Jeremy Samples sent this in from Houston:
It really amazes me how poorly WWE handles things sometimes. The opportunities to meet wrestlers were only open to the first 200 people. You had to pick up cards for the different stations right at the beginning for all sessions. So, if anyone else is planning on going…get there early! Or you won’t get to meet anyone. Some of the superstars I missed out on seeing were the Brisco Brothers, Christian, James Gibson, etc. They were a little more lenient toward the end of the signings, so they allowed people who had not picked up cards to see the wrestlers. However, in typical WWE fashion, they did not allow pictures and were hurriedly rushing people along. They were very rude to people who paid at least $30 to go to the AXXESS, with TicketMaster fees it actually ends up being more.
Some highlights were the title belts, they have a very good variety of different belts there. Allowing for a more close-up shot at the belts, brought out some unforseen features and actually showcased the uniqueness of different titles. One funny screw-up on the titles was John Cena’s US Title, the title plate next to it stated it was the “World Life” title. Most of the attractions are basically for kids, and I definitely wish I wouldn’t have already purchased tickets to three other AXXESS sessions.
The best thing I actually did there was the “Joey Styles chase”. Joey Styles and Josh Matthews were filming footage for WWE.com. It was interesting, as I assume they are going to be putting up different segments and places per day. I was listening to Josh & Joey’s banter back-and-forth, and filming more days while wearing the same clothes & the subsequent arguments this caused with the guy that was recording the video. I waited until they were done recording and was able to talk to Joey for a few minutes, he is a very nice and intelligible guy.
They had the main stars just in the ring, taking questions from fans and such. They did not meet with anyone. Jimmy Hart helped host it, and provided a sort of flare to kind of keep it lively. They actually had a pretty nice stage setup, with full ring. I think the main stars may have wrestled in matches, I also heard that Jimmy Wang Yang was wrestling someone. Jess & Festus also wrestled. I’m not sure if these matches were being taped for Smackdown on Friday or not, but it seemed like commentators were working on it. They had Jerry Lawler & Todd Grisham doing the commentary. Jerry Lawler met with people after finishing up…I had already met him before, but it was still incredibly giving of him to be happy to still take pictures and autographs with fans.
So, overall…AXXESS had some good ideas this year, but having to have a card to meet any wrestlers was kind of disappointing, as it was not advertised. One thought you could just show up, stand in line, and get autographs. It will be interesting to see how the other sessions turn out, and what kind of results they get from the personalities that show up.
I have attached a few pictures from this session of WrestleMania AXXESS. The pictures are of Hornswoggle’s House in the Hell in a Cell, some of Joey Styles’ Dot Com shots from the titles, Call A Match, and interviewing Triple H..which I think is supposed to be on WrestleMania day, as he said, WrestleMania is tonight…Jimmy Hart & his co-host of WrestleMania AXXESS, not sure who it is, the setup of the ring and stage, and the misprinted title of John Cena’s US belt…
