TNA in Baltimore plus a Smurf

During mid-August I would do something I haven't done in a very long time. TNA Wrestling! With one of my main wants being Joe Hendry. They had 2 shows so that gave lots of time to get people. I managed to find the TNA hotel. Or so I thought. 

I start at the hotel and eventually a bunch of people come through. Namely, 

Alexander James
Fallon Henley
Jazmyn Nyx
Jacy Jayne
Trick Williams

Alexander says once they're in the elevator don't rush them anymore. Trick Williams says he will come back down. I got ops with everyone but Trick. Sadly I have them all except for Alexander James. 

After they all go up while waiting we see Moose and he is cool. Sadly I have him as well. True to his word Trick Williams comes down and takes care of everyone. But again, I have him.

After Moose and Trick it is basically dead and things are off. First off, we only saw mostly NXT people and no TNA people besides Moose. To boot, in my almost 2 decades of doing wrestling hotels this did not seem like a typical hotel a company would use. Upon further research I figured out there's ANOTHER hotel and that is the TNA hotel. This hotel is apparently just NXT people and Moose was just visiting. Go to the next hotel and some random people staying there show me their Joe Hendry photo op. PUNCH! 

To boot there's a bunch of wrestlers congregating in spot but we of course couldn't go to that area. So I wait for wrestling walking out and about. Some like the Hardy Boys I saw and didn't bother. But I got 

Santino Marella (update after many years)
Cedric Alexander
Jazz
Myron Reed
Mustafa Ali
Lance Storm (reminded him of a time when I picked him up from the airport and drove him to a con)

Unfortunately, the only fresh one for me is Myron Reed. Bad evening for me in part because I was sidetracked at the wrong hotel but also in part because I have so many people it's harder to get fresh names.

TNA photo ops Day 1

I went home instead of sleeping in the car which would be a mistake. Because I heard the morning gets were good and that included Joe Hendry! PUNCH! I head back to Baltimore and begin with something non-wrestling related. Namely Katy Perry flying in. The car stops and she does send ins. I get signed a Smurfs photo already signed by Neil Patrick Harris and George Lopez.

Now when it's time for TNA to return back in the evening. I start with Zack Ryder (update) and Ryan Nemeth (fresh). Some declined going in. Now a guard comes to the front door and he says his explicit purpose is to stop us from asking for photo ops. Bail to the airport to try for Katy Perry leaving, but we missed her by about 5 minutes. I can't believe how early she left! The goal was to hope she would stop the car at night and come out and do photo ops. A tall order that probably wouldn't have worked anyway. 

Back to the TNA hotel and the guard was standing at the front. But people were parking away from the front and coming in the back. So we got photo ops around the building away from the guard. Namely, 

Steve Maclin AKA Steve Cutler

Mike Santana

Fandango AKA Johnny Dango Curtis

referee Daniel Spencer

Sadly, I had all but the referee. 

TNA photo ops Day 2

Signed Smurf photo

This time I slept in the car and that turned out to be the best decision ever. Because my morning starts and I see Joe Hendry walking with someone else who I didn't know at the time. I approach and ask Joe for the photo and said I believe in Joe Hendry. He agrees and I get the op. I ask the other person and get the op and turns out it' Leon Slater! Right off the bat 2 big scores! 

At this point I stay hidden in my car and only come out when I see people walking to their cars. One guy told me "back for more" and I said yes then asked him for the op (still didn't ID him).

Then I got John Skyler (update) and Jason Hotch (fresh). I also saw Johnny Dango Curtis and got another op. He goes "didn't I get you yesterday?" and I said it was blurry. My op from yesterday was indeed blurry but had I realized it was him I wouldn't have gone since I got him in the past. But I saw the back and was going up to anyone that looked like a wrestler. By the time I saw his face all I could do was ask. One of the Ash by Elegance girls declined photo ops but signed for someone. 

The last photo op I got was Eddie Edwards, someone who has eluded me for years. I went up and asked he was nice as can be. He was riding with Johnny Dango Curtis and Johnny tells him "this guy is creepy as fuck". Wait a bit more then decide to end my time in Baltimore. To further cement what a good decision it was to car sleep, I heard that later that evening when they came back from the show, they had security everywhere even walking with the wrestlers from the point where the cars were parked (I guess people told on us). Also, I had an early morning flight on Eddie Edwards but didn't even have to consider that because I already got him thanks to car sleep.

Joe Hendry

Leon Slater

TNA photo ops Day 3