OVERWHELMING RESPONSES FROM OUR READERS
- 09/13/2007 (3:26:00 am)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
Keep them coming…
The response has been great, and I thank you all for sharing.
Georgie [email protected]
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My name is Monica and I would like to express my thoughts about the WWE's Biggest Fan contest.
I've known John for 2 & 1/2 years. He's my best friend. I never met anyone like him before. When I met him I truly found the most dedicated WWE fan. His love for the sport and the wrestlers is unmatched. He has all the merch to prove it, but it goes beyond that. You can hear the passion in his voice when he talks about it. I've been to numerous shows with John. I know his passion & dedication firsthand. I think John has the right to feel like he was screwed. I was there in person that night @ the contest. I was there to hear the crowd chanting John's name when his video played. I was there to hear John's video get the loudest pop of the night. While most videos were ok, I believe John's stood out among the rest. What it seemed like was that the videos were being judged more on what kind of special editing skills you had. No one could touch John's passion & collection. Not one judge had anything bad to say about his video. I thought maybe John Cena saying he knew John may have actually hurt him because then the people running the contest would of thought it looked like favoritism if John won. The only reason why Cena knows him is because John tries his hardest to go to every event he can. Even if he only has $1.00 left in his pocket, he's trying his hardest to make it to a show. That's how much he loves the sport. I'm not trying to take away from any of the other contestants. I know they all worked hard on their videos. I do agree with Ashley that Batista didn't have anything nice to say about most of the videos.
I think that John should be aloud to call himself "WWE's Biggest Fan." He has proven time & time again that he is.
Monica Swick
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Hey Georgie,
It's usually not like me to answer these kinds of questions and fall into the propaganda but some of the things I read struck me as odd so I decided to give you my opinion on the matter.
First of all .... a little background on me .... i've been a wrestling fan since about 1999. I started realizing in 2004 that travelling around a little to go to random shows would be a little fun (Keep in mind that I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada). Since then, I have been to 21 different PPV's and numerous Raw and SmackDown tapings as well as House shows. I even have tickets for the upcoming Unforgiven and No Mercy PPV's in Memphis and Chicago respectively. I'm just telling you this so you can see i'm not just a random fan .... I honestly eat, live and breathe WWE ..... it's my total passion !!!!
I have met a LOT of wrestlers and I must say that out of everyone I have met .... only three were rude to me in the whole bunch (Brock Lesnar and Charlie Haas and also Kevin Nash, him particularly on two different occasions). Everyone else have always been amazing and very cooperative.
One particular case I want to touch on is Randy Orton. I would love to know what is the problem that people have with this particular wrestler. I have met him twice (once before and once after the suspension) and he has been super of both occasions.
Honestly .... being a wrestling fan is what I do for a living and I commend all the men and women for their heart and passion for this business. My hat goes off to you
Jean-Francois Trudel (French Fry)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
It's usually not like me to answer these kinds of questions and fall into the propaganda but some of the things I read struck me as odd so I decided to give you my opinion on the matter.
First of all .... a little background on me .... i've been a wrestling fan since about 1999. I started realizing in 2004 that travelling around a little to go to random shows would be a little fun (Keep in mind that I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada). Since then, I have been to 21 different PPV's and numerous Raw and SmackDown tapings as well as House shows. I even have tickets for the upcoming Unforgiven and No Mercy PPV's in Memphis and Chicago respectively. I'm just telling you this so you can see i'm not just a random fan .... I honestly eat, live and breathe WWE ..... it's my total passion !!!!
I have met a LOT of wrestlers and I must say that out of everyone I have met .... only three were rude to me in the whole bunch (Brock Lesnar and Charlie Haas and also Kevin Nash, him particularly on two different occasions). Everyone else have always been amazing and very cooperative.
One particular case I want to touch on is Randy Orton. I would love to know what is the problem that people have with this particular wrestler. I have met him twice (once before and once after the suspension) and he has been super of both occasions.
Honestly .... being a wrestling fan is what I do for a living and I commend all the men and women for their heart and passion for this business. My hat goes off to you
Jean-Francois Trudel (French Fry)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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I live in the Boston area and have met a good number of wrestlers in my lifetime:
Bret Hart: Autograph signing for his DVD, was very friendly was willing to exchange pleasantries and take pictures with everyone.
Tommy Dreamer: Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus he was the special guest, personalized every autograph and took pictures with everyone, even was willing to joke around with everyone.
New Age Outlawz: Were both very funny and could not have been nicer, this was a pre Wrestlemania 14 event where there were hundreds of people at a video store so there wasn't much time for pictures and all of that business but they were very friendly to everyone.
Hulk Hogan: Very business like at the signing, would take no pictures or talk to anyone.
Brutus Beefcake: I met Brutus in a hallway at a Hogan signing he was sort of hiding but was willing to talk to and sign things for the people that noticed him.
Spike Dudley and Fonzie: This was at an original ECW tv taping they were at the merchandise table and could not have been nicer to anyone.
Ric Flair: Was very friendly at his book signing agreed to take pictures etc.
AJ Styles is great, pictures autographs the whole nine as long as your not interrupting(which i have seen fans do to him) he could not be nicer.
Justin Credible is the same way, he was actually getting ready to go back behind the curtain after doing a paid autograph signing at an ROH show, and he was willing to stop and take a picture with me.
Chris Sabin might be the best, at a ROH show in February a few years ago, I met Chris and he could not have been nicer. He was taking pictures, signing anything and chatting it up with fans.
I saved the "best" for last, my personal favorite dating back to 2002 CM PUNK, I met him at the same show I met Sabin and Credible and AJ (ya ROH was quite the company before TNA raided it). Punk who still (being a heel at the time) was still somewhat in kayfabe mode was willing to take pictures and sign autographs, He was at the merchandise table at the time so I didn't bother him for more than the picture and the autograph.
I guess I have been really lucky as I hear some guys can be jerks but, I was fortunate enough to meet some of the real good guys.
Chris
Bret Hart: Autograph signing for his DVD, was very friendly was willing to exchange pleasantries and take pictures with everyone.
Tommy Dreamer: Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus he was the special guest, personalized every autograph and took pictures with everyone, even was willing to joke around with everyone.
New Age Outlawz: Were both very funny and could not have been nicer, this was a pre Wrestlemania 14 event where there were hundreds of people at a video store so there wasn't much time for pictures and all of that business but they were very friendly to everyone.
Hulk Hogan: Very business like at the signing, would take no pictures or talk to anyone.
Brutus Beefcake: I met Brutus in a hallway at a Hogan signing he was sort of hiding but was willing to talk to and sign things for the people that noticed him.
Spike Dudley and Fonzie: This was at an original ECW tv taping they were at the merchandise table and could not have been nicer to anyone.
Ric Flair: Was very friendly at his book signing agreed to take pictures etc.
AJ Styles is great, pictures autographs the whole nine as long as your not interrupting(which i have seen fans do to him) he could not be nicer.
Justin Credible is the same way, he was actually getting ready to go back behind the curtain after doing a paid autograph signing at an ROH show, and he was willing to stop and take a picture with me.
Chris Sabin might be the best, at a ROH show in February a few years ago, I met Chris and he could not have been nicer. He was taking pictures, signing anything and chatting it up with fans.
I saved the "best" for last, my personal favorite dating back to 2002 CM PUNK, I met him at the same show I met Sabin and Credible and AJ (ya ROH was quite the company before TNA raided it). Punk who still (being a heel at the time) was still somewhat in kayfabe mode was willing to take pictures and sign autographs, He was at the merchandise table at the time so I didn't bother him for more than the picture and the autograph.
I guess I have been really lucky as I hear some guys can be jerks but, I was fortunate enough to meet some of the real good guys.
Chris
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Georgie -
Thought I would give a run down on wrestlers I have met and interacted with. Granted, these are snap shots - I can only speak for my interaction at that moment, at that time. No guarantee that your interaction will have any similarity to mine. I have always been very respectful and polite, recognizing that they are people to and have no idea what sort of day they may have had. Also, for 85% of these interactions, I was having to use a wheelchair due to some surgery limitations
I liked the "good, bad, ugly" format so I am going to follow that. It is fairly long, I warn you =
-GOOD-
Hulk Hogan - Really seemed enthused to be meeting the fans (backstage, off camera)
Goldberg - Really polite, was on his way out of a trade show with his wife but took the time to sign an autograph and squat down to take a picture (backstage, off camera).
Mr.T - As positive and excited to meet people as you could possibly believe (backstage, off camera).
Brutus Beefcake - Very polite, kind of quite (backstage, off camera).
Tito Santana - A gentleman (backstage, off camera).
Rick Martel - See Tito.
Warlord - Big and intense, but courteous (backstage, off camera).
Kerry Von Erich - Unfortunately looking back on it now, we can recognize that he was not well, but at the time he was very upbeat and took quite a bit of time to talk to me (backstage, off camera).
Davey Boy Smith - Very pumped up and positive (backstage, off camera).
Bret Hart - You could tell he was still nervous and uncomfortable being seen after his stroke and didn’t talk a lot, but he took the time to sign everything for people and take pictures, smiling and thanking people for coming out (autograph signing).
Rob Van Dam - NEVER a bad experience. Always seems thrilled to see his fans [as a note, his wife is also one of the NICEST women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting] (autograph signings; off camera).
John Cena - Was very polite (during his first run as US Champ), took time to sign & pictures for people on his way out of the arena who were waiting for an elevator to take wheelchairs up (backstage, off camera).
Mick Foley - All the good things you hear are true (autograph signing).
Stacy Keibler - A sweetheart and very polite and willing to stay to be sure everyone got stuff signed (autograph signing).
Kane - Surprisingly funny (autograph signing).
Test - Very polite (off camera).
Chris Benoit - A sad one now, but at the time very polite (autograph signing).
Ivory - I still have to laugh remembering this one. I had to finally say “Um, you know, there are a lot of people still in line after me I am sure would like to meet you” as she really does get into talking to fans and being interested in them (autograph signing; off camera).
Chavo Guerrero, Jr. - Was very polite and willing to take a picture despite being on his way out of the arena with his wife and children. In fact, his wife took the picture (backstage, off camera).
Eugene - Very cool. We ran into him as he was leaving an arena and he went “BAM” right into character as soon as he saw my wife and I. More than willing to take a picture (backstage, off camera).
Shelton Benjamin - Was very intense and “stand-off-ish” at first, and to be fair we did accidentally stumble into him in a parking lot behind an arena [don’t ask]. But warmed up very quickly and kneeled down to take a picture with me (backstage, off camera).
Tajiri - Very funny. Started a running joke for autograph signings at RVD’s old comic shop [long story] (autograph signing).
Rey Mysterio - Very polite. More than willing to take pictures, sign and talk to fans (autograph signing).
Kevin Nash - Kind of aloof, but still very polite and looked you in the eye and thanked you for coming out (autograph signing).
Virgil - I have heard others have bad experiences, I never have the times I have met him (autograph signing).
Al Snow - VERY COMICAL and upbeat (autograph signing).
Hurricane - Really seemed concerned about taking time with the fans (autograph signing).
SGT. Slaughter - Great sport, positive spirits (autograph signing).
Bobby Heenan - Was in good spirits when I met him. Really seemed thrilled to be doing the signing (autograph signing).
Christy Hemme - She is proud of her boobies...lol. Was very polite with fans (autograph signing).
Batista - We had a very positive interaction with him (backstage, off camera).
Kurt Angle - We ran into him in a locker room hall way getting to disabled sitting and couldn’t stop from saying “hi.” He looked directly at me, stuck his hand out to shake mine and said “Hi, I’m Kurt Angle.” Then looked at my wife who was pushing the wheelchair and said “Hi, nice to meet you.” (backstage, off camera).
D-Von Dudley - This one was my wife. She came out of the bathroom and D-Von was just sitting there prepping and focusing for his later match. He was very polite to her and chatted with her for a couple of minutes (backstage, off camera).
Tim White - Very friendly and willing to sign for people who asked (off camera).
Tony Chimmel - Saw him 2 times over 3 days at 2 house shows. The first time we passed him in the hallway on the way out and he said to us “Thanks for coming tonight, hope you enjoyed it.” The next time, was very friendly and willing to answer a couple of questions I had over something from the first show that was going all night between him and one of the refs that apparently had to do with a sports bet (backstage, off camera).
Charles Robinson - Seemed to be REALLY surprised when I asked him for an autograph, and then thanked me for asking afterwards (backstage, off camera).
Triple H - Another one I had heard negatives about, but was INCREDIBLY polite to us. We met him at a book signing where we had to leave early because I was getting sick and the manager took us back asking if he could go ahead and sign the book. He said sure, signed the book, took 2 pictures with me, then asked my wife if she wanted to be in the picture. He then also signed a couple of more autographs for her to give to some of her pediatric patients at her physical therapy clinic (backstage, off camera).
-BAD-
Lita - She couldn’t have seemed to be more disinterested in being at the signing, was on her cell constantly before hand, then as soon as the door opened BIG insincere smile came out (autograph signing; off camera).
-UGLY-
Arn Anderson - He could not have been a big jerk to people if he had tried. Was to everyone I saw, including people who were just standing in line with him at a gas station who wanted to say “hi.” No pictures or autographs, just being polite and he would either totally ignore them or give them this really ugly look (off camera).
Adam Crites
Thought I would give a run down on wrestlers I have met and interacted with. Granted, these are snap shots - I can only speak for my interaction at that moment, at that time. No guarantee that your interaction will have any similarity to mine. I have always been very respectful and polite, recognizing that they are people to and have no idea what sort of day they may have had. Also, for 85% of these interactions, I was having to use a wheelchair due to some surgery limitations
I liked the "good, bad, ugly" format so I am going to follow that. It is fairly long, I warn you =
-GOOD-
Hulk Hogan - Really seemed enthused to be meeting the fans (backstage, off camera)
Goldberg - Really polite, was on his way out of a trade show with his wife but took the time to sign an autograph and squat down to take a picture (backstage, off camera).
Mr.T - As positive and excited to meet people as you could possibly believe (backstage, off camera).
Brutus Beefcake - Very polite, kind of quite (backstage, off camera).
Tito Santana - A gentleman (backstage, off camera).
Rick Martel - See Tito.
Warlord - Big and intense, but courteous (backstage, off camera).
Kerry Von Erich - Unfortunately looking back on it now, we can recognize that he was not well, but at the time he was very upbeat and took quite a bit of time to talk to me (backstage, off camera).
Davey Boy Smith - Very pumped up and positive (backstage, off camera).
Bret Hart - You could tell he was still nervous and uncomfortable being seen after his stroke and didn’t talk a lot, but he took the time to sign everything for people and take pictures, smiling and thanking people for coming out (autograph signing).
Rob Van Dam - NEVER a bad experience. Always seems thrilled to see his fans [as a note, his wife is also one of the NICEST women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting] (autograph signings; off camera).
John Cena - Was very polite (during his first run as US Champ), took time to sign & pictures for people on his way out of the arena who were waiting for an elevator to take wheelchairs up (backstage, off camera).
Mick Foley - All the good things you hear are true (autograph signing).
Stacy Keibler - A sweetheart and very polite and willing to stay to be sure everyone got stuff signed (autograph signing).
Kane - Surprisingly funny (autograph signing).
Test - Very polite (off camera).
Chris Benoit - A sad one now, but at the time very polite (autograph signing).
Ivory - I still have to laugh remembering this one. I had to finally say “Um, you know, there are a lot of people still in line after me I am sure would like to meet you” as she really does get into talking to fans and being interested in them (autograph signing; off camera).
Chavo Guerrero, Jr. - Was very polite and willing to take a picture despite being on his way out of the arena with his wife and children. In fact, his wife took the picture (backstage, off camera).
Eugene - Very cool. We ran into him as he was leaving an arena and he went “BAM” right into character as soon as he saw my wife and I. More than willing to take a picture (backstage, off camera).
Shelton Benjamin - Was very intense and “stand-off-ish” at first, and to be fair we did accidentally stumble into him in a parking lot behind an arena [don’t ask]. But warmed up very quickly and kneeled down to take a picture with me (backstage, off camera).
Tajiri - Very funny. Started a running joke for autograph signings at RVD’s old comic shop [long story] (autograph signing).
Rey Mysterio - Very polite. More than willing to take pictures, sign and talk to fans (autograph signing).
Kevin Nash - Kind of aloof, but still very polite and looked you in the eye and thanked you for coming out (autograph signing).
Virgil - I have heard others have bad experiences, I never have the times I have met him (autograph signing).
Al Snow - VERY COMICAL and upbeat (autograph signing).
Hurricane - Really seemed concerned about taking time with the fans (autograph signing).
SGT. Slaughter - Great sport, positive spirits (autograph signing).
Bobby Heenan - Was in good spirits when I met him. Really seemed thrilled to be doing the signing (autograph signing).
Christy Hemme - She is proud of her boobies...lol. Was very polite with fans (autograph signing).
Batista - We had a very positive interaction with him (backstage, off camera).
Kurt Angle - We ran into him in a locker room hall way getting to disabled sitting and couldn’t stop from saying “hi.” He looked directly at me, stuck his hand out to shake mine and said “Hi, I’m Kurt Angle.” Then looked at my wife who was pushing the wheelchair and said “Hi, nice to meet you.” (backstage, off camera).
D-Von Dudley - This one was my wife. She came out of the bathroom and D-Von was just sitting there prepping and focusing for his later match. He was very polite to her and chatted with her for a couple of minutes (backstage, off camera).
Tim White - Very friendly and willing to sign for people who asked (off camera).
Tony Chimmel - Saw him 2 times over 3 days at 2 house shows. The first time we passed him in the hallway on the way out and he said to us “Thanks for coming tonight, hope you enjoyed it.” The next time, was very friendly and willing to answer a couple of questions I had over something from the first show that was going all night between him and one of the refs that apparently had to do with a sports bet (backstage, off camera).
Charles Robinson - Seemed to be REALLY surprised when I asked him for an autograph, and then thanked me for asking afterwards (backstage, off camera).
Triple H - Another one I had heard negatives about, but was INCREDIBLY polite to us. We met him at a book signing where we had to leave early because I was getting sick and the manager took us back asking if he could go ahead and sign the book. He said sure, signed the book, took 2 pictures with me, then asked my wife if she wanted to be in the picture. He then also signed a couple of more autographs for her to give to some of her pediatric patients at her physical therapy clinic (backstage, off camera).
-BAD-
Lita - She couldn’t have seemed to be more disinterested in being at the signing, was on her cell constantly before hand, then as soon as the door opened BIG insincere smile came out (autograph signing; off camera).
-UGLY-
Arn Anderson - He could not have been a big jerk to people if he had tried. Was to everyone I saw, including people who were just standing in line with him at a gas station who wanted to say “hi.” No pictures or autographs, just being polite and he would either totally ignore them or give them this really ugly look (off camera).
Adam Crites
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OK ....I'll throw my 2 cents in on this topic
FIRST let me just say IMO NO WRESTLER OUT THERE HAS MORE CLASS INTEGRETY IN AND OUT OF THE RING AND HAS MORE RESPECT FOR THERE FANS THAN RODDY PIPER AND BRUNO SAMMARTINO...BAR NONE!
Now...mostly all the wrestlers I have met and spent time with (and that's quite a long list) have treated me well and was a pleasure to meet. Sure some were better than others..
Team 3D...GREAT GUYS..really listened to fans when they spoke to them
HHH-I was not too impressed meeting him..maybe he was having a bad day..who knows
Hulk Hogan-Quiet type but polite and thanked those who come to see him
Ultimate Warrior-despite what I heard of him..he was awesome to meet
Ric Flair-I had no problems meet him..not a bad guy
The Outsiders-very cool guys
Jerry Lawler-Great guy to meet..very personable
There's A LOOOOONG LIST more to go but you get my point..mostly all were great to meet...some not so much but you give them the benefit of the doubt..HOWEVER I can say outright that the absolute worst meeting I ever had to endure was RANDY ORTON...This jackass doesn't know the first thing about respect or class. My first mistake was meeting him with Victoria..She was a doll. HE could care less about who his fans were what they were saying etc.. I watched as fans made there way to his table..all leaving muttering "what a jerk". I had the misfortune on enduring being in the same room with the fool 2 other times (getting siggys of other wrestlers..he was there too) Again i watched as fans meet him and always leaving saying "what a jerk"...Now having a well known rep as "a jerk"..and having the WWE reprimand him faily frequently , does the WWE really need him...people do buy the tix to see him.He doesn't have main event draw..i mean does anyone think "WOW" WHEN THEY ANNOUNCE A MATCH WITH HIM IN IT...HE'S VERY DISPENSIBLE..LOSE THE TOAD
gilmourwaters03
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Georgie, Everyone that knows me knows that I've been very dedicated to the WWE and traveling whenever & wherever I can to see them. I've met many of the guys. Of course there are going to be some that are nicer than others, but I've never seen anyone be downright nasty to anyone. I've heard stories from many other fans though. I know a personal friend of mine who was threatened by Batista if he was going to sell the picture on ebay. I think the words were "I will f**king kick your ass." No one will ever be able to top Matt & Jeff Hardy, and Shane Helms. They always stop & greet the fans. Just amazing guys. John Cena has always been great to me. Never rude. HBK can be short fans, while complaining about how many fans are there, he still signs & does pictures. Cryme Tyme was always great too. I've never had a truly bad experience with anyone in the 10 years that I've been going traveling.
From: monicaohf72
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Hi Georgie, my name is Tom, I've been collecting autographs from WWE guys for 8 years. When I first started, the guys were great, they'd talk a few minutes with you, ask about your item if they never saw it before. I started taking painted canvas's all the guys loved them. I think I have ten now full of autographs. But the last few years the guys just seem to have gotten worst. Orton is the worst of all, I believe all the story's on him now. Cena I think its hit or miss with him because he's great sometimes. HBK is some what of a jerk, the first time I met him was after Wrestlemania in Chicago I was outside the hotel he was at with about 6 other people and he didn't want to stop so every body was going back to wait and see who else was coming out. Then he signed for everyone, then the last time he was in Chicago he was great the night b4 the show signed for everyone, took pictures but the next morning wouldn't even look at us.
Guess what I'm saying is it's really hit or miss with everyone but Randy I think he'll always be a jerk.
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As a long time pro wrestling fan, I have been very fortunate to meet many wrestlers from the days of the WWWF up to the WWF/E of today. I know that you are supposed to treat wrestlers with respect and my wife,kelli, and I do exactly that and have had great experiences with some of the greatest wrestlers ever to be in the ring. If Randy Orton does not want to be around wrestling fans and sign autographs and pose for pictures,he should not sign himself up for autograph sessions. The fans are what makes you or breaks you as a wrestler. Randy Orton needs to remember that!! There is no reason to be rude to your fans. Here is a list of the wrestlers that Kelli and I met and talked to. We thank them for taking their time to spend with their fans not because they had to, but because they wanted to.
Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, The Iron Sheik, Tito Santana, Ivan Putski, Don Muraco, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Jimmy"Superfly" Snuka, Greg"The Hammer" Valentine, Harley Race, Nick Bockwinkle, Chief Jay Strongbow, "Mr. USA" Tony Atlas, Nikolai Volkoff, Johnny and Jimmy Valiant, Afa and Sika "The Wild Samoans", Captain Lou Albano, George"The Animal" Steele, "Cowboy" Bob Orton Jr., Larry Zbyszko, Kerry Von Erich, AX and SMASH of Demolition, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, Missy Hyatt, Sabu, Abdullah The Butcher, Kevin Sullivan, Raven, Edge, A.J.Styles, Abyss, Samoa Joe, Billy Gunn, Ms. Traci Brooks, Tammy"Sunny" Stych, Al Snow, Val Venis, Maven, Spike Dudley, Rosey, Snitsky, Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey-The Midnight Express, Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson- The Rock and Roll Express,King Kong Bundy, The One Man Gang, The Honkytonk Man, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Ken Patera, Dominic DeNucci,"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, The Patriot, Koko B. Ware,"The Ugandan Giant" Kamala, Paul Bearer, Jim"The Anvil" Neidhart, "Headshrinker" Samu, Disco Inferno, Scott Norton, Van Hammer, Norman Smiley, "Freebird" Buddy Roberts,"Hollywood" John Tatum, David Sammartino, Gangrel, Luna Vachon, Chris Kanyon, Virgil and The Tonga Kid. There are also all the indy wrestlers from WXW,World Wide Wrestling Alliance and Continental Championship Wrestling that we want to thank as well.
I think Randy Orton should talk to any of these wrestlers that Kelli and I have met and get advice from them on how to treat the fans. Plain and Simple.
Stephen Faust
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Check it out...
They are regular people! And just like anyone out there, their mood can change! Yall have to realize that these guys are being harassed constantly by marks asking for autographs and pictures. I have met just about every wrestler that has come down the pike in the last 15-20 years and some of them can be pricks one day and great the next!
I have heard a lot of people rag on Randy Orton. Well, I have met Orton a couple times and he has always been a funny ass cool dude.
Ric Flair can sometimes be a little cocky but that's Ric! Who cares? He don't owe you shit! As a kid I have sat down and had 20 minute conversations with the Nature Boy and he has been great.
HHH - I have seen him blow people off. But, at an autograph signing he had a couple years back he sat and talked to me for 15+ minutes telling me how to get in contact with him and WWE. Awesome guy.
Hulk Hogan - Can be great, can be a dick. It all depends. Hogan has been both to me. He is a regular human being!
HBK - Same as everyone else can be great or can be a dick. It all depends.
Vince - Same as everyone else can be great or can be a dick. it all depends
Mick Foley - Might just bum a ride to the arena from you.
Owen Hart - I met him once in Disney Land of all places and he was a complete dick! The next time I met him he was awesome and even gave me the heads up he was going to win the European title that night.
Mr Perfect - I flew into Vegas once for the Halloween Havoc PPV. I was pretty young 15? And ran into him by fluke at check in. I asked if I could get a picture with him and he said sure then turned around and ignored the camera. By chance he was staying across the hall from me and he cussed me out for "stalking him" haha... then he noticed my room was across from his and was great. I even ran into him the next day at the airport and by chance had the same flight as him. He was a dick to everyone and when he saw me he was smiles and hallmark cards.
Batista I have seen be a dick to a lot of people but has always been great to me.
The Rock has always been great to me but I have seen him be a prick to others
Dusty Rhodes - Class Act. All the way. Every time.
Here is a little advice for all of you. If you ever run into a wrestler in public or happen to be staying at the same hotel or see them at the airport or a restaurant. Don't put them on blast. Politely approach them if you have to and treat them like normal people! NEVER bother ANYONE (wrestler or not) while eating. Scope them out before you go up to them see if they appear to be in a pissed off mood or not. But most importantly treat them like people and not like circus animals.
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Hey Georgie what's up, I am not sticking up for Randy for his latest actions, but I am hear to stick up for him for not being a bastard all the time like the fans are saying.
Everytime me and my friends have met him he has been mad cool to us, either stopping for pictures with us by himself or signing graphs.
Here are a couple of pictures to prove that he can be cool at times, and that he is not the bastard that everyone is saying he is.
Catch you later, have a great week Keith Fradella
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Time and Time again I have read or talked to people who doubt me when I tell them oh so and so is a jerk. Their reasoning oh I met him a while back and he was SO nice.... Well at this point I ask where they met the person and 9 times out of 10 they met the person at a signing. CASE AND POINT. They are being PAID to be there and be nice. I don't think I've EVER met someone at a signing that wasn't nice and I have been to a LOT of signings. When they are outside of the ring and outside of the signings they no longer have an obligation to be nice. Granted there are a lot of the stars that are nothing but sweet and nice when it comes to taking pictures and signing. Stars such as The Hardy Boyz, Chris Masters, Matt Striker, The Highlanders, Cryme Tyme, Kelly Kelly, Layla, Brooke, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Tommy Dreamer, Nunzio, Stevie Richards, Kennedy, Cody Rhodes, The Miz, Candice Michelle, Mickie James, Victoria, etc etc etc ...
Then there is the list of people who are always IFy. Such as, Booker T, Sharmell, Torrie Wilson, Kenny, Kevin Thorn, ....
Then there are the people who are almost ALWAYS Jerks. Such as Ric Flair, Triple H, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Batista......
Then there are the people who are almost ALWAYS Jerks. Such as Ric Flair, Triple H, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Batista......
Jesse
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