AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com
TrillerTV announced last Tuesday that the AEW+ service is
being discontinued. This has been coming for the last
several weeks, as Triller first disabled the option to
purchase the service, but did allow subscribers to continue
using the service, which offered access to Dynamite,
Collision, ROH and AEW PPVs. Then they aired AEW Dynasty,
but only on a delay, one hour after the PPV ended.
Triller sent subscribers an email stating the service was
being discontinued: “We’re writing to let you know that
AEW Plus is being discontinued. AEW and ROH PPVs are also no
longer available for purchase on TrillerTV,”. Existing
subscribers will have full access to the service until the
end of their next billing date. Any PPVs previously
purchased will remain available to watch in subscriber
accounts.
The MyAEW streaming service is now the sole option for
international fans, which gives access to live Dynamites,
Collisions, as well as Ring of Honor; plus AEW PPVs and
other on demand programming for a monthly price on the top
tier for a yearly subscription. MyAEW is available in the
UK, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Japan, Brazil,
Pakistan, and the Philippines. If you are in a country where
access is restricted, users often use a VPN connected to
countries like the UK, Germany, or Switzerland to access the
full subscription service. One of the most notable countries
that had AEW+ that doesn't have access is unavailable in
Canada under normal circumstances (presumably due to their
deal with TSN)+. MyAEW can only be accessed by Canadian
viewers via VPN.
Speaking of TrillerTV, other independent promoters are
already leaving TrillerTV, with Wrestling Revolver
announcing they are moving from TrillerTV to YouTube.
One of the biggest issues around Wrestlemania weekend
(whatever your thoughts were on the 654,867 ads over the
weekend, match quality, or finishes); no one debates that
the weekend was an uncomfortable one with repeated incidents
of harassment and outright assault by fans in multiple
incidents at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was a disgusting
and embarrassing situation, with WWE talent and commentators
mobbed every time they stepped out to do something, even
with their families. Fans at MGM Grand were extremely
disrespectful and entitled, mobbing and following WWE talent
and their families everywhere throughout the casino floor
and spending hours outside elevators waiting to take photos
and videos.
The most well-publicized incident came from TMZ footage of
CM Punk slapping a phone away from a fan’s hand after he
kept filming Bayley hugging AJ Lee at the MGM Grand Hotel &
Casino after Wrestlemania, even after being asked to stop,
then being pushed away by Bayley. Bayley and AJ Lee were
sharing a personal moment. Bayley pushed the phone away, the
fan continued to follow them filming from relatively close
range and said, “I love you Bayley,” and Bayley said, “Get
out of here". This was followed by Punk stepping in and
whacked the phone away then turned around and chewing out
the "fan". Security quickly intervened to calm down the
situation and the "fan" apologized to Punk before the former
champ gave him a stare and walked away.
During the latest episode of his Hall of Fame podcast,
Booker T called for WWE to have better security at hotels
during large events such as Wrestlemania. He echoed the
comments of many on the roster.
Booker T said it was really difficult navigating through the
massive property and felt bad for the WWE talent working
Wrestlemania: “Because I got mobbed, and I’m not even
doing this anymore. So hopefully we can get that
fixed,” He added that there were fans even following
him to the public bathroom and filming him. "They were
camped out. Everywhere, they were camped out. You couldn’t
walk anywhere. And they were following you....in the
bathroom. I remember the guy literally was filming me in the
bathroom. And when I walked out he goes, ‘Hey, Booker.’ And
I just kept walking because I was so mad because he was
filming me in the bathroom.”
AJ Styles indicated on his podcast that he also had been
accosted by fans at the hotel on WrestleMania weekend:
“I’m not taking pictures because once I start, I’ll never
stop. So if I have my family with me, I can’t do that. I
said, ‘Hey, I’m not taking pictures right now. I’m sorry.’
And they just swarmed me like bees. Even this one guy, even
though I told him no pictures, he was walking and laying on
me and stuff like that. I’m like, ‘Whoa! Whoa!’ And finally,
security was able to find me and take me to the elevator.
Fellow Hall of Famer X-Pac also said that he was assaulted
by a fan inside the hotel.
"I got physically assaulted & camera shoved in my face,
stalked in the bathroom, & more...That guy & all the rest
like him can get f*cked... It was insane how these people
were.”
Dave Meltzer reported in this week's Wrestling Observer
Newsletter that the major problem is with WWE booking hotel-
casinos in Las Vegas, that they can’t lock down hotels as is
possible in other cities, and keep fans out because the
hotels obviously make more money from gambling. It’s hard to
block people out of coming in, given that there is only one
entrance to the MGM Grand. Fans thus know if they are in the
lobby, everyone is coming through that one entrance at some
point. About an hour before the wrestlers came back from
Wrestlemania night two, there had to be 400 fans in the
lobby according to one person who was there. Meltzer
confirms the multiple incidents like this throughout tall of
Wrestlemania week. Only when it It was almost time to leave
that WWE and MGM Grand security added bodies by elevators to
check if they were guests or not. Fans who were just there
to stalk wrestlers were pushed away and only those who had
keys to their rooms were allowed to go in.
Drew McIntyre criticized fans for their behavior at the MGM
Grand Hotel in Las Vegas as they mobbed and stalked
wrestling stars all week long filming them and asking for
photos. He wrote on X, “For those fans who spent hard
earned money on a chance to say hello, take a photo, have
something signed, or give me one of my many, many bracelets,
I appreciate each and every single one of you.....To those
who rushed my family and I in the hotel, kept your kids up
till 2am throwing them in front of us, or shoved a camera in
my face without asking, you’re lucky I’m a calm natured
person outside the ring. Please don’t do that ever
again.”
The same behavior also went on at WrestleCon. TNA star
Elayna Black wrote on her social media that she was sexually
assaulted by a fan at WrestleCon during last Satturday'
session.
“Just got sexually assaulted by a fan at WrestleCon! If
anyone sees this guy ban him from anything ever,” the
former Cora Jade wrote. She also added a video, as she
followed the so-called fan as he was being escorted out by
security. “You’re a sick f*cking pig. You like to grab
women’s ass? You like to come conventions? F*ck you. You’re
f*cking sick and disgusting you f*cking pig,” she said,
while giving him the middle finger in front of his face.
Fightful Select reported last week that “one WWE source
believes that rising meet and greet prices are playing a
role in recent fan interactions, limiting access in
structured settings, and shifting those moments
elsewhere.”
The Las Vegas Review-Journal sought out a reply from the MGM
Grand, who responded to the numerous incidents “We have a
good, multi-year relationship with WWE and worked closely
with them and their security teams on the many events, pop-
ups, and activations throughout the week...We constantly
evaluate and evolve our procedures and respond quickly when
made aware of any unplanned movement or issues. Our top
priority is a safe and enjoyable experience for
everyone.”
Lance Storm spoke the last words on the matter in a far more
articulate way than I ever could on last week's Wrestling
Observer Live:
"I think it's a societal issue and it comes down to
consent. I'm sick of it. We need to be more respectful. We
have to take into account the safety of talent, the safety
of women. The fans there put these women in a non-consensual
situation, they crowded them and pressured them. No means
no. I'm sick of it. If your right to do what you want steps
on someone else's right to feel safe... you're the one in
the wrong. I will not budge on that."
Until next time...
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