fugaziuk Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Toying with the idea of the meet and greet. But sometimes they can be a bit rubbish (wrestlers totally disinterested etc) anyone been to a dragongate one before? Are the guys generally cool to meet? Or will it be mick foley types ? Haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalman2000 Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Toying with the idea of the meet and greet. But sometimes they can be a bit rubbish (wrestlers totally disinterested etc) anyone been to a dragongate one before? Are the guys generally cool to meet? Or will it be mick foley types ? Haha  Hi  I went to the Castleford meet and greet last year and will offer my thoughts on that one:  The DG Japan wrestlers were on the whole very friendly - especially Akira Tozawa. Some DG Japan wrestlers - depending on their level of English and your Japanese - can seem a little reserved, so best to offer a handshake, photograph and signature then move on.  Marty Scurll, Mark Haskins, Mark's wife Vicky and Lion Kid are all very approachable and partial to a bit of banter. They certainly appreciate those who (apparently) know a bit about them as well - so feel free to Google and quiz them on whatever!  Noam Dar - miserable git frankly. Might be his youth but seemed bored unless you bought his DVDs... look out for the ironic chant "35 quid? You're aving a laugh!" chant on the Festival of Fire N3 show DVD from a couple of lads who felt the same way  It can feel a little hurried with them wanting to pack up/allow others to meet the guys. So be realistic in your expectations - don't expect a beer and an hour or two's casual chat with everyone!  They'll sign pretty much anything you'll put in front of them within reason. I took along some photos from a show I went to Kyoto and they signed them happily - probably because it was the wife's photography skills rather than my (limited) Japanese linguistic skill  Access to Merch - depending on what you're looking for, the Meet & Greet is easily the best way to grab some souvenirs but they sell out - I was left disappointed at the Nottingham show as I didn't go to the Meet & Greet.  Be sure to have a chat with Chris Roberts, Andy Quildan, Mark Sloan and the DGUK crew - these guys are massively underrated part of the shows both front and back of house. They appreciate being shown some love and will happily (though somewhat surprised by the request) to sign stuff, take photos and so on.  M&Gs are limited to about 40-50 people so it's a good way to meet the guys in a relaxed environment before the show. You can meet them afterwards but to be fair - they're often knackered from the show and you're competing with a lot more people for their attention.  So to sum up: Good Points: 1. It's a tenner 2. You get to meet everyone (and not compete with hundreds of extra fans after the show) 3. First dibs on Merchandise 4. It's very relaxed and depending on where it's held, it can feel like a bit "behind the scenes"  Not so good points: 1. The downtime between the ending of the M&G and the start of the show can be up to 1.5 hours so expect to hang around or go to a pub to kill some time before the doors open later. 2. It can feel like you are obliged to buy stuff - you're not and don't feel compelled to do so  Hope that helps - I've bought mine, perhaps see you there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalman2000 Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 @Mark Sloan - shows are looking good! Qudos to the ongoing work of you and your team. I do have one question - are there only 5 matches (not including the "bonus" match) on the shows this year rather than 6 (not including the bonus)? One more thing - please make the Space Gate thing happen!  CIMA vs Tozawa - so jealous of anyone going to the Friday show as I can only make Saturday. I'll claim dibs on fantasy booking on twitter some weeks back  Saturday night's show - Doi vs CIMA, Yamato vs Susumu and Tozawa vs Richochet are worth the price of admission.  Some fantasy booking on the remainders: Three Way Tag Team Match Haskins & Lion Kid v BXB Hulk & TBA v Yoshino & Rich Swann  Decisive Singles Match TBA v Scurll  I reckon the decisive match could be a -4 vs -4 (not worked out the maths but it would make sense).  I'd like to see Project Ego in the mix in the 3 way tag - they're certainly good enough but sadly not on the roster (yet).  Big announcement (if confirmed) - could be another wrestler coming? Perhaps Uhaa Nation (unlikely) or another indie wrestler from the states (like El Generico before he cancelled).  Hotel in Harlow booked - thanks to those of you who replied.  If I can get it sorted, I'll turn up like such a mark at the show...no promises though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fugaziuk Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Thanks so much for the feedback ! Think I'll give the meet and greet a go cheers for the full report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthofsin Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Toying with the idea of the meet and greet. But sometimes they can be a bit rubbish (wrestlers totally disinterested etc) anyone been to a dragongate one before? Are the guys generally cool to meet? Or will it be mick foley types ? Haha  I highly reccomend the meet and greet also. I attended last year and all the talent on hand were cool and seemed happy to be there. Genki Horiguchi made a point of signing my name in Japanese, really friendly dude who is a real pleasure to watch in the ring. Extending a hand to BxB Hulk and having him look at me extremely confused, before slowly raising his hand to take mine could have been my favorite moment of the weekend. Not sure why the lack of love for Noam, he was friendly and down to earth when io met him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.E Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Toying with the idea of the meet and greet. But sometimes they can be a bit rubbish (wrestlers totally disinterested etc) anyone been to a dragongate one before? Are the guys generally cool to meet? Or will it be mick foley types ? Haha  I highly reccomend the meet and greet also. I attended last year and all the talent on hand were cool and seemed happy to be there. Genki Horiguchi made a point of signing my name in Japanese, really friendly dude who is a real pleasure to watch in the ring. Extending a hand to BxB Hulk and having him look at me extremely confused, before slowly raising his hand to take mine could have been my favorite moment of the weekend. Not sure why the lack of love for Noam, he was friendly and down to earth when io met him.  As above, I too would highly suggest the meet and greet. Genki was super cool, and once hearing my name, proclaimed loudly "ahhhhh, Daniel-San" , which has been the only time in my life I was genuinely happy to hear that phrase. I'll be missing it this year, but will be repping full Jimmys attire with Tshirt and jacket!  Will recommend the 8x10s on the day as it saves some money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fugaziuk Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I highly reccomend the meet and greet also. I attended last year and all the talent on hand were cool and seemed happy to be there. Genki Horiguchi made a point of signing my name in Japanese, really friendly dude who is a real pleasure to watch in the ring. Extending a hand to BxB Hulk and having him look at me extremely confused, before slowly raising his hand to take mine could have been my favorite moment of the weekend. Not sure why the lack of love for Noam, he was friendly and down to earth when io met him. Â Cheers for all the feedback guys ! Much appreciated I'm def going to attend the meet and greet. Â I wonder why he was so confused? I might find out which bow is appropriate and do that instead of offering my hand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthofsin Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 I highly reccomend the meet and greet also. I attended last year and all the talent on hand were cool and seemed happy to be there. Genki Horiguchi made a point of signing my name in Japanese, really friendly dude who is a real pleasure to watch in the ring. Extending a hand to BxB Hulk and having him look at me extremely confused, before slowly raising his hand to take mine could have been my favorite moment of the weekend. Not sure why the lack of love for Noam, he was friendly and down to earth when io met him.  Cheers for all the feedback guys ! Much appreciated I'm def going to attend the meet and greet.  I wonder why he was so confused? I might find out which bow is appropriate and do that instead of offering my hand  Don't get me wrong, not confused in a bad way. Just had a very puzzled look on his face. Maybe he was playing on his gimmick. Wasn't at all awkward, just a funny memory is all. Not a bad word to say about any of the talents on last years tour. They were all really nice to meet. Got great pics with all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Sloan Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 I highly reccomend the meet and greet also. I attended last year and all the talent on hand were cool and seemed happy to be there. Genki Horiguchi made a point of signing my name in Japanese, really friendly dude who is a real pleasure to watch in the ring. Extending a hand to BxB Hulk and having him look at me extremely confused, before slowly raising his hand to take mine could have been my favorite moment of the weekend. Not sure why the lack of love for Noam, he was friendly and down to earth when io met him.  Cheers for all the feedback guys ! Much appreciated I'm def going to attend the meet and greet.  I wonder why he was so confused? I might find out which bow is appropriate and do that instead of offering my hand  Don't get me wrong, not confused in a bad way. Just had a very puzzled look on his face. Maybe he was playing on his gimmick. Wasn't at all awkward, just a funny memory is all. Not a bad word to say about any of the talents on last years tour. They were all really nice to meet. Got great pics with all.  In regards to our meet and greet events. I personally have never heard a bad word said against them. Every one of the talent involved are always excited to meet and greet the fans.  They are laid out in an open area and you are free to pick and choose who to meet. There isn't much que time and everybody is happy to chat, sign and a little banter is always welcome. Hulk, was mentioned above, even while in character is still very approachable and happy to be there.  There is merchandise from ourselves at Wrestling Store and Dragon Gate bring some of their merchandise. I am not sure why the person said he felt like to was obligated to buy merchandise, that couldn't be further from the truth.  The Dragon Gate stars are always excited to meet their European fans, they always mention how much they enjoy the sessions and even when Shingo and Dragon Kid were very ill on the first event, they refused to rest up instead of meeting the fans.  We're always after ways to improve all aspects of the events including the Meet and Greets, so feedback is always welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted June 5, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted June 5, 2014 As someone who attended a Meet and Greet I can confirm all the positives. I attended the Noah one as I'd had the fortune to come by free tickets (which was amazing for me because after trains and Travelodges I was on my arse at the time) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The talent were are really nice to me, signing autographs for me and not seeming to mind that I hadn't bought merch (because I was on my arse), and Hero & Claudio were very patient with my gushing over how great they were. Â One staffer (not Mark or Wade) did remark "there are DVDs you could get them to sign" at the sight of my embarrassing little autograph book, but I took that to be on the cheeky side rather than a genuine snipe. Had I listened to that advice, I would not currently have the squiggles of KENTA, Jushin Liger, Emi Sakura and Dave Rayne in the same little book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members gadge Posted June 5, 2014 Paid Members Share Posted June 5, 2014 Congratulations to Lion Kid for today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_jeckel Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Noam Dar - miserable git frankly. Might be his youth but seemed bored unless you bought his DVDs... look out for the ironic chant "35 quid? You're aving a laugh!" chant on the Festival of Fire N3 show DVD from a couple of lads who felt the same way  Really? Noam Dar was nice enough to me. Seen him at a few shows and he has always been pleasant, including at PCW at the weekend there. What was 35 quid though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamknightjones Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 i know its a long long long long long long shot but samoa joe is in the uk on the 27th july. i cant make that show so would be amazing to see him at dg uk. Â i went to the meet and greet last year and they are all really nice i had stress fracture in my wrist and had it taped up and a few of them cima and shingo both asked if i was ok which was a nice moment. its one of the best meet and greets ive been to its very relaxed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carbs Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Noam Dar - miserable git frankly. Might be his youth but seemed bored unless you bought his DVDs... look out for the ironic chant "35 quid? You're aving a laugh!" chant on the Festival of Fire N3 show DVD from a couple of lads who felt the same way  Really? Noam Dar was nice enough to me. Seen him at a few shows and he has always been pleasant, including at PCW at the weekend there. What was 35 quid though?  I also found Noam Dar to be all right when i briefly chatted to him at the DGUK Broxbourne show last year! Can't remember if it was night 1 or night 2 though lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalman2000 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Hmmm - I seem to have stirred up trouble, hate, concerns or [insert other here] by offering MY opinion/experience/feelings of Noam, M&Gs and son on. How can you argue with how someone feels...? In words of Ron Simmons...DAMN Â Fugaziuk asked about the meet and greet and I told him my thoughts - I am a fan (and a customer) first and foremost so think it reasonable to offer the positives and room for improvment as how I saw them. If anyone was "offended", I'm flabbergasted... Â I'll clarify some things - the " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.