Better late than never…

Hi Georgie,

 

  I am a little late with this report as it took me a week to recoup. As I write this report I just want to say how wonderful of a time Taylor and I had last weekend attending the LOTR convention in NJ. We so look forward to this convention bi annually and with each LOTR the show gets better and better every time. This convention grew from it's humble beginnings to a huge giant on the convention circuit. Terrence Brennan and James Soblasis must be commended on all their hard work in giving us fans something really special in the way of great talent and a fun convention experience. To both of you a heartfelt thank you!

 

The Iron Sheik Roast and pre meet and greet. - Friday was a really fun day as I attended the Pre-Roast- meet and greet and the Sheik Roast. At the meet and greet many of the wrestlers for Sheik Roast were present and signing autographs. Sheik Adnan ( in full gimick), Brian Blair, Don Muraco, and the Guest of Honor himself the Iron Sheik were among a few of those signing for the fans. The wrestlers sat at a table and we walked around the table getting signatures from each wrestler. There was a nice surprise near the end of the session as Bob Backlund came in and signed also for everyone at his own table. We were allowed one auto per and I had a great time chatting with each wrestler and had a great conversation with Bob Backlund about PWI issue one that he signed for me. The whole meet and greet was very well organized and went off without a hitch. The LOTR staff did a great job with keeping everything orderly with the packed crowd. After the Meet and Greet we went into the room next door for the Sheik Roast. The Roast itself was funny up until one of the comedians joked about the death of Owen Hart then you could hear a pin drop. Sort of like wrestling in Japan and the crowd reaction. Scott Hall took offense to the statement and came up on stage to confront the guy and then things resumed as normal. Iron Sheik did end up slapping Brian Blair but besides that all was good.

 

Saturday the convention - We got up early and headed downstairs for a little breakfast before our big day was to begin. We passed by the registration table where Terrence and James were busy setting up for the convention. The vibe was good and everyone was in good spirits. After breakfast we got all of our stuff ready for the convention. Session one was to begin at 10 and we were let into the room a little before that. The room had chairs for us to sit in as we waited for our numbers to be called. We got a special treat as Howard Finkle announced each guest. LOTR implemented a new system for this convention. Photos were taken first and then autos.

 

First session - Mean Gene - After Gordon Solie my favorite announcer. Looked a bit hung over but was great to us nevertheless. We chatted a little about the AWA and it's downfall.

 

Howard Finkle - a first meeting for me. Very warm and cheerful. Chatted with Taylor a bunch.

 

One Man Gang - As always, happy to meet his fans.

 

Wendi Richter - Was a joy and I was happy that she was part of this great LOTR lineup. Wendi enjoyed looking at the various programs I had of her and Cindi Lauper. One of my favorite LOTR guests.

 

Sheik Adnan - Very nice, was amazed I remembered him as Billy Whitewolf.

 

Killer Bees - Both great guys. Great to chat with.

 

Jake Roberts - Very nice to us. We chatted a little about TNA and his days there.

 

In between auto sessions we headed into the vendors room and got autos from certain vendor guests. Man were those lines long. Always good to pre - pay as that brings you to the head of the line. We got the following. 

 

K+S presents Col Debeers! great guy to visit with. A top want of mine and he didn't disappoint. My favorite vendor guest this time around. Disco Inferno, Buff Bagwell, Scotty Riggs. All three were very receptive to the fans. They treated me and Taylor wonderfully. Ken and Steve did a great job with their guests. Once again very orderly and organized. These guys don't miss a beat when it comes to conventions. They are topps in my book. Thank you Ken and Steve! 

 

ESS - Bob Backlund, Iron Sheik, Nickoli Volkoff - All were great to visit with. Eric Simms was faster then a speeding bullet. Had all our payment info ready and had us in and out in no time. In between we had a nice visit with all three. Bob Backlund was awesome and even called me Sir!!!!! Sheik was Sheik and is the greatest. Volkoff kind as always and a Gentleman. Eric did a great job manning his tables. Thank you Eric!

 

Main Event Memories - Tully Blanchard JJ Dillon.  Our friend Greg Price from NWA Fan Fest was on hand and brought in Tully Blanchard JJ Dillon. They had a HUGE line but being that we pre-paid Greg let us pass go very quickly.Greg at his booth was selling many rare photos and had a nice display of items. We basically were getting sigs from Tully who was having a great time. Always a pleasure seeing Tully and he has been nothing short of cordial whenever we see him. Tully is my favorite Horseman btw. Greg Price ran a great signing. It was nice seeing him up here in our neck of the woods for a change. As always, can't wait to head down to Charlotte next Summer for his Legends Fan Fest. Thank you Greg!

 

Session two photos and autos - Like session one we took our photos first and then got our autographs.

 

Mr Fuji and Don Muraco - Very nice, Fuji was a little quiet. WOW, got a photo with them both. Life is good. Don Muraco is the guy. I once again thanked him for the private auto session from Thursday.

 

Raven -  He was nice to us. We spoke a little about his WCW days. A good guest with a bunch of wrestling history.

 

Glacier - Nice guy happy to be there.

 

Rene Goulet - A great addition and a top want of mine. I was so happy when I heard he was attending.

 

Powers and Roma - Powers missed the photo opt so we only got a photo with Roma but that's ok as I always liked Roma better. 

 

Scott Hall - Man did this guy make you feel like a champ. Can't say enough about Scott Hall. He took his time signing our items which was plenty and commented on each about different territories etc. After Muraco, Scott Hall was absolutely my favorite guest at LOTR.

 

Woooooooo - After session two we headed over to the Rick Flair room to meet the Nature Boy. After about ten minutes we were led in and thanks to James and Dan it was our turn. Flair was very nice to us and enjoyed seeing items from his past. Rick was very nice to Taylor and I enjoyed hearing them speak about the Four Horseman. The Flair signing room was very well run thanks to LOTR staff members Dan and Dave. They had this room moving very well and organized. Can't thank them enough for their help not only with Flair but the whole weekend in general.

 

With many thanks! - I just want to thank some people who contributed to mine and Taylor's great LOTR experience. First to ALL the LOTR staff. You guys did a great job in keeping things organized and running very well. Not easy to keep such a large crowd under control but you guys did a fine job. James brother who I can't remember his name, thanks for all your help in the auto room. You are the man! Dave and Dan, Thank you both for all your help. You two are awesome! Sarah Brennan ( Terrence's wife) the unsung hero of LOTR. Can't thank you Sarah enough for all your help and organization and making sure we had everything we needed. Last but not least Terrence and James. Can't thank you guys enough for putting together one hell of a convention and of course the Muraco private. LOTR VII was by far my favorite and I can't wait till the next. Thanks for making Taylor and myself feel like Kings at your show. Your hospitality and kindness will never be forgotten. Congrads on a job well done.

 

Ray and Taylor Dutczak - Yonkers NY. 

Tags: