I had a decent weekend. Put fifty miles on the bicycle, a few clicks on the Harley. I also got to some outdoor painting projects that have been bugging me all winter. Now, the cold weather returns..UGH!
Since it's Monday, I'll pas along a wrestling story that happened at the end of the 90's to me. Yes, It's Story Time with Meltdown....pull up a chair. LOL
In the heyday of the WCW/WWF (at the time) in the mid to late 90's, I befriended a relative unknown named wrestler Goldberg. I had taken some listeners to lunch with him through a radio promotion, met him here and there a few times throughout the span of a year or so as his fame was rising. I recall meeting him when his 'streak' was at around 25 or 30 wins in a row.
WCW came to the Palace of Auburn Hills for a pay per view in the late 90's. The promoter found me on the concourse and asked if I wanted to go back and see Bill when he arrived, because he had been with him and I in past meetings. I said "Sure". So we proceeded to a back stage area near where the ramp started leading to the ring. Wrestlers and ring announcers were arriving. I remember seeing the "Big Show" and Michael Buffer walk by.
Notice the picture is signed "Thanks for not hurting me"
Finally, Goldberg walked in. The promoter called him over and said something along the lines of "You remember Meltdown from the radio station, right?". I reached out my hand to shake his as he returned the gesture. I gave him a firm handshake, nothing harder than I'd ever given anyone before or after. Just then, Goldberg kinda lost it. He literally picked me up by my arms and puts me up against the wall. My feet are off the floor. At this point I think he's totally messing with me, ya know, because he's 100 pounds and 7 or 8 inches taller than me. He then says, in a pissed off voice "What the F&#% are you doing?". He then lets go of me and storms off. Now, I'm waiting for him to come back from around the corner and say he was joking and laugh it off. Nothing.
This is when the promoter, kind of shocked himself, starts making excuses about how wrestlers hands are always hurt and I maybe I shook it too hard and other comments like that. Think about that for a second. I'm 5'6 and he's 6'4 or so.
The next day I work I had black and blue marks on my arm from where he picked me up. The head of our promotions dept. at the time was Heidi. She's the kind of person who got things done. When I told her what happened to me the previous night, because now I was kinda pissed, she got on the phone right away to WCW and demanded that he call me directly and apologize. Well, he did. Later that night he called from where Monday Nitro was taking place and did in fact say he was sorry. He told me his hand was either broken of hurt and that set him off. Keep in mind, I didn't force anyone to shake my hand. He could've easily fist bumped me or anything else. I put him on the air and we laughed it off.
I ended up running into him, waiting in line for food at the M-1 concourse thing we do around the Dream Cruise every year, two years ago. I just said hello to him and told him who I was. I didn't expect him to remember me, it had been about 20 years since I saw or spoke to him. He was very nice and took a picture with me, which I turned into my yearly Christmas card.
My Christmas card with the saying "Hope your holidays are full of Silver and Goldberg"
That's my story, and I'm sticking to every word....
-Meltdown-
