Advice On Meeting Wrestlers

[tominator89 0]

I suppose I was lucky when I met Brock Lesnar in a bar. I referred to him as "Mr. Lesnar" and he didn't mind. I didn't act pushy, since he was socializing in the bar with some friends and I think he appreciated that. My friend asked him about being roommates with Shelton Benjamin and he had kind words to say about him. We didn't ask anything else about the business since he was there to get away from it for a while. He was very cool about signing some autographs for us and taking a few pictures. The only other advice I can give, as others have, is to just be cool. Don't be embarrassing in public. That, and, make sure not to be obsessive.

[UZI Suicide 0]

One night after a house show a few years ago I met Ron Simmons at a bar, I talked to him for a while, just about wresting , football, etc. and he gave me some great advice... don't act too much like a mark, but don't act too much like a smark either. Wrestler's like it much more if you just approach them like just a regular guy.

 

He said you can't even begin to imagine how many people approach them with the "OMG YOU'RE THE COOLEST THING EVER I LOVE U OMG U CHANGED MY LIFE THIS IS THE GREATEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE!!!" and while that is flattering, it gets old after a while. And he said just as many smarks come up to them acting like they know everything about the business(although he called them "dem assholes from da computer").

 

So my advice, don't act like a jackass.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Find some things the wrestlers are interested in outside the ring, like if Cena's a Red Sox ask how he thinks the Sox are gonna be able to repeat this season.

[Fro 0]

http://www.liveaudiowrestling.com/star/sto...t.asp?aID=14613

 

There's Storm's column on meeting wrestlers... pretty essential reading.

 

I'd have to second the "using real names" bit... it just makes you look like a tool because of how the business is. Obviously, anyone who goes by their real name (or has wrestled under their real name) is an exception.

 

Would you go up to get Woody Allen's autograph and call him Mr. Konigsberg? Call Bob Dylan "Mr. Zimmerman"?

 

Wrestlers' names are stage names, not just character names.

[Enigma 0]

Did Ron also say "Don't be a clown!"?

[iliketurtles 0]

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[iliketurtles 0]

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[iliketurtles 0]

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[Epic Reine 0]

Eh, I would just call them by their stage names. It's not like I'm gonnna be calling them something ridiculous. Addressing Edge as Edge sounds badass.

[Guest FromBeyondTheGrave]

If I was a WWE wrestler, I would kayfabe every single fan.

[Nighthawk 0]

Act like you're not a fan at all. Call them "Hey you." That's the best way.

[slimm44 0]

I think it could go either way. If you see someone in an airport or public area, you want to shout out, 'hey Mister America' lol. Okay maybe bad example. But if it's before/after a show and you're outside waiting for someone then people are psyched and don't care what they call them. I know a lot of indy guys who think of their wrestling names as a nickname. I haven't had anyone ignore me when I meet wrestlers

[Guest Phoenix]

I know when we went to a House Show here in town. We got some stuffed signed by the Big Show and Anvil said thank you Mr. White. The Big Show looked at him like he was legit pissed.

 

I did however meet Rick Rude and Kurt Henning is a gas station after a Thunder one night. It was pretty cool. My uncle asked how they were doing, and how was it like to basically live on the road. They said it was tough most of the time and that driving sucked. Then they asked my uncle how to get to I-70 from where we were and he told them they said thanks and left.

 

I guess it just depends what type of mood they are in. When I met Al Snow he was at a Comic Con in Chicago pushing Tough Enough. I asked him if he really trained Dan Severn after he signed an autograph for me. He looked at me for a sec and just smiled and laughed. Then I got a picture taken with him of him clawing me in the face. I talked to him for like 25 mins after the line went away and he was a nice guy. Some random guy came up while I was talking to him and said didn't WWE sign Nova and why isn't he on TV, Al Snow simply put it how it is and said because Nova sucks. I laughed at that for a while then said thanks for talking to me Mr. Snow. He shook my hand and said thank you as well for wanting to talk to him. Then I left.

 

So what I guess my advice would be is to not be a super mark, but don't be a total smark either. Be nice and I guess just ask the right question at the right time and catch them in a good mood. That is the best I can tell ya from what I know.

[Guest PlatinumBoy]

I've met lots of guys before and after the show and in the area. My advice is call them by their stage name, be nice and quiet and not in their face, don't be pushy, etc. etc. Everyone I've met pretty much has been cool. If you can meet Teddy Long, talk to him. FUNNY AS SHIT in real life. Before the Royal Rumble 02' my buddies and I went down to meet people and met Kanyon--super nice and took pictures and autographs with us, which was great since i already had Bryan Clarke's autograph and now had Wrath and Mortis--and Teddy Long. Long talked to us for a little bit, I asked for an autograph and pull out the cloth napkin I stole from Jocks and Jills (Sports bar). He starts dying laughing and just rags on me for five minutes about how ghetto and funny it is.

 

That event also has examples of what's good and bad to do.

 

Good: I see Maven and Al Snow leaving. I go up and get a high five from Maven and tell him how great he was in the Rumble and asked him how that Taker' chair shot felt. He thanks me, says some stuff, and leaves with Al.

 

Bad: Jerry Lawler is out before the show, he's coming up to a group of fans ready to talk when two random douche bag 14 yearolds run up to him snapping their flash cameras in his face and being total assholes, yelling at him and grabbing at him until he just turns around and leaves.

 

 

The best guy I've talked to was RVD. Before the "Austin walk out" RAW in Summer of 02, I'm grossing the road with some of my friends to go to Chick Fil A near the arena and see a guy across the street waiting to cross with his back to us. He's not that tall, but man was he ripped (RVD is pound for pound the strongest guy in the WWE by far). The guy was just wearing a nice shirt and jeans and had a ponytail, we start to cross, he turns around and it's RVD. We all are going nuts but stay calm, one of us is like "Hey Rob, will you sign my RVD Foam Hands?" He smiles, we walk with him across the road, the dude talks to us for a while, signs autographs for all of us, takes pictures with all of us too. Then to seal the deal, he cuts a promo for us. He tells us it was cool and he's got to go run to the show and tells us to have fun. As he is walking away, I go, "Hey Rob, got anything special for us tonight?"

 

He turns around, goes "Anything special tonight? I do something special everynight because I'm ROB VAN DAM!" The best part is he even did the thumb pointing with each part of his name like he does in promos.

 

So that's my advice, be nice and polite and alot of the Wrestlers will be the same back to you.

[Guest krazykat72]

RVD is pound for pound the strongest guy in the WWE by far.

As great a shape as he's in, I have absolutely no doubt that this is not true.

 

 

-Paul Jacobi-

[Guest PlatinumBoy]

RVD is pound for pound the strongest guy in the WWE by far.

As great a shape as he's in, I have absolutely no doubt that this is not true.

 

 

-Paul Jacobi-

Here's his workout. If it's even half true--and he weighs less than his annouced weight, then damn.

 

http://www.robvandam.com/workout.shtml

 

This is for Bench...

 

Set 4

3-4 reps

405 pounds, very hard, bust it

 

 

Set 5

4-6 reps

335 pounds, slow, negative set, intense

 

This is for Squats...

 

Set 4

4-6 reps

405 pounds, save some strength

 

 

Set 5

4-6 reps

495 pounds, I like to push myself on this set!

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a guy who weighs around 220 or so, maybe less, benching almost twice your weight 4 times while doing reps is insane. I figure the guy can max out at 500+ on bench and 600+ easily on squats. Suddenly makes me feel weak for going nuts that I finally got 300 on bench.

 

But to be serious, this is something that frustrates me. When fat guys like Viscera or just tall guys overpower "little" guys like RVD. His maxes are great, he's probably stronger than alot of the big hosses in the WWE, yet he'll be booked as a tenacious little guy aganist the Undertaker.

[Guest Coffey]

In ECW, Joey Styles would constantly put over that RVD wasn't just agile but that he was freakishly strong too. He'd call it like that in matches. "For someone to be that strong and that agile..."

[Guest PlatinumBoy]

In ECW, Joey Styles would constantly put over that RVD wasn't just agile but that he was freakishly strong too. He'd call it like that in matches. "For someone to be that strong and that agile..."

Surprisingly, or not surprisingly depending on your view, when I got back from the RAW I met RVD at, my Dad and I watched it after he taped it, and out of all the matches and guys, he thought RVD and Eddie looked the best wrestling each other--and the most badass. Perhaps because no one bigger was around, but he thought with RVD's kicks and agility and Eddie's moves and MASSIVE arms, they looked great. He's an amateur wrestling fan and thought it looked the best (Eddie vs RVD in the KOTR qualifier). Of course he also thought Brock was a beast, but I'm just saying, among "non smart fans" not everyone thinks hosses are the most badass tough guys. Hell, tons of my friends who are casual fans all think that Benoit is the biggest badass in the WWE.

[TheInsane 0]

I have met pretty much the whole Smackdown roster duringt their 2003 trip to Europe as well as some from RAW on the 2004 trip. The wrestlers did indeed call each other by their stage names for the most part. I dont think I said anything but "Hey man" to those I talked to and then told them that I had enjoyed their match earlier during the show and such.

We were many people who went to the hotel after a RAW show though and some were cool with it (like Flair) but others were upset because of our pressence (Molly and Rhyno). Mostly because we were to many people and some really acted "markish". And Earl Hebner even went off on one of the guys and started shouting at him that he was an asshole (granted he was a asshole cause he had whispered "you screwed Bret" when he was close to Hebner).

[Jericholic82 0]

well the only people I "met" outside a wwe show was really just one, ref Tim White, he signed an auto for me . I saw some guys coming in and they waved but thats baout it.

 

However I did mean lot of wrestlers at that WWA show. They were really cool and most seem willing to talk with us (especially Jeff Jarrett, who was the nicest wrestler I have ever met)

 

The best guys are the indy guys. Hell they probably just love attention since theyre littleknown for the most part.

 

 

I would say just be cool with them, just have a normal talk. Compliment them nicely if you wish but nothing too scary.