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Capitol Legends FanFest Weekend Recap
By Brett Schwan
For those who don’t care and just want to get right
to the actual Convention stuff, click here. Otherwise,
sit back and enjoy the read.
DAY 1
Thursday August 10, 2006 – 9:00 am
Thanks to those damn terrorists I am now repacking everything as I can
no longer bring toothpaste, deodorant, or saline solution for my contact
lenses onto the plane. Foreshadowing?? I hope not.
We got to the airport early and really had no problems. Arrived in Baltimore
on time. Caught the MARC to DC then hopped on the Red Line which dropped
us off behind the Double Tree hotel.
Upon checking in we received a cookie each. I also asked the lady if she
knew of a nearby drug store and she told me CVS was to the left about
two blocks down.
Threw everything in our room and proceeded about 5 blocks down the road,
to the left, as instructed. Note to Double Tree staff: left and right
are indeed two DIFFERENT directions. Needless to say, the CVS was about
two blocks from the hotel, in the opposite direction from what we were
told.
Thursday night we did the tourist crap of checking out Washington DC.
Since I hadn’t been there since 6th grade, and Frank had never been
there, we figured it was the best opportunity to see the sights. Tons
of bugs, gnats, mosquitoes and a hell of a lot of walking but most of
the monuments are phenomenal looking at night.
DAY 2
Friday
Registration for the first FanFest held outside of North
Carolina begins at 12 noon. A line began forming around 11am. Around 2:15
we made it to the table and got our VIP passes and Photo Op tickets. (Suggestion
to Greg: Put all the VIP holders stuff for the weekend, ready to go, in
envelopes. When they give their name or number, give them their envelope.
It’s a little more time consuming for you prior to the convention
but it would get all the people through that line in minutes instead of
hours.)
I purchased a Bunkhouse Buck and Robert Parker Photo Op, as they were
added last minute.
The convention opened at 3:00 on Friday. I got my Photo Op with Angelo
Mosca (not quite sure why the Photo Op tix were numbered as it played
no part in getting your picture taken). Angelo was awesome and seemed
happy to be there.
The convention closed at 6pm and would reopen at 6:45 when
they would start letting VIP’s into the Q and A sessions, based on
their VIP number. This started out decent as Greg called out the numbers
1-20, 1-40, etc. However, by the time he got to 100 he just said go. Luckily,
we had stuck near the front of the line and were still able to get a decent
seat for the evening’s festivities. (I guess the numbered seating
or simply first come first serve might be better in the future).
The Q and A’s were hosted by the Crispy Cruiser himself, Chris Cruise.
He did a phenomenal job keeping the sessions running smoothly
and asking great follow up questions.
The Masked Superstar Unmasked was the first Q and A of the evening. I
was hesitant at first as I really didn’t see what Mr. Eadie could
possibly talk about for 2 hours. (Talking with Mr. Eadie on Saturday,
he said he was hesitant as well at first).
What an enjoyable time. Bill talked about everything from
how he got started to working with Andre and John Studd to the school
he works with now.
The second Q and A of the night was Jim Cornette and Bobby The Brain Heenan.
It was the second coming of Laurel and Hardy, Burns and Allen, and Abbot
and Costello all in one. This is definitely a DVD you should look into
getting as they discuss everything and everyone while making fun of everything
and everyone as well.
The Q and A ended around 11:30 pm. Unfortunately, in the state or county,
bars close at midnight. A hotel full of wrestling fans and wrestlers and
the bar closes at midnight. You could see the bartenders heart nearly
break when last call had to be made.
Back in the room, it seemed we had to let the water in the sinks run about
5 minutes before it went from black, to grey, to clear. At around 6 am
the bowling alley above our room must have opened because I have never
heard so much noise in my life.
DAY 3
Saturday
I arose at 7:30 to take a shower and head downstairs for an 8am photo
op with Bunkhouse Buck and Robert Parker. When I got downstairs, a line
had already formed. It seems a note was on the table stating Billy Graham,
Bunkhouse Buck and Dick Slater would not be appearing at the Fan Fest
weekend. Many of the fans on line were waiting for refunds (The announcements
were also made on the Capitol Legends website).
I found out Robert Parker’s Photo Op was pushed to 9am so I went
back to get Frank and we ate at the hotel breakfast buffet. $12.50 for
your choice of eggs, bacon, some fruit, some cereal, juice, and not much
else. Whoo hoo, what a bargain!!
I headed in at 9:00 for the photo op with Robert Parker.
As I headed in I asked the gentleman at the front table if I could get
a refund on my Photo Op tickets for Buck, Slater, and Graham. He asked
if I would like to exchange them and I said no. He said refunds were not
being offered right now and maybe they would later on. (Maybe? Wrong choice
of words.)
Col. Robert Parker, in full gimmick, was awesome. He seemed genuinely
thrilled to be there. Mark out moment number 2 for me (after Angelo Mosca
yesterday).
I traded in one of my Photo Ops for one with Larry Sharpe, simply because
I had nothing else for Larry to sign. Larry was in the same room as Baby
Doll for Photo Ops. When I got there, 20 minutes after they started, Baby
Doll had not yet arrived (and she had a huge line). Poor Larry was just
sitting there with his camera man. He liked my Candido shirt and we talked
about Chris for a little while. I’m glad I did the photo op.
Around 11:30, 30 minutes after the scheduled start time, the first round
of autographs began. Wrestlers sat at a table on stage. VIP’s were
lined up in groups of 20. VIP’s 1 – 20 got on line first while
21-40 were able to take a seat near the stage. As the first 20 finished,
the next 20 went, and so on. It seemed to work pretty well as the numbers
were called out regularly and the line seemed to move at a steady pace.
At noon I got my Photo Op with the Midnight Express.
Mark out moment #3.
At 1pm, we did Photo Ops with the Original Midnight Express and Rockin
Robin.
The lady who was doing the group photo ops did a phenomenal job as she
made sure everyone was clearly in the photo.
The gentleman who was doing the single shots seemed to get closer and
closer to the subjects as the day went on. By the time I got to Rockin
Robin the picture was of her and me from the neck up. Robin actually asked
the photographer “Is the women’s belt even in the picture?”
The photographer replied, “No, he is too tall.” WTF?? How about
taking 3 steps backwards and getting us and the belt in the picture? Too
tall?? That’s nuts. (Rockin Robin didn’t forget that as she
referred to me as the guy who was too tall for the picture, whenever she
saw me over the course of the weekend).
Mark out moments # 4 and #5.
2pm Photo Op with the Patriot. It was so cool to see the REAL patriot,
Del Wilkes, and not Tom Brandi. BTW Del denies that he ever gave permission
or sold the Patriot gimmick to Brandi (as Brandi claims).
Mark out moment #6.
I went back to ask the gentleman at the front desk about refunds on my
two Photo Ops. Unfortunately, he still really had no answer other than
“Check back later today.”
The second signing started on time at 3pm and seemed to run even more
smoothly as we were through the line by 4:30. This gave us hope for Sunday
as we knew we had to catch the 2:38 train and the signing was scheduled
for noon.
Surprisingly, the photo ops were ready by the time we got on line for
autographs. I only say surprisingly because some of the times between
photo op and autograph were close and I honestly thought there may be
problems. Kudos to those who were able to get everything printed out so
fast. They are great items to have.
While we were waiting in the hallway figuring out what to do next, Robert
Gibson walked by. He pointed to me and said “Hey!! Jerry Lawler!”
Since when do I look anything like Jerry Lawler? This continued all weekend
as Gibson called me Lawler every time he saw me.
At 4pm we got in the huge line for photo ops for The Hart Foundation and
Ernie Ladd. Since the majority of the people were there for the Harts,
the gentleman working the door told us we could get in the Ladd line first
if we wished. What a thrill it was to meet Ernie Ladd. He walked in and
the crowd applauded (many of whom had no clue who he was). Ernie is a
bit older now but shook hands and told people how to pose for pics with
him (in his fishing hat).
Mark out moment # 7.
I got on the Hart Foundation line, which moved quite fast. One lady who
was a few people ahead of me told Bret that she had a cousin that lived
in Toronto. Bret said “Yeah, that’s real close to Calgary.”
He then looked over at me rolling his eyes. I went up for the photo op
and Neidhart said he liked my shirt. He said he was supposed to work Chris
the night he died (you learn something new every day). Bret commented
on how nice of a guy Chris was.
Mark out moment #8.
I got my money back for the Photo Ops at 5pm!! Whoo hoo!! Mark out moment
#9. (The poor guy was flooded with people asking him about it all day.
Some fans more upset than others. If he had been able to tell the fans,
from the beginning, that refunds WOULD be offered later in the day instead
of MAY BE offered, I’m sure some of the hostility or anger they had
would have been subdued. However, anyone requesting a refund was indeed
given one.)
By the way, no shows are a part of the game. It happens to nearly every
promoter of every event (not just wrestling.. ask the guy running Monster
Mania in 2 weeks about his two top stars just backing out). Greg did his
best to make sure fans knew first thing on Saturday morning that three
of the guests weren’t coming. To be quite honest, I think I was the
only one actually looking forward to Slater and Buck! LOL! Later in the
day, the email that Billy Graham sent to Greg was at the front table for
viewing. In the world of post 9/11 air travel, the names on a passengers
airline ticket, driver’s license and prescription medicine must match.
Billy’s ticket was listed under Graham, but his real name of Wayne
Coleman was on prescription medicine. That meant that Graham couldn’t
get on the flight. I can’t quite figure out why it took Graham until
the convention weekend to figure this out though. With the other 27 guests
Greg had not too many fans were all that upset.
K and S Promotions brought in Freebird Buddy Roberts and Stevie Ray. What
a thrill it was to meet Buddy. He was so happy to be there and it showed.
Mark out moment #10
Stevie Ray was very cool as well. One of the best deals at the convention as, if you pre ordered; you received 4 items from each wrestler for only $45. (They also brought in Boris Zukof and Ahmed Johnson on Sunday)
South Atlantic Wrestling brought in Percy Pringle. Photos were $3 each or two for $5. Your own item was $3. A photo with your camera was $5. Another great deal.
Jimmy Snuka and Larry Zbyszko were brought in by Pro Wrestling
Mid Atlantic.
3 Count Promotions bought in Tito Santana and Lanny Poffo.
In addition, Virgil (charging $20 for anything), King Kong Bundy, Stan
Lee (not THE Stan Lee), and Lexi Fyfe all had tables at the convention.
I also purchased the Dynamite Kid’s book for $5!!
The line began forming for the Saturday night Q and A’s at 6pm. It’s
a good thing we got there fairly early one again. This time, the numbering
system was discarded without notice and people just went in to grab seats.
The Hart Foundation Q and A started a little late. Neidhart didn’t
say too much. Nothing was off limits as the two men discussed pretty much
everything. If you are a fan, you may want to check this out when it becomes
available on DVD.
Around 10pm the next Q and A began. It was scheduled to have the Midnight
Express but they brought Jim Cornette and Dr Tom Pritchard with them.
What a great Q and A. I think this was the best one of the entire weekend.
They began by talking about different ribs that they had pulled or had
been pulled on them and went on to discuss their entire careers.
A fan did ask Tom and Jim their thoughts on Chris Candido.
Tom talked about how when Vince decided to take Tammy away from them and
give them a transvestite as a manager that Chris would actually stand
up for himself and tell Vince “That’s fu—ing stupid!”
However, Tom would never stand up for it or defend Chris. He said he was
able to tell Chris how right he was later on, after the WWF run. Tom then
broke down. Jim Cornette talked about how proud Chris was of his grandfather
having wrestled in MSG and how much Chris loved the business. As a friend
of Chris' it always touches me when someone remembers him in any way.
That was a highlight for me.
The Q and A ended at midnight (with hotel staff waiting at the doors,
looking at their watches). The bar was closed at midnight.
The legendary Amy Lee arrived to hang out (along with Tiny and Artie,
the only man ever to be defeated by Frankie Williams). Not much to do
since, did I mention, the bars close at midnight!! Kathy Fitz was there
as well, mainly to use other people’s cell phones to make calls!
What a way for Amy Lee to spend her birthday!
Outside the hotel, Sensational Sherri and Rockin Robin were hanging out.
Sherri pointed out to Fitz that she was in need of a boob job. Rockin
Robin pointed out that I was too tall for a photograph with a title belt.
After hanging out in the lobby and making fun of a guy that had fallen
asleep in a chair next to Amy Lee, we broke for the evening.
Day 4
Sunday morning we headed to the Original Waffle House for
breakfast, then back to the hotel to the convention.
We hung out in the lobby for a while, chatting with the not so legendary,
Destiny.
The legendary and lovely “Definition of Technician” Cindy Rogers
then arrived. It was Cindy’s birthday and she was decked out in her
pink and black Hart Foundation mark attire (complete with pink and black
backpack). I kept hearing she was coming to the show to see me, Brett.
However, I soon realized that it was Bret HART she was coming to see.
Sure, break my heart, that’s fine.
Not only was it the birthday weekend for Amy Lee and Cindy Rogers but
they turned down an allegedly huge pay day from a northeast promoter just
to come to the convention and be marks like the rest of us. That’s
dedication! (Or is it too many chairshots to the head?)
The autograph session started late, at 12:30ish, instead of 12. After
two fairly flawless signings on Saturday something went terribly wrong.
After 30 minutes they had only called #1-40. I thought it may have been
because Ernie Ladd was second on line and may have slowed it down a bit
mainly by talking to Rocky Johnson nonstop. By 1:30 they weren’t
even at #80 yet. I soon realized that some people with very low numbers
were giving their numbers to people that had higher numbers so they could
get through the line (after all, the people checking numbers were more
focused on punching a wristband then the actual number).
I was finally able to get through the line (long after the time for the
train I had to catch). After I got through they decided to move Bret Hart
since he “had to catch a plane”. Hello… so did many of
us fans. The line was stopped so they could move Bret. Frank finally got
through and we ran to the Metro. (We did make the plane, barely, and that
was with the flight being delayed!)
From what I have been told, after we left, matters got worse with some
fans not even getting Bret.
Even with the semi-disastrous autograph session on Sunday (and the other
minor problems here and there) it was a great time had by all.
Where else do you get the opportunity to meet over 30 wrestling legends?
Where else do you get to do all this for $109 (which includes 2 autographs,
Q and A sessions, a program, VIP pass, and more?) Where else are you going
to meet a group that ranges from Ernie Ladd and Rocky Johnson to The Midnight
Expresses to Rockin Robin and Sensational Sherri? Where else do you get
the chance to sit down and listen to (and ask questions to) The Hart Foundation,
Bill Eadie, the Midnights, Jim Cornette, and Bobby Heenan? Where else
do I get to hang out with Amy Lee and Cindy Rogers (even if she likes
that other Bret more than this Brett).
Overall, an enjoyable weekend for a more than reasonable price. Hell,
I chose to fly because it was cheaper in the long run than driving! Thanks
to Greg for a great weekend. Greg is planning another convention in North
Carolina next August and is considering a convention in Georgia as well.
If anyone attended the convention and would like to send me their thoughts,
comments, etc. please do so at WresClothesline@aol.com
!
