Friendly Encounters

This is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebs.

Back several years, I asked my friend Hass to join me at a celeb convention in Rosemont.  It's always easier to have another person to take the pictures instead of asking the next person in line (who is preparing to have his own stuff signed).
I didn't realize at the time that Hass was a fan of Battlestar Galactica, which was the theme of the show.  I was not a fan of the show, but I liked several of the actors for other roles and I was interested in other non-Battlestar guests.
Anyway, Hass was pretty excited to meet some of the stars.  I have to admit, for his first such convention, he was rather impressive.  He showed a great appreciation for the star, without going overboard.  He asked interesting questions, without being too trivial.  It was fun watching him have fun.
When he came across Herb Jefferson Jr. I acted as his photographer.  Pictured below were two pretty big dudes.  Of course, neither was looking to brawl, but Hass and Herb looked like they could jump into a wrestling ring and handle any opponent.
Hass did a great job of snapping my pictures, but I think it was more enjoyable watching him interact with the stars of one of his favorite shows.  Either way, it was a great time.

Hassan and Herb Jefferson Jr. in Rosemont, IL-Early 00's.

The Iron Sheik Finds a New Friend

Hossein Vaziri was born in Tehran, Iran.  He competed in Greco-Roman wrestling for Iran in the 1968 Olympic games and was a bodyguard for the Shah.  He came to the United States and twice was an assistant coach for the US Olympic wrestling team.
Vaziri gained fame when he entered the world of pro wrestling adopting the ring name of The Iron Sheik.  As the Iron Sheik, he won the WWF World Heavyweight title and the WWF tag team tile once each.
I have met the Iron Sheik several times and he is part of the Jay Leno Club.  He always has something fun to say, but at Wizard World last year, I saw a whole new side o him.
I went with my buddy Hassan, who is Iranian.  Hass mentioned this fact to the Iron Sheik and talked to him a bit in his native tongue.  The Sheik's face lit up and enjoyed a several minute conversation with Hass.  It was a lot of fun to witness.
The next day when I saw the Sheik again, he asked about Hass and seemed disappointed that his new friend would not be there that day.  I told him that I would bring Hass to the next show when the Sheik was back in town.  Then I called Hass and told him he had to come the next time.  Maybe if the Sheik is at the Motor City Comic Con, I can persuade Hass to take that trek with me.

Hass, the Iron Sheik and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2010.

Big Kev, Big Hass and Johngy

I have met Kevin Nash several times, but my friend Hass had never met the big man. When we were at the Wizard World Con, I brought the big man (Hass) to the big man (Kevin).
Hass is younger than me, so Nash probably fits his era of watching wrestling more than mine. I really enjoyed watching Hass interact with the wrestlers, including Nash. I have attended so many of these shows, but it is always fun to watch friends have fun at them, too.
Nash said all was good and that Scott Hall had just gone into rehab. Hall and Nash are tight outside of the ring. Hall has had a lot of problems and Nash has always stuck by his friend. We hope and pray that one day, Hall will be appearing alongside Nash at these shows and that his problems will be behind him.

Hass, Kevin Nash and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2010.

Rhythm and Blues and Hass and Johngy

As Hass and I walked by this booth, the Honky Tonk Man called out a "Jay Leno" to me. As I have previously written, Honky Tonk is a member of the Jay Leno Club and has jokingly debated about Terri Runnels calling me "Jay" before or after him.
I wasn't surprised by the Jay Leno remark, but I was surprised to see Greg 'the Hammer' Valentine sharing the booth. I met Valentine before, but never the former tag-team known as Rhythm and Blues together.
Valentine is a WWE Hall of Famer, while HTM is the longest reigning WWE Intercontinental champ. Unfortunately, Rhythm and Blues was not exactly a high point for either of them. Valentine was a great, but dying his hair black and adopting the guitar playing gimmick went against his traditional wrestling background.
HTM and Valentine actually wrestled together (sometimes called Double Trouble) a while before they reunited as Rhythm and Blues. Although they never won tag-team gold in the WWE, they did win the titles in the Northern States Wrestling Alliance. Also, Diamond Dallas Page's first appearance in the WWE was driving them to the ring in a pink Cadillac for Wrestlemania VI.
Honky Tonk was his usual fun self and Valentine was his usual quiet self, but both were definitely willing to talk a bit about wrestling. Honky let me hold the IC title belt. In the lower left, one of Johnny Valentine's (Greg's dad) is sitting on the table.

Greg Valentine, Hass, me and Honky Tonk Man in Rosemont, IL-August 2010.

Friendly Encounters

This is another in a series of meetings of my friends and celebs.

I have known Hass for several years. He is a sci-fi fan, including Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. When I heard that several of the actors from BG were going to be at a convention near us, I figured Hass would be interested.
Richard Hatch was probably the biggest star there. We talked to him for several minutes. He was adamant that he would not do any cameos in future BG projects. He got his wish as he has since appeared in a regular role on the new BG.
This was the first such convention for Hass and he was happy to meet one of his sci-fi favorites. Hass was a bit surprised at some of the people, prices and pieces of merchandise that were there.

Hassan Khamsei and Richard Hatch in Rosemont, IL-early 00's.