WEST ALLIS — Sports memorabilia is enjoying a new wave of excitement. Sports card collecting has exploded during the pandemic. We catch up with a West Allis man who takes collecting pro wrestling items to a new level.
"And these are all guys that I've had relationships through the years," Steve Schmitt says.
He even has a memorabilia toilet seat.
"Well, who's ever on my you know what list? I put a picture of it behind there," Steve Schmitt says.
He has picture after picture and gem after gem.
"Igor and Ygor, the Vodik brothers," Schmitt says.
Plus tons of weird things you might not have thought of.
"Tons of oddball stuff," Schmitt says. "You know, Mad Dog's Hall of Fame ring from WWE."
Steve Schmitt of West Allis, has personal connections to pro wrestling history. His friendships started when wrestlers stayed at Schmitt's house.
"(The Four Horsemen) signed the picture in the hotel room. There was actually a hurricane going on at the time, in Fayetteville," Schmitt says.
It got all sorts of unique items that way.
"Mad Dog, the Crusher. Baron Von Raschke. And you know just, legends of the ring," Schmitt says.
So is the collection priceless? Or would Schmitt part with it?
"You never know. You can't take it with you," Schmitt says. "But it's a lot of memories. A lot of fond memories. And just so if someone did buy an item? That it's properly cared for and respected."
The memories as priceless, as the collection.
