Skye Blue courtesy of AEW
Originally published on May 13, 2024.
The following content reflects my personal opinion and should be interpreted as such. Any views expressed here are solely mine and do not represent any official stance. This opinion piece is intended for entertainment and discussion purposes only, and should not be construed as factual information or professional advice. Reader discretion is advised.
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Wrestlers do not belong to the fans. One might assume this to be a straightforward concept, easy to grasp, and simple to adhere to. But surprisingly (or not) some fans truly take the idea that wrestlers are here for their entertainment, personally. They believe they have the liberty to address wrestlers in any manner they choose, invade their personal space, disregard their boundaries, issue demands, and even engage in inappropriate physical contact. Yeah, y’all, they got the game all fucked up and I am going to share my two (or three) cents on it.
So, as many of us may have heard, during a recent taping of Ring Of Honor (ROH), AEW’s Skye Blue faced vulgar comments and harassment from a member of the audience. According to online sources, during her match with Rachael Ellering, a male fan with a young child allegedly began making unsolicited sexually charged comments towards Blue. The fan was eventually ejected from the arena after security had words with him at the request of AEW referee Aubrey Edwards. AEW policy, which is aired before all televised and untelevised events, requests that fans do not participate in discriminatory or harassing behavior towards the wrestlers or other fans in attendance.
A few days after the incident, Skye Blue came online to X/Twitter and thanked everyone who had shown her love and support during this crazy and traumatizing time. Let this not go in vain, Skye Blue still needs every encouraging message at this time, so make sure you send her some love after reading this post.
But that isn’t the only thing that has happened this week during AEW’s LIVE tapings. A few days later, on Saturday during a live taping of Collision, a fan jumped into the ring after a match featuring Daniel Garcia and Keven Matthews. According to Vancouver Is Awesome, several videos shared by fans surfaced online showing the male fan sliding under the ropes into the ring only to be tackled, pinned down, and ultimately escorted out of the arena. Which must have been a terrifying moment for everyone involved with AEW.
Now before people think this is a “BASH AEW” opinion piece — it’s not. This is a “wrestlers should feel safe around your nutball asses” opinion, and I don’t know how many times they have to express this for people to understand that boundaries exist and should be respected. I don’t blame AEW for what happened; when a problem arose, actions were taken, and a solution was reached. But the real question isn’t what AEW could have done to prevent this. Oh no. The question is, why do fans feel entitled to behave this way in the first place?
Why do wrestling fans feel that they can look up wrestlers’ private home addresses and send fan mails to them such as one did to WWE’s “Big” Bronson Reed? It’s beyond me what would lead someone to believe that it’s perfectly fine or rational to take the time to find a celebrity, athlete, or public figure’s address, where their family lives, and then send mail to that location. It’s truly one of the most invasive things a fan can do to any public figure.
Or fans who believe they are entitled to be followed by their favorite wrestlers, like Mia Yim? When wrestlers politely decline these requests, it shouldn’t become a problem. However, some fans seem to think otherwise. They feel the need to remind wrestlers that they pay their bills and contribute to their income, suggesting that wrestlers should feel honored to have fans wanting them to follow them on social media. Ultimately suggesting that that alone determines their worth and value as a performer. While not all fans feel this way, unfortunately, more than enough do.
It’s a recurring issue that has been happening for quite some time. Fans somehow end up in the same hotels as their favorite wrestlers or dine at the same restaurants. And of course, my favorite is when the fans camp out at airports with all their merch in tow, waiting for wrestlers, tired as hell, to hop off the plane and sign their shit. Let me take this moment to address those fans who engage in such peculiar behavior.
Now inquiring minds would like to know:
How do you know what gate they’re landing at?
How do you know what airline they are flying on?
How do you know when to expect their flights to land in the first place?
These are the questions that race through my mind every time I witness fans bombarding athletes to sign their memorabilia at airports. This has to stop. It’s incredibly uncomfortable for the wrestlers, and I can only hope that at some point, it becomes embarrassing for those fans too. Wrestlers do not belong to the fans, they don’t even belong to the companies they work for. They are individual people who deserve to work in peace without some overly eager, basement-dwelling nitwit shouting inappropriate remarks in front of hundreds of fans.
Most celebrities have no issue engaging with fans one-on-one, from one person to the next. Many of them enjoy these interactions, as it gives them a chance to connect with their fans and learn more about them and what they appreciate about their work. It’s a common sentiment: they’re just regular people like you and me, except with more zeros in their bank accounts and the inability to make a quick grocery run without being swarmed. However, they don’t want fans to excessively idolize them (though, admittedly, some do enjoy that attention). What they truly desire is for fans to approach them as the human beings they are. And it’s important to acknowledge that some celebrities may prefer not to be approached at all, and that preference should be respected as a normal human reaction.
At the end of the day with all due respect… you’re scaring the hoes, bro.
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