Friends…

I had every intention that this was going to be a report on the overall LOTR VII show.  Unfortunately, the actions of Scott Hall after the show and his completely inappropriate behavior in front of my wife and two small daughters overshadowed what was otherwise an excellent weekend.  This is my account and my account only of what happened.

Let me first state that what I am about to write is in NO WAY the fault of Terrance, James or the entire LOTR crew.  As always, they were friendly, professional and a great help throughout the weekend.  LOTR delivered yet another great show and value for the fans!

I have read other accounts of Mr. Hall and his behavior on Saturday and it is correct that he was in fact friendly and personable at the actual autograph signing.  It was his actions later in the evening, when his personal demons seemed to get the better of him, that were deplorable and lucky not to end himself in jail.

I have been attending wrestling conventions for over 20 years…Starting with the WFIA shows in ‘86/’87, Arezzi shows in the early 90’s, PWHF shows in Upstate NY, NWA Legends in Charlotte, LOTR shows, etc. etc., etc.  In over 20 years, I have NEVER had as much as a cross word with ANYONE associated with any show (wrestler, fan or otherwise).  In fact, the main reasons that I continue to attend many shows is really because of the chance to see the great lifelong friends I have made over the years and to do something different and fun as a family.  Many folks I have met at the shows and on the message boards have become close personal friends – friendships that I value a great deal.

As I have gotten older and begun to have children, wrestling conventions have become family events for myself, my wife and my two small (ages 6 and 2) daughters.  They love to attend, see the wrestlers, etc.  Many folks often recognize us as “Joe and the girls from Upstate.”

We have always looked at these conventions as family events and NEVER have I felt that my children and wife were in any way threatened or in danger at any show…That all changed on Saturday night with the actions of Scott Hall.

As stated earlier, the show went great.  Everyone seemed in a great mood and we decided to spend some time away from the room and in the hotel restaurant catching up with some good friends.  We decided to sit at a table as far away from the bar as possible so my daughters could color in their books and play in a family setting.

Scott Hall came in a short time later, sat down and appeared to start drinking heavily.  Keep in mind this is about 5:00 pm.  At first there was no issue.  Mr. Hall seemed in good enough spirits and caused no issue.  Things quickly turned as he began to make inappropriate comments to my wife.  Without getting too graphic, he basically stated to my wife that I must have a lot of money because a “hot woman” like her would never marry an “ugly guy like him” and that she should come to his room later and that I would never know.  Keep in mind as well this was in front of my 6 year old and 2 year old daughters and well before 6 pm.  He then went on to state that he would like to perform oral sex (I’m apologize if I am being too graphic) on my wife “every day.”  In the interest of not overreacting and scaring my children, I tried to let it go as he appeared to be leaving and I had heard he had a flight to catch.  I did not want to ruin the good family time my children were having because of the actions of one individual.  After Mr. Hall left, two separate people (who we found out later were there as friends or fans to try and take care of him) came and apologized to us stating that he has serious issues and that he does these things and then suffers memory loss.  Marty Jannetty also came over to our table (he was sitting with Hall at one point) and apologized for Hall stating he was incredibly out of line and getting out of control and that was the reason he (Jannetty) moved away from his table.

I thought Mr. Hall was gone from the establishment and all was well.  Imagine my surprise when he returned a while later, in what appeared to be MUCH worse shape than when he left.  I am no doctor, and I certainly do not know where he was or what he was doing, but I do know he was not acting rationally.

It was at this point that I saw him becoming very hostile and appeared to aggressively try to intimidate a member of the LOTR staff.  A very close and trusted member of the staff.  I found out later Mr. Hall apparently missed his flight because he was doing God knows what and felt the promoters should pay for his change in flight and another night at the hotel.  I saw the interaction and heard the details later.  This is only what I heard and it could be incorrect.

What is NOT in any way incorrect, however, is what transpired immediately thereafter.  After seeing Mr. Hall becoming aggressive, I decided that even though this was a family event and a family restaurant – I was going to remove my family because of his inabilities to control his demons.  Almost immediately when trying to round up our things Mr. Hall stumbled to our table and in front of my two daughters begun to again tell my wife again how “sexy and hot” she was and that she needed to be with him.  He then touched her face twice.  At this point I needed to be a responsible husband and parent and ensure the safety of my wife and children irregardless how upset that I now was – and believe me I was upset that this person would attempt to ruin the evening for my family for no reason. 

I VERY politely told Mr. Hall that we were enjoying family time and that we would prefer to enjoy the rest of the evening alone.  I then told him that my daughters were becoming very frightened.  Mr. Hall looked at me, and began to yell at me calling me a “f**king mark” several times (I must have heard him say this at least 20 times throughout the evening in making fun of someone who asked for a picture or autograph.  Of course, he said this after they left – at least we know what Mr. Hall really thinks of the fans that now support him at these shows).   Again, he was using this profane language in front of my 6 and 2 year old daughters.  At this point my six year old began to shake and cry uncontrollably and I told my wife to get them out of the restaurant right away.  Once I was sure they were safe, I came back and asked Mr. Hall what was his problem and he just walked away in a stupor.

I did not realize at this point that several other customers in the restaurant had already complained to management as well about his behavior.  I was told after the fact by one group of customers that Mr. Hall had allegedly stuck his finger in his nose and attempted to put it in their food. 

I went to management to explain what happened with my family and was told they were aware of the issues and that they were calling the police.  Given the condition of Mr. Hall and his actions, they did the right thing and had no other choice.  The manager asked that I come back downstairs to discuss what happened with the police when they arrived.  I made sure my family was doing ok in our room (my oldest at this point had stopped crying uncontrollably with her heart beating out of her chest in fear) and I returned downstairs.

I talked to the police to let them know what transpired as well as heard from other customers who were equally disgusted with his actions.  I was also told he harassed and attempted to intimidate hotel employees

Due to the fact that what Mr. Hall did to my wife and family was considered harassment and a crime, I was asked by the police if I wanted to press charges.  I declined…The man appears to have serious issues that need to be addressed.

I apologize for this very long letter…My intention is not to disparage Scott Hall…I do feel, however, Mr. Hall should be accountable for his actions and people have a right to know how he could potentially act in public for no reason.

My children and wife were treated, in my opinion; in a harassing and condescending manner…I do not want ANYONE else to be treated the same way.

As I tried to explain to my children (it took a VERY long time to calm them down and get them to sleep last night), the actions of one person should never be used to label a group.

I have many other things that I saw and heard last night from Mr. Hall, but I think you get the point.

Again, if Mr. Hall or someone close to him reads this…Please attempt to get him help…For his sake and the sake of others.  No other little girls deserve to cry.

Thank you…

Joe P.