Fans’ entitlement to wrestlers has come back into focus after two separate incidents involving Oba Femi and Dominic Mysterio went viral on social media this week. Both situations unfolded outside hotels and fans reacted negatively after their requests were denied.
In Femi’s case, a video circulated that showed the former NXT Champion standing outside a hotel as a group of scalpers approached him asking for autographs. The group’s intention was not to have a personal relationship with the artist, but to acquire signed items to resell for profit. Femi completely ignored the group and did not join them.
The Dominic Mysterio incident unfolded differently. Fans approached the former WWE Intercontinental Champion and AAA Mega Champion for photos and Dominic refused to enter the hotel. As he walked away, a man in the background told him, “Have heart” and then added, “Don’t forget, we created you.”
The comments directed at Dominic echo the sense of ownership some fans feel over the artists they follow, a sentiment that has come up repeatedly in recent events. Neither a scalper group looking for merchandise to flip nor a fan calling on their viewership as leverage represent a reasonable expectation of a wrestler’s time or attention outside of scheduled appearances.
These two incidents follow a similar situation involving women’s world champion Stephanie Walker, who declined photo requests on her birthday and was later subjected to hurtful comments from the person she rejected.
Wacker addressed the matter on social media after the man publicly claimed she was “nasty” towards him. The pattern of all three incidents points to a broader issue in which fans feel obligated to fulfill requests to wrestlers regardless of circumstances, context, or the performer’s own comfort and time.
What makes things worse is that WWE has yet to make any effort to do anything about it or increase protection for its talent.
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