Andre the Giant at the Bicentenial Center, Salina KS

by Paul
(Salina, KS USA)

I went to my first live pro wrestling event in my home,town of Salina, KS, in 1979 give or take a couple of years. I remember seeing the grand finale over the top rope battle royal when Andre the Giant ended up winning by eliminating the last opponent "Avalanche" Buzz Tyler. I approached Andre directly after the battle royal and asked him for an autograph after he gave a 60 yr. old woman a hug.

At first he didn't look like he wanted to give me an autograph, but after he stared at me for a moment he placed the paper in his left hand and used my pen to sign the paper. The paper is good sized, but wasn't big enough to fill the palm of his hand. This was an incredible moment in my young life. As he handed the autograph back to me, he smiled at me and I still remember the warmth and gentleness in his eyes and smile, and I remember how scared and intimidated I was initially. I still have the autograph saved in a photo album and would be willing to sell it to someone who would enjoy its historic value.

Thanks for listening,
Paul Smull
pasmu@vestas.com