Advice On Meeting Wrestlers

[Guest Sturgis]

(Please note I know there's a couple threads about this, but the search function wasn't working for me)

 

I'm going to a Smackdown house show on May 9th. And I've heard about meeting wrestlers before shows and I wanna need advice.

 

1. What time should I show up?(Show starts @ 7.

2. Where should I go?

3. Assuming it's the backdoor is there some sort of barricade(I'm not breaking in, I just wanna know)?

4. Are the security guards gonna be dicks?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Ultra Violence]

Wrestlers hate people who post the same thread twice. I suggest staying away from them.

[iliketurtles]

.

[Guest webmasterofwrestlegame]

(Please note I know there's a couple threads about this, but the search function wasn't working for me)

 

I'm going to a Smackdown house show on May 9th. And I've heard about meeting wrestlers before shows and I wanna need advice.

 

1. What time should I show up?(Show starts @ 7.

2. Where should I go?

3. Assuming it's the backdoor is there some sort of barricade(I'm not breaking in, I just wanna know)?

4. Are the security guards gonna be dicks?

 

Thanks in advance.

Not sure whether your post is serious or not...but

 

1. For a house show, I think they can turn up any time up to around 1hr 30mins before bell time.

 

2. Hang around the back entrance to the arena where the cars drive into park...wrestlers who are not too tired or busy MAY sign autographs

 

3. You have no chance of getting near the wrestlers if they do not want to get near you.

 

4. Yes they are if people like you try to get near the wrestlers.

 

Your best bet is to find their hotel and get autographs there.

[benoit4hor]

Just wear a nice suit (dress code reasons) and pretend you're scheduled for Velocity.

[Jingus]

If you address them by their real name (example with Edge...Mr. Copeland) you get that much more respect from them.

Bullshit. Wrestlers HATE getting called by their shoot names, for the most part. Hell, even I hate it when people do it to me.

[Enigma]

Go up to Undertaker and say "What's up, Mark" and see how great he treats you.

[iliketurtles]

.

[MikeJordan23]

If you see John Cena scream "What up my nigga?" and see what he says...

[RavishingRickRudo]

Lance Storm has a commentary on this subject, I dunno if it transferred over to his new layout, though. He says that generally, wrestlers dislike being called by their "real" name, and that even backstage the wrestlers call each other by their kayfabed name for the most part.

[Guest Hass of Pain]

There's a funny old story about some fan calling Arn Anderson "Marty" like 15 years ago and getting knocked out for his troubles. It's probably just an urban legend though.

 

I think it differs for certain wrestlers. I think as a general rule the respectful thing to do is call them by their real name, but if a guy has his real name on the cover of a book or a WWE.com column like Edge does, I can't see him being overly offended by it.

[iliketurtles]

.

[Guest Rodney Mack molests cats]

I addressed Lita as "Amy" when I met her at a bar last summer and she looked at me like I was a tool. Thankfully I didn't care b/c I was drunk and trying to hit on Stacy anyways.

 

 

On a side note given the current situation surrounding Lita I'm almost insulted she didn't try to have sex with me...

[{''({o..o})''}]

I've waited a long time for you to post.

[Twisted Intestine]

..That was a tad stalkerish.

[Eclipse]

I don't think wrestlers like being called by their real names. I know some Northeast talent, and I haven't called them by their real, nor have I even seen their close friends and family call them by their real name during wrestling events.

[Jingus]

Worked for me with Edge, Christian, Eugene, and Trips.

 

And call them by Mr. or Mrs....not their first f'n name.

 

If I met Matthew Fox from LOST, I wouldn't go "Hey Jack Shepard you're the man!"

 

Treat them like normal people and not characters. It also shows you have intelligence that you actually know something more about them then just who they play on TV.

They were humoring you, dude. In general, wrestlers don't like people shouting out their real names like idiots. If you go up to New Jack and say "Wassup, Jerome" you're likely to get cussed out, at the very least. And that is not a hyphothetical example.

[SuperJerk]

If you address them by their real name (example with Edge...Mr. Copeland) you get that much more respect from them.

Bullshit. Wrestlers HATE getting called by their shoot names, for the most part. Hell, even I hate it when people do it to me.

Worked for me with Edge, Christian, Eugene, and Trips.

 

And call them by Mr. or Mrs....not their first f'n name.

 

If I met Matthew Fox from LOST, I wouldn't go "Hey Jack Shepard you're the man!"

The gimmick name is considered more of a stage name than a character name. You wouldn't walk up to Ringo Starr and say "I loved your work on the White Album, Mr. Starkey."

[Guest Fook_Theta]

I suggest calling Raven by his name. Gets you free blow.

 

I must second the request to tell Cena "What up my nigga?" Added points if you tell him to sell the facial expression he's about to make. SELL DAMN YOU

[Guest Coffey]

I just feel it's more mature and respectful. Especially if you know about the business, and know what these guys deal with regarding fans.

There's your problem. You think you know about the business.

[SuperJerk]

I suggest calling Raven by his name. Gets you blows to the face.

Edited for accuracy.

[The Amazing Rando]

I addressed Lita as "Amy" when I met her at a bar last summer and she looked at me like I was a tool. Thankfully I didn't care b/c I was drunk and trying to hit on Stacy anyways.

 

 

On a side note given the current situation surrounding Lita I'm almost insulted she didn't try to have sex with me...

Should've called her "Trish".

[Slayer]

I had thought HartFan's original post was sarcastic given the documentation that most wrestlers who aren't under their real name do not wish to be referred to by it, but apparently I was wrong.

 

Though I'll never understand kayfabe in the sense that while both actors and wrestlers perform under the premise of a character, referring to actors outside the presence of their medium by their character's name would be considered absurd, while referring to a wrestler outside their medium by their character is the norm while using real names is considered poor form

 

 

 

 

...On the other hand, I can understand some wrestlers changing their de facto name (Michael Hickenbottom indeed)

[Guest jumpingbombangel]

I hate calling wrestlers by their real names. Firstly, it's because I don't feel I know them personally enough to do that. Second, many wrestlers don't even call each other by their real names. Their stage names become nicknames at various points in their career, and that's just who they're known as.

 

Thirdly, calling a wrestler by his or her real name shows that I might've been on the internet, and therefore they'll run screaming away from me in fear of getting shitcanned for talking to someone who owns a computer.

 

EDIT: After reading through all the posts, the majority is right. Wrestlers really don't like to be called by their real names, no matter how much you think you "know." Most smarts are actually really looked down upon for how much they know, because the wrestlers try so hard to protect the business and it's disrespectful of fans to get too "biggity," as we call it here in the Dirty.

 

I remember Spike telling me once when he was in ECW that someone (I forget who it was, RVD or someone) didn't even know his real name was Matt until he'd been working there for a while. At least in the ECW locker room kayfabe remained alive.

[Twisted Intestine]

I think calling a wrestler by his real name can be taken as "Hey, I'm not a mark! Look at me, I know all about the business!" and the wrestler will think you're a jerkoff.

[The Kid]

As an indy worker, believe me, you'll look like a total tool using their real names. Stick with just their gimmick name. Also, ie: Don't call Trish Stratus, "Ms. Stratus", call her Trish. But if it's someone like Chris Benoit and you know it's their real last name, use it the formal way. Hell, call them sir or ma'am.

You're better off just calling them "buddy" or whatever. Don't use real names *shudder*.

[Some Guy]

The way I see it is if many of the wrestlers (Jesse Ventura included) still call Foley "Cactus" then you, as a fan should refer to them by their ring name. Some of the younger guys like Eugene might like it because it means that the person who called him that knew who he was prior to the retard gimmick, but I doubt Hogan would like a fan calling him Terry or Mr. Bollea.

[Guest Dale Earnhardt]

The way I see it is if many of the wrestlers (Jesse Ventura included) still call Foley "Cactus" then you, as a fan should refer to them by their ring name. Some of the younger guys like Eugene might like it because it means that the person who called him that knew who he was prior to the retard gimmick, but I doubt Hogan would like a fan calling him Terry or Mr. Bollea.

I don't think that Mick Foley would mind you calling him "Mick" to be honest. Since he has used that name on WWE TV and in his publications.

 

My advise for meeting wrestlers is this, treat them with respect and don't act markish around them.

 

1. Use their stage name

2. Have a normal conversation with them

3. Don't say anything stupid.

 

It's really simple

 

Here's a question,

 

If YOU guys were wrestlers, would you want your stage name to be used by fans or your real name?

[RavishingRickRudo]

Wrestlers, in general, are fucked up in the head. It's the nature of the business.

 

In other generation it may change.

[Some Guy]

The way I see it is if many of the wrestlers (Jesse Ventura included) still call Foley "Cactus" then you, as a fan should refer to them by their ring name.  Some of the younger guys like Eugene might like it because it means that the person who called him that knew who he was prior to the retard gimmick, but I doubt Hogan would like a fan calling him Terry or Mr. Bollea.

I don't think that Mick Foley would mind you calling him "Mick" to be honest. Since he has used that name on WWE TV and in his publications.

I don't think he'd mind, but I used him as an example of a guy who goes by his real name (and has for 5 years), yet is still called by his original gimmick name by some of the wrestlers.

 

I agree with you advice. Although the only wrestler I've ever met is Brutus Beefecake and the the only thing I said to him was "$2.50, please" as I rung up his Ben and Jerry's.