Terrence Adams, who works at the Dragon Hill Lodge on Yongsan Garrison, South Korea, waits for a signature from Raven, a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, at Yongsan Garrison. "I like the story lines and their athletic ability," Adams said of the wrestlers. "It's like ballet or something." (Teri Weaver / S&S)
Terrence Adams, who works at the Dragon Hill Lodge on Yongsan Garrison, South Korea, waits for a signature from Raven, a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, at Yongsan Garrison. "I like the story lines and their athletic ability," Adams said of the wrestlers. "It's like ballet or something." (Teri Weaver / S&S)
Keith Weber 14, left, his brother Jeffrey, 13, and their dad, Scott, right, get their photo taken with National Wrestling Alliance star A.J. Styles. (Teri Weaver / S&S)
Roger Culp, 5, waits with his dad, Capt. Jim Culp, right, and Lt. Col Kevin Boyle as they watch DDP, or Diamond Dallas Page, sign an autograph at Yongsan Garrison Friday afternoon. Roger plans to get his poster framed. Culp and Boyle are both with the Trial Defense Unit on Yongsan. (Teri Weaver / S&S)
YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — Keith and Jeffrey Weber didn’t have great seats reserved for the National Wrestling Alliance’s Saturday night performance in Seoul.
“Third row,” said their father, Scott Weber, who works at the Morale, Recreation and Welfare office at the main U.S. military post in South Korea. “Not first.”
The seating assignments aside, the family was thrilled to be among 200 people who gathered at Collier Field House on Friday afternoon to meet NWA stars.
“He likes Sting,” Keith, 14, said of his 13-year-old brother. “I like A.J. Styles. He’s a high-flying superstar. [Jeffrey] likes Sting ’cause he uses a bat and the way he yells at the audience.”
“Ooooooooooooh,” Jeffrey bellowed.
“Yeah, that’s how he yells,” Keith said. “But A.J. Styles, he’s bigger than life.”
The autograph session, hosted by the United Service Organizations, attracted wrestling fans from kindergarteners to military officers. The wrestling stars — including Raven, A.J. Styles, Diamond Dallas Page (DDP), Sting and Gail Kim — signed posters and various clothing items for about an hour.
“That’s yours,” Capt. Jim Culp of the Trial Defense Unit at Yongsan told his 5-year-old son, Roger, after they posed for a picture with DDP. The father and son had gone through the autograph line with the promotional poster for Saturday’s performance.
“We’re gonna get it framed,” Culp told his son.
Zachary Fletcher and John McKeritt, both 10, each sacrificed one shoe for their autographs. They thought of the invention halfway through the line of more than a dozen wrestling stars, and carefully weaved back through the crowd to ensure a complete collection of signatures.
Terrence Adams, who works at the Dragon Hill Lodge hotel at Yongsan, couldn’t stop smiling while going through the line.
“I like the story lines,” he said, after he’d collected his signatures. “And their athletic ability. It’s like ballet or something.”
While waiting in line, Keith and Jeffrey Weber had a chance to discuss their wrestling names.
“Mine’s Crash K,” Keith blurted out.
“I don’t have one,” Jeffrey said. “I’ll make one up.”
In a couple of minutes, he had: “Choke Slam,” he announced proudly.
After posing for a family portrait with Styles, the two boys reflected on the lineup of wrestling stars.
“They don’t have makeup on,” Jeffrey said, looking at the poster’s portraits of sweaty, painted wrestlers against the friendly, T-shirt-clad men and women signing autographs. “I didn’t even recognize Sting.”
“Most of them don’t look like they do on TV,” his older brother said.
“Man,” Jeffrey said, “that sucks.”
