Y'all Up on This? Deadspin's Wrestler Run In Column

Busby

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Back in 2000, I was a 12-year-old uber-wrestling dweeb. I had the posters, action figures, VHS videos; any WWE (then the WWF) offering from my local Wal-Mart, I was spending my allowance on or planning on buying. One day I noticed there a sign stating Mick Foley and Hardcore Holly would be doing an autograph signing in the toy aisle of the aforementioned Wal-Mart. My heart skipped a beat as Mankind/Mick Foley was not only my all-time favorite wrestler but also a guy I aspired to be like (I really like red flannel). His autobiographies were among the first "grown up" books I had ever read and his story of hardship coming up through the independent ranks and onto the WWE championship had inspired me someday pursue becoming a professional wrestler myself.

I waited a shade over two months for the big day. I barely slept the night before and the internal debate over those 60+ days was whether to wear my Mankind shirt or my WWE Attitude shirt (as to not offend the other person at the signing, the wrestler formally known as Sparky Plugg). I eventually settled on my Mankind shirt as a way of hopefully attracting a little more attention from the "hardcore legend". When we arrived, there were about 150 other wrestling fans that arrived before us. Some in the front of the line had even slept overnight beside Wal-Mart's front door for the opportunity to be the first people to shake hands with and spend a few moments with the wrestlers. Undeterred, we got in line and began to wait. My mother (who is NOT a professional wrestling fan) was gracious enough to spend the three hours in line with me. Keep in mind, that this was a time before smart-phones so my mother had to spend those 180+ minutes reading soup labels and staring at what had become a shytshow of heavyset and pimply faced wrestling dweebs in their best wrestling shirts (other than Mankind shirts, I mostly saw Stone Cold, Sable and Hardy Boyzzz tees).

We finally got near the front of the line. My mother, who at this point was bored to tears and complaining that her feet hurt, had told me several times to speak up when introducing myself to the "wrestling men" and smile for the pic she was going to take. I only could shake my head as I had already played the entire scenario out in my head a million times in the months leading to this encounter.

I began walking toward these massive men sitting at a white table with black and red Sharpies, and I went completely blank. Holly was closest and was the first to introduce himself. He could tell I was nervous and a little intimidated and told me not to worry. He asked for my name and asked what grade I was in. Through my peripheral vision, I could see my mother mouth the words "thank you so much" to Holly. The thing is, I wasn't nervous about meeting Bob Holly. I mean, I was, but that was nothing compared to meeting my idol.

I shuffled over to the left and there I was: standing in front of my hero, Mick Foley. I had already been trained by my mother to stick out my hand for a shake so I nervously stuck my hand out. But nothing happened. Mick didn't grab my hand and make nice with me like Hardcore Holly. Instead he leered over at my mother (who was standing over my left shoulder) and made no attempt to cover up that he was obviously disrobing her with his eyes. He says to her "Cute kid. Was his father too busy to bring him here or ...?" I didn't realize it at the time but Mick Foley was hitting on my mother.

I vividly remember my mother snapping back that my father was a staff sergeant and he was temporarily on leave. I didn't understand her dissonance but I did note that Mick did not make eye contact with me one time during our 30-second interaction. He signed his 8x10 without breaking eye contact with my mother, who was quite obviously peeved now. Mick finishes signing the 8x10 but not before he whispers something to one of their handlers. He silently hands me the photograph and I make my way around the table to take my picture. In a haze, the picture was taken (I forgot to smile) and afterwards we started our trek back to the car.

Before we could get to the Camry, a bald man with a ponytail runs up to us. He hands my mother a business card. When we got inside the car, my mother reads the card out loud and shows me the card. It read "Lonely? Mick" along with a phone number. My 12-year-old brain still did comprehend. That is when my mother spoke to me as an adult for the first time ever. She explained that Mick was looking to "go out on a date" with her. It didn't register until years later the Mick Foley wanted to bone my mom but what I still find eerie/humorous is that Mick signed the note to my mother with his trademark smiley face. He didn't even do that for my 8x10!!

Mick was on his :shaq: :takedat: mode :laugh:
 

Kid Kash

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My run-in with wrestling greatness takes place back in 2005 in Detroit - March 25th, to be exact. I know this because I still have the ticket stub. What show did I catch, you might ask? Was it a Royal Rumble? Smackdown taping? Oh no, my friends. This wasn't a wrestling show. That fateful Friday, at the Fox Theater across the street from Comerica Park, I was at an Ashlee Simpson concert.

My girlfriend at the time was an absolute sucker for anything reality-TV related, including Ashlee Simpson. That led to an unhealthy obsession with her "music," and in turn led me to purchase her two tickets to the Detroit show as a Valentine's Day gift. The tickets were meant for her and a friend of her choice; she didn't see it that way.

We were barely through the front doors when she already had to pee. I followed her over to the ladies' room entrance, where there were couches inside of a small waiting area, and executed my boyfriendly duties of holding the purse. As I took a seat on one of the couches, I noticed a giant hulk of red, white and blue mass, with slick black hair. He was hunched over looking at his phone, but as he put it away and sat up straight in the chair, we locked eyes. It was WWE superstar Dave Batista.

Being the only heterosexual male over the age of 18 anywhere near the Fox Theater, I was the only one to notice. As we sat across the room from each other, I gave him my best inquisitive face with a raised eyebrow, as if to say "what are you doing here?" A smile broke out over his face as he realized that at least one person could identify him. He returned the look with a shrug of his shoulder and his hands in the air, clearly not wanting to be there either. We both laughed and nodded our heads in agreement. Just then, a girl no older than 10 came out of the ladies room. Big Dave stood up in his full American flag tracksuit (!!) as the little girl took his hand as they made their way to find their seats. It turns out he has young daughters, and this one unfortunately had horrible taste in music.

Batista looked back over his shoulder and said "enjoy the show" with a big grin. I spend the next two hours fantasizing that he would jump on stage, give Simpson the trademark thumbs down, and powerbomb her off the stage. I have to believe he was imagining the same.
LOL!
 

Popi

The Greatest GOAT
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In 1996, I worked at a ski shop in Atlanta, GA. As one of the only ski shops in the greater Southeast region we got our fair share of local celebrities in. One day I am hard at work on my shift sifting through magazines when in walks Buff "The Stuff" Bagwell, aka Marcus Alexander Bagwell, accompanied by a stacked brunette who looked like she had just come off a shift at Tattletales or the Gold Club (conveniently located down the street). At this point in late 1996, Buff was really at his peak having become a feature wrestler for the WCW (headquartered in Atlanta) and a newly minted asset of the original New World Order.

None of my coworkers knew who this stallion of the squared circle was, so I promptly hopped off my stool to help him and his female acquaintance out. They were looking at taking a trip "someplace cold" in a few weeks and needed proper insulation. After going through various brands and styles for him and her, we make some fine selections hats, gloves, jackets, mittens (for her) and furry snow boots(totaling about $1,100, of which my poor broke-ass college self would get 3% commission). We make our way up to the counter and I ring him up. He pays for his stuff in cash and gets her mittens, hat, and boots but puts her jacket on layaway. As I'm walking them out, he whispers to me that she hadn't "earned" the jacket yet…

:smugdraper:
 

Ohnoits

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:krs: at Christian seeing the future on Matt Hardy...

Both Edge and Christian seeing clearly...:lawd:
 

Ohnoits

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At one point I had my back turned to the glass as someone came in. I heard them angrily trying to open the locked door so I quickly turned around to let them in. It was The Rock. When I turned around I completely froze and just stared at him. I was, and still am, a huge Rock fan. Seeing me just stare at him he says, totally in character, "Open the damn door and let the Rock in the building you jabroni." I must have hit the button 27 times in 5 seconds trying to let him in. He just stared at me and other people in the office the entire time and, even after entering the building, stared at us until he was out of sight.

I about died.
 

nerry

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The more people try to expose HBK as an a$$hole, the more it adds to his legend :pachaha:

I might be becoming a fan :rambo:


I mean who at this point is STILL trying to do that in friggin 2012, it's like saying the sky was/is blue.:yawn:


:sadcam: at the Virgil stories
 

Ohnoits

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Dude :laugh: thats crazy, the way foley described some divas in his book always had me like :smh: you just knew he wanted bone melina

It was obvious. He always went on about her like he wanted to get busy with those ass cheeks.

I would not be surprised if he got his fair share of p*ssy on the road just like all the guys.
 

Popi

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Prior to my senior prom in 1993, at New Canaan High School in Connecticut, there were rumors that the administration had hired a WWF wrestler to make an appearance. Being that the dance was in the same city as WWF headquarters, in Stamford, the story had enough legs to make it around most of the student body, even if most of us thought it was fake.

Supposedly the wrestler was supposed to be Sgt. Slaughter, who would pull up in his camouflage limousine and then come in an greet the students. Slaughter never arrived and as the night went on the appearance of any wrestlers seemed unlikely.

My friend and I stepped outside for a cigarette and as we were smoking we heard a distinct voice growl from behind us. "Cigarette break boys?"

We turned around and to our amazement, there was Randy Savage in full Macho Man regalia.

"Ya shouldn't smoke, it's bad for ya," he said as he entered the hotel. We quickly threw our butts on the ground and followed him inside. He was taken into a room with our Assistant Principal while we ran to tell everyone who we just saw.

As we were doing that the music stopped and "Pomp and Circumstance" began to play. Most kids had no clue why but as a wrestling fan I knew exactly what was happening and on cue Macho Man came whirling into the ballroom, took the mic, said a few raspy words and told everyone he would be in the hallway for photographs.

My buddy and I got on line and had this Polaroid taken of us making our best wrestler promo faces that I still keep in my desk at home. Savage was awesome and stayed until everybody got a picture.

Three years later my brother had Mr. Perfect come to his prom as the tradition continued.

xlarge.jpg
 

Reality Check

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About four or five years ago, I was walking around the mall with my girlfriend. There happened to be a card show and random tables filled with sports memorabilia, which I was aimlessly browsing through. Out of the blue, she says, "Look! It's Bobby Lashley!" She knew who most of the popular wrestlers were mainly because of me and my love of professional wrestling. I turned around IMMEDIATELY, not to see Bobby Lashley, but instead... VIRGIL!

I walked over to his table, which had a huge sign that read MEET WRESTLING SUPERSTAR VIRGIL. Again, it was probably 2007. Not exactly Virgil's heyday—if he ever really had one. I've always been a huge wrestling fan, so I was pretty pumped to go talk to one of four men to ever hold the Million Dollar Championship, and judging by the empty table he was sitting at, thought he could use some company. I ended up shooting the shyt with him for almost 45 minutes, all while he tried telling me some serious bullshyt, like the time he won the Intercontinental Title (never happened); how he trained Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (ya kidding me?); and how he made over $15 million during his time in the WWF (VERY doubtful).

Bullshyt aside, Virgil seemed like a genuinely nice guy, and hooked me up with a free autographed picture (of himself, Ted DiBiase, and Andre the Giant), probably for giving him something to do for 45 minutes. He signed it: "To Ryan, BE COOL! Virgil."
:usure:
 

Gang$tarr

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:krs: i woulda wilded out like a muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhfukkka like we bought to get drunk with the Mach homies!!
 
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