Meeting a wrestler.....tell us your story.

[OLE BIG]

A friend of mine (on here) can verify this one:

I had a picture of me and Ric Flair from the early 70's.  It was taken by my mother for me as a child.  I went with a few friends to a Nitro in about 1996.  We had a line on where the wrestlers would be hanging out in Atlanta.  Sure enough, we found them in the bar we thought they would be. 

Ric Flair was way off in a booth with his croonies.  I tried to get to him and was cut off.  I told one of his marks that I had a picture I would like to get signed.

"Blah, blah bah, what is it", he said. 

I showed  the guy the pic and he said "oh my goodness, Nature Boy, you have to see this."

It was about 1977 and Flair looked at his best.

Flair came over and asked me about the pic and wondered why I kept it so long.  I told him I would take nothing for it and he said he had to sign it.

He signed it and we talked about it for a few minutes, where it came from, why I still had it, and the like.

One of my favorite memories from my hero!!


I have a few more, but I want to hear yours.

[The Showstoppa]

I can certainly verify this story....same night that Bisch should have taken a beatin' in the restroom....   

[Playboy]

Gosh. I have met so many but the one that stands out for me was meeting Paul Orndorff. He was really down to earth and humble. No attitude or arrogance at all and he signed autographs for everyone around.

[funk51]

lehighton fairgrounds back in the day of ivan putski, when he weighed 300 plus, he was walking around the fairgrounds attracting a crowd when he saw me and came up and started talking in character he came up probably because we were dressed exaxtly the same and i resemble him somewhat only 5 ft 8 205 at the time. a big crowd gathered around us i think they thought i was his little brother.

[The Showstoppa]

lehighton fairgrounds back in the day of ivan putski, when he weighed 300 plus, he was walking around the fairgrounds attracting a crowd when he saw me and came up and started talking in character he came up probably because we were dressed exaxtly the same and i resemble him somewhat only 5 ft 8 205 at the time. a big crowd gathered around us i think they thought i was his little brother.

cool.  Putski was a BEAST !

[funk51]

cool.  Putski was a BEAST !

the funny thing is i went to some show in new jersey and a guy tapped me on the back and said he thought i was putski, guy was virgil aka  vincent the wrestler.

[Montague]

I wish people would mistake me for this guy:

[Montague]

People wouldn't even confuse me for this guy:



 

[Playboy]

People wouldn't even confuse me for this guy:



 

Lol...great pic. I didn't know he was still around

[Montague]

That pic was from a 2004 renunion.
I'll post some others on here later on.

[Playboy]

cool.  Putski was a BEAST !

He certainly was! Guy was huge and ripped.

[yates fan]

i have met and know ck99 personally,he is  currently planning being in a local battle royal against most of the ocw lineup.

[OLE BIG]

I can certainly verify this story....same night that Bisch should have taken a beatin' in the restroom....   

Yes, he should have but my backup was shaky at best. 

I seem to remember you might have had a chance to take out Konnan once as well?

[marcie999]

I talked to a guy at this gym once, (can't remember how the conversation started, think I was waiting for a machine he was on.) and he was training to be a wrestler here in Oz. I haven't seen him since then.

He had some interesting stories about Nathan Jones. I was hoping he'd make his mark in the WWE but we all know how that turned out.

I haven't met any wrestlers in person. I could have gone to the meet the stars when WWE did their Global Warning tour here in Melbourne, but I was pissed at spending a pile on a ticket that had them as big as ants on a stage far away.

I am enjoying all your stories here. The Flair one sounds awesome.  

Montague, who are the guys in the pics?   (I should know but I don't recognise them)

[mass 04]

,who are the guys in the pics?  (I should know but I don't recognise them)

Ivan Putski.

[marcie999]

Ivan Putski.

Thanks. I have some research to do. Don't think I have seen Putski wrestle.

 

Edit........... He wrestled  in a tag team with Tito Santana in the WWE!!!!!!!!!!!! He may be in one of Dad's tapes.

Carry on.

 

[Montague]

Ivan played kind of a stupid character (stereotypical “dumb Polack”) early in his career.
He became more serious once joining Verne Gagne’s AWA in Minnesota.

Putski probably had his best, most successful run working for Vince’s Dad in the 70’s, and continued working for the company after Vince Jr. took over.
He was pretty much done, though, by about the mid-80’s.

Ivan worked a match with Savage at the Wrestling Classic, which was probably one of his last matches as a regular/active wrestler:
 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFu-Fj2f0pw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFu-Fj2f0pw</a>

[mass 04]

I've met John Cena a few times, this was before he was the face of the company...around 2003. Shot the shit for a few minutes with a couple of us. Nice guy. I've talked to Albert/A-train/Giant Bernard a lot, he's from the same area as I am. He's huge, I'm almost 6'3" and he makes me look like a toddler. An incredibly nice guy, he deserves all the success he's had in Japan.

[Fallsview]

Met Kevin Nash at a night club I was bouncing at.  We talked about steroids and injuries-1993.  Undertaker was very quiet.  My brother met Ric Flair at a bar back in 1980 and said he was a real jerk.  He said Snuka was cool and it was the first time he ever heard Snuka speak (NWA days).
 I'm sitting in Applebee's with my wife and friend from Tampa (who see's alot of wrestlers in the clubs) And in walks Shane Helmes and Matt Hardy.  I say to my wife, "Look at that dude, looks like Hardy, probably the dish washer".  Then I see Shane walk in and Jeff is standing outside with his red hair.  My buddy says "That aint' Hardy", and follows him into the bathroom.  He walks out seconds later and says that's Matt and he has the belt in his gym bag.  Well, Applebee's wouldn't serve them because it was 12am, I asked to take some photo's and told them where Denny's was.  Funny thing is the people at the bar couldn't believe these guys were wrestlers and said we looked better than they did.  I'm 6'4, 295lbs and my friend is 6'9 280's.  Looking at the pics we did look huge next to them.lol

[Playboy]

Met Kevin Nash at a night club I was bouncing at.  We talked about steroids and injuries-1993.  Undertaker was very quiet.  My brother met Ric Flair at a bar back in 1980 and said he was a real jerk.  He said Snuka was cool and it was the first time he ever heard Snuka speak (NWA days).
 I'm sitting in Applebee's with my wife and friend from Tampa (who see's alot of wrestlers in the clubs) And in walks Shane Helmes and Matt Hardy.  I say to my wife, "Look at that dude, looks like Hardy, probably the dish washer".  Then I see Shane walk in and Jeff is standing outside with his red hair.  My buddy says "That aint' Hardy", and follows him into the bathroom.  He walks out seconds later and says that's Matt and he has the belt in his gym bag.  Well, Applebee's wouldn't serve them because it was 12am, I asked to take some photo's and told them where Denny's was.  Funny thing is the people at the bar couldn't believe these guys were wrestlers and said we looked better than they did.  I'm 6'4, 295lbs and my friend is 6'9 280's.  Looking at the pics we did look huge next to them.lol

I saw him in a bar in Chicogo by chance a couple of years ago while I was on a business trip. He was still married to Tiffiny at the time. He had a bottle of wine and to of the hottest blonds on each shoulder. Unbelievable.

[The Showstoppa]

I seem to remember you might have had a chance to take out Konnan once as well?

haha, at least I didn't offer him a beer.....   Man, he was thick stepping off of that elevator.....never expected that.

[OLE BIG]

haha, at least I didn't offer him a beer.....   Man, he was thick stepping off of that elevator.....never expected that.

By far, the most impressive wrestler I saw in relation to what I expected.  The hallway went dark when he walked out.


The least impressive was Booker T.  Very narrow and not thick at all.

[OLE BIG]

Met Kevin Nash at a night club I was bouncing at.  We talked about steroids and injuries-1993.  Undertaker was very quiet.  My brother met Ric Flair at a bar back in 1980 and said he was a real jerk.  He said Snuka was cool and it was the first time he ever heard Snuka speak (NWA days).
 I'm sitting in Applebee's with my wife and friend from Tampa (who see's alot of wrestlers in the clubs) And in walks Shane Helmes and Matt Hardy.  I say to my wife, "Look at that dude, looks like Hardy, probably the dish washer".  Then I see Shane walk in and Jeff is standing outside with his red hair.  My buddy says "That aint' Hardy", and follows him into the bathroom.  He walks out seconds later and says that's Matt and he has the belt in his gym bag.  Well, Applebee's wouldn't serve them because it was 12am, I asked to take some photo's and told them where Denny's was.  Funny thing is the people at the bar couldn't believe these guys were wrestlers and said we looked better than they did.  I'm 6'4, 295lbs and my friend is 6'9 280's.  Looking at the pics we did look huge next to them.lol

I met Flair quite a few times after our original meeting.  Most times he was pretty cool, although possibly a little stand-offish.  Late one night in a bar, he and a couple others were pretty rude to myself and a couple of friends.  Of course, it was pretty late, they were pretty hammered, and we probably deserved at least some of it for aggrevating them all night.

[littleguns]

Used to live in Tampa and alot of the wrestlers worked out in Golds on Dale Mabry

Met Jerry FLynn (not Lynn), he was a jobber but super nice guy

Horace Hogan - nice guy as well. Coincidently sat behind him and his family at a showing of wrestling movie that came out on 2000 with David Arquette. It was dark and all I hear is...look there's Daddy....lights come on and it's Horace

Met Big Show at Gold's....nice guy, kind of left him alone

Kurt Angle, also at Gold's, this was 2000. Super nice guy, we chatted at the cardio machines and took a pic when he was done


Scott Hall - back in 85, AWA days...total prick back then

Michael Hayes, also in 85, kind of stand-offish but did take pics with us

Jacqueline/Jackie who ran with Kevin Sullivan in WCW and later in WWE, tiny little thing, very sweet, chatted with  my wife and I for a while, huge rack!

Rick Maretl - back in mid 80's when he was AWA Champ, decent guy, pics and autograph

[Playboy]

Used to live in Tampa and alot of the wrestlers worked out in Golds on Dale Mabry

Met Jerry FLynn (not Lynn), he was a jobber but super nice guy

Horace Hogan - nice guy as well. Coincidently sat behind him and his family at a showing of wrestling movie that came out on 2000 with David Arquette. It was dark and all I hear is...look there's Daddy....lights come on and it's Horace

Met Big Show at Gold's....nice guy, kind of left him alone

Kurt Angle, also at Gold's, this was 2000. Super nice guy, we chatted at the cardio machines and took a pic when he was done


Scott Hall - back in 85, AWA days...total prick back then

Michael Hayes, also in 85, kind of stand-offish but did take pics with us

Jacqueline/Jackie who ran with Kevin Sullivan in WCW and later in WWE, tiny little thing, very sweet, chatted with  my wife and I for a while, huge rack!

Rick Maretl - back in mid 80's when he was AWA Champ, decent guy, pics and autograph

So nothings changed there.