There is an increasing issue that WWE stars deal with while traveling from show to show as there are some fans who will show up at airports and hotels to get them to sign various things whether that be toys, shirts, and other merchandise.
It’s not a situation where a person has one or two things, but several items, leading to talent suspecting these people are just looking to make money by reselling them online.
As seen below, Rey Mysterio recently dealt with this and handled the situation as best as he could by turning down the fans by telling them that he wouldn’t help them make money off his autobiography. The fan had several items including Funko Pop Dolls and trading cards.
WWE stars came to the defense of Mysterio when some tried to make Mysterio seem like a bad person for not signing the stuff.
Wrestlers are not obligated to sign anything for you. Buy a ticket to an autograph signing. pic.twitter.com/udlyEpqfFM
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) February 11, 2023
if i was liv i would’ve left those men without an autograph to resell, but she’s legitimately so nice that she signed all of them 😭 pic.twitter.com/hPwFzGa0m2
— melissa (fan account) (@LIV4MEL) February 12, 2023
Pwinsider reports that the situation led to a bigger conversation within WWE about other situations like this, specifically about female stars being approached by fans and sometimes followed by people once they start driving.
Per the report, WWE is “aware of this and are monitoring the situation, but obviously, are unhappy about this.” There hasn’t been an official edict issued by the company to talent, but some people have started to tell fans that they’ve been advised to no longer sign merchandise.
One wrestler said, “You can tell who’s a family with kids who happen to cross paths with us and who’s stalking the place with 100 items to sign and flip to the next person for a profit.”
This past weekend, several wrestlers turned down signing items but did take selfies if asked politely by fans. A few wrestlers told them that if it’s for one fan with one item or looking for a photo they don’t mind, but since it’s larger groups of fans waiting on them at airports and hotels, that’s an issue that could lead to a more potentially dangerous situation.
