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In February of 2007, I contacted former WWF/WWE wrestler The Ultimate Warrior via eBay and asked him if he had any of his authentic ring worn items for sale that he wore during his days in professional wrestling. By the next day, I received a pleasant reply. We exchanged a few emails back and forth for a couple of weeks. I then received a phone call from Warrior, much to my surprise. During this time, I expressed to him I was the President/CEO of a sports memorabilia and marketing company out of New Jersey.
We had some fantastic email exchanges and phone conversations and it was then I realized we had the same goals and ideas in mind and there was an opportunity to do something great together. I offered Warrior an opportunity to come out to New Jersey for the Triumph Sports Football Spectacular Show in May 2007. Within a weeks time of discussions, we had a contractual agreement for the event which included time of the appearance, amount of items to be signed, royalties, flight and hotel.
I didn't want this to just be any "autograph signing" so I decided to take it to the next level. Warrior was behind me every step of the way with each creative idea I had. Instead of offering the fans reprints of grainy off-color pictures, we had one-of-a-kind high quality photos, some from Warriors personal collection, printed by a professional photo lab. Would the fans have purchased the less than quality photos anyway, probably. Would the fans have been completely satisfied with the quality of the less than perfect photo they paid for as it hung on their wall framed and autographed, probably not. Were the fans happy with the photos we provided at this event, no..... they were ecstatic! We then decided to reproduce the orange trunks Warrior wore in the greatest Wrestlemania match to ever happen, Wrestlemania VI vs. Hulk Hogan. We pulled it off with the trunks and logo exact color matches to the real thing. Add in the yellow replica Intercontinental belts as well, the fans loved it all. We also arranged a professional photographer to be on staff for fans to have a personal photo opportunity with Warrior who even brought his Championship belt for the occasion! To ensure complete authenticity, we created the official "Project Warrior" authentic tamper-proof hologram which included each one having its own personal serial number.
In a day where professional athletes feel as if they are doing you a favor by acknowledging you after signing your item, or simply scribbling their initials and number on your helmet while listening to their iPOD, Warrior stood up for 3 hours straight and shook hands with every single fan he met while he conversed and personally thanked each and every person for coming out to see him from places like Australia, Chicago, Florida, Tennessee, San Francisco, South Carolina and Virginia Beach just to name a few. Each autograph was signed for the fan beautifully on their item in the color they wanted, where they wanted. The hundreds of fans in attendance got way more from Warrior than they ever imagined on this day. Dressed in a suit, Warrior arrived to the event early and left late. Warrior delivered, big time.
After the event, there was a specific amount of items that still needed to be signed to meet the contract agreement. Warrior signed each item in order to fulfill the original deal. Most athletes would normally give you a half-autograph at that point just to get them finished or as in some cases leave the event without fulfilling the full agreement stated in the contract. Warrior signed each item with integrity and class even so far as adding "Feel The Power" & "Always Believe" to each and every 16x20 photo, all with a genuinely positive attitude. I then explained we had a few hundred extra photos that we over ordered which he could either sign at our next appearance or we could work out a deal on the spot to have them signed and use for website inventory. We quickly came to a fair agreement for both of us.
Warrior fulfilled each and every obligation stated within our contract and then some. During the past seven years of my company's existence, I can say that Warrior is by leaps and bounds the most professional talent I have ever worked with which includes both Hall of Famers and todays current superstars. When pursuing a player, athlete or entertainer to work with, whether it be exclusively or non-exclusively, integrity and honesty are two of the most critical characteristics in forming a successful business foundation together. Unfortunately, these positives have always been an extremely challenging find and becoming even more challenging to find in the athlete of todays society. I am honored to have now formed that foundation with Warrior and proud to have my company name associated with a man of such high level business integrity and character.
Bernie J. Gernay is the President/CEO of Pro Sports Investments & PSI Marketing Group, a full sports memorabilia and marketing company out of Ocean, NJ. PSI currently represents and works with Hall of Fame players and todays current superstars of all four major sports including most recently the UFC.
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