WrestleFanFest, Oct. 19th-Oct. 21st

[Jingus 0]

Well damn. You just blew right past every single one of my piddling wrestling accomplishments with "and oh yeah I refereed a Great Muta match". Congrats and bravo.

[The Flamboyance 0]

The main event ended up being The Sandman w/ Babydoll vs Steve Corino w/ Francine vs The Great Muta w/ someone's whose name I can't remember for the life of me.

 

Sounds like a nice main event. The original 7 way whatever sounded like a cluster fuck so I'm glad they changed stuff around. Very cool that you got to ref it. Sounds like I'll be downloading the main event and Dragon vs Kidman when they're available or hopefully someone youtubes that shit.

[Scroby 0]

Well damn. You just blew right past every single one of my piddling wrestling accomplishments with "and oh yeah I refereed a Great Muta match". Congrats and bravo.

Thank you, I still can't believe I got to Ref a Great Muta match, none the less a Steve Corino vs The Sandman vs The Great Muta in a hardcore match. Night of my Wrestling Life.

[TheFranchise 0]

Well damn. You just blew right past every single one of my piddling wrestling accomplishments with "and oh yeah I refereed a Great Muta match". Congrats and bravo.

Thank you, I still can't believe I got to Ref a Great Muta match, none the less a Steve Corino vs The Sandman vs The Great Muta in a hardcore match. Night of my Wrestling Life.

Yeah, I tip my hat on that one too.

 

Best i've done is wrestle a lights out match with Alex Shane.

 

But being in the ring with Muta and Sandman in a hardcore match no less?

 

I tip my hat to you.

 

Oh, and that's the first time i've seen someone recommened a DVD just for a Kidman match.

[Scroby 0]

Kidman vs Ultimo Dragon was a great match, espically if you want a match to study.

[Guest Super Leather]

A bit pissed because I couldn't afford advance tickets for both shows: What are the chances of being able to get a ticket for the ROH show tomorrow by just walking up to the box office? Or are they really being Nazis about having the WrestleFanFest passes?

 

If I do get to go, I'll be wearing a t-shirt for a band called Brody's Militia.

[Hawk 34 0]

A bit pissed because I couldn't afford advance tickets for both shows: What are the chances of being able to get a ticket for the ROH show tomorrow by just walking up to the box office? Or are they really being Nazis about having the WrestleFanFest passes?

 

If I do get to go, I'll be wearing a t-shirt for a band called Brody's Militia.

 

ROH said you could go to the door.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

This convention is officially a disaster -

 

http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=27178&p=1

 

WRESTLERS AWAITING PAY FOR WRESTLEFANFEST IN CALIFORNIA STAGE SIT-IN AT THEIR HOTEL , MORE NOTES FROM CONVENTION

 

by Mike Johnson @ 5:00:18 PM on 10/20/2007

 

Bill Goldberg and Roddy Piper did appear at today's events at the Wrestlefanfest convention in San Francisco. I've confirmed with multiple sources that the Roddy Piper check story I mentioned earlier today is indeed correct, so they must have made amends with him. Goldberg was described as being very thinned down.

 

Some of the performers scheduled are at the Cow Palace signing. A number of booked wrestlers, however, including The Steiners and Brian Knobs, have staged something of a sit-in at the lobby of the hotel where they were booked, waiting to be paid. From what I understand, they have been waiting since 8 AM Pacific for the wife of the promoter to arrive with their pay as they've been told they would be paid half of their money via cash and half via check. The wrestlers waiting were originally told that the bank was "three hours away", which was followed by a story that the wife was "pulled over while driving back", and later that there was traffic returning to San Francisco.

 

One vendor I spoke to estimated that there were 80-100 fans in attendance currently, so all of the vendors are taking a major beating. From a vendor end, there are said to a be a ton, particularly MMA related vendors.

 

There is a rumor going around the hotel that tonight's scheduled MMA event in conjunction with the convention was canceled, but the Cow Palace box office is (as of this writing) still selling tickets for the event and stated the show was still scheduled. Ring of Honor's staff and wrestlers are San Francisco, so their scheduled live event for tomorrow is on.

[Guest nflfan]

Hey Scroby, glad you had a great time and must of been a thrill. Francine is awesome! I'm happy to hear that Francine was managing in the main event. Can't wait to see this PPV whenever it airs on DirecTV. Do you know if anyone took alot of pics at the show? Thanks!

[Guest]

I have to ask...did you get paid?

[The Buzz 0]

I thought this sounded too good to be true to turn out quite how it was planned. Sounds like they wanted a big extravaganza and bit off a little too much their first time out.

[Scroby 0]

Yes, a friend of mine did take ringside pictures, so when I get them, I'll try to post them.

 

....I'll talk about the money stuff after the event is over. I still have another day and don't feel like getting chewed out by someone for discussing it while the event is going on.

[Guest Super Leather]

According to the Cow Palace phone line, the MMA show was most definitely canceled.

 

I'm going to head over there as soon as I can and try my luck walking up. Maybe I can somehow avoid the whole fan fest thing. I have exactly $25 or so to spare on this jaunt, which I believe is the price to get in.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/10/21/4593960.html

 

SF convention a complete disaster

 

By BOB KAPUR - SLAM! Wrestling

 

SAN FRANCISCO - In terms of man-made disasters, Wrestle Fest 2007 can be compared to the Hindenberg crash-landing onto the Titanic. The event, which started off promising on Thursday, and managed to overcome some obstacles on Friday to entertain the fans, Saturday devolved into a fiasco of epic proportions, culminating in the skipping town of the promoter, scores of unpaid talent, angry and disappointed fans, hotel fistfights, and a foreboding mood for Sunday’s portion of the show.

 

Though there was a general sense of disorganization on Friday, on Saturday, this hit an entirely new level. At 11 a.m., the area that would only an hour later host headliner Bill Goldberg for an autograph session was completely devoid of any organization. No barriers were set up to control lines, fans were confused as to where to buy the special tickets for the session, tables hadn’t been set up. And the promoter was nowhere to be seen. The take-charge attitude of Jeremy (last name with-held on request) from Dad’s Sports Emporium, onsite to help with the setup, saved the day. Giving directions to the event and building staff, the area was set up in record time. The only problem? No Goldberg.

 

Organizers have confirmed to SLAM! Wrestling that Goldberg was strongly considering not attending in a message of solidarity with the other workers who had not been paid and who had learned that Chris Cramer, the principal organizer of the event, was not going to be able to pay them as promised. Though SLAM! Wrestling was not on hand to see this "negotiation", apparently, Cramer refused to answer his door or his phone to avoid the confrontation. Ultimately, it seems a deal had been garnered and Goldberg and many others came to the show after all. For his part, Goldberg was a complete class act, spending time with every fan, signing whatever items they had, posing for pictures, offering some kind words and graciousness, and generally making everyone feel like a champ. If not for the professionalism of he and all of the other stars at Wrestle Fest -- new faces to Saturday’s lineup included Molly Holly, the Godfather, Ted Dibiase, Nikolai Volkoff and Christian Cage -- the day would have ended up even worse of a mess, which wouldn’t seem really possible. Credit has to go to the professionalism of the wrestlers involved, though it’s possible that those who just arrived that day or were staying at another hotel (the organizers apparently dropped the ball here and some wrestlers weren’t provided rooms at the main site), it could have been a case where ignorance was bliss.

 

And that seemed to be the position of many of the fans too. Though some had heard rumblings about the pay issues, most had not, and others didn’t seem to care. Oblivious to the backstage shenanigans, they heartily enjoyed meeting legends like Harley Race, Roddy Piper who also held his one-man show that afternoon, and Nick Bockwinkel who appeared at the Cauliflower Alley Club booth.

 

But those were probably the only positives of the day, and it soon took a sharp u-turn and proceeded at rocket speed to destination debacle.

 

The scheduled "Brawl 4 it All" mixed martial arts show was cancelled by the California State Athletic Commission who cited a faulty ring setup as the reason. Fans were told of the decision at the Cow Palace shortly before the show was supposed to begin, and they were ushered back to the hotel by shuttlebus, to hang out and join several disgruntled wrestlers (those who had not left during the course of the day as a result of not being paid), mixed martial artists and their various entourages at the hotel bar. Then things got really interesting.

 

Short-staffing in the bar (a common gripe among many attendees) led to crowding, people being pushed out to the lobby and an overall sense of frustration/anger. As wrestlers and fans milled around to talk about the catastrophe that Wrestle Fest had become, violence erupted in the hotel entranceway, in the form of the bodyguard of Leland Chapman (from Dog the Bounty Hunter) running up and sucker-punching and knocking out MMA legend Don Frye, and then running away. Fans and wrestlers, including Scott Norton tried to apprehend the thug but to no avail.

 

At this point, it is believed hotel management called the police who came into the lobby, but really didn’t do anything. Rather, a fellow named Rob (last name with-held on request) assumed control. He ushered all the talent and fans that were assembled in the lobby to join him in the bar for an update. There, he became the de facto man-in-charge, and made a series of announcements. First, he disassociated himself from Chris Cramer, then stated unequivocally that by taking charge, he would still not be accepting responsibility or accountability for paying the wrestlers. And that any cheques that wrestlers had received from Cramer would "bounce like a basketball at a Lakers game." This, as can be expected, didn’t sit well with the talent on hand who had been stiffed, but there was little else that could be said.

 

Second, he announced that, even though he wasn’t part of the organizing committee but rather contracted only to help organize the autograph sessions, he was still going to do whatever he could to ensure a positive experience for all concerned. He assured fans that Sunday’s headliners, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Cryme Tyme, had been paid in advance, so any potential setbacks in terms of their appearing was entirely on their shoulders. And, responding to questions from some of the wrestlers that were expecting payment to pay for their transportation back to their hometowns, that he would do whatever he could to make sure that they got to wherever they needed to be, even asking for volunteers from the fan base to help drive home people like Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, April Hunter and JD Michaels, and the Sandman, who were scheduled to fly out from a different city. Beyond that, he said, he hopes fans enjoy themselves on Sunday, notwithstanding the circumstances.

 

Afterwards, SLAM! Wrestling sat down with a few of the people who had been hired as independent contractors for Sports Promotions USA, Cramer’s company. Basically, they said, the problems with Wrestle Fest 2007 could be attributed to a lack of planning and organization, mismanagement of money (including funds footed by their main sponsor, Gladiator Energy Drink), and overall ineptitude in how to run an event of this magnitude.

 

While the event still has one day to revive itself, there is a general sense from the fans that this has been a colossal failure. Several fans expressed to SLAM! Wrestling their disappointment with the affair, including several who had traveled long distances for the weekend. "This sucks," many said. "I want a refund," cried others, commenting that the overall price for the weekend, which may have totaled $1,000 or more depending on the package purchased was not worth the experience. Or, in the words of a fan who had traveled from Europe, "This was not worth it. It was so poorly disorganized. American organization is much different from European organization ... we expected that it would have some problems. But even in terms of American organization, this was terrible."

 

What this means for Sunday is still unclear. Rumours are that Austin may not attend, choosing to not associate himself with such a catastrophic failure. Though Rob claims otherwise. SLAM! Wrestling has confirmed that Cryme Tyme, one of the other headliners, is in the building, but whether they choose to appear or not remains to be seen. Speculation is abound that the scheduled Ring of Honor card may be in jeopardy as well, though the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that it is still a go.

 

What is known is that Wrestle Fest 2007 has all but completely collapsed under its own weight. Despite the best intentions of the organizers (and one can only hope that they did have the best intentions when planning this, and that any "screwing over" of the talent and fans was not their intent), they essentially bit off more than they could chew. As a result, Wrestle Fest 2007 should rank up there as one of, if not the biggest failures of its kind, and will undoubtedly be spoken of for years to come ... though, unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons.

[Scroby 0]

So I just got back from the convention and today went a lot better than I thought it would. Steve Austin did show up and stayed for quite awhile signing autographs and taking pictures. The AWA show happen at noon but it was my understanding that APW sorta took over the booking of the show and it became a APW show instead. There seemed to be a lot more people today then there was on Saturday, not really sure about Friday because I was in the locker room/back for most of Friday.

 

ROH went on at 4:00, ROH was alright, I really only enjoyed three matches, the fans were nice loud and hot just like Friday but they annoyed the hell out of me, unlike Friday. They chanted all the time, they stood up at random points during a match and would remain standing for a few minutes afterwards. Really annoying for a fan just trying to watch the show. Friday's crowd did chant but it wasn't all the time, which was really cool. This might get people a little mad at me, but it looked like the Friday show had a bit of a larger crowd then ROH had tonight, not by much though. The Malice at the Palace show may have had 400 to 500 people, while the ROH show had a wee bit less. After the ROH show, the ROH wrestlers went to the lobby to take pictures and sign autographs.

 

I left afterwards and apprently Don Frye was knocked out twice from what I understand...yes from the same guy.

[Guest Super Leather]

I missed probably half of the ROH show--public transit from Oakland to that area of SF takes a long time--but got there in time for the Brent Albright/Delirious match. I knew there was no way they'd sell out the Cow Palace, and I pretty much sat wherever I wanted. Took a seat on the right side of the aisle, which of course was not the side giving the most reaction to anything. The impromptu tag match (Jimmy Jacobs/Necro Butcher? vs. No Remorse Corps) was good fun. Danielson/Aries was also good, but my vantage point didn't lend itself well to being able to see the mat wrestling clearly enough. Nigel McGuinness/Jay Briscoe was a very good match. What was with the huge run-in at the end of the show? Picked up a ROH shirt, the poster, and a copy of Joe vs. Kobashi.

 

Had a reasonably good time. Glad I went. Hope they come back...I can see how this trip might have given them a bad first impression. Although there's a lot of wrestling history in that building, the Cow Palace is not the best place for ROH to make their debut.

 

But Joe vs. Kobashi...GODDAMN!

[Scroby 0]

So I noticed that the WrestleFanFest site is gone and I was able to find the forums via google and those have all been deleated. So now I'm really wondering about the dvd's and PPV show. Did anyone pre-order a dvd? If so, I'd like to get a copy.

[Hawk 34 0]

I'm doubting they'll even bother given how much of a mess it came out to be.

[Scroby 0]

Actually I think there is still hopes for the PPV and the dvds. Chris Kloss's production crew taped the Friday show and was filming for the rest of the convention, so there might be still hope that the Friday show does get to ppv or dvd. I just want to get a copy, that's all I want.

[Scroby 0]

So I put some pictures up on my myspace for those who want to check them out. Feel free.

 

Toby's WrestleFanFest pics

[NoCalMike 0]

I know Dangerous_A was planning on going to this, I wonder if he made it.

[Guest nflfan]

Hey, cool recap of the show and pics. Are all 3 girls including Francine in this pic?

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?...mageID=21082776 -I had a hard time trying to figure out if there was 2 or 3 girls in that show. I hope the show makes it to PPV still also. Francine is great

[Scroby 0]

Which picture was that? The link wasn't working. If it's a catfight picture, then yes all 3 girls are in that picture. I clapped when it started happening.