Magazine Archive: The “Greatest Wrestling Collection” (GWC) (Patreon)

By Shandi Pace, from FightfulMag.com issue 5

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Steve Morand first stumbled upon wrestling when he was a young boy. He would occasionally watch the sport on television with his family and re-enact what he saw with his wrestling figures. It wasn’t until his attendance at WrestleMania III in Pontiac, Michigan in 1987 that everything completely changed. He fondly remembers watching Hulk Hoganbodyslam Andre the Giant during the main event that night. “That’s really what got me going. Right after that, I was head over heels for wrestling. I was locked in.”

From there, Morand adjusted his entire outlook on wrestling. Once a casual fan, he turned into a full-on mega fan. He was transfixed by “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, The Undertaker, Ric Flair and The Legion of Doom. Even now, he still loves wrestling from the late 1980s and early ‘90s, as it reminds him of his childhood days.

Morand’s first dip into collecting started by making sure to have doubles of his favorite wrestling figures. This was done so he could play with one and have the other displayed in his room. He loved the look of having the toys displayed in the empty space throughout his tiny bedroom. Morand still has several of those figures today, lining the walls of one of the several rooms in his Greatest Wrestling Collection (GWC)Museum.

When creating the GWC brand, Morand knew he had to fully commit to the lifestyle of collecting wrestling memorabilia in order to really live up to the name. “You can’t be the semi-greatest wrestling collection; the partial-greatest wrestling collection. You have to be the greatest wrestling collection,” Morand said. Today, he collects everything from ring-worn pieces to wrestling toys, tees and belts.

Once Morand started gathering anything and everything he could that was related to wrestling, he knew he wanted to open a museum to display it all. He opened his first museum in 2014 in a smaller building but quickly outgrew it. The opportunity to expand came when he heard his childhood home was going to be demolished. The building had been sitting abandoned for years before Morand fixed it up and turned it into the GWC Museum as it stands today. Inside the 2,400 square foot space is around 100,000 wrestling artifacts, spilling over in each room.

After close to 30 years in the business, Morand has amassed quite the wrestling collection, with items from all across the sport’s history. He’s most proud of the one-of-a-kind pieces he’s gathered over the years. A Ric Flair robe, a Hulk Hogan Royal Rumble promo-worn tank top from 1989 and a ring-worn Randy Savage robe are just a few of his most prized possessions. “These items are just really nostalgic, and they’re one-of-one. They tie into history, so that’s kind of why they mean a lot to me,” Morand said.

Sometimes, it can be challenging to look for these unique, ring-worn items. Morand’s favorite part of collecting is the thrill of hunting for pieces, regardless of the difficulty involved. He searches online regularly and has explored several barns, attics and a bunch of other unusual areas to find exactly what he’s looking for. His children have even gotten involved with the picking process on a few occasions.

Morand’s family is a big part of his life. His wife, Danielle, has been supportive since day one. She is a constant driving force and helps take orders for the GWC merch Morand sells. And his children love wrestling almost as much as he does. “They’re very supportive of it. They love coming over here as much as they can. It’s like Willy Wonka’s factory over here.”

Not only does Morand scour the web on a daily basis to find pieces to add to his collection, but he’s also been able to build connections with a handful of his heroes growing up. Years of attending shows and conventions and getting to meet some of his favorite wrestlers has made this experience even better. A few have sent items from their personal collections so Morand can continue to expand his own.Jimmy Hart recently sent one of his cummerbunds from WrestleMania III to Morand, and for Christmas, Mick Foleygifted him with a ring-worn plaid flannel.

“Being at shows and making connections along the way. They’re sports entertainers themselves. A lot of them appreciate the fans, and it’s all come full circle.”

The hard work Morand has put into his collection has paid off in numerous ways. In early 2021, he appeared on the television series WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures on A&E, where he was visited by Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Mick Foley. Morand was the owner of an original snake bag and a rare Mr. Socko, which he graciously gave back to his guests.

One of the main things Morand stressed was that he’s a preserver of nostalgia. Every item he owns, he values tremendously as they each play their own role in wrestling history. And getting to share it with the public is just the icing on the cake. “I’m really adamant about preserving this, preserving nostalgia and just having it for everyone to enjoy,” Morand said.

Although his collection is currently private, Morand shares as much of it as he can on social media for other fans to see. In the future, Morand plans on upgrading the space for the museum to an even larger commercial building and fully open it to the public. And who wouldn’t want to see an assortment of over 100,000 wrestling pieces that perfectly encapsulate wrestling history? It’s hard to argue with a collection this size.

For now, you can find him on the GWC Facebook page, hosting live streams so people all around the world can catch a glimpse of his collection. “It’s amazing to be able to share it. I connect with so many people worldwide, and it’s really cool.”

Shandi Pace is the project manager for Fightful Magazine. In her free time, she also enjoys writing and creating video essays about history, movies, sports and music for her personal blog.

Twitter:@shandipace