Support NeoGAF

[WasabiKing]

So who have you met? Any interesting stories?

I've met plenty of guys and gals from the last 5 years of wrestling, but the most prolific wrestler I've met was my hero, the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be, Bret Hart. I'm not the type the that gets starstruck, but I was certainly in awe when meeting someone I considered to be my childhood hero. I could barely get the words out, but I said that I missed seeing him in the ring, and that the Kemper Arena match was the best WRESTLING match in years. He, of course, said "that's the way it should be."

But my favorite, by far, was Dean Malenko. The guy had tons of stories to share, especially Bonds being a hothead in the gym, and what's even funnier was Bonds backing off when Chris Benoit stepped in. But the absolute best story was when Malenko and Benoit were at a signing, and a huge fan came to meet them. Malenko talked with the fan for a while, and asked for him to hang back so he can take a few pictures with him and Benoit. After a while, they take a picture, the first doing the 4 Horsemen sign. The fan asked for one more, this time, a free for all. Chris Benoit suggests that everyone does a thumbs up sign, which kind of soured the fan, so he does a peace sign instead. Why? Cause the fan was MISSING A THUMB on his right hand, and Benoit didn't notice it, so the fan thought he was ribbing him.

 

[Blackace]

........ But are afraid to tell them your true feelings

 

[bishoptl]

wtf? WHO DARES LOCK A WRESTLING TOPIC

 

[AlphaSnake]

Cut into a 2 hour line to meet Bret Hart at E3. Got his autograph and all.

 

[MrPing1000]

teh mysterious! lock/unlock woo.


To answer the question.... none

 

[DMczaf]

wtf? WHO DARES LOCK A WRESTLING TOPIC

He got you again, Bish!

 

[Bowser]

Really cool meeting him, but it wasn't at a wrestling event or anything. He came to our gas station (man that just sound weird lol) in Charlotte with his son. I talked to him for like 10 min. This was right before he was unveiled as 50/50 owner of WWE (it was still WWF at that time I believe) and when Stone Cold turned face after his long run as a heel (Sometime November). I didn't get his autograph tho

 

[impirius]

wtf? WHO DARES LOCK A WRESTLING TOPIC

ABUSE... OF POWER

 

[bishoptl]

I took a (worked) punch in the face from the Honkytonk Man when he came to Langley for an ECCW show back in 2001.

 

[evil ways]

I've met, either from casual mall/restaurant meetings or wrestling events:

Steve Austin
Val Venis
Taz
Shane Douglas
Abdullah The Butcher
Taka Michinoku
Chris Jericho

 

[MrPing1000]

I took a (worked) punch in the face from the Honkytonk Man when he came to Langley for an ECCW show back in 2001.

Thats pretty damn cool

 

[WasabiKing]

I locked it cause I done fucked up, and was planning to reopen...

 

[MrPing1000]

But my favorite, by far, was Dean Malenko. The guy had tons of stories to share, especially Bonds being a hothead in the gym, and what's even funnier was Bonds backing off when Chris Benoit stepped in. But the absolute best story was when Malenko and Benoit were at a signing, and a huge fan came to meet them. Malenko talked with the fan for a while, and asked for him to hang back so he can take a few pictures with him and Benoit. After a while, they take a picture, the first doing the 4 Horsemen sign. The fan asked for one more, this time, a free for aqll. Chris Benoit suggests that everyone does a thumbs up sign, which kind of soured the fan, so he does a peace sign instead. Why? Cause the fan was MISSING A THUMB on his right hand, and Benoit didn't notice it, so the fan thought he was ribbing him.

:lol thats damn funny.

 

[Suerte]

The closest thing for me was one of the Gladiators when it was on TV in the UK, haha

 

[ItalianStallion]

I met Jim Cornette at Wal-mart about 6 or so years ago. He was buying some picture frames or something. I walked up to him and had him sign my gum wrapper.

 

[Belfast]

So I'm the only one who's met the Hulkster? :O

Seriously, though, it was cool. About 2 years ago at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando. We were eating breakfast in the, uh....breakfast area (it wasn't really a continental breakfast, so I don't know what to call it) and he walks in with his family. He really is quite a big guy in real life, though.

Also met some guy called the Junkyard Dawg or whatever back in middle school. Not sure if he was ever in the big-leagues or not, though. I think he died.

 

[Kefkaff]

Alright.. I was in grade 8. So that was.. geez, 6 years ago I think. Bret Hart was going to be appearing at some Flea Market place in Toronto on a Sunday. I brought it up with my dad and jokingly said I wanted to go. So Sunday arrives and my dad wakes me up early. "WTF for?!" i asked him.. turns out he actually was gonna take me to see Bret! So, we drive to Toronto(about a 2 hour drive) and get to the place. Me and my dad waited in line for about 40 minutes. When we got near the front of the line the security guys were like "Wanna buy a pre-signed photo for $10?" So my dad was like "sure". So he paid up and we got it. When we got to the front, they told us "you already got your picture.." I was just about ready to fucking cry! I didn't even get to fucking meet bret! So me and my dad walked around trying to find my mom and my sister. When we found them, the first thing my mom said "Whats wrong?" Then my dad told her, and my mom.. she doesn't take shit like that. So she went to one of the security guys and she told him off, so the Security guard was like "alright.. I'll let your son meet Bret" So the security I asked my name and led me to brett, I walked up to bret and he was like "Hey John, how ya?" and I shook his hand and was on my way.

Shaking his hand.. my arm like, went completely numb. X_X

 

[dorikyasu]

Sad to say, the only wrestler I've met in person was Disco Inferno... He's short!!

 

[Kon Tiki]

I met Hulk Hogan, Undertaker and Kevin Nash in a local strip joint. (It was female strippers...)

 

[Nikashi]

I met Matt "Doink" Bourne at an ECCW show in Courtenay, BC, and also did some announcing for them

I was Edward "The Voice" V------ (Not giving out my last name)

 

[Spectral Glider]

I have all you guys beat.....Leaping Lanny Pofo baby, and I have a signed WWF frisbee to prove it! I know, it's hard not to be jealous, dare to dream fellas, dare to dream! :lol

 

[StoOgE]

I've met undertaker several times... I allways ran into him in this south austin shopping center. Oddly enough, he acts alot like his charachter in real life. I dont know if thats because everyone was bugging him all the time or what, but it was cool. I would be disapointed if he was some sort of goofball.

Ivan Putski I know pretty well. I had an open campus high school (similar to a college campus, lots of buildings, no halls) so we had a security gaurd to make sure that we were not leaving campus... who turned out to be Putski. Talk about an intimidating guy to be pulled over by. Needless to say, we got to know each other pretty well, because I had a real problem going to class and staying there. I didnt really know who he was well, but my father was a big fan of his in his youth. I talked to him alot about wrestling, and what he thought of certain stars and stough like that. He allways loved to be asked.. the best story though, by far happened my sophomore year. In Texas we used to have a test you had to take called TAAS to graduate high school. Schools would get funding from the state based on test results, so they would do all sorts of stuff to get us ready for it. The day before the test his son came into a 'pep rally' dressed up like the Taas monster (his sone had a brief carreer in the WWF or WCW in the early 90's, I dont remember which).. then Putski came out and beat the living crap out of him.. hit the polish hammer and everything.. it was really cool.

 

[OmniGamer]

Stone Cold Steve Austin, Summer 1997, Funtime USA, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York...but that was an arranged thing.

 

[sefskillz]

The Undertaker used to come into my dad's bar because he lived nearby. He offered to buy one his Wrestlemania pinball machine. Long story short, I met him and got an autographed framed portrait.

 

[StoOgE]

Also, I got to meet Hogan and Flair backstage once.. sorta. They were filming about a months worth of TV spots that day (late 80's, early 90's).. my dad was getting pissed because we got there at 5:00 in the afternoon and it was getting past midnight and the main event (Flair v Hogan for the belt) had yet to happen... It was really awesome show, Terry Funk put on a 30 minute match that was remarkably good...

in any case, afterwords, any boy scouts or cub scouts that were at the show got to go backstage for a dont do drugs pep talk by some of the wrestlers.. there were probably 300 or so kids back there.. everyone was going nuts for hogan, but I got to shake the macho mans hand, which made my year.. he was far and away my favorite.

 

[AssMan]

Chris Jerricho lived in a fancy town home in Clearwater, Fl. I went to his door, but nobody answered.

 

[Triumph]

Living in Atlanta, I've met several wrestlers throughout the years. The first I ever ran into were Rick and Scott Steiner in a Kmart as a child. They were HUGE. Later, I met Arn Anderson at a post office.

Lex Luger and Miss Elizabeth came into a music store I was running about 4 years ago and bought a whole bunch of bad music. I assume that they went home and ate a whole bunch of pills and he slapped her around some.

The best wrestler I met story concerns Glen "Disco Inferno" Gilberti, however. This was just last year, at the great local strip club The Pink Pony. Glen had a shot at the TNA title in a week or two against Jeff Jarrett. My friends and I were super hammered, and when we noticed him we freaked out. "Holy shit! You're Glen Gilberti!" Dude was like 5' 2". He seemed kind of put off at first, but when he realized that we actually watched TNA he bought us all a shot of tequila and talked some shit with us for a while. Cool dude with great taste in strippers!

 

[Drensch]

Steiner, midajah, and another freak. E3 2000. I was pretty shocked at how small Steiner seemed.

 

[Eminem]

Jericho, and he was the fucking man.

 

[bjork]

Also met some guy called the Junkyard Dawg or whatever back in middle school. Not sure if he was ever in the big-leagues or not, though. I think he died.

JYD Ruled.

I once asked HBK how much he benchpressed. He shrugged and said, "not much, only 500."

Same night was when people were booing Owen Hart to death, but my friend and I were cheering him, because Owen > all. He turned around, spotted us, smiled, and threw us a thumbs up. I miss that guy a lot.

 

[mn66]

Psycho Sid.

He came to a house show in my home town for USWA wrestling. After the show he was taking pictures with people. He took a picture with me and I asked him to autograph it. He didn't have a pen so he went into the locker room to get one. He returned 5 minutes later without my picture or a pen and walks right past me.

I said "HEY SID, WHERE'S MY PICTURE?"

"Oh Shit. Hold on a sec..."

For some unknown reason he lost my picture and we had to take another one which he did eventually sign. I like to think he kept that other picture for the long road trips he has to endure.

And I touched Mick Foley on the shoulder during the St. Valentines PPV a few years back.

 

[ballhog]

The Rock is my roomate, what a dick.

 

[scarybore]

I met the British Bulldog when he was doing some wrestle shows in Scotland along with some no namers who were there just for him to slap up. I think I was around 10 at the time so it was probably 1992 or so and after he won his match us all kiddies ran to get a touch of him in the ring, it was something that Michael Jackson could only dream of.

In the end he autographed a photo for me and my mates and we said the usual things you would say to a guy who could crush your skull with ease Twas pretty cool as you didnt really get to see wrestlers in the UK around that time very much so I still treasure that just a bit.

Same night was when people were booing Owen Hart to death, but my friend and I were cheering him, because Owen > all. He turned around, spotted us, smiled, and threw us a thumbs up. I miss that guy a lot.

I used to love reading this when you posted it on the old forums, its what its really all about. I still find it hard to think that hes dead, had he had any DVDs or such released about him?

 

[neptunes]

The big show at some blockbuster in mississauga.

 

[atomsk]

kane, roaddog, big show, balls mahoney

a bunch of indy guys at a fed i used to run sound for...

 

[sprsk]

ive met quite a few

lawler, prince albert, droz, king mabel, coco beware, ...jeez too many to mention.


one time i pissed next to the king. and one time at a local show prince albert (whos name was baldo) was wrestling, and usually i heckle him by starting "dildo" chants, well this show i was feeling really saucy so as he was walking to the ring i tapped him on the shoulder and said "HEY DILDO" and he turns around and goes "WHAT" and i say "YOU SUCK" and laughed at him to his face.

good times.

I used to meet all the new wrestlers (and old ones that were inbetween jobs) because memphis is basically wrestling central for up and coming wwe peeps.

 

[Kobun Heat]

Bam Bam Bigelow (long ago), RVD and Stacy Keibler (E3 2002), John Cena and Torrie Wilson (E3 2004).

 

[tt_deeb]

Didn't exactly meet him but I saw Hogan when he was in Florida shooting some shark movie. (I think)

 

[Ninja Scooter]

i met Owen Hart, XPac, and Skip and Louis Spicolli (the Body Donna's?) at the Sahara in Las Vegas in the mid90s. And half those guys are now dead.

 

[Gantz]

I met Triple H as he was leaving a hotel in philly. He's fucking massive.

 

[swoon]

i used to live down the street from rick flair, he was real nice the couple of times i met him and gave out great trick or treat candy.

 

[LuckyBrand]

dude thats awesome, i'd love to run into him.. he isnt my favorite wrestler, but i like his shtick he does on TNA and think hes a great character... sounds like a fun guy.

Living in Atlanta, I've met several wrestlers throughout the years. The first I ever ran into were Rick and Scott Steiner in a Kmart as a child. They were HUGE. Later, I met Arn Anderson at a post office.

Lex Luger and Miss Elizabeth came into a music store I was running about 4 years ago and bought a whole bunch of bad music. I assume that they went home and ate a whole bunch of pills and he slapped her around some.

The best wrestler I met story concerns Glen "Disco Inferno" Gilberti, however. This was just last year, at the great local strip club The Pink Pony. Glen had a shot at the TNA title in a week or two against Jeff Jarrett. My friends and I were super hammered, and when we noticed him we freaked out. "Holy shit! You're Glen Gilberti!" Dude was like 5' 2". He seemed kind of put off at first, but when he realized that we actually watched TNA he bought us all a shot of tequila and talked some shit with us for a while. Cool dude with great taste in strippers!

 

[lordmrw]

I always end up seeing them but not being able to meet them whenever the WWE comes to the Dunkin Donuts Center here in Rhode Island. I live a 5 minute walk away, and Stone Cold usually hangs out at the various bars in the area.

 

[Guzim]

I've met The Rock, Mick Foley, Chyna, and Jim Cornette.

But my mom use to work at a Ramada hotel, and she met Scott Hall!

 

[Mike Works]

i met Owen Hart, XPac, and Skip and Louis Spicolli (the Body Donna's?) at the Sahara in Las Vegas in the mid90s. And half those guys are now dead.

You stay the hell away from Vancouver.

But my mom use to work at a Ramada hotel, and she met Scott Hall!

How much was left in the mini bar after he left?

 

[Brian Fellows]

Never met one. Maybe someday.

 

[cvxfreak]

I met Bret Hart at a Giants Dugout while he was signing autographs.
Then I met Lex Luger and Liz at a Wherehouse Music store, signing autographs. I dunno whether it was dumb to ask or not, but I asked Liz how Macho Man was doing. "We're really good friends." O_O

Both of these were in the San Francisco Bay Area BTW.

 

[DJ_Tet]

Really cool meeting him, but it wasn't at a wrestling event or anything. He came to our gas station (man that just sound weird lol) in Charlotte with his son. I talked to him for like 10 min. This was right before he was unveiled as 50/50 owner of WWE (it was still WWF at that time I believe) and when Stone Cold turned face after his long run as a heel (Sometime November). I didn't get his autograph tho

I went to his gym for about two years. It was a Gold's Gym off of Sardis Rd around 1998 or so. I talked to Rick for a min, shook his hand, and told him he was my childhood idol (I was 23 at this time). It was awesome climbing the stairmaster next to Rick. He really was my childhood hero with the Four Horsemen and such. I'll never forget shaking his hand (autographs are for children and lame adults looking to cash in).

Charlotte was also home to the "Kolov" family *Nikita and his uncle*. Charlotte was the hub of the WCW/NWA market, much like it's the hub for NASCAR now. I'm glad Ric still calls Charlotte home. He's the man. WHOOOOO!

 

[Fusebox]

William Regal at the Opera House in Sydney, he was such a nice guy and gave me a signed pic of him and everything.

I didn't have the heart to tell him I dont watch wrestling, I dont even have pay TV and if a mate hadnt dragged me there I wouldn't have even known who he was.

But seriously, a really down-to-earth top bloke. I felt like dragging him away from all the chubby wrestling fans and going for a beer and a chat with him.

 

[bjork]

I used to love reading this when you posted it on the old forums, its what its really all about. I still find it hard to think that hes dead, had he had any DVDs or such released about him?

No, outside of that movie that his wife was involved with... I never even watched it, though. I'd like to see a DVD of his best matches (WMX, Summerslam 94, etc) and the RAW Tribute show. It'd be nice to see, but I doubt we will.