Booker T has opened up about the chaotic fan environment during WrestleMania 42 weekend in Las Vegas, detailing what he described as one of the most overwhelming and invasive experiences he has ever had with the public.
Speaking on his podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer painted a picture of constant pressure from fans, with little room to move and even less respect for personal space. According to Booker, the situation quickly spiraled beyond typical fan enthusiasm and into something far more uncomfortable.
“They were camped out. They were camped out everywhere. You couldn’t walk anywhere, they were camped out, and they were following me. I remember a guy literally filming me in the bathroom. When I walked out, he goes, ‘Hey, hey, Booker,’ and I just kept walking because I was so mad. He was filming me in the bathroom. But for me, it was the toughest time I think I’ve ever had to deal with as far as fan interaction, this year at WrestleMania in Vegas. Like I said, a lot of them were just outright disrespectful,” Booker T said.
He made it clear that this was not an isolated moment, but part of a wider pattern throughout the weekend. Fans reportedly crowded hotels, lingered in key areas, and followed talent throughout the property, creating a constant sense of being watched.
Booker also recalled how things escalated before he even had the chance to check into his hotel, describing a scene where he was immediately surrounded upon arrival.
“I remember I was going into the hotel, hadn’t even checked in yet, and I was getting mobbed. I’m just trying to get checked in. I’m like, ‘Guys, I can’t do it. I’ve got to get checked in first. Please just let me get checked in.’ And this one guy comes up to me, ‘Can I get a picture, Booker T? Can I get an autograph?’ I’m like, ‘Man, please.’ Grown man. Then he goes, ‘I got autism.’ You know you got autism. Well, why are you out here auting me? You know what I mean? He threw that card on me. I’m trying to make you feel, whatever, feel a certain way. The thing is, what they don’t understand, you do it for one person you’re going to have to do it for everybody else. It’s going to start a chain reaction. When people don’t understand that and just step on your toes and disrespect you, you really get upset. I just need people to understand that we are human, just like everybody else. We get upset just like anybody else in situations like that. I just wish we would have had better security or something to handle that situation, because it was really, really bad, the worst I’ve ever seen,” Booker T said.
His comments add to a growing list of concerns raised by talent following the WrestleMania weekend. Reports indicated that security within hotel spaces was noticeably lacking, allowing fans to gather freely in lobbies and near elevators, often trailing wrestlers as they tried to move around privately.
Other incidents during the weekend backed up those concerns. Damian Priest was said to have stepped in to help a female WWE talent get away from an aggressive group of fans, while CM Punk’s widely discussed confrontation occurred after a fan followed Bayley and AJ Lee despite them attempting to create distance.
