Families flock to Niles to pin down some retro wrestling items
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NILES -- Families spent the day searching for wrestling and other nostalgia items at a weekend retro show in Niles.
Those in attendance also had the chance to meet some wrestlers and get autographs.
Lennon Shaffer, 6, and his father Jimmy Shaffer of Newton Falls waited in line to get the autographs from wrestlers Ax and Smash of Demolition tag team.
"This is his first meet-and-greet he has been to and the best way to introduce him to the wrestlers. I watch wrestling, and he will watch it with me. This is a nice local smaller scale event we could attend before we go to bigger events. Demolition is my favorite tag team,'' Jimmy said.
Lennon, who starts kindergarten this school year, said he likes watching wrestling with his father.
"He likes to come with me and meet the wrestlers and get their autographs," Jimmy said.
"I have enjoyed watching wrestling since I was a child and am 47 now, so I have been watching for 40 years. I enjoy watching the tag teams.''
Tommy Smith of Niles was with his son, Nick Smith, 7, waiting to get autographs.
"I grew up watching Demolition. It's fun to meet them in person and get their autographs," Tommy said. "I like wrestling for the different characters and storylines and the matches."
Nick said his favorite wrestler is Jake the Snake.
Different children and adults had the chance to get their photos taken with the wrestlers.
Ax and Smash said what they like the most is getting to meet the fans.
"Our fans are the best. Without the fans there would not be Demolition,'' Smash said.
The wrestlers asked the children what they like about wrestling and if they started the new school year,
The event was organized by Michaek Rickard, of Niles, who is owner of Wild Card Video Games and Wild Card Promotions. He said he hosts two shows each year.
"Having the wrestlers signing is always a big thing," Rickard said. "We get a lot of families. I like seeing all the people come in and all the smiles on their faces, especially all the kids. When we have a wrestling show the fans are yelling and cheering. It sometimes gets a little crazy."
He said in addition to wrestlers, people can also search for toys and video games.
Chris and Karissa Cal of Hermitage, Pa., said they are always looking for wrestling figures and other items.
They said their young son likes to play with wrestling figures.
"We are from New Jersey and just moved to Pennsylvania and heard about this show so we came to Niles to check it out,'' Chris said.
Brian Orfin, owner of No Where Toys in Niles said such events bring many people who are all looking for something different.
"Several years ago people were looking for television and movie-related toys and now it has started changing with this new generation," Orfin said. "They are looking for clothing and t-shirts with movies and TV shows. People have gone from wanting to put their collection on a shelf to wanting to wear it."
He said many people like Legos, which have remained popular for decades.
"That is one thing people can still play with and actually create some great items with. The Legos are a good escape from reality,'' Orfin said.
He said people of all generations like to play with Legos.
"I have seen adults and children from different generations looking for the same thing,'' Orfin said.