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CM PUNK INCIDENT UNDERSCORES HOW VULNERABLE WWE TALENTS WERE AT THEIR OWN HOTEL WRESTLEMANIA WEEK

TMZ.com posted footage of CM Punk approaching a fan at the WWE hotel last night after Wrestlemania 42 and slapping a phone out of their hand.  In the TMZ.com story, it's noted that the fan was filming footage of WWE's Bayley hugging someone.  While not identified, the someone is obviously CM Punk's wife, AJ Lee.   In the footage, there are two security guards from the hotel, after the fact, stepping in.  After the fact.  Not before.

But what didn't happen for much of the weekend, by all accounts, was that same security team stepping in to prevent issues from happening.

This past Thursday 4/16, PWInsiderElite.com noted, "There's already been some concerns among talent about the company hotel this year.  Last night, there was no additional security beyond the hotel itself and since the hotel is part of a major casino, there was no real ability to restrict the flow of fans.  We are told there were tons of fans in the lobby and camped out by the elevators who mobbed everyone they saw, even referees, trying to get photos and autographs.  The hope among the talents we heard from is that there will be some additional measures taken tonight to assist them when they are coming in and out."

A long-time PWInsider.com reader who happened to be staying at the same hotel (who asked not to be identified) told PWInsider.com that not only were Punk and others being surrounded by fans trying to get photos while Bayley and AJ Lee were speaking, but just minutes before this happened, WWE's Damian Priest had to step in to help a female WWE talent get away from a similar group of fans trying to surround her for photos and autographs - and noted there were lots of other instances of similar occurences.  

The lack of security at the hotel (which PWInsider.com is not naming as there are still WWE talents there) was a topic of conversation over all Wrestlemania weekend.  It was easy to find footage on social media of WWE stars, including Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre, being surrounded and mobbed at the hotel as they were trying to make their way through the scene.   In some cases, they kept walking, trying to maneuver through.  In some, they stopped to take photos, as they attempted to navigate the situation.

What's not seen in any of those videos?  Security stopping fans from following these talents. 

PWInsider.com knows of at least one instance where a referee was nearly knocked down by a throng of fans in the hotel.

It's important to note that unless WWE talents were going to sequester themselves and hide in their hotel room all weekend, an impossibility given the amount of appearances they were required to make for Wrestlemania festivities, WWE stars had no way to avoid being seen while entering or leaving the hotel.  Since this hotel was part of a major casino, WWE could not "lock it down" and restrict the flow of traffic the way they had previously done in the past.  Anyone could walk the floors.  Anyone could make their way to the elevator banks.  Anyone could pull out their cell phone and film, take photos, etc.  Yes, they were in a public place but at what insane level were fans taking advantage of this access? 

These aren't stories of someone randomly running into a celebrity they love in an airport or restaurant.  It's endless examples of fans imposing on WWE talents during their down-time on the busiest and most important week of the year.  It was added stress on talents preventing them from maximizing their personal time for themselves or their families that were in Vegas with them.  It's easy to condemn Punk for stepping to the fan, and in most cases I would agree with you, but this was a case where he and a lot of other WWE talents were thrust into the wild wild west with no to support them - hotel security had obviously, at best, been overwhelmed or at worst, failed at their job.  There were no Atlas Security-like security forces brought in to assist or even consult on the situation.   No sign of local police being asked to assist with the infrastructure here.

Let's face it, there's a contingent of pro wrestling fans out there who have absolutely no problem crossing boundaries in order to get whatever interactions, autographs, photos, etc. they plan on getting.  In recent weeks, Stephanie Vaquer had to respond to a NYC area fan that magically knew when she was landing at JFK Airport and then followed her complaining when she didn't want to stop to sign or take photos when she instead just attempting to get in an Uber.  Then, then fan decided to post footage of it online to complain again.  There are scores of other instances like this.  It wasn't all that long ago that Rhea Ripley was surrounded by fans trying to take selfies and get near her when she was just trying to get in a car and leave during down-time on a tour.

Wrestlemania was the busiest, most stressful week of WWE talents' year and they were required to stay in a place that didn't put them in an environment where they could be adequately protected, so what did anyone think was going to happen?  I wrote days ago about the concern.  WWE had to have known, but here was an instance where the same Wrestlemania main eventer who just performed the best match of the week for the company felt he had to get physical with a fan in order to protect the privacy of his wife and Bayley. 

We don't know what happened before the TMZ footage was shot - or after - that could change the complexion of the video.  Was the fan asked to stop and ignored the request?  Were there other instances with that same fan before?  Was this fan part of the same group that Damian Priest had to intervene with earlier?  I don't know and neither do you.  It's easy to judge someone until you are in their shoes - and none of us truly know what it's like to walk through an untold throng of people who all "know" us and want something from us, with our head on a swivel, not sure who or what is coming for you or why, as you are just trying to get the hell through the mess.

This is what we do know.  The fans had all the power in the hotel that weekend.  They could wander anywhere they wanted.  A PWInsiderElite.com subscriber told me a story of being able to wander into an area that should have been restricted, sticking his head in a ballroom where WWE talents were going through matches, catching glimpse of the WWE Intercontinental Ladder Match.  Not that this subscriber should have been doing this, but if they were able to make their way to and from that area because they were at that hotel, how many others were able to get "that close" to WWE talents and how lucky are we all that none, apparently, had darker intentions beyond filming or autographs?  The elevators WWE talents were using were the same ones open to the public.  What if a fan with bad intentions wanted to follow them to their floor?  

With the fans holding the power to do whatever they wanted and a lack of true, genuine security nowhere to be found by all accounts, who was left powerless?

The WWE talents.

Two wrongs don't make a right.  In most cases, the idea of someone snatching a phone out of someone else's hands is a horrible idea.  But, what if someone was watching and filming your spouse and didn't stop?  What would you do in most cases?  You'd try to protect the person you care about.  No one would blame you for that, and in this extreme case of what was going on at the WWE hotel this past weekend, there's lots of people to blame and lots of mistakes that should be evaluated - but none of those mistakes were ones made by WWE talents who were just trying to get from point A to point B to either go do their job or return to their rooms.

It's easy to blame talents when there's an issue, but why did these fans feel the need to be at the WWE hotel to film wrestlers after Wrestlemania ended?  What value was there in footage of AJ Lee and Bayley or whatever talking or hugging in their private time?  No one deserves to be followed or bothered or even forced to "be on" 24/7 just because they dress up in costumes to perform in a wrestling ring.

I keep writing and warning everyone that someone is going to die because of instances like this where fans cross the line.  I worry at times I am going to write so much about it that the effectiveness of the warnings will dilute into a "boy who cried wolf" situation, but there's tons of video footage out there to prove my worry is correct as well as incidents like former WWE NXT star Cora Jade/Elayna Black, where she was allegedly groped by a fan at Wrestlecon in Las Vegas.  It's just a matter of time before something truly awful happens, and that could easily happen because a wrestler feels the need to defend themselves as much as it could be because a fan pulls something evil crossing the line.

The biggest week of the year should be about celebrating the talents who step in the ring and beat their bodies down in other to entertain and uplift pro wrestling fans.  It shouldn't be about those fans imposing themselves on the talents to the point there is fear, worry, stress and in this case, someone lashing out at them.  But, here we are.  Had there been more proactive decisions made ahead of time - or even a course correction when worries began, there wouldn't be TMZ footage of a Wrestlemania main eventer physically defending female WWE stars, but here we are.

Someone is going to die one day because of failures like this.

Don't say I didn't warn you. 

Mike Johnson can be reached at MikeJohnsonPWInsider@gmail.com.

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