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Bret question

Hey Scott,
Been reading since the 90s, first time writing…

So I just got back from day 1 of the Calgary Comic Expo,  and I paid $20 to meet Bret Hart and get his autograph. I'm just wondering if you or any of your blog readers have had any interactions with Bret. Because I wasn't very impressed. He seemed completely disinterested and unengaged. Now I'm not asking to be best friends or anything, but I just paid money to stand in line to meet you, so at least acknowledge my presence. Are my expectations way off here? I met a number of other "stars" at the Expo, and they were all very pleasant and had smiles and met the eye of the people who were paying their hard-earned money to be there.

Has anyone had a different experience with Bret, or is he just plain miserable in life?
Thanks!

Well, when I met DDP at the Comic Expo a couple of years ago and he was VERY chatty and accommodating, even for the 15 seconds or so that I was around.  Bret's always been a very gracious and cool person from everything I've heard, but maybe his health problems have changed his ability to focus in situations like that, I dunno.  But with someone like, say, Shatner or Nimoy in those kinds of environments, you're literally lucky to get more than 2 seconds of facetime with them, so YMMV.  Or you can get Honky Tonk Man, bribe him with $20, and get him to cut a promo on your friend's voice mail.  

Comments

  1. Did scream09 write this email?

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  2. Honky Tonk man is main eventing a show in the next town over, Harbour Grace, Newfoundland.

    After the show he's shilling merchandise , and as my friend and I are waking by I say how some pairing that I can't quite remember "would be a good match."

    Without batting an eye, Honky intercepts and is shot out of a canon: "Whattid be a good match? Me and Hogan? Happened on the house shows all the time in '87. Look, here's a PWI to prove it. Autographed. $20."

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  3. Shatner and Nimoy were both at DragonCon in Atlanta 4 years ago and, in total, were charging over $300 for an autograph and picture. And even with that price their line circled the ENTIRE BUILDING several times.

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  4. I honestly don't get the autograph culture. But to each his own I guess.

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  5. I had Virgil following me and my brother around at a sports card show a couple of years back. He kept telling us about a WWF title match he had with Bret Hart in Oakland and how all the "brothers" were screaming for him to win.

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  6. If I may take off my pants and pull my analrapist stocking over my head for a second, I think Bret is just a somewhat private guy who has been made even more so by the struggles he has faced in wresting. I mean the thing he most loves, wrestling, has taken his brother and ruined his health.

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  7. Same here. I've waited in long lines to meet some comic book creators, but the autograph is always secondary for me.

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  8. You have to be a real big deal to charge that kind of money though. Jason Momoa, who played Khal Drogo on the first season of Game of Thrones, charged around 20 or 30 bucks and that's the normal price. At another convention Chris Hemsworth, AKA Thor, charge 125.

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  9. 100% agreed. as a kid I thought it would be cool, probably because everyone else thought autographs of stars were cool. Once I got older I just didn't get it. It is a signed name. Same with foul balls. Unless I can sell it like a famous HR ball to some sucker, it is worthless and I'll just give it to a kid who appreciates it

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  10. hmm, I have that same feeling about people on message boards. :)

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  11. that would have been only a year or two after his stroke. Not surprising. To my knowledge Bret is very well off so I'm not sure what he gets out of doing autograph shows that might make him uncomfortable or that he doesn't enjoy.

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  12. I met Bret too, and I just have this to say:

    Oh my GAWD... His Handshake! It's LIMP!!

    But seriously, he seemed okay. I told him he was my favourite wrestler, and that most wrestlers had their best matches with him. Then I named a couple outlying guys (I've heard it's ALWAYS good to ask celebrities some obscure stuff rather than the obvious comments), which got him talking about Carl Oulette for a bit. He actually seemed pretty into that, as he felt "they never gave him a chance", and talked about his legit eye injury. Then we talked about Bam Bam Bigelow for a bit until it was time to leave (large-ish line-up, didn't want to overstay the welcome, y'know?). Neidhart told me a pretty cool bit about how he & Bigelow were old fishing buddies, how 300-400 bikers showed up at his funeral, and how a lot of the old crowd was dead. Both guys seemed okay (though Jim looked to be wheezing just from sitting down). Bret's not as overwhelming presence as a lot of guys- if you've seen his interviews, he's very quiet and deadpan, so it's easy to see him as impolite or curt. I'm the same way, so I don't mind it- he seemed relatively interested in what I was saying. So I had a good time.

    But seriously, Strokes cause shitty handshakes. They should warn you about that.

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  13. I do if it's a reasonable price (Weird Al for 20 bucks? YES PLEASE!) To me, it's an excuse to talk to the guy and get some real face-time.

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  14. They're SNME match was nothing special. That was in 89.

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  15. I've seen Bret plenty of times, and it really all depends on what day of the week you catch him on. I've been to some shows where he has been friendly and chatty, and others where he is just totally disengaged and obviously there to collect a paycheck.


    Sadly given the fact that Bret travels quite a bit to make appearances, as opposed to guys like Flair or Warrior that only make fleeting appearances at autograph signings, I think he actually needs the money and isn't just doing it for the fans. I think it also bothers Bret at these shows to see guys like Hogan and Warrior pulling in $100+ for an autograph, while he can barely command $20 for a meeting.

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  16. I don't know, but it seems based on your account, that pre-stroke and post-stroke Bret are different and maybe the stroke affected his personality. Of course, I can't say that for certain. But maybe? Or maybe he's just tired.

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  17. Isn't a limp handshake a wrestling thing?


    Anyway I met Bret and he seemed like he didn't really want to be at the signing, but it was late in the day.

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  18. "Paying to hang out with somebody seems really weird to me."


    You must be adverse to the dating game :P

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  19. I'm not sure the weak handshake is a wrestler thing inasmuch as it's a non-American thing. It's probably because he's Candian.


    I'm only speculating. But I think I recall hearing this before about foreign handshakes.

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  20. It was Feb, 22, 2002.. Honky, after winning (IIRC) a Battle Royal to open the show, left around the same time we did (half way through the show).. We're at a red light, he pulls up next to us, and tries to get us to go buy him drinks at the bar.. We decline, because we wanted to A) cop a dank sack, and B) hit the tranny bar.. Long story short we ended up getting a DUI before we made it to the tranny bar..

    The moral.. If Honky wants you to get him liquored up, you do it or pay the price..

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  21. Met Bret last year at an indy show in Prince Edward Island - intermission was supposed to be 15 minutes but it lasted an hour because EVERYONE in the arena wanted to meet Bret. And he stayed there and signed everything in front of him (including his book and my replica WWF Classic IC and Winged Eagle world title belts) and didn't charge a penny.

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  22. Google search says you are right, though opinions differ on the meaning. Neidhart & DiBiase have given harsher ones. I don't mind in any case- I just like quoting "King of the Hill" whenever possible.

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  23. From Lance Storm:
    A: I've never used a "soft, limp-wrist" handshake. I think you are a victim of shitty Indy guys not fully understanding the business and doing things wrong and teaching others poorly. See my answer bellow about bad wrestling schools.

    Lance is Canadian, and so am I, and we both believe in firm handshakes :).

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  24. Is dating game slang for soliciting prostitutes? Cause yeah, I don't do that.


    Yes, I realize you're joking. But if you're paying for everything, your GF/Wife is a gold-digging Jezebel and you should drop that ass.


    It's one thing to cover lunch with your friends or buy somebody a present, but if the entire reason they're associating with you is because they want money, they're a whore (not that there's anything wrong with that), and whores make me uncomfortable.

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  25. It's the internet man...assholes are the rule.

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  26. Is Drogo his biggest role?


    I guess since Conan flopped hard...

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  27. Maybe he wants to interact with his fans...but doesn't actually want to interact with them, y'know?

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  28. Why would wrestlers give limp handshakes?

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  29. Well I met him at a show here in Ireland and got my photo taken with him and not a word out of him. At interval I went for a smoke when I came back in he was being ushered in for his usual indie half time speech. I said how good it was to meet him and that I enjoyed his book. I mentioned then that I saw one of the Dynamite Kid's last matches in Derry Northern Ireland in 1993, suddenly his tone changed and he couldn't have talked more to me.


    As far as I'm concerned Bret Hart is ok.

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  30. *shrug* no idea, but it's come up more than once. Some guys say its a bullshit thing, but obviously some indie guys do it.

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  31. I met Bret and Anvil at a similiar signing event in 2008. No pics were allowed, but I chatted him up about the Calgary Flames and I guess the break from incessant WWE/Montreal talk got him happy enough to get me a pic with him/Anvil.

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  32. A friend of mine who refs for some local indies told me that the way he was taught was, a softer handshake was a sign of respect; the story he told me was that Bully Ray barked, "You think you're stiff, huh?" at a worker who gave him a firm handshake.

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  33. Pretty much, and he just lost out to Batista for the Drax role in Guardians of the Galaxy.

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  34. He doesn't care one way or the other to interact with fans he just doesn't to fuel his gargantuan ego.

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  35. That's BS, a limp handshake is lamesauce in Canada too.

    Bret gets a pass because he's had a stroke.

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  36. This is part of the reason I'm scared to meet Favorite Wrestler / idol / creative influence / spirit animal Mick Foley and give him the whole "Hey bro your writing inspired my career path, etc" thing.

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  37. You don't seem to have any problem being around your mom though!


    ZING!

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  38. Autographs are wack. As a freelance photographer. I get to meet celebs all the time, the only times I've gotten autographs is as gifts for girls I wanted to bang. Much better to take a photo with one and post it on facebook or instagram (so girls will want to bang you),

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  39. I met Bret during his book tour a few years ago. I was certainly describe him as low-key and mellow, but I never felt like he was disinterested or rude. In fact, knowing his personality I didn't expect any different than what I got. Also, I happened to notice he went out of his way to make eye contact with everyone he met, took pictures, shook hands, etc. I loved the experience.


    On an unrelated note, I very much regret not asking him a question or chatting with him a little when it was my turn. All I could muster when I got up there was a "Thanks for everything you've done" mumble.

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  40. Most of my autographs were from meeting bands after their concert (The Raincoats, Shonen Knife) - getting an album or poster signed and having something cool to display works for me. I've never done the convention thing, but there's a horror movie con coming up in Syracuse this fall. Angela from Sleepaway Camp's gonna be there, and I'd love to get a poster or the SC box set signed by her. But mostly the convention's going to be an excuse for me to buy VHS tapes or DVDs I can't find easily.

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  41. I wore an Indiana Jones hoodie to Jericho's book signing in Philly, and we proceeded to talk about the movies for a good five or more minutes after he saw the hoodie as I made way over to the table.

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  42. Bully Ray by all accounts is a huge douchebag. Pretty sure he was just fucking with you.

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  43. ...


    I see what you did there.


    ...

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  44. No fucking kidding. People drop hundreds for those things and a few seconds of face time. I don't get it.

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