DEJ Experience District Jeremy's DEJ Blog: On location in Orlando, tourists bombarded with WM merchandise, non-fans glaring at fans Mar 29, 2008 - 1:30:05 PM

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By Jeremy Maes, DEJ Experience Member

So, it’s 8:41 am and I get a text from Mr. Eric Nelson informing me his airplane's computer crashed and they are delayed before take off. On top of that they are changing the fuel filter - which I hope is the reason the computer crashed and not two separate incidents. So, things seem to be off to a wonderful start as we start our WrestleMania coverage. Oh yeah, Kevin also is delayed and is somewhere in Valdosta, Georgia as of his last voice mail. So if you see a mid-range guy with a bushy goatee and a psychotic smile, just nod politely and tell Kevin hello. People of Valdosta, you have been warned.

Now Melodie and I arrived on Tuesday, I think, and you could tell thee was a big event happening here even though this is a tourist town. There are large billboards, posters all over the hotels we have been in, and there is even a merchandise stand on the lobby of The Double Tree hotel we are staying in currently. They pack up and set up shop every morning here and you can instantly tell the wrestling fans from the general tourists. There is a look of contempt on the faces of parents on both sides of the fence.

The tourists clearly feel let down by the merchandise being so available and this leading to the possibility that their young child will want to attend the event. The parents of the WrestleMania attendees must feel ambushed as they are seven miles from the Citrus Bowl and are already being pressured to buy merchandise for their children.

In fairness to all involved, there are plenty of adults buying WrestleMania Jerseys and Triple H shirts. Oh yeah, the stand in our hotel is rather large and all of the merchandise is WrestleMania-related except for a few shirts. Those would be the John Cena shirt (yes, singular) and multiple Triple H shirts. There is no other wrestlers' merchandise available that I could see on Wednesday and Thursday. Maybe it all sold out. It’s a possibility.

WWE is holding their Fan Axcess this weekend, but do not be fooled thinking it is a free event. You must purchase a pass in to Universal Studios and that runs $75 a pop unless you get a discount ticket. Sure, you get the entire park as well as the Fan Axcess privileges, but it continues WWE’s diminishing returns for Fan Axcess.

Last year the entire crew went to Detroit and the Fan Axcess was abysmal. We got there late, but the scheduled events were lackluster with very little wrestler interaction. It was held in the concrete concourse outside of Ford Field. It was a cramped, cold, lifeless event with little to do other than stand in line and occasionally talk to local Indy wrestlers.

At least they have taken care of the dismal aspect out of the plans this year, but they added a price. Last year was free for very little, but this year you have to pay through the nose for it. If WrestleMania Fan Axcess is WWE’s celebration for fans, they shouldn’t charge. There are seemingly endless venues here for such an event that could have been held for free.

So as we were at Universal Studios yesterday we saw the TNA soundstage. On the park map it has TNA listed on there and gave all the times and dates for their tapings. It clearly states that the show starts at 9:00 pm for TNA’s first live television taping. It also clearly states that the line “starts” at 8:00. We walked by the soundstage and there were people already in line for the event at 2:30. We discussed the possibilities of going to the event even though the last TNA event we attended crashed and burned. It really would have been a decent experience, especially in the face of the timing being here in Orlando for WrestleMania.

(Oh, I must take time to send out thanks to a former Torch writer who never called me. Go Screw.)

Anyway... so we walked around the rest of the park going on rides and exhibits and then decided we would hit the taping. Yes, she gave in and accepted the fact that her wrestling weekend was starting early. When we walked over to the line to see what was up, there was a line a mile long and a baseball field wide. It was only 6:00. There was no way of convincing her to stay for two hours to stand in line for an event that doesn’t start for three hours and run the risk of not getting in to the show.

Here is the problem with the situation. If you clearly mark on your park map that something starts at 8:00, then it should start at 8:00. The excuse that it is WrestleMania weekend and it was bound to happen doesn’t hold up. If WrestleMania is slated to begin at 7:00, don’t start it at 6:00 and say, “Well there were people here so we started anyway.”

Who the hell knows who is to blame, but someone needs to step forward and make some changes. It’s an annoyance and probably not a big deal, but it paints TNA in yet another bad corner. Even placing the blame on Universals management, while fair as well, isn’t enough. TNA is the promotion responsible for filling the Impact Zone. They need to run their operation smoother. Payoff what is advertised and set forth.

TNA wants to be taken seriously as a professional wrestling company, but yet they do not do the little things that are taken for granted by fans. It is all about the little details. People bitch about the writing and pace of Impact episodes, but it is when you attend an event or try to attend an event that things become a tad a clearer. The little things add up while the big things are just glaring. Both need attention, but the little things add up much quicker. They can be taken care of with some smart planning. It is an administrative responsibility and one that is being overlooked.

We all will be checking in through out the weekend giving our updates this weekend. We also have plans for VIP Audio Shows each day, possibly more than one a day, so make sure and check back on The Torch throughout the weekend.

Jeremy Maes is the “J” of the DEJ Audio Experience. You can listen to that group of organized crime perpetrators every Wednesday night on the member’s portion of PWTorch.com. You can read Jeremy’s thoughts every Sunday on PWTorch.com. You can even contact Jeremy or any member of the DEJ faction on the PWTorch VIP Forum, or by email at torchmaes@yahoo.com.

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