I received an email the other day from a young fan that attended the WWF's Axccess event prior to Wrestlemania 17. This young man had traveled all the way from England and then paid a pretty "All-American" penny for the WWF's Wrestlemania Program book. At Axccess, just about all of the workers from the company are out at tables to meet and greet the fans, do photos, etc. Of course, these fans paid to be there for this event, so anyone would expect that this would be the time for the wrestlers, managers and others to put their best foot forward. Fans are there, the press is there, and it's the biggest wrestling event of the year.
And, to their credit, many of the people that this fan met were very personable according to his story. He asked several to sign the souvenir book with their "old" character names and they were more than happy to comply. However, one particular wrestler (who I'm going to have the decency not to name) didn't share his co-worker's enthusiasm for meeting and greeting the fans. What was surprising to me was that this person wasn't one of the names or main eventers, but rather a solid mid-card worker. When the fan asked him to autograph his book, the wrestler took it, flipped through it with a frown and said, "Oh. One of those nice souvenirs books ..." He then put the book down and said "And I'm not in it!" This took the fan aback a bit and he said, "Well, I'm sure you'll be in it next year." The wrestler then snatched the book back up, scribbled something in it, and handed it back to the fan with a sarcastic "Yeah, whatever ..."
I bring this story up here in the 1wrestling legends column because it reminded me of how very different things are in the business today. I think that many of the workers I see that have made it to "the big time" at one point or another have forgotten the things that made professional wrestling "Professional" in the first place. During this fan interaction period at this event, there was little or no kayfabe, and even the "heels" were out of character to sign autographs and pose for photos. As I noted, the people that were there had paid handsomely to be there and the wrestlers and managers were getting paid to be there. Therefore, in my mind, they were "on the clock" and should have also been on their best behavior.
I can remember being a young fan and getting my first opportunity to get an autograph at a wrestling match. It was an IWA match and there were no "gimmick" tables during intermission as there are in so many independent matches now. In fact, I've seen wrestlers almost fight over who would have the match just prior to intermission so that their "gimmick sales" would pick up. In order to get an autograph, you either had to patiently wait at the dressing room door during intermission or wait at the parking lot exit. Of course, only the bravest of the brave would approach guys like the Anderson Brothers and Brute Bernard in the early days, or The Masked Superstar (Bill Eadie) or Greg Valentine in later years for fear that they would snatch you up and stomp a mud-puddle in you. Even then, many of the "heels" would do a signature every now and then, although they wouldn't break kayfabe while doing it, making some remark or action that would keep them heels in the mind of the fan that walked away.
Back then, an autograph of a wrestler was a memento, not a commodity or a "collectible." It was a way to have the program or match card from the event personalized, or perhaps just an interesting hobby for a fan, young or old. In all the events that I went to as a kid, the wrestlers were as amicable as they could be in signing autographs. Sometimes they were able to stop and talk to the fans as they signed, and other times they would sign on the move to their car or van as they made the next trip in the "loop" that ran through the Carolinas and Virginia. To have a fan ask for an autograph was a sign of recognition to a wrestler, and recognition by fans meant continued work. Greg Valentine was one wrestler who always looked as if he would rather be anywhere else in the world other than signing autographs, but he still did them.
The first time I had ever heard of a wrestler "selling" an autograph was Jimmy Valiant during his time in the Mid-Atlantic area. Valiant was wildly popular as a face during that time, but during one show in my area, he would only autograph for a $2 fee or an item that had been purchased from his table. At the time, I thought that it was the most outrageous thing I'd ever seen! Charging for an autograph? Nobody would ever put up with that! How little did I know ...
Rick and Scott Steiner, Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane, Bulldog Brower, The Mighty Igor, Wahoo McDaniel, Paul Jones, Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk ... all were "big names" when I walked up to them and asked for autographs. All were very polite to me in giving them, some more talkative than others were, but that's to be expected. They were professionals and they acted the part. They understood that their reputation affected the number of tickets that they would sell in that town the next time they came through. They understood that an autograph was a small inconvenience to make a satisfied customer a happy customer. I saw many wrestlers tell fans that they were busy at that point, but to meet them at such and such place after the match. It was a small price to pay for a loyal following.
The attitude shown by this un-named wrestler at Wrestlemania simply amazes an "old mark" like me. There is simply no excuse for it, even a "bad day." Perhaps this gentleman has forgotten all the young men and women who bust their behinds in the indy promotions every weekend to try to simply make a spot in the "big show." Perhaps he's forgotten how far he has come to be a part of the most dominant company in the history of the business. Perhaps he didn't think that the opinion of one fan that traveled from another country to attend that event mattered. Perhaps ... but the fact remains that it DID matter. There are many "old timers" out there that could give some of the wrestlers today a few lessons. You cannot simply call yourself a "professional." You must act like one.
