The meet and greet is one of the more stressful moments a wrestling fan will ever encounter. If you’re reading this, chances are that you love pro wrestling and hold a fandom for many of the wrestlers to compete in the squared circle. Meeting a wrestler is a cool experience for any fan hoping to exchange a few words and have a positive experience with someone that has entertained them for many years. The only place where you can have a planned interaction with a wrestler is at a meet and greet event.
Wrestlers appear at various conventions when leaving the WWE, traveling all over the world to meet fans. Independent wrestling shows typically feature a meet and greet before bell time where fans will get autographs, pictures or buy merchandise from the wrestler. Money is exchanged for the merchandise or autograph, but the better wrestlers try to have a good interaction to make sure the fan is happy.
Kevin Owens was one of the best at it on the independent circuit before moving up to the WWE. The late, great Roddy Piper took pride in giving his fans a great memory at the events. Not all wrestlers believe in this. We'll look at fifteen of the worst wrestlers you can find at meet and greets that only care about your money.
15 15. Scott Steiner
The most intimidating experience a wrestling fan can have is trying to engage in a conversation with Scott Steiner. Everyone enjoys Steiner for how unpredictable he was in the ring with a live microphone. However, that extends outside the squared circle as well. Steiner makes many appearances at meet and greet outings, but is as conversational as one would expect.
Most fans struggle to get any words out of Steiner. Big Poppa Pump does thank the fans for their support, but he doesn’t give back conversation and tries to get through the signings as quickly as possible. Steiner is basically just there for the money. Many of the older wrestlers hold the mindset of just taking the money with limited interaction with the fans. Steiner is under that belief of how to conduct a meet and greet interaction.
14 14. Raven
Raven has always been considered one of the more intelligent wrestling minds in the business. It is a shame he doesn’t allow fans to get into it with conversations about wrestling. Raven doesn’t hide who he is and definitely is only there for the money in regards to anything wrestling related these days. The veteran is a frequent convention and independent wrestling name, who is there to sign autographs and take pictures.
Fans struggle to get anything out of Raven and when he does talk, it's often riddled with snarky commentary. You will never get a genuine conversation from Raven. The ECW icon is just there to make extra money off of the nostalgia of his 90s work and get out of there as quick as possible. Raven is someone to avoid unless you want a quick autograph or picture with limited dialogue.
13 13. Austin Aries
His move to the WWE has eliminated the likelihood of many meet and greets appearances for Austin Aries and we’re all better for it. Aries has always been known as one of the more rude Superstars on the independent circuit, particularly when it comes to fan interaction. Every heel gets into it with fans to some extent, but Aries would often go out of his way to insult fans.
Aries was often unpleasant with fans at meet and greet appearances, many times insulting them while using the fact that he's a heel as a cop out. At one point, Aries started charging money for insults in addition to the usual pictures, autographs and merchandise. Aries still engages in arguments with fans despite being in the WWE, with very little to be ornery about. Fans attending Axxess should not expect a good experience with Aries only doing the appearances for the money or because he is being forced to.
12 12. Kevin Nash
Speaking of snarky personalities, Kevin Nash is never outwardly rude to fans, but he definitely has an old school mindset. The older wrestlers tend to view fans as “marks” and to not give too much insight or information in a conversation. Nash is often seen making jokes to fans, sometimes in an insulting manner if he sees an opening.
Unlike many others on the list, Nash isn’t trying to be rude, but it’s his natural personality. Other wrestlers that Nash didn’t want to be around felt the same vibe and it led to many people hating to work with him. Nash’s motto states; the only thing real in wrestling is the miles and the money. You better believe the money is all that counts at conventions for him as well.
11 11. Sabu
Sabu is a quiet person by nature and it makes meet and greet appearances a tough task for anyone meeting him. The hardcore legend has many fans all over the world that followed his incredible run in ECW. Unfortunately, no one will really be able to have a conversation with him about it. Sabu has started bringing his wife with him to shows so she can do all of the talking.
Right or wrong, Sabu just wants to snap pictures and sign autographs with no conversation. Sabu used to talk on Rob Van Dam’s old radio show about how much he detested having fan interaction. Some people are better kept to themselves. The need for money with his various injuries and lack of a long WWE run makes Sabu have to continue doing meet and greets, despite the fact that he truly hates them.
10 10. Alberto Del Rio
Most stories about Alberto Del Rio regarding both fans and fellow wrestlers would state he isn’t the friendliest person you'll ever meet. Del Rio shuts down any fans he believes are getting too close with him in a conversation. Hell, he attacked a fellow wrestler last month for talking to Paige too much. You’ll likely escape Alberto’s fists if you don’t look too closely at Paige, but you can’t get a great conversation from him.
Del Rio does thank fans for the support. Sadly, that doesn’t correlate to his people skills. Del Rio recently advertised meet and greet appearances for his new restaurant in San Antonio. The majority of reviews on the restaurant’s Facebook page stated he refused to provide a good experience and barely said anything to those he talked into coming to the food spot. Del Rio only cares about your money at conventions and at his restaurant.
9 9. Bruce Prichard
Many wrestling minds refer to Bruce Prichard as a con man and that extends to his convention appearances. Prichard was one of the most powerful people in the WWE during the 90s as the right hand man to Vince McMahon. After a falling out with the WWE and a failed stint in TNA, Prichard has resorted to a tell-all podcast where he reveals information every week.
Bruce is also a fixture at the meet and greet conventions these days. You'll get conversation from him unlike others, but he is a bit of a “carny” to fit the former wrestling stereotype. Prichard tries to squeeze as much money out of the fans and tries to manipulate them into spending on multiple 8x10s. If you're meeting Prichard, beware of his games.
8 8. The Honky Tonk Man
The carny mindset of several wrestlers is a turnoff for wrestling fans just looking to have a good time meeting a respected performer. The Honky Tonk Man is one of the most memorable Intercontinental Champions of all-time and left an impact on 80s fans with has wacky personality. The wrestling veteran is always at conventions and independent shows trying to make an extra buck at anyone’s expense.
Fans will get very little time with The Honky Tonk Man despite paying for the interaction. Once he signs the autograph or snaps the picture, you are expected to end the conversation and continue moving. If you’ve watched any of The Honky Tonk Man’s shoot interviews, you know the money is the only thing that matters to him. Fans can expect that when meeting him.
7 7. New Jack
New Jack is very similar to Scott Steiner in the sense that he absolutely terrifies anyone trying to have a conversation with him. The difference is New Jack has assaulted people in the past and has a pretty long rap sheet. At one point, he actually beat the hell out of fellow wrestler Brian Knobbs for making racist comments in the locker room. Knobbs deserved it, but if he feels that comfortable messing up a wrestler, fans have reason to fear.
The stories of meeting New Jack typically reveal that he says very little and tries to get fans to buy as much merchandise as he's selling. New Jack usually sells 8x10s so many fearing fans have gone home with a bunch of pictures of the ECW legend. There were rumors going around that New Jack also intimidated fans into buying access to X-rated photos of his ex-girlfriend, Terri Runnels. If you talk to New Jack, you’re probably going to spend a lot of money out of fear.
6 6. Sunny
The original Diva in the WWE turned out to have one of the most depressing lives after leaving the company. Tammy “Sunny” Sytch has struggled for years with various issues. Aside from alcohol and drug abuse, Sunny has been arrested for attacking others and just seems like an overall unpleasant person to be around. Sunny has been a fixture at wrestling conventions before recently being imprisoned.
You can’t accuse her of not being creative. Sunny has appeased fans that requested she did odd actions such as cuddle or even slap them for money. It all comes back down to money. If you're willing to pay, Sunny will do just about anything you want. Once the money stops, she is known to treat fans poorly. Sunny is also regarded as one of the con-women that will try to start a conversation with someone before pressuring them into buying things.
5 5. Ric Flair
There is no debate that Ric Flair is likely in the top five of the all-time wrestlers fans want to meet. Hell, many rappers, athletes and other celebrities have even gone out of their way to meet Flair in recent years. Sadly, he doesn’t make time for the average fan in the same way. Flair is one of the most expensive people to meet at a convention.
Fans get very little time with The Nature Boy and he clearly is just trying to get through it all as fast as possible. Flair is known for having a huge ego and being nice to fans typically doesn’t follow those celebrities with a big head. To make matters worse, Flair apparently owes a lot of money to employers that hired him for meet and greet appearances such as Ring of Honor and Highpots. Everyone has a horrible time when Flair is at the conventions.
4 4. Jake Roberts
Jake Roberts is always a name brought up when fans talk about negative experiences with wrestlers. For years, Roberts has been on the independent scene trying to make money at the merchandise table. The majority of fans to meet him have a terrible time with him, as he can be a bit rude to them as they hand over cash over to the WWE legend. Roberts is only there for the money and wants the fans to get away from him as soon as the exchange is done with.
Many of these negative experiences came when he was addicted to alcohol. Roberts has tried to clean up his ac,t but many fans still have had terrible times trying to have a friendly chat with him. It is a 50/50 chance you’ll get the cool Jake that appreciates all of his supporters compared to the equal opportunity of being disrespected by a childhood hero.
3 3. Virgil
The man everyone wants to avoid at a meet and greet appearance is Virgil. Recent history has seen Virgil became a low level internet celebrity for the disgusting tactics he uses to try and sell merchandise. Virgil is at just about every wrestling convention and attempts to bully fans into spending money. Those who want to meet him will get haggled to buy more than they wanted or overcharged.
Virgil used to sneak into pictures with his former partner Ted DiBiase. Fans would pay DiBiase for the picture and Virgil would claim he was owed $50 for it as well. There’s a reason the legendary photo of Virgil sitting alone at a merchandise table is so popular. It sums him up perfectly because no one wants to be around him at a meet and greet appearance due to his undeniable greed.
2 2. Scott Hall
Scott Hall was a favorite of many 90s fans during the Monday Night Wars. Hall always came off like a cool guy that would be fun to meet, but television lies to you in this case. Hall has a reputation as one of the most selfish people in wrestling history. Hall manipulated other wrestlers and treated them poorly, and that extends over to the fans as well.
One specific incident exposed Hall. Various wrestlers at a convention signed a card and recorded video messages for a sick child dealing with brain cancer. Huge stars like Bill Goldberg, Bret Hart and even Ric Flair showed support and love for the youngster with such a tough road. ahead of him. Hall flat out refused and admitted it later on that he wasn’t doing it for free. It's especially shameful given the fact that fans funded Hall’s recent surgery through crowd-sourcing.
1 1. Hulk Hogan
Following some horrible financial decisions, Hulk Hogan found himself back on the wrestling circuit trying to make money through meet and greets. Most wrestlers charge about $20 for a picture and/or autograph. The high end wrestlers go around $50. Hogan charged $300 per picture or autograph at a WrestleCon show a few years ago.
Not only did Hogan inflate his prices to ridiculous numbers, but he requested the venue put up a curtain to block others from seeing him. Basically, you weren’t worthy of looking at Hogan unless you wanted to pay a few hundred dollars to get a quick picture with him. Security apparently rushed fans in and out, making it a huge rip-off. Hopefully the money won in his sex tape lawsuit will keep Hogan away from robbing the fans again.