At the end of the show, Mick held a Meet 'n' Greet with those fans who wanted a photo taken with him or just to say hi and give them a chance to meet the man they had come to see. After about a 20 minute wait, which was by no means too long, my friend and I finally got to talk with Mick, ever so briefly. After pulling our own socks from our pockets for him to sign, we thanked him for everything he had given to the fans throughout his career, and then we told him of the first night we ever saw him perform. It was at an indy show in 1988, in Athens, Ohio, at the Ohio University Convocation Center, or The Convo. A card filled with now legendary talent: Bruiser Brody, Tony Atlas, Sgt. Slaughter, and a relative newcomer named Cactus Jack. And Foley recalled that night! He recalled it with such precision and clarity that you would think the man is a devout historian of his profession; and one could suppose that he is, because he loves so much what he does and has done for most of his adult life. But Mick remembered that show in Athens from 1988, who he faced that night, the small crowd of nearly 200 that were on hand, and how it was just days before Bruiser Brody was murdered in real life. And while it was a show I had always remembered for myself only being 12 years old at the time and getting invited up and into the ring afterwards by Sgt. Slaughter himself, I will now remember even more fondly. Given how Foley recalls that night with such detail (and in only a matter of a minute or so that we got to speak with him), and how it's even a more fond memory for me now, given our new found connection spanning across nearly 3 decades inside an art form only few truly understand. And with that he gave us a fist bump and told us thank you, but we thanked him time and again as we walked away, he having moved on to the next fan, and myself and my friend unable to really understand that we had just met a childhood hero...and he was every bit everything you would think him to be: kind, gentle, intelligent, genuine...and a larger than life legend. Fans, I'm always ready to hear from you all! In the COMMENTS section below, and get me on Twitter: @davyshrader
