MORE FEEDBACK ABOUT LOTR
- 08/27/2007 (8:23:24 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
………
Hi Georgann,
I thought I would share my thoughts on Legends of The Ring V in
Carteret, NJ this past Saturday. Feel free to use my comments for the
website if you so choose to.
I have never been to a convention like this before, so It was a new
experience for me, but from the atmosphere and the talent there, I felt
right at home like I had never missed a beat. First off I stayed in the
hotel which made it very convenient as in between sessions and through
downtime I was able to go back to my room or go get food and such. I
arrived downstairs at appx. 8:45 AM for a 9:00 start. As I walked into
the ballroom the vendor for 8x10's were rocking and rolling. The 8x 10's
were 3.00 a piece which to me was insanely cheap considering I was
thinking about getting 8x10's for people I didn't have anything to sign
from EBay. The session started just a shade past nine. As I walked into
the ballroom all the vendors were rocking and rolling with a wide
variety of merchandise that honestly could have satisfied the needs of
any wrestling fan past or present.
The first person I met was Tammy "Sunny" Sytch as she was there at 9AM
which was amazing. She looks so good as she has lost a lot of the weight
she has been talking about losing. She told me that she is 15 pounds
away from "Sunny Weight". She was so sweet and nice.
The 1st Session consisted of Tatanka, The Beverly Brothers, The Genius
Lanny Poffo, The Berzerker, Slick, Bobby Heenan, Ron Bass and Lex Luger.
All talent in this block were awesome signers. They all took the time to
talk to the fans and sign whatever the fans brought, except for Bobby
Heenan. I had never met Bobby Heenan but for the days events he was the
sour grape of the bunch. He didn't talk to the fans at all. He just
signed and took pictures. He acted like he absolutely did not want to be
there. It was awful with him, but everyone else made up for it. The 1st
Block ended at appx. 12:30 pm which allowed for rest of the 1st block
and setup for the 2nd block, which was just as strong.
In between waiting for the 1st Block to begin I also was able to get
into a separate line and meet Strike Force (Martel and Santana). I had
the sign a WrestleMania IV program I have had since I was a kid. When
they saw it the stopped and looked at it and just took it in as they had
not seen that in a long time. Both gentlemen were class act and
upstanding talent.
The 2nd Block began at about 1:00 PM as scheduled. The 2nd Block
consisted of Big Van Vader, Cowboy Bob Orton, Traci Brooks, Tom Brandi,
Dustin Runnels, and Bret "Hitman" Hart. We were told in the middle of
the 1st block the Jim Neidhart had "Missed His Connection", and honestly
I don't know whether or not to believe that, but that is what we were
told. I wanted to single out Vader and say how much of a class act Vader
was. He had slipped about a month ago and was on crutches, and for as
much pain and discomfort he was in, he made sure that everyone that
wanted an autograph or a picture got one. The line for the second block
was very jammed due to Bret Hart and a one point was baked up to Vader,
I was in line and he moved me out of the way for another fan to come in
and take a picture, and apologized for pushing me.. He sincerely meant
it as he pulled my shirt and took the time to say "hey.. Sorry for
moving you". I truly have the utmost respect for Leon White. Cowboy Bob
Orton was very jovial, I wish I could say the same for his son. Traci is
such a sweetheart as she was talking and chit-chatting with the fans in
between. Tom Brandi was nice and cordial thanking everyone. Dustin was
hilarious. I got into a conversation with him in regards to the "Black
Reign" character and he said and I quote.. "You aint seen half the s***
were gonna do yet, and who better to do it than me.." He was so funny
and honest. Bret Hart of course was the main attraction. I had flown
from Kentucky to meet him and it was worth every penny I spent. He shook
hand and took time to speak to everyone in line. It was truly a moment
for me as not only a fan, but an Indy referee that I will never forget.
I was out the door and back to my room by 3:30 PM with everything I
wanted, including a couple extras from the Vendors.
The Convention as a whole was very well run. There was lots of security
keeping everything flowing smoothly, and to top it all off the hotel was
giving a convention rate of 89.00 a night for a Radisson put a cherry on
top of the whole event.
I highly recommend this event to anyone who is looking to meet any of
the Legends Of The Ring.. I personally will be making the trip back in
the spring for the Next LOTR as I cannot wait to see the talent that
will be brought in for the next one
Brandon Tolle of Alexandria, Kentucky
I thought I would share my thoughts on Legends of The Ring V in
Carteret, NJ this past Saturday. Feel free to use my comments for the
website if you so choose to.
I have never been to a convention like this before, so It was a new
experience for me, but from the atmosphere and the talent there, I felt
right at home like I had never missed a beat. First off I stayed in the
hotel which made it very convenient as in between sessions and through
downtime I was able to go back to my room or go get food and such. I
arrived downstairs at appx. 8:45 AM for a 9:00 start. As I walked into
the ballroom the vendor for 8x10's were rocking and rolling. The 8x 10's
were 3.00 a piece which to me was insanely cheap considering I was
thinking about getting 8x10's for people I didn't have anything to sign
from EBay. The session started just a shade past nine. As I walked into
the ballroom all the vendors were rocking and rolling with a wide
variety of merchandise that honestly could have satisfied the needs of
any wrestling fan past or present.
The first person I met was Tammy "Sunny" Sytch as she was there at 9AM
which was amazing. She looks so good as she has lost a lot of the weight
she has been talking about losing. She told me that she is 15 pounds
away from "Sunny Weight". She was so sweet and nice.
The 1st Session consisted of Tatanka, The Beverly Brothers, The Genius
Lanny Poffo, The Berzerker, Slick, Bobby Heenan, Ron Bass and Lex Luger.
All talent in this block were awesome signers. They all took the time to
talk to the fans and sign whatever the fans brought, except for Bobby
Heenan. I had never met Bobby Heenan but for the days events he was the
sour grape of the bunch. He didn't talk to the fans at all. He just
signed and took pictures. He acted like he absolutely did not want to be
there. It was awful with him, but everyone else made up for it. The 1st
Block ended at appx. 12:30 pm which allowed for rest of the 1st block
and setup for the 2nd block, which was just as strong.
In between waiting for the 1st Block to begin I also was able to get
into a separate line and meet Strike Force (Martel and Santana). I had
the sign a WrestleMania IV program I have had since I was a kid. When
they saw it the stopped and looked at it and just took it in as they had
not seen that in a long time. Both gentlemen were class act and
upstanding talent.
The 2nd Block began at about 1:00 PM as scheduled. The 2nd Block
consisted of Big Van Vader, Cowboy Bob Orton, Traci Brooks, Tom Brandi,
Dustin Runnels, and Bret "Hitman" Hart. We were told in the middle of
the 1st block the Jim Neidhart had "Missed His Connection", and honestly
I don't know whether or not to believe that, but that is what we were
told. I wanted to single out Vader and say how much of a class act Vader
was. He had slipped about a month ago and was on crutches, and for as
much pain and discomfort he was in, he made sure that everyone that
wanted an autograph or a picture got one. The line for the second block
was very jammed due to Bret Hart and a one point was baked up to Vader,
I was in line and he moved me out of the way for another fan to come in
and take a picture, and apologized for pushing me.. He sincerely meant
it as he pulled my shirt and took the time to say "hey.. Sorry for
moving you". I truly have the utmost respect for Leon White. Cowboy Bob
Orton was very jovial, I wish I could say the same for his son. Traci is
such a sweetheart as she was talking and chit-chatting with the fans in
between. Tom Brandi was nice and cordial thanking everyone. Dustin was
hilarious. I got into a conversation with him in regards to the "Black
Reign" character and he said and I quote.. "You aint seen half the s***
were gonna do yet, and who better to do it than me.." He was so funny
and honest. Bret Hart of course was the main attraction. I had flown
from Kentucky to meet him and it was worth every penny I spent. He shook
hand and took time to speak to everyone in line. It was truly a moment
for me as not only a fan, but an Indy referee that I will never forget.
I was out the door and back to my room by 3:30 PM with everything I
wanted, including a couple extras from the Vendors.
The Convention as a whole was very well run. There was lots of security
keeping everything flowing smoothly, and to top it all off the hotel was
giving a convention rate of 89.00 a night for a Radisson put a cherry on
top of the whole event.
I highly recommend this event to anyone who is looking to meet any of
the Legends Of The Ring.. I personally will be making the trip back in
the spring for the Next LOTR as I cannot wait to see the talent that
will be brought in for the next one
Brandon Tolle of Alexandria, Kentucky
* * * * * * * * *
On Saturday August 25th we headed over to the Legends Of The Ring convention over at the Raddison Hotel in Carteret NJ. I look forward to three wrestling conventions a year and Legends is one of them. We arrived at the Radisson at eight thirty am and there was a line forming. We went in to the hotel and was quickly greeted by Terence Brennan one of the promoters of the event. We chatted a little and I needed to purchase a GM ticket for Taylor. Terrence gave her a wristband and told us this one was on the house. Taylor's eyes lit up and was as happy as if it was Christmas morning. Thank you Terrence! After getting Taylor's wrist band we made our way over to the photo area where 8X10 were being sold. These photos like the previous convention were beautiful prints and of high quality definitely worth the few bucks T was charging to buy them. There was a great Vader photo of him in full gear with helmet and skull stick. An awesome photo and definitely worth buying, so we did. At nine am promptly the event opened up and everyone was led into the ballroom where the signings were to take place. We looked around at the vendor tables and made a few purchases. At nine thirty the first block began as Joe Panzerino from NWS made the announcement of numbers one through twenty. Having Joe as MC was a great addition as he made announcements every ten minutes and kept people informed on what was going on during the convention. We made our way over to the line where our VIP ticket was punched and got our items ready. If you didn't have a VIP number 1 - 20 you were not getting on line as you were checked and your VIP pass was hole punched. We chatted on line with a bunch of our convention friends we have made through the years going to these events and before we knew it Joe started to announce the lineup and one by one the wrestlers took their seat. Our turn came quickly and we were up to our first guest Tatanka. He was very friendly and was happy to be at the convention. Next were the Beverly Brothers, a bit quiet but nice also. After the Beverly Brothers was Lanny Poffo, again nice and chatted a bunch with us. After Poffo came The Berzerker, he was very friendly and gave us a huss, huss for his polaroid. Next was Slick, after signing my items he asked if he could see what I had left to get signed for Bass and Luger and looked through my items. After Slick was Bobby Heenan, absolutely the low point of the convention, no conversation or interaction at all with us and gave us sloppy signatures to boot. The polaroid we took with him came out as if he was sitting on a bed of hot coal. Ron Bass was next and was a class act all the way, I had an old original Olympic Auditorium program for him to sign from his Olympic days which he loved. Great conversation with Bass, absolutely one of my favorite guests at this convention. Last but not least came Lex Luger. One of my favorite wrestlers to visit with at conventions. We had some great conversation with Lex talking about his Florida days. Taylor told Lex she just watched him on 24/7 tear Chief Wahoo Mc Daniels headress apart from 1986. He told us he really enjoyed his days in Florida. The first session was over with and it was time to head over to Mombos table to meet Rick Martel and Tony Garea. We got on line for Mombos guests and waited all of ten minutes before getting up to Mombos wife who you told what you needed and purchased your 8X10s which were beautiful glossy prints btw. Mombos wife made out your tickets you then collected those and then paid another person who stood next to her. You then when it was your turn gave the auto tickets to the polaroid person who counted your tickets and then you got your items signed. The system was very efficient and worked superbly and kept everyone moving at a steady pace. It was a pleasure seeing Rick Martel again. He was very cordial and gave us some great signatures on our items. Tony Garea also was very friendly and chatted with us a bit signing our items. It was a great meeting and we left Mombos table very satisfied and happy. After a lunch break and chatting with a bunch of our friends in the lobby, Dan, Sean, Mike, Kiss Forever, and so many more session two was about to begin and we headed into the ballroom and first went over to meet Ivory and Francine who at the convention courtesy of Bill Payley. Both Francine and Ivory were very friendly to us. Ivory remembered Taylor from a few years ago from Greg Prices convention which was pretty cool. After spending some time at Bill's table much like session one an announcement for two was about to begin shortly and we got on line as number 1 - 20 were called. MC Joe P also announced that Jim Niedhart would not be attending and then announced each wrestler in order as they made there way to their seats. I got a little nervous as they all came out but Vader. He was the main guy I wanted to see. Vader was last and came out on crutches as he just recently had surgery. Now lets see, Jim Niedhart missed his flight twice but Vader who just had surgery gets on a plane and travels across country to be with his fans at the convention. Something is wrong with this picture. As the line began to move Vader was first in line. Geeze all the horror stories I heard about Vader couldn't have been more wrong. Vader was spectacular, and spent time with us chatting a little and signing our items. He definitely was enjoying himself. Vader was absolutely the highlite of the convention. After Vader came Bob Orton who was kinda quiet but very nice. After Orton was Tracy Brooks, again very nice and happy to be at the convention. Tom Brandi was next, I thinks this was the first time we met the Tom Brandi character and not the Patriot. I don't think I have ever seen Tom not happy to meet the fans. Golddust was next, and was in makeup which was pretty cool for the polaroid. He was very nice and we chatted about TNA a little. Next was Bret Hart who was truly awesome. I have an old Georgia program from 79 with him in it which he enjoyed looking through which he signed twice. Once on the cover, and once on a photo of him on the inside. Bret gave us the utmost attention and did NOT have an Ipod in his ear. Last but not least was Danny Davis. Again, very friendly to us. One of the best guests at the show. After the auto session we made our way through the dealers room one last time. We said our goodbyes and the convention had come to an end. I want to take a moment to thank Terrence Brennan and James Soblassis for the great time we had at this version of LOTR. Both these guys busted their butts on putting on this convention and I can't thank them and their staff enough for a stress free easy going convention. I also want to thank Mombo and his family for bringing in Martel and Garea, another highlight to the show. Also thanks to Bill Payley for bringing in Ivory and Francine, and always being a standup guy and great friend. Also thanks to Dave, Dan Michaels, and Erick Simms, for their help at LOTR. You guys are a great asset to the convention. Keep up the great work.
Ray and Taylor Dutczak of Yonkers, NY
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