Mosh (L) & Thrasher (R) made up the Headbangers tag team
Hobby Musings: Catching up with WWE’s “Mosh” – Professional wrestling has had a long tradition in the sports entertainment world. Thanks to items such as trading cards and action figures, it’s also had a pretty steady presence in the memorabilia world as well. I had the chance to catch up with professional wrestler Chaz Warrington, A.K.A. “Mosh”, to get his thoughts and share his experiences in the sports memorabilia world. The following interview was conducted via email.
KS: How do you think the demand for signatures today compares to when you first started your career?
CW: Fans do love their autographs and I think the demand and requests for them is a lot higher than it was back when I first started. I think there are two main reasons why: technology and social media. Social media has made everyone more accessible because of using it for promoting what you’re doing and where you’ll be so fans show up at the airport and hotels to get pictures and autographs. Technology has made it easier because people can take a picture and then print it at home for the next time they see you or find one on the internet, print it and bring it to be signed.
KS: There are all sorts of wrestling memorabilia for fans to acquire, ranging from photos to action figures. What kind of memorabilia are you asked to sign the most?
CW: It’s mostly pictures. Some people have little autograph books, the action figures are always great to sign and the other thing that has become big is the WWE Encyclopedia. Fans are usually pretty smart and ready with those because they’ll have the pages marked that they want signed so they can flip directly to them, which obviously makes it easier, but by far the biggest request are photos.
KS: While fans often go with more traditional items to be signed, some definitely get a little more creative with their requests. What do you think is the strangest thing anyone has ever asked you to sign?
CW: I’ve been asked to sign boobs (women and men – definitely preferred the women’s) but the strangest was a guy that asked me to sign his butt. When I asked him why I was afraid of some weird kinky thing but it wasn’t. His answer was, “I think you’re the sh*@ and I want your name to be near my sh*@.” Very odd but very thought out at the same time. I asked him if he thought of that while standing in line for 45 minutes and he told me, “No, thought of it while I had diarrhea one day.” Fair enough!
KS: Is there anything you won’t sign?
CW: The only thing I don’t like signing is skin. First of all it washes off so it’s a waste, and it’s mostly kids and the last thing I would want is for my son to be walking around with black permanent marker on his arm of someone’s autograph.
KS: You’ve performed under a few different stage names during your career. When a fan asks you to sign, which signature do you typically use?
CW: Typically I sign Mosh. There are times they’ll request Beaver Cleavage or Chaz, but usually that’s when they have the WWE Encyclopedia or a picture.
KS: You’ve been portrayed on trading cards, action figures and been a playable character in video games. Do you have a favorite item featuring your likeness?
CW: My favorite are the action figures. While being on a video game and being able to play with yourself all day is
pretty cool, it’s not something you can carry around with you and show people. Plus, it allows my 12 year-old-son to constantly have the Undertaker beat me up and I had enough of that in real life. I’m actually the guy that carries his action figure around. Yes, he’s with me everywhere and he has his own T-Shirt and Twitter page! Action figure Mosh only has 83 followers but he’s ok with that. Weird? Maybe, but it’s fun for me and you gotta have fun!!
KS: You’ve achieved a number of accolades during your career, including a reign as a Tag Team champion in WWE. What memorabilia, if any, have you kept from your career?
CW: I have a lot of stuff. I’ve kept newspaper clippings, magazine articles, posters, shirts, drawings. When I lived in New Jersey I had a basement and that was my “Me” room. It was completely finished and the walls were covered with all of my “Stuff’. My prized possession is my belt from when I was Tag Team Champion. It’s proudly displayed in my office along with my action figures.
KS: Have you ever asked a fellow wrestler or celebrity for an autograph or piece of memorabilia?
CW: Not really, I’ve taken pictures with some of the celebrities I’ve met but I’m not the autograph type. I wouldn’t really do anything with it afterwards and a lot of time I don’t want to bother them because I know what it’s like. The pictures are fun and that’s good enough for me!
KS: If a fan wanted to go about receiving an autograph from you, what would be the best way for them to do it?
CW: Bump into me or go to a show. I don’t have a P.O. Box or anything like for people to send stuff to. People have sent things to my work and if there’s a self-addressed stamped envelope with it, I return them, but I don’t have something specific set up.
Being in the ring and in front of the fans is my happy place. I enjoy being out there and doing my thing and having fun while doing it. While there are the occasional fans that like to try and be smart asses (they actually make it more fun for me) the majority of the fans are great and very respectful. Without the fans there is no Headbanger Mosh, I thank all of them for making it possible for me to do my thing!
If you want to learn more about Chaz, you can catch up with him at his following accounts.
Twitter: @ChazMosh
Instagram: @ChazMosh
Booking Info: ChazMosh@gmail.com
- Go GTS Weekly: Keeping the Pulse of #TheHobby – April 19, 2024 - April 19, 2024
- Box Break: 2023 Panini Limited NFL Football Cards - April 19, 2024
- 2022-2023 Marvel Annual Trading Cards Checklist - April 19, 2024