*By Request*
“As a long time reader of yours, I’ve seen your story about how humble Eddie Guerrero was when you met him. Have you met any other wrestlers and if so, do you have any other stories about how humble they were?”
In thinking back to my entire time as a pro wrestling fan for this column, I realized one thing…
I’ve never had a negative interaction with anyone from the wrestling business.
Ever.
I’ve dealt with a bunch of wrestlers over the years, either through in-person interactions, social media discussions, and so on. Not once have I ever been left with a negative opinion of somebody.
Sure, someone might say something on social media that I think is really stupid, or they’ll do something that is illegal or immoral, but when it comes to direct interactions, I have nothing but positivity in my history.
It’s time to share some of that positivity.
This week, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite stories of my direct interactions with wrestlers. I’ll be going in chronological order of when they happened. I’ve shared some of these stories publicly before, while others will be getting shared for the first time.
Let’s have some fun.
Lia Maivia: The grandmother of Dwayne Johnson, Lia Maivia was one of the toughest women you’d ever want to meet in your life. In the 1980’s, she was the promoter for a National Wrestling Alliance territory in Hawaii (where I was born and raised) called Polynesian Pro Wrestling. She was no-nonsense, and unafraid of standing up for her family, for herself, and for her employees. However, she was also one of the sweetest women around if you were lucky enough to be on her good side.
I remember being at a grocery store one time when I was very, very little. The exact year escapes me, but I was a young child. My grandfather had taken me and a couple of my friends out to get some stuff for a party that we were throwing. At the store, we ended up running into Ms. Maivia, and she started talking to us and making small talk. Asking about school, how our weekend was going, etc. We had never met her before, although some of us had seen her on television because of PPW. The entire conversation probably only lasted three or four minutes, but at the end, she asked my grandfather if it was okay for her to buy us some candy. He said it was, and she pulled some money out of her purse, handed it to him, told us to keep doing well in school, and she was on her way.
My grandfather took us to the candy aisle, let us all get a few things each, and he used the money she handed him to pay for it as a separate transaction than the party stuff we were initially there to buy.
I never met her again, but I never forgot that day. Like I said, she didn’t know us, and she went out of her way to initiate the conversation, but she made a special moment for a group of children.
Haku: Almost universally across the board, Haku/Meng is named by people in the wrestling business as the toughest man to ever step foot inside of a ring. The stories of the fights he’s been in are the stuff of legend.
The fact that the toughest man to ever wrestle might also be one of the biggest teddy bears to ever wrestle is insanely hilarious to me. I’ve crossed paths with the man on a few different occasions, and each time, I was able to see him be especially accessible to the younger generation. Even back when he was an active competitor… a heel, at that… he was always making sure that kids got his attention, whether it was signing autographs, taking pictures, making small talk, lifting them up to sit on his shoulder, and so on.
Don’t get me wrong… I’ve never seen him be a douchebag to an adult or anything. I’ve just always found it incredible to see how much time and effort he devotes to making memorable experiences for younger fans.
Eddie Guerrero: This is the story I’ve told the most in my column writing days. I was at an autograph signing that saw Eddie as the guest of honor, and I was able to witness him speak with fan after fan after fan… young, old, man, woman, child, confident, shy, everything in between… and he was as charming and as personable as can be with every single one of them.
On multiple occasions, I saw Eddie himself getting emotional as fans would tell him that he was their hero, their motivation, and their reason for choosing sobriety. He kept telling people he wasn’t worthy of being placed on that pedestal, but of course, that didn’t make anyone take their words back.
It’s one thing to receive compliments, big or small, and just casually give thanks for them and move on. However, it made ME emotional to see how emotional he was, and to watch him truly realize how important and how loved he truly was.
God, I miss him.
Tyler Black/Seth Rollins: If you ever wonder how long I’ve been doing this column writing thing, this particular story goes back to the days of MySpace. In the early stages of my writing days, I began talking about Tyler Black, who was making quite a name for himself on the independent scene, and had just started working for Ring Of Honor. He and Bryan Danielson were the first people I ever referred to as the “future” of the pro wrestling business.
I sent him a message on MySpace, not only to compliment him on his work, but to also swing big and ask him if there was any chance I could interview him for a column. To my surprise, not only did he respond, but he told me that he had read my stuff before. We messaged back-and-forth for a few days, chatting it up, and we ironed out the details for an interview. His schedule was really hectic at the time, so the only way an interview was going to work out was if I sent him the questions ahead of time, and he’d just respond through a message.
In 2010, I reached out to him again, this time after he won the RoH World Title. We messaged each other a few times again, and I got to brag about “putting him over” as a future star. Another interview was set up, and again, he could not have been any kinder to someone who wasn’t exactly a big name.
To this day, people will randomly hit me up and talk about how they were introduced to his work because of my columns and the interviews. Now, as Seth Rollins, he really has accomplished everything I said that he would. I will always remember him as the very first person I interviewed.
Gangrel: In 2008, I traveled to Orlando, Florida to attend WrestleMania 24. As I was moving through Orlando International Airport to meet some friends that were also flying into town for the show, I saw a man walking in the opposite direction. I immediately recognized that it was the man who was once on WWF television every week as the leader of The Brood, Gangrel himself.
We made eye contact, and I told him that I loved The Brood. He stopped and the look on his face was almost one of surprise that I recognized him or something. If that’s the case, it would be hilarious, as he has a very unique look, and he wasn’t exactly dressed incognito at the time. He smiled, thanked me, and we chatted for a minute or two before I told him I didn’t want to keep him from wherever he was going. Once again, he thanked me, and that was it. A quick interaction, but one I remember fondly nonetheless.
Matt Morgan: After reaching out to him with an interview request, he and I struck up a lengthy back-and-forth conversation. He seemed to like the fact that I was from Hawaii, as he spent some time there playing college basketball, eventually meeting the woman who would go on to become his wife.
After agreeing to an interview, he mentioned that he would be heading to Hawaii for vacation soon, saying that we should meet up in person to do the interview that way.
We stayed in touch while he was there, and after a very busy schedule, he mentioned that he was going to be relatively close to my place with some of his family, and he asked me if I wanted to meet him there to do the interview. As much as I wanted to do it, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I shouldn’t be taking him away from his family time, even though it was his idea to meet up. I had to politely decline, telling him that he should enjoy the rest of his vacation with his family, and he seemed to really appreciate that.
I never did get that interview, but the fact that he was so courteous and so generous with his time is something that will always stick with me.
Diamond Dallas Page: Longtime readers of mine, as well as longtime visitors of this site, will remember the days of LoP Radio. I pitched the idea for this site, back when it was known as LordsOfPain, to have its own series of podcasts on BlogTalkRadio, and since it was my idea, I was placed in charge of the entire operation.
Not only was I an on-air participant in the Lords Of Podcast Roundtable, but I was also working on the phone and by email to see about landing wrestling personalities, especially in the channel’s beginning stages. One of the first people I reached out to was Diamond Dallas Page. As the days went on, I spoke with both DDP himself, as well as his management. Even from talking to him before the actual interview, I understood what has been said about DDP by several people in the wrestling business… when it comes to Diamond Dallas Page, what you see is what you get. He is a tornado of personality from the moment you make contact with him, and he uses “bro” with you like he’s known you for decades.
His extremely busy schedule was laid out beforehand, and I knew the interview wasn’t going to be a long one, but he still gave us more time than we initially agreed upon. There’s a long list of people who have nothing negative to say about DDP, and you can count me in as a member of that group.
Uhaa Nation/Apollo Crews: I could be wrong, but I might be the first columnist anywhere to write a piece on the guy, back in his days as Uhaa Nation when he was working in Japan for the Dragon Gate promotion.
Our very first interaction started out simple enough. In my prep work for the column about him, I noticed that there were conflicting reports online about how old he was, so I messaged him on Twitter to clarify. He was really surprised that anyone was writing about him, and he asked me to send him the final product when it was done.
We stayed in touch, and I eventually got to see him in person at an independent show. We ended up hanging out for a bit after the show, and he thanked me for all the support I had been giving him.
Several months later, my girlfriend (now wife) and I attended another independent show, where we sat in the front row. During his entrance, he saw us and immediately remembered us, and showed us love. After the show, we hung out with him again. Around this time, there were inklings that he was on WWE’s radar. I flat out asked him if he had any big news to share, and he pulled me to the side to not only tell me that he was, indeed, signed, but also when his official start date at the Performance Center was.
We’ve remained in touch after all these years. Of all the celebrities I’ve ever met, he might have the most “regular guy” vibes of them all, and that is absolutely a compliment. He doesn’t carry himself like anyone famous, and I appreciate the hell out of him for that.
Jim Ross: Several years back, when Jim Ross was working for New Japan Pro Wrestling and handling the English commentary (with Matt Striker) for their Wrestle Kingdom 9 pay-per-view, I put out a column on a different site that talked about why the event was so good and why everyone needed to check it out.
One of the reasons… it might have been the top reason, as a matter of fact… was the English commentary of JR and Striker. This was at a time when New Japan was really creating a buzz for themselves, but many non-Japanese fans were afraid of giving the promotion a chance because they wouldn’t be able to understand what the announcers were saying. Wrestle Kingdom is the promotion’s biggest show of the year, and having the option to have English commentary was viewed as a game changer.
After I put the column out, Jim Ross himself found it and retweeted it. That was cool enough, but then he sent me a nice DM thanking me for not only the kind words I had about him and his work, but for also spreading the word about the show. He didn’t have to do any of that, but the fact that he did spoke volumes to me.
Finn Balor: I’ve told this story before, but it’s probably my silliest interaction with a wrestler, so it’s worth repeating here.
Back in 2018, my wife and I attended an episode of Monday Night Raw, and we were fortunate enough to get front row seats, smack dab in the middle of the row, putting us on camera all night long. It was the episode that featured a nearly two-hour long Gauntlet Match to begin the show.
Anyway, during the Gauntlet, there was a part of the match where Finn was laid out at ringside, and he just so happened to be on the floor directly in front of me. Knowing that the real life Fergal Devitt is a huge collector of Lego sets, I decided to talk to him. I told him to get up, and I said that I would get him a Lego set if he did. While still selling his attack, he turned his head, looked at me, and asked me which one I would get. I said I’d get him whichever one he wants. He smiled as he got back to his feet, and then, as he got back in the ring, said “Millennium Falcon.”
Here’s something you might not know about me… I don’t know much of anything about Star Wars. I had to look up the Millennium Falcon to find out what it was, and when I saw the price tag on the Lego set, I nearly hopped the barricade to cuss Finn out.
In all seriousness, it was a fun moment, and something that is only possible by sitting in the front row of an event. If you can afford it, I highly recommend getting front row seats, whether it’s WrestleMania, a television show, or your local independent promotion. My wife and I were also in the front row (in the same seats) for the episode of Smackdown the following day, and overall, we had a bunch of amazingly cool experiences. I think the Finn Lego discussion was my favorite of the bunch, though.
Now, I want to hear from you. Who are some of the coolest, nicest, most humble wrestling personalities that you’ve ever had the chance to meet? While we’re at it, do you have any experiences with wrestling personalities that didn’t exactly go well? As always, feel free to hit me up in the comments section below, on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), or on Bluesky (@aaronhyden.bsky.social), and let me know what’s on your mind.
Let’s get to my Weekly Power Rankings, before we close things out with the list of songs I was listening to as I put this column together.
Weekly Power Rankings
Bandido vs Mascara Dorada: For the last few years, I’ve had Will Ospreay as my pick for the best wrestler in the world. He has been having some incredible years, with unheard of runs of great matches all over the globe. While 2025 isn’t over yet, and there’s still time for a lot to happen, I’m starting to wonder if Ospreay’s streak comes to an end, because Bandido has been on fire this year. No matter who he’s facing, and no matter what show it’s on, he continues to have great matches. Even with that said, he still seems to be flying under the radar a bit because a good chunk of his work is either on Ring Of Honor shows or on Collision, which aren’t exactly drawing tons of viewers.
Ilja Dragunov vs Nathan Frazer: At this point, I’m going to be really upset when these Open Challenges come to an end. Of course, that’s going to be the point, when a heel inevitably takes the United States Title and decides that he’s not going to do them anymore. For now, I will continue to enjoy the amazing work that Sami Zayn, and now, Ilja Dragunov are putting in.
CM Punk vs Jey Uso: I know a lot of people were expecting Jey to turn heel here, but I just didn’t see it. Do you see the crowd reactions Jey is still getting? Tens of thousands of people are yeeting with him every single time he appears, and it would be foolish to walk away from that right now just because some people online don’t like him. It’s the same conversation we’ve been having almost weekly about Jey since he won the Royal Rumble. The reaction he gets online is a night and day difference compared to the ones he receives by live crowds, week in and week out, all across the world. He’s one of the most over talents in all of wrestling, and he’s still having really good matches like this one. Some people need to relax.
Jurassic Express vs The Young Bucks vs FTR vs JetSpeed: Somewhat on-topic, and somewhat off-topic… does anyone think Luchasaurus could be a World Champion in AEW? He is still incredibly over, and if anyone else was that popular, they would be in the mix for the AEW World Title. With Luchasaurus, do you think there’s something of a “ceiling” for him as a character? I think he’s a really solid in-ring performer, but he’s not on the same level as people like “Hangman” Adam Page, Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay, Konosuke Takeshita, and the like. Can you picture a “dinosaur” character being the top guy in AEW?
Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs Bayley & Lyra Valkyria: I continue enjoying the work that Charlotte and Alexa are doing together. Charlotte is showing more of a personality than she ever has in her entire career, and the chemistry that she and Alexa have is a lot of fun to watch play out. Their pairing really shouldn’t have worked, but so far, it has done just that.
Cody Rhodes vs Drew McIntyre: Two WWE Title victories that happened in front of zero live fans, and one World Heavyweight Title victory that saw him hold the title for mere minutes until Damian Priest cashed in on his Money In The Bank title shot. It’s crazy to me that Drew doesn’t have more than that over the last several years. He has been one of the most consistently great wrestlers in the business over the last half-decade plus, but that’s it. That’s so strange to me.
Sheamus vs JD McDonagh: Even though JD is much smaller than Sheamus, he still comes from that European style, and that allows him to “hang” in the types of physical contests that Sheamus loves and excels at. Fun stuff here.
The Last Time Is Now Tournament: Yes, the rumors of the tournament were already out there, and yes, the rumored winner of the tournament has already had their name floated out there… but I still enjoyed hearing that the tournament is now official. I also like that it’s being hinted at that there will be some surprise entrants from potentially outside of WWE. This is going to be a lot of fun.
LA Knight vs Bron Breakker: We’re just passing time until Bron becomes a World Champion. That’s what it feels like, but it still feels like an exciting time. He has all the potential to be a generational talent, and I’ve enjoyed watching him grow as a performer since he debuted in NXT.
Jade Cargill: Congratulations to the brand new WWE Women’s Champion. Her match with Tiffany Stratton was more of a vehicle to continue a storyline than something designed to be a classic, but that’s perfectly fine sometimes. Her new heel run has positioned her to be a very interesting piece of the overall WWE puzzle. We shall see how it goes.
This Week’s Playlist: “EAT WHAT YOU KILL” by Lloyd Banks… “Everywhere We Go” by Bun B, Pimp C, Juicy J & Project Pat… “OMG!” by Yelawolf & Young Buck… “Berkin” by Berner, That Mexican OT, Baby Bash & Frankie J… “Radikal Tyme” by Kaipo… “In Your Arms” by Kaipo… “My Only” by Kaipo… “Hawai’i” by Kaipo… “Can’t Get Enough” by Kaipo & Joey Skr8up… “True Love” by Kaipo… “Welcome To Hawaii” by Joey Skr8up, Jim Hurdle & Kwalified… “Runnin” by Joey Skr8up… “Craziest” by Naughty By Nature… “Uptown Anthem” by Naughty By Nature… “Banned From TV” by NORE, Big Pun, Jadakiss, Styles P, Cam’ron & Nature… “Fantastic Voyage” by Coolio… “Hole In The Ground” by Inhaler… “Broken Halo” by Smash Into Pieces… “Under The Influence” by Chris Brown… “Take You Down” by Chris Brown… “With You” by Chris Brown… “Therapy” by Mitchell Tenpenny… “Neon Light” by Blake Shelton… “Chattahoochee” by Alan Jackson… “Watermelon Crawl” by Tracy Byrd… “Neon Moon” by Brooks & Dunn… “2009” by Mac Miller… “Take My Breath” by The Weeknd… “Starboy” by The Weeknd & Daft Punk… “Tears In The Rain” by The Weeknd
