Recent TTM Successes

Here's a quick look at my TTM returns over the last month or so:

Matt Clement

Jack Swagger

Jared Spurgeon

Manny Trillo

Doug Bird

Tim Blackwell

Ray Whitney

Roosevelt Brown

Jim Bullinger

TTM Returns from the Past Few Months

Well, it's been a while since I posted on much of anything here. Nothing's been going on, I guess I just got a little distracted with other things and just never got around to it. Anyway, I haven't been sending out my TTM requests with quite as much frequency, so I don't have a ton built up to go, but anyway, here's a quick look at my TTM returns for the past few months.

Justin Grimm

Ryan Whitney

Steve Balboni

Maikel Franco

Charlie Hough

Mike Birkbeck

Scott Garrelts

Neil Walker

Cody Franson

Jose Guzman

Alex Stalock

Cliff Pennington

Tommaso Ciampa

"The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart

While I had a great time meeting two members of the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Team last month, I also got the great chance to meet a pro wrestling legend that very same day.

"The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart was in the Minneapolis area for an independent wrestling event, so he made a stop by FanHQ in Eden Prairie for a free public signing. Well, seeing as though I was not only already there for the "Miracle On Ice" event, but also a HUGE pro wrestling fan, I just had to stick around for this one.

Each person was allowed one free autograph, but there were other for-purchase options as well. I ended up putting a little extra money into it, and came away with a posed photo, as well as an 8x10 with a few inscriptions.

It's always been said that the best wrestling characters are their actual personalities with the volume turned up to 11, and with Hart, that is absolutely the case. He came fully equipped with his megaphone, jacket, sunglasses, and the same hairstyle he has had since the '80s, which for him, has never gone out of style.

I will also say that he is one of the nicest, most engaging autograph guests I have ever met. As I was getting up to the table, which he was standing next to, instead of sitting, Shaun, who runs FanHQ, said that he is the very first "stand-up" guest he has had. Hart told him that he prefers it, since it allows him to get closer to the fans, and give them a more personable experience, since they are the reason he is able to do what he does for a living.

It was an absolutely amazing experience overall. Hart is one of the greatest heel managers of all time, and just an absolute pleasure to meet in person.

Private Signing with Raven and Justin Credible

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to get a couple autographs of one of my all-time favorite professional wrestlers, when Past Pros and Power Trip Media hosted a signing with ECW legend Raven.

Now, I never watched ECW in its heyday, since it never aired anywhere near the Huston area, so my introduction to Raven was in WCW, when he formed The Flock with a bunch of WCW rejects. For me, I always loved his promo work. While most guys of that era where just spouting off catch phrases, Raven was way more poetic with his messages to his opponents. While his overall look would evolve over time, when I first saw him, it was the denim, flannel and leather of the '90s grunge movement, which also really appealed to me at the time. He eventually made it to the WWE, but never quite became the big name he was in the other two groups. I had him sign three cards, two WWE ones that I already had, and one WCW one that I purchased from the signing, as that was my favorite era of the Raven character.

Also signing with Raven that day was former ECW wrestler Justin Credible. Like Raven, he made it to the WWE, but his greatest accomplishments came while he was in ECW, where he was a World Heavyweight Champion and a two-time World Tag Team Champion. I had two cards of his that I sent in, but one got severely smudged. PastPros offered me a refund for that one, but the fee was only $2 a piece, which didn't really bother me enough to make a fuss over.

Being as big of a pro wrestling fan as I am, I am always surprised at how few wrestling autographs I have in my collection. Luckily, with companies like PastPros hosting so many signings, I have a great chance of adding to what I already have.

Bob Backlund Autographed 8x10

Considering how big of a professional wrestling fan as I am, and the fact that I live in the wresyling hotbed of Minnesota, it's amazing how few wrestling autographs I have in my collection. I got my first one recently, as I placed an order for a Bob Backlund autographed 8x10 that would be signed at a public signing hosted by Cardboard Promotions in Woburn, MA.

The risky thing with ordering a photo to be signed, is that you don't always know what the photo will be, or how the finished product will look. I must say, though, that I thought they gave me the PERFECT photo for this order.

Backlund is best known for holding the second-longest title reign ass WWWF (now WWE) Heavyweight Champion, with a 2,138-day title reign. For me, I know Backlund from his return to the WWF in the early '90s as the crazy old man, who would "snap" during his matches and not let go of his Cross-Face Chickenwing submission hold until his opponents were seriously injured. He would regain the title from Bret "The Hitman" Hart, but would lost it just three days later to Diesel at a house show.

I know it isn't what his career is known for, but this is the Backlund that I got to know as a young wrestling fan, which makes this the absolute perfect photo of his for me to have signed.