Behind The Magician's Curtain - Dan America takes you behind the ring apron

I have had the privilege of meeting a handful of WWE Superstars, not at “Meet & Greets” but through chance meetings or it’s work related but for some reason I always have bad luck. The two times that I thought that the meeting went well, something bad happened.

Spoiler, Accidentally on Purpose.
I have been a Pro Wrestling fan for as long as I can remember, I am not sure why but lately I have convinced myself that it’s because I was a fat kid. I can’t explain why chubby kids love Pro Wrestling, I think it’s because it helps their self esteem, especially during the Golden Era of the WWE when overweight men were glorified.
In 1992, when I was 11 years old the WWE Royal Rumble was held at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, NY which is a twenty minute drive from my home town. My mother could not afford tickets to the event for me but that did not stop her from making sure I caught a glimpse of my heroes, so she drove me down to the Arena so I could look through the glass doors and windows of the arena.
When we got there I found out that I was not the only one, a few parents had the same idea and so I joined the other kids who were peeking inside the arena, I saw Ted Dibiase, Earthquake, Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart walking by the front doors. Then some of the kids started to migrate alongside the building to a window where we could look into the lounge area where all the wrestlers were snacking before the event.

I wanted to see Hulk Hogan, I saw everyone but Hogan and I noticed something very strange as I observed all the other wrestlers, Ric Flair seemed to be extremely happy.

I watched as Flair spoke to the other wrestlers, he was smiling and throwing his hands up in the air as if he had won the Rumble already. I always knew that the outcome of Pro Wrestling was predetermined because my father always called them: “Phony Bolognese.”

Later that night, I watched the Royal Rumble on P.P.V. knowing that Flair was probably going to win the Rumble, I did not want to believe it, but I knew it was going to happen and then it did.
Shawn Michaels Spat on me from a moving car.

On September 29th 1997 Raw is War was at the Pepsi Arena which was formerly known as the Knickerbocker Arena, I was in attendance for the event and were treated to an awesome show. It was the night that Shawn Michaels and Triple H stuffed the Undertaker in a bodybag only to have Taker break out and chase Shawn Michaels up the ramp where Michaels attempted to climb the Titantron to get away from the Undertaker. 

Michaels and Triple H were in the early stages of forming Degeneration X and needed all the heat that they could get from the fans, I don’t know how the incident started but I was there for the end. As I walked out of the Arena I heard a commotion of fans shouting obscenities at someone along side the building. 

“It’s Michaels and Triple H!” I heard someone shout, as I rushed toward all the noise I could hear the revving of an engine and then a white car bolted out from the side of the arena to the front with fans chasing it, throwing bottles and shouting at the two inside. I decided to become a part of the mob, I approached the car as it came to a screeching halt, just in time for Shawn Michaels to lean out the passenger side of the car and spit a mouthful of water all over me before the car speed away from the arena.