Eugene Cresto at Days of the Dead 2018

Days of the Dead returns to Chicago November 22-24. While I look forward to a weekend of fun, I am looking back at some fun from previous Days events.
One of the most fun parts of DotD is reconnecting with friends. Eugene Cresto is one of my "convention buds," a friend I met at Days and I always look forward to seeing him there.
I have written about Eugene several times. We share an interest in meeting celebrities. He has probably met more wrestlers than I have, especially current wrestlers. He is usually accompanied by his daughters and his crew. His relationship with his family always warms my heart, although his growing girls are starting to make me feel old.
I am sure I will see Eugene and many more of my friends, especially because of the Rosemont location. It's cool seeing the stars, but I look forward to hanging with my friends just as much.
Go to DaysoftheDead.com for all of the info. Also, check the Days of the Dead Facebook page for more frequent updates.

Eugene Cresto and me in Schaumburg, IL-November 2018.

Friendly Encounters: Rosie Red and Eugene Cresto

Friendly Encounters is a weekly series featuring my friends who have met celebrities.

Rosie Red debuted as the newest mascot of the Cincinnati Reds in August of 2008.  The Reds created an interesting Rosie Red biography on their site.

Mr. Red was the first mascot of the team, but he was retired in 2007.  Gapper and Mr. Redlegs took over at that point and were later joined by Rosie.  Rosie was named in honor of the Rosie Reds, a group that supports the team.

Rosie is one of the few female mascots in pro sports, but like the others, she is a counterpart to male mascots.  I don't think there is a main mascot of the female gender.

My bud Eugene usually meets celebrities on a regular basis, often beating me to the punch.  Last summer, he went to Cincinnati and took a picture with Rosie.  Now he's doing mascots?!!

I need to keep a closer eye on Eugene.  I have to learn his secrets.  How does he get around so much and meet so many cool people (or people dressed in odd team-related costumes)?

We always joke that when we see each other, we know it  is a big event.  That happens several times a year at various comic cons.  We'll usually end up meeting most of the same celebs, with a few different ones.  I always look forward to seeing Eugene or the new celebs he's met (even though I am sometimes envious!).

Rosie Red and Eugene Cresto in Cincinnati, OH-August 2017.

Friendly Encounters: Gapper and Eugene Cresto

Friendly Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

Darn that Eugene Cresto (again!).  I am continually trying to keep up with the celebrities he has met.  This last summer, he added Gapper, one of the Reds' mascots, to that always-growing list.
Gapper has been on the scene since he was named via a contest at Redsfest in 2002.  He is one of four mascots for the Reds.  The others are Mr. Red (their first mascot), Rosie Red and Mr. Redlegs.  Four mascots seem like a lot for one team, but I'm a mascot fan and okay with it.  Obviously Eugene is okay with it, too.
As I have written previously, I don't know how he does it, but Eugene seems to be everywhere.  Of course, he also has said that about me.
He's a good guy, often accompanied by his crew or his little girls.  They are a fun bunch and we have crossed paths many times at different events.
I don't recall seeing him with any mascots before this.  Is he now expanding his focus to include these furry creatures?
I'm going to keep an eye on him and see who he meets next.  I'm sure it will be someone cool.  If we ever truly teamed up, we could probably take over the world.

Gapper and Eugene Cresto in Cincinnati, OH-August 2017.

Eugene Cresto at Flashback Weekend 2017

Who is Eugene Cresto?  Regular readers have seen him several times in Friendly Encounters with many celebrities.  The guy is everywhere meeting everyone.  I meet a ton of celebs, but Eugene has beaten me to some several times.

At the recent Flashback Weekend, Eugene pulled a big blade on me.  Perhaps I beat him to one too many celebrities?  Perhaps he wanted to take over this site (Eugene's Beat?)?

He's a good dude, often taking his two daughters with him to meet the celebrities.  (Hmm maybe he just found very cheap labor to take all of the pictures?)  If you follow him on social media, you'd see he loves his kids and they have a lot of fun together.

I always look forward to seeing Eugene at these events, even when he threatens to slit my throat.  It's always fun to see which celebs he is meeting.  Most of the time, we run parallel courses.  (Great minds thinking alike?).

Eugene might not be an "official" celebrity, but neither am I.  Still, we both get a fair amount of recognition at these events.  Maybe Eugene and I should set up our own both.  Who wouldn't want a dual-photo op with Eugene and Johngy?

Eugene Cresto and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2017.

Friendly Encounters: Lea Thompson and Eugene Cresto

Friendly Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

Darn it.  Eugene Cresto did it again.  He one-upped me and got Lea Thompson at the Motor City Comic Con 2016.
Eugene is one of the few people who consistently beats me at meeting celebrituies.  His Facebook page is fille with celebrities of all sorts going back several years.  His main targets are wrestlers, but he doesn't limit himself to the squared circle.
Such was the case at the recent MCCC.  He met actress Lea Thompson, who rose to fame in Back to the Future.  Theoretically, I could have met Thompson, too.  Unfortunately, every time I went by her booth, she wasn't there.  My timing was way off.  Maybe I needed more persistence, because Eugene managed to meet her, as well as everyone else I met.
I swear, he must have clones of himself to accomplish all of this.  I'm going to keep a close eye on Eugene.  I'll either learn his secrets or I will figure out his strategy.  One way or another, I should improve my celebrity-meeting skills.

Eugene Cresto, his daughter and Lea Thpmson in Novi, MI-May 2016.

Friendly Encounters: Michael J. Fox and Eugene Cresto

Friendly Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

Here's my comic con buddy Eugene Cresto again.  This time he is with Michael J. Fox, one of my favorites and truly a special person.  Euegene is special, too, but don't tell him I said that.  It'll go right to his head.
Eugene and I have a parallel comic con life, although he tends to beat me on bigger names, like Fix.  In fact, it was this pic with Fox that inspired me to make sure I met him at Chicago Wizard World.  I was not being competuitive or petty (for once).
I saw this picture of Eugene and Fox and I realized that I had to meet Fox.  You can spend your time and money at comic cons meeting other celebrities or you can focus all on meeting your favorites.  It is time for me to choose quality over quantity.  In other words, I won't let an opportunity like meeting Fox pass.  He's just too much of a favorite.
Usually, I jokingly chide Eugene for beating me to a celebrity.  Today I am thanking him for really being the reason I met Fox this year.
As for Fox, his condition is not a secret.  The man suffers from Parkinson's Disease.  He raises awareness for the disease with his appearances.  I am sure sittting there for hours of photo ops isn't easy, but Fox remained friendly and personable throughout the weekend.  Of course, he made good money doing such, but that does not make it any easier.
Kudos to Eugene for meeting Fox.  Kudos to Fox for making these appearances.  Kudos for Wizard World making this all happen.

Eugene Cresto and Michael J. Fox in Philadelphia, PA-June 2016.

Friendly Encounters: John Cena and Eugene Cresto

Friendly Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

I've had Eugene Cresto here many times.  Usually I am lamenting the fact that he met some cool celebrity and I did not.  Today, that is only half the case.

Eugene did meet wrestling star John Cena (yes, he qualifies as a cool celebrity in my opinion), but so did I.  I don't care that Eugene met him first and probably has met him a few times.  I only care that at Wizard World in Chicago a few months ago, I met Cena, too.  Eugene doesn't have that one on me.  Even when he first published the pic with Cena, I knew my time was coming and I did not get (too) annoyed that he met him.  

He does have a bunch of other great celebs who I never met.  He is very strong on the wrestling scene, but he also has met other mainstream celebs.  I think I matched him pretty good at this year's Wizard World.  That's a big accomplishment, because Eugene is a legend in this field.

Eugene is a great guy.  I love the pics he posts with his caricature and celebs.  I also always love seeing his kids in the pics.  He and they seem to have so much fun.  At least in the case of Cena, I had that fun, too.

Eugene Cresto and John Cena in Philadelphia, PA-June 2016.

Friendly Encounters: Dennis Haskins and Eugene Cresto

This is a weekly series about friends who have met celebrities.

The Max, the diner frequented by the gang on tv's Saved By The Bell, has become a real thing.  Earlier this year, the Max opened on the near north side of Chicago.
My bud Eugene Cresto beat me to it again.  Not only did he visit the Max, he met Dennis Haskins (aka Mr. Belding)) there.  How cool is that?
Okay, I am a bit old to have actually been a huge fan of the show, but I appreciated it for what it was.  It was big back in the day and the Max is an iconic place, similar to Arnold's (Happy Days).
I think I either need to spy on Eugene or to hire him for the Johngy's Beat crew.  He is everywhere, meeting everyone.

Dennis Haskins and Eugene Cresto in Chicago, IL-June 2016.

Friendly Encounters: CM Punk and Eugene Cresto

Friendly Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

I have featured Eugene Cresto many times.  He meets more people than I do.  His main focus is wrestling and he has met some of the all time greats.
CM Punk had a short, but great wrestling career.  He is attempting to have a UFC career now, although some still predict a return to wrestling.  He is a bit controversial, but nobody can deny he was one of the best during his run in the WWE.
Speaking of greats, how great is the picture below.  Eugene and his crew got that pose thing down.  This is awesome (apologies for using the Miz's catchphrase).  Perhaps I should have written that this is the best in the world.  That might have been more fitting.
Either way, Eugene will continue to meet wrestlers and I will continue to be impressed by his ability to find them.  I will also continue to feature his best pictures right here.

Filip Trbovic, Steve Pustek, CM Punk, Eugene Cresto and Che Alfaro in Chicago, IL-March 2016.

Friendly Encounters: Ric Flair and Eugene Cresto

This is a weekly series about friends who have met celebrities.

There he is again.  Eugene Cresto is seen with wrestling legend Ric Flair.  Does Cresto meet everyone?
I have written many times about the celebrities who Cresto meets.  He could start Eugene's Beat (but I shouldn't give him that idea)  Seriously, he has met pretty much every wrestler alive and many other celebs, too.
Meeting "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair has to be one of his crowning accomplishments.  Flair is wrestling royalty.  Flair is unquestionably on the Mt. Rushmore of wrestling.  It doesn't get any better than meeting Flair.
I can't be too jealous though, because I did get to meet Flair once, too.  I remember feeling his presence.  He is one of a handful of celebrities who just have that aura around them.  I am sure Cresto felt it, too, no matter how many other celebs he has met.
As convention season starts to kick in gear this year, I know I will run into Cresto at some events.  My goal is just to keep up with him.

Eugene Cresto and Ric Flair in Rosemont, IL-December 2014.

Friendly Encounters: Eugene Cresto and Burt Young

This is a weekly series featuring my friends meeting celebrities.

This one just kills me.  Eugene Cresto and I have similar goals and mindsets about meeting celebrities.  We have crossed paths many times at various events.  It's always good to see Eugene.
About the only time I was not happy to see him was when I kept seeing pictures of him on Facebook at this year's Motor City Comic Con.  I was supposed to be there, but work obligations kept from attending.
One after the other, new cool pictures of Eugene and various celebrities kept appearing in my newsfeed.  I was happy for him being there and slightly envious, of course.
Then I saw the picture that really hurt.  Eugene and Burt Young.  Burt Young is one of a few actors to appear in all of the Rocky movies.  His "Paulie" character is legendary.  Of all of the stars at the MCCC, Young was the one who I really wanted to meet and there was Eugene posing with him.
Ouch that hurt.
Don't get me wrong.  I am glad he got to meet everyone there.  As I wrote, he is a good guy.  If it was a faraway con, I wouldn't have cared.  It wasn't though.  This was MCCC, a con about 4 hours from my home.  I have gone 6 straight years.
So why am I even putting this on my site?  Why am I preserving it to be seen any time on my site?  I guess since I could not meet Young, I have to just live vicariously through Eugene.
Thanks bud!

Eugene Cresto and Burt Young in Novi, MI-May 2014.

Friendly Encounters: Eugene Cresto Meets Daniel Bryan

This is a weekly series about friends who have met celebrities.

I was thinking I was really starting to get annoyed with Eugene Cresto.  The guy meets more wrestlers than me.  Lots more.  He seems to have met most every active wrestler from WWE and TNA, as well as many wrestling legends.  I admit I meet a lot of wrestlers, but this guy crushes me in quantity and notoriety.
How does he do it?
Every time either the WWE or TNA has a show or appearance nearby, I see a bunch of pictures of him with the various wrestlers posted on Facebook.  It is torture.  I am jealous.
Then I started thinking, with all of these pictures (and probable stories to accompany them), he could certainly put up an interesting website.  (Cresto's Beat?)  Shhh don't give him any ideas.  With his volume and star quality of wrestlers met, he could put me out of business.
So forget that whole first part of this piece.  I like Eugene quite a bit!  I hope he keeps meeting wrestlers in the future.  (Just stay away from putting up a website about all of them.)
Seriously, Cresto is a great guy.  I see him at a lot of appearances and shows.  I admire his ability to meet so many wrestlers.  He does have a certain knack for it.

Daniel Bryan and Eugene Cresto in Chicago, IL-December 2013.