More than 300 fans took part in the Shawn Michaels Experience, a meet and greet and fan Q&A featuring WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. The audience at the Waynesboro, Va., event, put on by Top Rope Pro Wrestling, featured fans from 14 states, with fans coming in from as far away as Texas, Missouri, Michigan and Florida.
Local fan Rodney Gill started the line outside the doors of the Louis Spilman Auditorium at 7:15 a.m., more than three hours before the start of the 10:30 a.m. meet and greet.
“I’m going on a week-long cruise to the Bahamas (Sunday), but I’ve been telling my family, I’m looking forward to this a lot more than that cruise. I’m so nervous about meeting Shawn that I’m literally shaking,” said Gill, who bought tickets for the event for friends “just so they could see me meet Shawn.”
Several fans posted messages to Facebook and Twitter after the event to relate how the Shawn Michaels Experience was an experience of a lifetime.
“Great show, guys! Was very much worth the 15-hour drive one way!” wrote Danette Zoll-Strodtman, who drove from Missouri for the show, in one Facebook message.
In another, Zoll-Strodtman wrote that “dreams do come true.”
Fan Jason Shortridge had a similar sentiment. “I figured three-fourths of the autographs I got would be impossible until Top Rope Pro Wrestling came into my life, so to speak. Dreams do come true,” Shortridge wrote.
“Thank you so much, Top Rope,” wrote fan Travis Bolton. “Shawn was so nice, and your staff was so nice and courteous. I hope you do more of these Q&A’s in the future. They are so much fun. You get to know the people so well when you attend these things. Thanks again for making a wish come true.”
“Now I can go home a happy guy,” wrote fan Jacob Roth. “It was so worth the almost seven-hour drive there.”
“Meeting Shawn today was such a rare meet,” wrote fan Tim Newman. “Very thankful to Top Rope for bringing him in. And such a great turnout for the Q&A also. Me and my buddy drove almost five hours to get there today, worth every mile! Thank you, Top Rope.”
“We are huge DX fans. So far, we’ve met HHH, X-Pac, and now thanks to Top Rope, we had this great opportunity to meet Shawn,” wrote fan Sandra Adrian. “It was awesome… worth the six-hour drive from Jersey. We definitely had fun!”
“Thank you all for the wonderful experience of meeting Shawn Michaels! Your kindness and generosity was amazing! Thank you for giving me one of the best days of my life!” wrote fan Rodney Gill.
Fan Leslie Anderson tweeted: “Best day ever! Thank you, @ShawnMichaels, for your time! Dream come true!”
Michaels later thanked fans on Twitter.
“Thanks to everyone who came out to Waynesboro Va. today!! I had a great time, y’all were wonderful!!”
Top Rope President Chris Graham thanked Michaels and the fans for what was “a day that we will all remember the rest of our lives.”
“Seeing so many people have the time of their lives, that’s what this is all about,” Graham said. “Our thanks to Shawn for giving people an experience that they will never forget.”
Link to event photos on Facebook.
More online at www.TopRopeProWrestling.com.
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