Signed Trading Cards: Billy Gunn, Iron Sheik, Best Friends, & SCU

This post is highlighting the cards that I acquired during my IndyMania Wrestling Vacation in New York City April 3rd - 6th, 2019.

The theme of this set is dual signatures!

Billy Gunn

These cards I got signed on Friday April 5th at the Wrestlecon convention.  The first card is a Smoking Gunns card released by the WWF in 1995 as part of a set in WWF Magazine.  You can read all about me getting this card signed by Bart Gunn here.  The second card is from the 1998 Comic Images WWF Superstarz set.  I got this card signed by Road Dogg a few years ago.  The final card is from the 2008 Tristar TNA Impact set.

When I told Billy the story about how long it took Bart to get the card back from her he laughed heartily and said that, that sounded about right for Bart.

Iron Sheik

These cards I got signed on Friday April 5th at the Wrestlecon convention.  The first card is from the 1985 WWF Topps set and the second is from the 1985 WWF O-Pee-Chee series II card set that was released in Canada.  I got the card signed by Nikolai Volkoff many years ago and I've been trying to get it signed by the Iron Sheik since then.

I didn't want to miss my opportunity to get it signed at Wrestlecon and neither did anyone else as Sheik's line was consistently long all day Friday and Saturday.  I'm guessing like myself many felt that at 77 this might be that last chance we have to meet him.

Trent and Chuck Taylor

These cards I got signed on Thursday April 4th at the Wrestlecon Supershow.  The first card is a 2010 WWE Topps card that I had signed by Caylen Croft back in 2017, you can read about that here.  The second card is from the All In set released in 2018 from Highspots in conjunction with the All In event.  I got both signed by Trent at this event and the All In card signed by Chuckie T.  I had gotten cards signed by both of them previously: Trent & Chuck Taylor.

SCU: Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, & Scorpio Sky

I got this cards signed on Wednesday April 3rd at Beyond Wrestling Uncharted Territory episode 1 from the Electric Haze in Worcester, Massachusetts.  This card is from the All In set released in 2018 from Highspots in conjunction with the All In event.

This is the first Scorpio Sky card that I am aware of.  I previous got cards signed by both Daniels and Kazarian.

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast The Wrestling Insomniac on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network. 

Later Readers!

The Sheik

I recently found a documentary on Netflix called “The Sheik” about Khosrow Vaziri the legendary Iron Sheik!  I can’t recall hearing anything about this prior to finding it and I honestly wasn’t expecting much.  Recently the Iron Sheik has been presenting himself as a loud obnoxious old man who curses out everyone stating that he would suplex them, put them in the camel clutch, break their back, fuck their ass, and make them humble.  I really didn’t expect much if any substance to this.  That being said I am pleased to say that I was proven wrong. 

This is an excellent documentary that starts with briefly talking about the Sheiks life in Iran, becoming an amateur wrestler, the bodyguard for the Shah of Iran and eventually coming to the United States.  Upon his arrival in 1971 he became an assistance coach to the US Olympic Team which eventually led to his meeting with Verne Gagne which started his professional wrestling career.

The story of the Iron Sheik is told through extensive interview with his family and fellows wrestlers including extensive sit down interviews with The Rock, Bruce Prichard, Jake Roberts, Keith Elliot Greenburg, Jim Ross, and with stories from Jim Duggan specifically about their arrest for possession, King Kong Bundy, Nasty Boys, Ron Simmons, Sunny, Jimmy Hart, Nikolai Volkoff, Bob Orton, Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley, Jim Duggan, Jimmy Snuka, and others.  It also features still photos of Sheik through-out his life and footage of him in action with Mid-South Wrestling, World Wrestling Council, and on the Independents.

Another surprising revelation is that the Sheik is married to a wonderful woman that he met and got married to back in 1975 and has a beautiful family where is grandchildren call him Papa Sheik.

WWF World Heavyweight Champion: The Iron Sheik with "Ayatollah" Classy Freddy Blassie

This documentary seems to have been the brain child of Jian & Page Magen, the children of a childhood friend of the Sheik and these two are like family to him.  They idolized Sheik growing up and when they first reconnected with him in 2006 they were shocked at the state they found him in.  After the murder of his daughter Marissa a few years prior Sheik took a turn for the worse when it came to his drug abuse, which he calls his medicine. 

The biggest revelation of this documentary to me is that The Sheik the way he acts currently, the cursing and loud mouth brash behavior, is a work.  That’s right the Magen brothers have made it their job to make The Sheik relevant beyond the wrestling world so he will be remember.  I also think the reason they do it is to keep him busy and not relapse with drug use. 

This is one of the best non-WWE wrestling documentaries that has come out in a long time and well worth you checking out.

The Iron Sheik today

Later Readers!