Kevin Nash used the latest episode of his Kliq This podcast to explain why signing lines at WrestleCon felt different this year — he said the weekend’s international fan turnout was noticeably down, and he believes the current U.S. political climate is the reason.
Nash worked WrestleCon signings across multiple days during WrestleMania 42 weekend in Las Vegas. He said the crowds felt different from the very first day.
“My first day, Thursday, I don’t hear a British, Scottish, Irish, Australian — I don’t hear anybody’s f**king accent except Americans,” Nash said.
Nash attributed the drop-off to the current environment around U.S. immigration and travel policies.
“Nobody in the world, including wrestling fans, is going to f**king come to our country and go through our customs and ICE and bullsh*t, and we’re not exactly the darlings on Earth right now,” Nash said.
Nash said the effect was obvious at his WrestleCon table. For most of his four-hour signing windows, he had fans in front of him but no long lines.
“Most times that I’ve signed during the four hours, it wasn’t because I didn’t have people in front of me — I just didn’t have a line of people in front of me,” Nash said. “I could take my time. I could look and say, ‘All right, I got six people. I can spend a minute and a half or two minutes.'”
Nash compared the feel to — but not as bad as — the year immediately after COVID-19 travel restrictions lifted.
“It wasn’t as bad as the year after COVID, but it kind of had a little bit of that feel.”
Nash also noted that WWE World, the company’s expanded fan convention that replaced Fan Axxess, is now competing directly with WrestleCon for the same weekend audience. He said WWE has Steve Austin signing for about $375 per autograph or photo op on Friday and Saturday, with online merchandise packages that can run $750 or more once the event surcharge is added.
Nash said he is open to working for WWE World next year instead of WrestleCon, depending on whether the financial arrangement is comparable.
“Maybe I’ll see if I can cut a deal and work for the WWE and do one four-hour day instead of four four-hour days.”
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