Former WWE champion Paige has spoken out against what she described as invasive behavior from an autograph collector who tracked her travel plans and confronted her at a Chicago airport with numerous items to sign.
The professional wrestler detailed the uncomfortable encounter while speaking to TMZ Sports outside Los Angeles International Airport earlier this week. According to Paige, the individual purchased an airline ticket specifically to gain access to her connecting gate, demonstrating knowledge of her flight schedule, connection point, and arrival time.
"This guy bought a ticket to go through to meet me at my connecting gate, so he knew my flight, he knew where I was connecting through, and he knew what time I was landing, which is so f****** weird. It's too far," Paige told TMZ.
The wrestler said the collector was waiting for her with approximately 30 photographs when she arrived at the gate. When she confronted him about the unusual circumstances, the individual acknowledged the behavior was strange.
"So he's waiting outside for me, and he has like 30 pictures, and I'm like, 'Bro, this is really strange.' And he was like, 'I know, it's weird,'" she told TMZ.
Paige emphasized that while she typically maintains a relaxed attitude toward fan interactions, this incident crossed boundaries. She suggested the collector may have obtained her travel information from an airline employee, raising additional privacy concerns.
"I'm usually pretty chill about it, honestly. I'm like, whatever," she told TMZ, explaining that this situation was different from typical fan encounters.
The former champion stressed that WWE performers make themselves available through official channels, including scheduled meet-and-greet events and arena appearances. She urged fans to utilize these appropriate venues rather than tracking wrestlers to airports or hotels.
"We have meet and greets, we tell you where we're gonna be at the arenas," Paige told TMZ. "Come to the arena, come to a meet and greet, but don't turn up at my hotel, don't turn up at my connecting gate, and even so, don't turn up at the airport, because a lot of wrestlers hate that."
The wrestler made clear she remains willing to sign autographs and interact with supporters, but expects fans to respect professional boundaries and avoid treating performers as commercial opportunities during their private travel time.
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Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a pop culture junkie and loves to share what's happening in Hollywood and what trends are taking the world by storm.
