says that for the two autographs it would be $20 combined, and a photo would be an extra $10. I had no problem with that, but Victoria mentioned “its okay! I’ll do the photo for free.” Awesome! I had her sign my TNA program, as well as my encyclopedia.






Victoria was really nice and seemed to enjoy interacting with fans. She never stopped smiling.

After intermission, the action continued. Chris Masters and Victoria teamed up against RJ City and Tiana in a mixed tag team match to a losing effort. In the main event and with the help of Santino Marella, Jeff Jarrett defeated Kongo Kong.








After the show, the wrestlers signed autographs again. On top of the items I already got signed, I had brought a few more items that I was initially on the fence about getting signed. I thought about it, and ended up choosing a program from 2007 to get signed by both Chris Masters and Victoria. I go back to the merch area, and meet Chris Masters again. For $10, I was able to get him to sign it. He also looked at the pictures in his profile in the program and pointed out the picture of him wrestling Jeff Hardy to one of his friends:




Lastly, I went back to Victoria, who also signed the same program for me. Once she signed it, I thanked her again and she responded “thanks babe!” and asked me if I had fun tonight, which I told her I did. I thanked her again, then called it a night.




All in all, all three wrestlers were pretty nice. Chris Masters was nice quiet, but polite; Victoria was also really nice to everyone, and Jeff Jarrett (just like the last time) seemed grateful for the fans who came out to the show.

Thanks for reading!

I met the Godfather at a toy convention in Mississauga, ON today.



The Godfather was scheduled to be there from 10-4, so I didn’t feel the need to get there early. I figured that if I got there a few hours later, there would be no line, and I’d just walk up to him.

I got there around noon, paid the $10 admission, and went to the area in which the Godfather would be signing. There was a line of about 10 people. I joined the line, which moved rather slow because the Godfather was talking to every fan and wasn’t rushing anyone.

It was cool listening to the Godfather talk about the various characters he played. When a fan brought a Goodfather item to get signed, Godfather mentioned that he hated playing that character. The only reason that he had to play that character was because Vince demanded it due to the change in their TV deal (I think WWF was going from network to cable, or vice versa), and wouldn’t allow a Godfather character on it. Furthermore, he said that he liked being Papa Shango, but didn’t like having to wear the facepaint. Lastly, when asked if he could choose just one character to be, Godfather said that he would choose his Godfather character. He said that it was because that it wasn’t really a character, and that that’s how he really is. He even briefly mentioned his strip club in Las Vegas to further show that his character is true to life.

When it was my turn to meet him, I first had him sign his Papa Shango entry in my encyclopedia. He looked at the page and saw Paul Bearer, then talked about how sad it is that all of these guys are dying. He looked through a couple of pages and pointed out how young some of them died. He then went to talk about Owen Hart, and the whole incident of his death. Godfather said that he didn’t see what happened because he was in the back, and was supposed to be Owen’s opponent.



Next, I had him sign my E39 figure. I asked him to personalize it to me, and he asked if I also wanted “Pimpin ain’t easy” on it, to which I responded that it would be cool for him to do that. Godfather and the handler complimented the marker I chose, and said it looked really nice.



After, Godfather got up from his seat and took a picture with me.

Godfather was really nice and talkative. He seemed to really appreciate his fans!



Thanks for reading!

Enzo and Big Cass did a signing at a local TRU this morning:



My dad and I planned to arrive around 7:30, but we ran late and ended up getting there around 8:20. There were already more than 300 people in line. This would be a problem for me as there were only 300 wristbands available, and wristbands are needed to meet them. I must have been the 320th person there, so I missed it by a bit. The last time this happened was with Ryback a few years ago who stayed longer so that he could meet everyone. I was hoping this would be the case for Enzo and Cass.



Turns out, they would have to leave after they met everyone with wristbands, and no one else. 10 minutes before the signing ends (around 11:15), the rest of us were told that we could stand on the side and take pictures as the wristband line dwindles down, but that's it; nothing else.



Once Enzo and Cass finished signing, they then looked at us (the people who weren't able to get a wristband), and Enzo says: "if you are 12 or under, come line up for a picture!". They then take pictures with kids, and were about to leave soon after. Before they leave, I hear a security guard say that their car is parked and ready to go in front of the store. As they begin to exit, I use a different exit with hopes of meeting them at their car and getting an autograph. Security kept telling me that they were done for the day, but I stayed as Enzo and Cass were about to leave anyway. Cass needed to go around the back of the car to get to his seat. While he does, I quickly ask him to sign my Battle Pack, he first says "sorry", as if he wasn't going to, but gave in and signed it. At this point, Enzo is still in the store, but comes out soon after. There was no opportunity to get Enzo because he went straight from the store to the car (literally two steps, so not much leeway compared to Cass who had to go around the car to get to his seat).




While I am disappointed that I wasn't able to properly meet them, I'm happy that I still got one autograph. Hopefully I get to meet Enzo soon, so that I could complete this set. Even though I didn't get a proper meet and greet with them, judging by the way they treated fans, especially kids, they seem to be really nice guys.

Thanks for looking!

Goldberg was "next" on my list of people to meet.



He was at Fan Expo in Toronto today for a free signing to promote WWE 2K17. He was scheduled to sign from 12:30 to 2, and I planned to start lining up an hour in advance. I was walking around the convention with friends, but we took a detour and happened to end up at the place where Goldberg would be signing at around 11am. There was already a line of 50 people, so I immediately joined the line. He actually ended up coming out 15 minutes early. They even played his theme song out loud while fans chanted “Goldberg!”. When he walked up to the stage on which he was signing, “please come back!” chants started. In response, he said something along the lines of “I’m old, and I’m done with wrestling… for now.” It seemed to me he hinted at a possible return.



The line went rather quick. EB Games provided 8x10s for everyone, but I had brought my own stuff to get signed. In the middle of signing, Goldberg stops, and grabs a microphone and addressed the crowd about the injury he caused to Bret Hart which forced him to retire. I think he might have gotten a lot of questions about that, considering that he felt the need to address midway through the signing. Keep in mind that this signing is in Canada. He apologized for it a few times and said that if he could go back in time, he would fix it. He said that he regrets that it happened and said that it is something he will take to the grave. Goldberg seemed like a very down to earth, and honest guy.



I ended up meeting Goldberg at around 12:55 and he signed three items for me, as well as the 8x10 before posing for a picture with me. I wanted to talk to him about his status with WWE, but there wasn’t enough time for me to do so. I had him sign my WHC Title, a DVD, my Encyclopedia, and the 8x10.








Goldberg was very friendly and appreciated the fans that came to see him.

Thanks for looking!

Who's next?

I met Damien Sandow and Hornswoggle at the Destiny World Wrestling show in Mississauga, ON tonight.




Both signed autographs during intermission. I first met Damien Sandow who was charging $10 per autograph, and $20 for a photo-op. Having already met him and gotten a picture with him a few years ago, I decided to just get autographs this time. I had four figures signed, and he even stopped to pose with one of them for me.


As he signed them he double checked with me that I wanted them personalized. I told him “yes, please. I actually display my autographed figures in my room. I hope you don’t mind.” He responds: “no, not at all!”. I then tell him that the first time I met him was actually during the grand opening party at this very gym (Santino’s gym), and he said that that was cool.


We spoke for a bit more and I told him that I’m a big fan and wish that he got to do more in WWE. He responds by saying that he appreciates it and that my comment meant a lot to him.


Just like the first time I met him, Sandow was very nice and made sure to sign with the markers I wanted. I almost forgot one of my markers on his table until Sandow reminded me about it then handed it to me. Sandow was in the Main Event, which had Santino as the guest referee. Here are a few shots:



After I met Sandow, I went over to meet Hornswoggle. Like Sandow, Hornswoggle was charging $10 for autographs, but only $10 for photo-ops. I ended up getting 5 autographs and a photo with him. I first had him sign my Battle Pack Series 2:


He also signed two programs and a DVD cover:


And lastly, the Encyclopedia:


I didn’t really talk to Hornswoggle that much, but he seemed nice and did thank me for coming. He seemed to enjoy meeting fans, especially the kids.

That's it for tonight. You're welcome

Another short report. Chavo Guerrero appeared for Smash Wrestling in Pickering, ON today.



Smash always puts on great shows, but because I had other plans, I couldn't stay for the actual show and was hoping to leave after intermission (as wrestlers normally sign during intermission); however, Chavo was already out and signing before the show started.

I joined the line and when it was my turn to meet him, I shook his hand and asked how much he was charging for autographs. He asked me what I wanted signed, I told him, and we agreed on $30 which i thought was a good deal.

I first hand him my ECW belt and he asks me for a silver marker. I hand him a silver paint marker and he comments saying that these are the best markers to use. I ask if he can sign it in a particular spot, to which he replied "I'll sign it anywhere you want!"



I then open up my encyclopedia to his two entries. He comments: "this is actually a really great book!". I talked to him about it and told him that I have over 100 autographs in it. As he signs, I tell him that I'm a really big fan, which he seemed to appreciate and thanked me multiple times.




Lastly, I had my 2010 program signed:




After he signed my items, I went behind his table to pose for a picture with him. I shake his hand, and he thanks me again for coming out and tells me to enjoy the show. I quickly pack my stuff up while another fan meets him. When I got the chance, I made sure to thank Chavo again to which he replied "thank you very much for watching!". Chavo was really nice and thanked me quite a few times. It was really cool meeting him and if you have the chance to meet him, you really should. He seems to genuinely appreciate and love his fans.


Thanks again guys, and make sure to watch out for an update next Sunday when i'll be meeting Damien Sandow and Hornswoggle!

It's been a while since my last meet. I met Brutus Beefcake for the fourth time today who was signing autographs during an indy show about an hour north of Toronto.




Despite the somewhat long drive, and the fact that I've met him three times before, I wanted to go an meet him again to get his autograph on a poster, while also figure hunting on the way (with no luck).
I got there a bit early, but I paid my admission and walked around the arena to see what the vendors had, which were all overpriced figures. 20 minutes before the show was supposed to start, Brutus came out and started signing autographs. He had a line of about 10-15 people, which isn't too bad considering this indy company didn't do much promoting and that this was only the start of the evening.

Brutus has a reputation of not being that nice to fans. That was the case the first time I met him; however, each time I met him after that first meet, he seems to be becoming nicer and nicer. For example, the fan in front of me told Brutus "I hope you enjoy your stay in Bradford!", and Brutus responded: "It's been a lot of fun so far! Everyone here is really nice!". Brutus was actually nice and talkative.


When I went up to him, I hand him my poster to get signed, and asked how much he was charging. He was asking $20 for an autograph and a photo, which I paid. He looked at the poster was said "oh wow! Honeycomb!" and smiled. I handed him my silver paint marker and he asked me as to where I want the signature. I show him, and he signs.




After, I was able to go behind the table and hold up his scissors for our photo. We shook hands and he thanked me for coming.




That's it for tonight. I'll be meeting Chavo Guerrero tomorrow so look out for another update.

Thanks!

The WWE was in Toronto tonight for a House Show. At every show, I like to wait around the side of the arena where wrestlers come into the arena. This is because some wrestlers actually come out and sign autographs. (There are barricades set up for fans to wait around). Natalya does this every time, and so her coming out today was no surprise.

I arrived around 3, with the actual show set to start at 7:30. A few hours pass by, and only a few wrestlers arrive at the arena so far; however, no one came out to sign.

At about 5:15, Natalya came out, and started taking pics and signing autographs.



When she came out, it started to rain a bit, so she warned to get cameras ready because she was going to go quickly. Despite this, she stayed until everyone was happy. She walked down the barricade to try and get everyone. I got my selfie with her, then asked her to sign. She must've not heard me as she continued to go down the barricade.



Not a problem.. I just changed my position and moved down to a different area where she would soon be. Once I got to her again, I had her sign two programs, and then the Total Divas calendar. It was raining quite a bit and so the stuff that I had out got a bit wet. Nothing was damaged though.







After, I decided to head for the little bus shelter area in order to dry my stuff and put them away. As I was doing so, I hear commotion. DEAN AMBROSE is out and signing! The WWE Champion actually came out to sign autographs. I quickly put my Natalya stuff away and then get my Ambrose Basic out.



It was raining even more at this point, so the card on my figure got a bit mangled, but its still in decent shape. Like Natalya, Ambrose walked down the barricade to get to everyone. I had him sign my Basic figure in a white paint marker. The bubble was getting wet from the rain, which is why the autograph looks a bit runny. Still very happy with it nonetheless. I also tried to get a picture with him, but he continued down the barricade. Luckily, a fan beside me was having camera problems, which stalled Ambrose. While they were settling their camera issues, Ambrose quickly posed for me.





That's it for today! If anyone is interested, I have a video clip of the finish from the Ambrose vs. Rollins match from tonight's show on my Instagram! Thanks for looking!

Short report today.

Jeff Jarrett was at the Destiny independent wrestling show at Santino’s gym tonight. I previously met Jeff Jarrett at a TNA show years ago. The shirt I wore today was actually the same shirt I wore on that day too lol



Like at every show I go to, autographs were being done at intermission. I quickly went to the merch table right after the last match before intermission so I could be one of the first in line.



I was third in line for him. He was charging $20 per autograph, and a photo-op would be free. What was cool was that he had 8x10s with him spanning from multiple eras. He had his WCW promo, his WWF promo, his newest GFW promo, among others. He didn’t really say much, but did thank me after I said thanks to him. I had him sign my encyclopedia and World Heavyweight Championship.

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Jeff Jarrett tagged with local talent Randy Reign and faced the tag team of RJ City and Scott D'Amore to a losing effort. Jarrett ended the show by thanking everyone for coming to the show. This particular indy company will be having Eric Bischoff and Damien Sandow at their next shows in the coming months, so that should be cool.

--

Thanks for looking! Don't forget to check out yesterday's report below!

I attended the Niagara Falls Comic Con today. Shawn Michaels was one of the headlining guests, and with him being my favourite wrestler, I knew I had to go to this convention as it was only about an hour and a half away.

I had planned to get there at around 9am so that I could get in line until the doors opened at 10. We ended up getting there earlier than expected, which ended up being a good thing. The line to get in was already getting long. I quickly joined the line, and waited until the doors officially opened.



Doors opened a few minutes earlier than posted. For Shawn Michaels, you would have to purchase autograph tickets before you joined the autograph line. For some reason, I thought that these would be sold at the booth where Shawn would sign. I jet over there and was tenth in line. I start asking around, and it turns out that tickets were being sold just outside the main room of the convention. I quickly go there, buy my ticket, and come back. I was now about 30th in line. Autographs were $100 each. Despite this steep price, herds of fans showed up. They had to extend the boundaries of his line numerous times, and I think they might have cut it off at one point.



Shawn was scheduled to start signing at 11:30, but he came out 10 minutes earlier and started signing. I got my magazine out, and other fans started asking me about it and started complimenting it. It’s always fun talking to other fans. About 25 minutes later, it was my turn to meet Shawn.

Security rushed you so that everyone would be able to meet Shawn. They literally hand the item to Shawn as you go up to him, and you get like 10 seconds with him, and that’s it. I had Shawn sign a magazine, which I already had signed by Mike Tyson. I had him use my gold paint marker to match Tyson’s signature. As he signed it, I tell him that I met him before at the Detroit Autorama a few years ago and that it was a pleasure to meet him again. He responds: “Glad we were able to make it through again!” and he shook my hand. That was it for Shawn.





Jake Roberts, Howard Finkel, and Ricky Steamboat were also set to appear at this show. In addition to Shawn, I only planned to meet Ricky.

--

Ricky seemed to be running late as he still was not at his table. I decide that I would look at the vendors then come back to see if Ricky had arrived. A few minutes later, he actually did arrive, but the line was pretty long. I thought to myself that I might as well continue looking at the vendors and wait for the line to die down. I return to the line at 12:15 and it’s still long! I finally joined it.

The line moved painfully slow, but that was because there was no rush when you went up to meet Ricky. You could have a conversation with him if you wanted to. He also would step out from behind his table to stand beside you for a proper picture. He really loved meeting fans.



Fast forward two hours later – it was my turn to meet Ricky. The deal was a combo (i.e. photo-op and autograph) for $50. I asked the handler if I could get two combos, but substitute the second photo-op for a third autograph. She was cool with it!

I first had Ricky sign my Encyclopedia. As he does, I tell him that it’s really nice to meet him and thanked him for coming out. He thanked me too. He then looked at the picture in the encyclopedia (him spitting fire), and showed his handler and asked: “Can you believe I used to do that?!”.



After, I had him sign my Defining Moments figure. I had a post-it note that said “To Alex” on it and he asked “Oh. Do you want me to personalize it to Alex?” I tell him yes, and he responds “it will be worth less if I do that”. I tell him: “But it ends up being worth a lot more to me!”. He asks: “are you sure you want me to?” and I tell him yes. I had him sign the Defining Moments figure in orange and he commented “this is a nice fluorescent orange!”. Once he signed I handed him his Basic figure and a red marker. He smiled, handed me the orange one back, and signed my basic in red.
**(Reading this as a dialogue might make Ricky seem like he had an attitude. This is not the case. He was very soft spoken and polite when we spoke. It was a simple suggestion. He was also smiling a lot too.)



--


After he signed my item, he stepped out from behind his table and shook my hand for the photo. He thanked me again and reminded me: “make sure you give these enough time to dry!” I thanked him again, and that was it for the convention.

Overall, a pretty good con! Meeting my favourite wrestler for the second time was awesome!

Met Finn Balor today. Finn Balor did a signing at the HMV in downtown Toronto.



Wristband distribution began at 2. Anticipating a long line, my dad and I got there at noon. About 30 people were already ahead of us. The wait would be a long one, and the hot weather didn’t help either. The line would continue to get longer and longer.

At a quarter to two, HMV staff started handing out wristbands. You would need to show your (free) ticket, which you would have registered for beforehand. They looked for your name on a list, then gave you your wristband. They told us to come back around 4 and that we were guaranteed to meet Finn. My dad and I left to have lunch.

We went back to the line at 3:30, and the line was already building up. I was now about 45th in line, and would still have to wait until the 5pm start time for the signing.

Just before 5, the staff brought us into the store in groups. Before Balor came out, one staff member explained that there are no posed photos, and only one autograph per person allowed. They had their own photographer there who would take candid photos only… or so we thought. They ended up allowing posed photos, but did enforce the one autograph per person rule. Right around 5, Finn Balor came out, and it took us about 30 minutes to get to him.



It was a quick hello, sign, picture, and go. Each fan maybe spent 30 seconds max with Finn. The signing was scheduled to be an hour long, and there were a few hundred fans, so that must have been why they made it so quick. I saw some people with the Elite figure with the intention of it being signed in a red paint marker. I had brought a yellow one and started to wonder if I should have brought a red one instead. I’d later find out that I’d be glad I chose yellow.



When it was my turn, I approached Finn and first shook his hand. I hand him my yellow marker and have him sign it personalized. I also thanked him for coming out, to which he responded that he was happy too. We then posed for a quick picture, and it was my dad’s turn to come up. I quickly hand my dad the same yellow marker so he could get my basic signed. To my surprise, my dad threw up the “too sweet” sign for his photo-op. My dad isn’t a wrestling fan, so I was surprised he did that. When I talked to him afterwards he told me, “I saw other people doing it, so I thought I’d try it too!”. I thought that was cool of my dad to do lol



Overall, even though our encounters with Finn were extremely short, Finn was very nice and seemed to enjoy meeting fans. He never stopped smiling and made sure to shake everyone’s hand.



Pretty solid day for autographs. Met Stephen Amell in the morning (see below for report), and then Finn Balor in the afternoon.

Thanks for looking!

BONUS - Stephen Amell Report (5/24/2016)

Another quick little signing today. Carlito appeared at an indy wrestling event in Hamilton, ON today.




Knowing that Carlito would be signing before the show, my dad and I got there right when the doors opened at 3:30. I just wanted my autographs, and didn't want to stick around for the wrestling.

When I walked into the venue, I was surprised to see that Carlito had a table set up for autographs INSIDE the ring! There was a lineup of fans near the steps to the ring. I quickly joined the line and got into the ring when it was my turn. The staff at this indy company were very accommodating. The ring announcer made sure that those entering and exiting the ring were okay and offered help, while another staff member (the money handler) also took pictures.

Carlito was charging more than I anticipated. He was charging $10 per autograph, and a $20 photo-op. I needed two autographs, and a photo with him. I'm a big Carlito fan, so I had no problem paying those prices, but they were just higher than I expected. I paid the handler, then approached the table.



Before Carlito signed, the handler took my camera so she could take the pictures. Then, Carlito signed my WWE Encyclopedia, which now has 100 autographs in it, as well as a Jakks figure in purple. I tell him that it was really nice to meet him and thanked him for signing my stuff. He shook my hand, and I was off.

A cool (pun intended!) and quick signing today. Carlito was pretty quiet, but thanked fans for coming.



Thanks again, everyone!

Not much of a write-up this time as this was a really quick signing. I also posted this in the Mattel board, but since not everyone looks there, I decided that I'll update this thread as well.

I met Jimmy Hart for the third time today at the 80s Toy Expo in Mississauga, ON.



Just like the first two times I met him, Jimmy was friendly and seemed to be happy to meet fans. He was signing at the convention all day, and there was no line up by the time I arrived. I literally was able to go right to him. When I got to his table, he immediately shook my hand and asked me how I was.

Once I paid the handler $20 for the autograph, I hand Jimmy a red paint marker for him to sign my HOF3 figure with, personalized. I explain that this was my third time meeting him and that it's always nice doing so. He responded by thanking me a few times. Once he signed the figure, the handler looked at it and commented as to how nice the paint marker looked. After that, Jimmy thanked me and shook my hand again. Not too bad for a little quick meet and greet!

Kurt Angle appeared for the Destiny indy wrestling event in Mississauga, ON, which took place at Santino's gym. Kurt was the "special guest enforcer" for the main event.



The show was to start at 7, and I arrived at the venue at around 6 to already a decently long line. I joined the line and about 20 minutes later they started letting us in. This was great because these shows normally run late. 



I grabbed an aisle seat so that I would be able to quickly go to the merch area where Kurt would be signing during intermission. During the last match before intermission, I made my way over to the merch table so that I would be one of the first in line. While waiting, I also ran into A-Rock: Kane Collector , which was cool. We talked for a bit until intermission was officially announced. We were the first two in line and the line started to get longer and longer. We had made a good decision by heading to the table before intermission actually started. A few minutes later, Kurt comes out and starts signing. Prices were decent too! $30 for a combo (picture + autograph), or $10 per autograph. I asked for two autographs and a picture with him, which came to $40.



He saw my blue paint marker, grabbed it, and asked: "Do you want me to sign with this?", to which I responded, "yes, please". As he signed, I thanked him and told him that it was nice to meet him. I had him sign my encyclopedia (which now has 99 autographs), as well as a Jakks figure. Right before we took the photo, I noticed that Kurt didn't personalize my figure, even though I had a little sticky note that said my name. I reminded him and pointed to the sticky note. He apologized and made sure to personalize it for me. After, he stood up for the picture, and he thanked me multiple times. What I liked about Kurt was that he thanked me by name. He said: "thanks, Alex!" a few times, which I thought was very nice. We shook hands, and I was off. Kurt was definitely polite and friendly, and I'm glad I got to meet him again.





Thanks for reading, and don't forget to follow me on Instagram under the same username - TheChamp617!

WWE is in Toronto today for the Network Special: Roadblock. Because of this, a last minute autograph signing was announced which would have Dean Ambrose and R-Truth appearing at a nearby Toys R Us. Being a huge Ambrose fan, I really wanted to go.

This signing was poorly advertised, but despite this, I wanted to make sure my dad and I got there early enough to get a wristband, so we got there at around 8am with the store still closed (signing starts at 11). About 60 people were already in line.

45 minutes later, they start handing out wristbands. We were able to get ours, which meant that we would be guaranteed to meet Ambrose and Truth.



At 9 o'clock, the store opened, but we still had to wait outside. However, I was curious as to what the wrestling section had. I went to the wrestling section and it was being dug through by a bunch of fans. They had fresh cases of Basic Series 59. All of the Sashas went incredibly fast, and I was lucky enough to get one. I also ended up getting Sheamus, Eva Marie, Sheik (w/ chase belt), Honky Tonk Man, and R-Truth (which I would later get signed). As I was looking through the figures, a WWE representative was talking to some fans. She said that Paige was originally supposed to be here with R-Truth, not Ambrose. Needless to say, Ambrose was a suitable replacement.

Ambrose and Truth started signing 5 minutes early. They let fans into the Toys R Us in groups of about 10.

It was about 11:30 when I was able to get to them. First, I met R-Truth, who had already quickly signed an 8x10 for me. I then hand him my figure and marker. I had a little sticky note on the figure that said "To Alex". He saw that and said "nice! you came prepared!". He signed that, as well as my encyclopedia. I mentioned to him that I have almost 100 autographs in this book, and he seemed impressed. As he signed them, I passed on my Elites to Dean Ambrose for him to sign, along with a white marker. While Ambrose signed them, Truth and I posed for a picture. By the time, the picture was done, Ambrose was done signing my Elites and was happy to pose for a picture too (despite being "no posed photos allowed", they both were willing to take pics). I shake Ambrose's hand and thank him. He responds, "have fun tonight!". I quickly say thanks to R-Truth too and he responded by thanking me back.

I would have loved to talk to Ambrose more because I'm a really big fan of his. Handlers were rushing us, but that's okay. I was happy to meet the both of them! I also ran into wf member, ARUN at the signing. Nice seeing you!












Thanks for looking!

I was able to meet Nunzio today, also known as Little Guido back in the original ECW.
Nunzio was in Hamilton, ON, which is about 45 minutes west of Toronto for Alpha-1 Wrestling, a local independent wrestling company.



The show was to start at 4, but I got there late on purpose. I honestly do not care that much about the wrestling for this show. The wrestling is decent, and all, but I honestly just wanted Nunzio to sign my encyclopedia. I got there at around 4:30, and sat through another 40 minutes of wrestling until intermission was announced. When intermission was announced, I immediately went to the merchandise area to try and find Nunzio's table. Nunzio didn't have his stuff out, so I did not know what table he was going to be at, but I saw him enter the merch area as well, and so I followed him.

He squeezed his way behind a table, as I got my stuff out and ready. We made eye contact and he asked me how I was. I first asked him to sign my encyclopedia. He told me that he charges $5 for autographs, and would be will to sign a couple at that flat-rate price. However, I told him that I actually had a bunch of stuff, and we agreed on $10.

He first signed my encyclopedia in both of his sections. He also signed my Rise and Fall of ECW DVD. I'm trying to get a bunch of ECW Originals to sign this. Nunzio signed as Little Guido, and he signed in an awkward place on the dvd cover: near the barcode.






I also had him sign a program from 2007, as well as a Superstar Yearbook magazine from 2008:






Then, I pulled out my original ECW magazines. He seemed really surprised to see them and said "oh wow! You have those too!?". I responded by saying that I'm a big wrestling fan and that I have a huge collection. He signed both as Little Guido.




After he signed my stuff, we posed for a picture.
My meet with Nunzio was short, but he was really polite. He asked for $10, and since I was the first person to meet him, he didn't have change for my 20. He told me: "Just give me a few minutes, I won't forget about you.. I still owe you 10". Right when he got the 10, he gave it to me right away. Nunzio was definitely nice.. he was quiet, but nice.

Thanks for reading!

Mick Foley appeared for the Destiny World Wrestling independent show in Mississauga, ON, which is about 30 minutes west of Toronto. The show was actually held at Santino's gym. Mick Foley was to be the special guest referee for the main event, which featured Kongo Kong against Randy Reign (with Santino in his corner) in a no DQ match. Fun show overall, but I was there to meet Mick Foley.



The show was supposed to start at 7, but they were running about 15 minutes late. This particular indy company will actually be airing on a local cable provider's channel, so some cameras were on hand. Once the show started, it was full of action, and was actually pretty good. Mick Foley ended up interrupting a talk show segment, and got a cheap pop from the crowd when he mentioned the name of the city. Fun stuff.

Knowing that Mick would sign at intermission, I decide to go to the merch stand right before the last match before intermission ended. This way, I would be one of the first to meet Mick, especially considering how long the line would become. Intermission finally came, and I was about fifth in line. We had to wait a bit for Mick to come out, but once he did, he was happy to be meeting fans.

Mick was charging $20 per autograph, and took pictures for free. I wanted 4 autographs, which I paid for. Once I paid the handler, I handed my encyclopedia over to Mick and opened up two sections. He saw that I had a little sticky note that said "To Alex" on my figure. As he signed my encyclopedia, he said "Hi Alex! do you want this personalized too?" I told him yes and that it was nice to meet him again.



He then signed the "Dude Love and Steve Austin" section:



After, I handed him a brown paint marker for him to sign my figure with. Once he signed that, I then handed him a white paint marker for him to sign my DVD with. I apologized to him for all the marker switches I wanted, but he responded with "that's okay!". He seemed to be in a good mood. We then posed for a picture, which also turned out great. I offered my hand out for a handshake, but he wanted a fist bump instead.





And that was my encounter with Mick Foley. He was definitely awesome, and I'm really happy with how the autographs turned out. Here are a few pictures I took of the end of the show:







Thanks again! 2016 is off to a great start!

I was able to meet Nikolai Volkoff, Brutus Beefcake, Virgil, and Rhyno tonight at a local independent wrestling event. I paid for a VIP ticket which included admission, and a meet and greet with everyone. Brodus Clay was supposed to be there, but didn't show up. It seems as if promotors already knew about that considering they had updated their posters at the actual show.

This was no ordinary indy show. It was at a banquet hall, so things were classier than the typical show. Better yet, the meet and greet started right on time at 6PM.



For the meet and greet, they had us line up and enter a room. There were tables set up next to each other with each of the wrestlers signing. They were happy to sign anything you brought up to them, which was cool. Typically with VIP meet and greet stuff, they limit you to one item, but not this time. Virgil would be the first person everyone would meet.



When I approached Virgil, I shook his hand and told him it was nice to meet him again. I opened up my encyclopedia to the "Million Dollar Championship" section. He got excited and said "ah! This is when I was champion!". He then proceeded to sign it. I tried getting a picture of him signing it, but naturally, I missed.



After he signed, we took a picture together. I can't seem to win at Virgil photo-ops. The last time I got a picture, it was a little blurry. This time, Virgil wasn't looking lol.

He then tried to sell me an 8x10 photo. He did not have them with him because VIPs include autographs, but said "I've got photos with the belt at the merchandise stand outside. Take a look at them. I can sign them too." Yeah... no thanks. After, he then told me that he had another picture in the encyclopedia. I did not plan on getting that one signed, so i didn't mark the page. He, however, really wanted to find it, so he spent 5 minutes digging through the book finding the Saturday Night's Main Event page. He held up the line, but didn't seem to care about that. All he wanted to do was find the page. Once he finally found it, he signed that too. This guy must really be full of himself. He has such a tiny picture in that blurb and yet seemed to be proud of it.



After Virgil, I moved onto Nikolai Volkoff. I had him sign the "Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff" section first. After, I asked if he could also sign the "Million Dollar Corporation" section, and as a joke he said "NO!". He then started laughing, and signed it. We then posed for a picture, which included a photobomb from Sweet Daddy Siki. Turns out, as I was meeting Volkoff, Siki was waiting for me to get done with him, so he could greet Volkoff as well. Just like the last time I met Volkoff, he was really nice




After Nikolai, was Rhyno. I've got a whole bunch of autographs from Rhyno already, so I didn't really have anything else to get signed. I ended up just getting a VHS tape, and a 4x6 picture from when I first met him signed. Like that last two times I met him, Rhyno was quiet, but polite. We also posed for a picture.




Lastly, was Brutus Beefcake. This guy tends to have a reputation for not being that nice to fans. This was the case when I first met him; however, the second time I met him, he was actually pretty decent. Today, he was even better. He was all smiles shook everyone's hands and was willing to talk if you wanted to. I had him sign the "Dream Team" and "Mega Maniacs" sections in the encyclopedia and then posed for a picture with him.




And that was it for the meet and greet. The wrestling show was to start in half an hour, but I wasn't too interested in it, so I didn't stay for it. I did, however, stick around and went to the actual hall that would have the wrestling. I wanted to look for Sweet Daddy Siki, who I found sitting in the front row. Knowing in advance that we was going to attend the show, I brought two 4x6 photos from the last two times I met him. I approached him, shook his hand, and he signed them. He seemed a little tired today as the last time I met him, he was in a better mood. When I thanked him, all he said was "okay".

All in all, not a bad experience. I was in and out in 40 minutes, and got 10 autographs and 4 photo-ops. After today's signing, the autograph count in my encyclopedia is now up to 92.



Thanks again for looking/reading! On a side note, I plan to use this thread to share my autograph experiences. I'll be meeting Mick Foley this Sunday, so watch out for another update soon!

I typically post my experiences in the Official Trading Card and Autograph Thread, so this might actually be a first for me. (Cheap plug for that thread - my signing report from when I met Balls Mahoney, Mr. Kennedy, Sweet Daddy Siki, and Santino Marella this past weekend can be found there )


Anyways...

I met Natalya and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart today at the HMV in Downtown Toronto.

I live nearby, so this signing was easy to get to. This time, I didn't need a ride from my dad, but asked him to come along anyway, so I could get more autographs. This was an official WWE signing, so I was afraid they might be strict with the one per person rule.



They treated this signing a little differently than a typical signing. First, within the past week or so, you had to reserve a ticket online. You would then have to bring it with you to exchange it for a wristband. Wristband distribution began at 2 today, and there was a lineup of about 30 people around the corner of the store. They went from person-to-person checking for the ticket, then making sure your name was on the list to get a wristband. This took about 20 minutes until we finally got our wristbands.

We were told to come back around 4:30 and line-up again because the signing would start at 5. We had lunch, killed some time around the mall, then returned back to the same waiting area and was about 40th in line.

At just past 5, they let us in to the underground (basement) area of the HMV. This is where they hold special events, like meet and greets. One of the staff there stressed "there are to be no posed photos, and only one autograph per person!". About 5 minutes later, Natalya and Jim Neidhart came out and started signing.



HMV had their own photographer there and he was taking posed pictures for everyone, so the "no posed photos" rule was out the window. They wouldn't let you take a picture on your phone, however, only HMV's camera would be used. Also, the both of them had no issues signing multiple items. The security there didn't even mind, and was willing to help people with their bags and everything to make things easier. This signing was supposed to be only for an hour, so you would think they would rush fans, but nope. Natalya and Jim were willing to engage in conversations (long ones, I may add. Some people were talking for 2 minutes), take photos, and sign multiple items. Security didn't mind, and neither did Natalya nor Jim!

It was 5:55 by the time my dad and I got to the front. I gave my dad a program for Natalya to sign, and then an old random magazine to get signed my Jim (I ran out of actual WWF merch to get signed by Jim because he had a free signing earlier this year, and I got a bunch of autographs from him back then). My dad and I would go up to them separately. 

I first went up, with my encyclopedia, another program, and another magazine. I handed Natalya my encyclopedia and program to get signed, personalized to Alex. I told Natalya that this would be my fourth time meeting her, and she responded "well, thanks very much for coming out again!". I also asked if she was going to be at the Toronto House Show, where she said that she isn't sure, but hopes so. She told me: "I had to leave for personal reasons, but I hope to be back very soon!". I told her that I would be attending the house show, and hope to see her there.

I then requested Jim for an 8x10 photo, and then handed him my magazine. Both were VERY impressed with the magazine. Jim took a good look at the magazine and stared at the cover for about a minute. He then began to flip through the pages and told me "it's been a while since I've seen or signed one of these! Very cool!". Natalya then also offered to sign an 8x10 for me. After, I stepped behind the table for a photo, and quickly thanked the both of him and shook their hands. Before I left, Jim asked "what year is that magazine from?" and I told him that it was from 1987. He responded: "oh yeah! That was around the time of Wrestlemania 3!". I mentioned "yeah it was!" and thanked him again.


(Autograph #87 in the book)




It was now my dad's turn to go up to them. He hands them the merch I gave him to get signed. Again, they were impressed with the magazine I had my dad bring up. My dad was telling Jim something along the lines of: this is my son's magazine, he was the guy that came up before me. He's a really big fan". Jim Neidhart then asked my dad for my name, and Jim personalized the magazine to me, while Natalya signed the program. My dad then went behind the table and posed for a picture as well. After the picture, they both stared at the cover. I heard Natalya say: "this is very cool! I've never seen this picture before!" She then took a picture of the magazine with her phone! They then asked my dad what year it was from. He wasn't sure, so he called me back up (I was waiting off to the side where security told me to). I tell them that it was from 1987 and again they talked about how cool and old-school it was. We then both thank them, and Natalya actually said "thanks very much Alex!" and wished us a good night.



Their reactions to the magazines also intrigued the staff at HMV, as a few of them (including security guards) stopped us to look at the magazines and take pictures of them. Thought that was cool!


Just before I made this post, I tweeted Natalya, and immediately got a response!

































Nattie and Jim were both extremely friendly. The staff at HMV were great too considering they allowed multiple autographs, and posed photos. Furthermore, they did not rush people despite the short allotted time for the signing. Despite their still being a decent amount of people, and it was already past 6, Natalya and Jim both stayed behind and was happy to sign.

Thanks for reading!