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As we reported last week in the Elite section of PWInsider.com, an issue WWE and their talents have dealt with and have been continuing to deal with of late are fans showing up to meet talents at airports and hotels, looking to get them to sign lots of toys and other items that many suspect are just being re-sold online.
There was an incident a while back with Rey Mysterio where Rey (who has one of the best, most golden reputations possible of anyone dealing with fans) turned down signing items to "help you guys make money" as the fans in question (as you can see in the link above) had dozens of items including Funko Pop Dolls and trading cards that they was trying to get Mysterio to sign at all the same time at 5 AM. When that footage came out online, it upset a lot of talents because it was released in an attempt to paint Rey (who was correct) in a bad light. A second video where the same fans attempted to apologize to Rey saw Rey realizing they were filming him without his permission, which as you could imagine, was not received well, either.
The Rey situation sparked a larger conversation within the company about other incidents at airports and hotels, specifically about female stars getting stopped and at times, even being followed by fans after they got into their cars.
We are told the company is aware of this and are monitoring the situation, but obviously, are unhappy about this.
While we are told no official edict was given to talents by the company, some have started to tell fans waiting that they have been advised to no longer sign toys or trading cards.
As one talent 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, we were told by several talents that they turned down signing of items but did stop for selfies if fans politely asked, but the fact so many are showing up consistently in different cities waiting for them to exit their flights and hotels is becoming, to say the least, a nuisance. We are told by a few talents that if it's one fan looking for a selfie or a signed 8x10, they normally don't mind, but over the last year since the company has returned to touring post-pandemic, WWE talents are more likely to be besieged by large groups of fans waiting at baggage claim areas or hotel lobbies, all trying to get multiple items signed - and that the Rey situation just proves a line has to be drawn in the sand before there's a more potentially dangerous incident.
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