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As we noted a few days ago, there have been a number of allegations around convention promoter Dillon Hines, the son of Bobby Fulton. The Scioto Valley Guardian in Ohio has covered a series of allegations against Dillon Hines ahead of what was a scheduled March convention in Ohio, noting allegations of Hines abusing his father including a comment that Fulton "quit being something when [he] had cancer" during a podcast interview, allegations from Rob Van Dam and Sabu regarding money owed, allegations that he threatened D-Von Dudley to have him ejected from an event and more. As I wrote a few days ago, the fact anyone could have an issue with D-Von, one of the classiest people in the business, is mind-blowing.
Hines wiped a lot of his social media clean once the article was published and had stated he was done with wrestling after his convention. Michael Bochicchio of Highspots.com and Wrestlecon distanced himself from Hines in the article as well, noting, “Highspots will no longer be affiliated with this promotion. Every reason has been publicly documented already.” We are told a number of other top flight wrestling conventions have opted to not let Hines return to their events.
Canada's Slam! Wrestling also featured a piece on Hines, noting there have been allegations of bootlegged autographs. PWInsider.com cannot confirm whether that is the case, but the rule of thumb (and common sense) should be that unless you see it signed before your eyes, or it's a completely well known organization like Highspots, TMart Promotions, Mass Appea Promotions or Ringside Collectibles, etc. you are always taking a risk.
There was also a recent issue where Hines' convention was advertising a NWA World Tag Team Championship match for 3/8, claiming the belts had been "reinstated by David Crockett" - which had nothing to do with the official NWA, which is now owned by Billy Corgan. In response, Ricky Morton, Violent J and Kerry Morton were pulled from the event, which led to the Facebook account for the event claiming Corgan had screwed "me over" and referring to the NWA as a "glorified indy" even though the convention was using the NWA initials without permission in an attempt to draw money.
None of it was a good look for Hines, who of course was denying everything and earlier in the week, attacked Van Dam on social media as a "lying alcoholic and drug addict." You can take the deep, insane dive into the allegations and read the article by clicking here.
Several readers have since sent word that Van Dam went into great depth responding to Hines on his podcast this week, which you can watch below:
Several readers also sent word that Zombie Hideout, a wrestling and toy store in the Northeast, posted an audio of a 12/2/24 conversation with Hines after they pulled a scheduled Kurt Ange signing he had booked in the store due to all the surrounding issues. In the audio, linked below, Hines admitted that he was telling fans who pre-paid for a Kurt Angle appearance to go to the store for refunds when they had nothing to do with selling tickets to the event (as it was just their space being used) and when confronted, Hines began asking the owner of the store if he was the "R" word and cursed him out while implying he was going to come to the store for a confrontation. Again, none of this was a good look for Hines.
There is no word yet whether fans have received refunds for the Angle signing, but as of 1/17. The Zombie Hideout Facebook page noted, "On our phone call he promised he’d come by on January 14 to see me, but guess I missed him—big surprise there. And, of course, he’s still dodging people he owes money to from the Kurt Angle signing. Classic Hines move: talk a big game, but always find a way to disappear when it’s time to pay up." You can listen to the complete audio by clicking the graphic below:
The 3/8 date for Hines' convention has now apparently been canceled as well. Former WWE, WCW and ECW star Vito LoGrasso announced on his Facebook page:
"Good morning, I hope everyone is having a good day. I was looking forward to the show on March 8th in Ohio. I received a text from Dillon Hines that the show was canceled with apologies. It happens in Wrestling. To all the fans who have been contacting me I am sorry. This was gonna be a great event to see you. Thank you Big Time Wrestling for letting me know in advance. Have a great day and hope to see everyone soon in Ohio."
The event page announced:
"We regret to inform you that the World Classic Professional Big Time Wrestling show scheduled for March 8, 2025, has been canceled. We understand that this news is disappointing, and we want to assure you that this decision was not made lightly. We will begin processing refunds promptly. Thank you for your understanding and support. If you purchased tickets please send us a message. We’ve already handled several refunds so far! If you have any questions contact promoter Jimmy Hines, [phone number deleted]"
Jimmy Hines would be the real name of Hines' father, Bobby Fulton. Advance tickets were being sold at Hines' previous convention in December.
In response, a fan named Chad Allen asked, "So, can we also get refunds for the matt riddle meet and greet from the last show?" implying that refunds for Riddle's appearance have not been processed. PWInsider.com can not confirm whether that is the case.
Riddle pulled out of a December 2024 convention Dillon Hines was running when his representation asked for a $2,000 advance before he would fly to the event. Communications broke down and Riddle did not appear, with Hines later claiming there would be legal action, even though there was no signed contract between the two. Hines stated that Riddle had done a promo for the show and "a promo was as good as a contract."
So, to review, those are accusations of a Kurt Angle signing and a Matt Riddle signing not having been refunded by Dillon Hines, accusations by multiple talents they were screwed on money, accusations from D-Von Dudley that he was threatened, audio of Hines' using explicit language and slurs, audio of Hines' disrespecting his own father and accusations of bootlegged autographed materials- plus an attempt to use the NWA name without permission.
An attempt to contact Hines this morning by PWInsider was unsuccessful as he has deactivated his Facebook page.
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