My SummerSlam VIP Panel & Meet/Greet Experience (with Pics!)
Aug 27, 2015 13:42:12 GMT -5
marino13, Sky'sTheLimit, and 5 more like this
Post by amitdoc2b on Aug 27, 2015 13:42:12 GMT -5
I have been an active reader and passive poster on this forum for years because of my work plus study schedule, but wanted to take the time to share my SummerSlam VIP Panel & Meet/Greet Experience. Although I have been a WWE fan since childhood and attended several live events including PPVs (SummerSlam at Staples, WrestleMania 29, Hell in the Cell in NJ, Royal Rumble in NYC, etc), this is my first time having any direct interaction with the wrestlers and divas. I had no idea what to expect going into this, but I thought I would go all-out and try it once for the experience and many forum members here helped answer a lot of my questions before the SummerSlam weekend. I am very grateful to all for your help and wanted to give back by sharing my experience this weekend.
I attended the Shawn Michaels and Sting Meet & Greets on Friday afternoon, as well as the Paige/Becky/Charlotte and Roman Reigns Meet & Greets on Saturday afternoon. I also attended the SummerSlam VIP NXT panel on Saturday morning. I'll share my experience with pictures in the order of my meetings. There were positive, negative, and neutral learning experiences.. I'll share all of it below so you can get an idea of how things are in case you are curious or never experienced these events before either.
First, I started off by meeting Shawn Michaels on Friday afternoon. The signings were supposed to begin at 1PM so I arrived at Barclays Center around noon. There were a good number of people but the lines weren't that big on Friday. I would say that I was one of the first 20-30 people in line for the HBK signing. Although they were supposed to start at 1PM, they actually did not begin until 1:40PM and even then the professional cameras weren't working. At first, when an employee asked if I would like him to take a pic with my cell phone, I thought I would be getting two pics so I graciously agreed, but later realized that this will be my only photo when I didn't receive a card with a code to redeem my photo. I later heard from others in line that the cameras weren't working and anyone who did not have a cell phone/camera with them ended up just getting an autograph. I did come back after the Sting signing since there were still some people in the HBK line and explained how I didn't get a professional photo, so they allowed me to get one taken at the end. When I met HBK, he was all smiles and I had asked him to personalize the 8x10 they were handing out for me, he said "OK" but maybe he didn't hear me or forgot in the rush because even though I pointed to a sticker on my folder with my name on it he didn't personalize it. He took a great photo smiling with me though and shook my hand, and then I was quickly rushed out within a matter of 30 seconds. I had heard on the forum they rush you like a herd of cattle though the lines, but I didn't realize it was THIS fast... but again, that's not the superstars' fault, it's just the way the company is conducting business so everyone gets an opportunity.
Next, I walked on over to the Sting line... it wasn't too long by the time I got into it, maybe took me half an hour to meet him. He did not have his face paint on and was wearing a pair of shades. In this meeting, I decided to get my blue SummerSlam Brooklyn t-shirt signed because I learned from the HBK 8x10 that their provided photos are just generic shots and not special with any SummerSlam logo or anything on it. This turned out to be a good decision because WWE featured my blue t-shirt being signed by Sting on their website and the signature came out nicely with the silver ink. An employee directed me to stand on the right side of Sting probably so the SummerSlam logo does not get in the way of the photo. I wanted to actually get a photo with Sting shaking his hand, but he was so busy pre-signing a bunch of 8x10's for upcoming line members that I felt like I was interrupting.. he even had the marker in his hand when our photo was taken. He didn't say a single word, but when he later exited his booth after his line emptied (before his actual session was over) and on his way out of the building he walked right past me and we shook hands as I told him it was a pleasure meeting him. Also, I was under the impression I get an unsigned 8x10 even if I have my own item signed, so I requested one from an employee after I had finished my turn in line.. at first, they said no.. but then when they read the ticket they did go and get me and a few others in line an 8x10. I got lucky because remember I said Sting was pre-signing these ahead of time, so some of the 8x10s they had picked up to give to those who completed their turn in line got one signed by Sting, including me.
Now that the first day of Meet & Greets had passed, I was not overly impressed of the entire experience on Friday. I'm not blaming the superstars at all, and in fact, I am not blaming anyone... maybe I just had higher hopes on what to expect so I lowered my excitement for Saturday. However, Saturday turned out to be MUCH more better! Let's start with the SummerSlam VIP NXT Panel in the morning. I was in the 3rd row but two seats directly in front of me were empty so it was like sitting in the 2nd row. The panel was supposed to have a discussion with Q&A for 90 minutes, but we actually got 2 hours worth of time. It was unreal for me to see Triple H, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Sasha Banks, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton up close! I never have even had floor seats because I couldn't afford to sit so close, I've always sat in the upper levels for events I attended. Even though Sting and HBK are worth $150 to meet, which is why I went, I did not feel I got an experience of that value... but in the case of the VIP NXT Panel, I feel I certainly did! Not only did we get to see and listen to the stars up close, but also received an autographed 11x17 poster that was signed by all panel members (except Byron Saxton)... and to my shocking surprise, we got to take a group photo with all 7 panel members (they all patiently waited backstage for half an hour as the cameras were set up)! Originally when I purchased the ticket, this is what I thought we would get, but I had lowered my expectations seeing how busy things get with even 1 superstar the day before. I asked everyone on the panel to pose with a 'thumbs up' with me, and they all did it! The exceptions being Kevin Owens, who did an awesome 'thumbs down' in the pic to be the rebellious one. Triple H had his arm around me but didn't do a 'thumbs up' but during the photo he whispered in my ear in his Triple H voice that "I'm not going to do a thumbs up in the photo but I want you to know that I will be doing a thumbs up in my mind." It was funny yet awesome that he was having this direct conversation with me during the photo and the photo itself came out wonderful. After the photo, I was rushed off stage but got to shake hands with Triple H, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens. They even provided an 8x10 photo print of the group photo a few minutes later. I heard the first few rows had an issue receiving their photo though (we took the photo based on our row we were seated in), so for the second day in a row I noticed a trend that it's not a good idea to be the first wave of people in line for photo ops.
The VIP NXT Panel event had already made my day, so I was really happy going into the PCB Meet & Greet. Due to overlap with the NXP Panel session, I did not get in the PCB line till 1:30PM and the line was HUGE! More than double the size of the line of the Sting or HBK line from the day before, but took me just a little over an hour to meet them a little past 2:30PM. This was relieving because I know their session was from 12:30-2:30 so they went a little overtime, yet it still turned out to be the best Meet & Greet out of the entire bunch! I immediately went over to Paige because I heard in the past she is super friendly (no disrespect to Becky or Charlotte, just wasn't sure how they are with fans), stood next to her, and requested if we all 4 can do a 'pinky shake' pose together. They accepted, so we did it, and I was really happy and grateful for the opportunity and hugged each diva one by one and said thank you, then wished them luck at SummerSlam. I had them sign my NXT Panel Poster I received earlier in the morning because it had a SummerSlam logo, was already signed by 6 superstars, and PCB have been a part of NXT also. Somehow in the shuffle, Charlotte did not end up signing it and luckily I noticed this when I had been exited away from the booth and let an employee know. He had my poster taken back for Charlotte to sign it then brought it back to me. I was so excited about the 'pinky shake' photo and focused on Charlotte's signature, that I forgot to request an unsigned 8x10 (just wanted to collect these for sentimental reasons) since they did not hand me one.. but that's okay, the session went well regardless.
Next was Roman Reigns, I wasn't originally planning to get his Meet & Greet because I was now way past my budget, but I was so happy with how Saturday went that I decided to pick his ticket up at the box office as well. It wasn't sold out but was close to it since his line was really big too. Seth Rollins was also having one at the same time, but he was already part of my group photo and received his autograph on the poster so I picked Roman. I wish I could have met Ambrose and Wyatt in the morning but their sessions overlapped with the NXT Panel. I wanted to get Orton too, but I felt at the time I had purchased the Meet & Greet tickets that PCB was a better value (meeting 3 ppl vs 1) and it would to be too difficult to get Orton as well because NXT Panel had overlapped an hour into the PCB/Orton timings and I barely got PCB towards the end as well. The Roman Reigns line took forever, and then the meeting itself went probably the quickest of all the sessions.. not his fault though. Rather, I found him to be a very humble superstar and super nice guy from the few seconds I spent with him. He was ready to pose however I wanted him to, ready to sign or personalize however I wanted it (but by then I had made up my mind not to try to get personalizations because it's so rushed and didn't want it messed up).. and he also shook my hand multiple times and thanked me 'so much' for the support. Despite it being the quickest meeting of them all, I still felt good after meeting him because he seemed genuinely appreciative of his fans. I was so exhausted and on Cloud 9 by then meeting all these superstars, that I forgot to ask for an unsigned 8x10 from him. Here's me with Roman Reigns and a photo of VIP NXT Panel 11x17 poster signed by the 10 superstars from Saturday:
I attended the Shawn Michaels and Sting Meet & Greets on Friday afternoon, as well as the Paige/Becky/Charlotte and Roman Reigns Meet & Greets on Saturday afternoon. I also attended the SummerSlam VIP NXT panel on Saturday morning. I'll share my experience with pictures in the order of my meetings. There were positive, negative, and neutral learning experiences.. I'll share all of it below so you can get an idea of how things are in case you are curious or never experienced these events before either.
First, I started off by meeting Shawn Michaels on Friday afternoon. The signings were supposed to begin at 1PM so I arrived at Barclays Center around noon. There were a good number of people but the lines weren't that big on Friday. I would say that I was one of the first 20-30 people in line for the HBK signing. Although they were supposed to start at 1PM, they actually did not begin until 1:40PM and even then the professional cameras weren't working. At first, when an employee asked if I would like him to take a pic with my cell phone, I thought I would be getting two pics so I graciously agreed, but later realized that this will be my only photo when I didn't receive a card with a code to redeem my photo. I later heard from others in line that the cameras weren't working and anyone who did not have a cell phone/camera with them ended up just getting an autograph. I did come back after the Sting signing since there were still some people in the HBK line and explained how I didn't get a professional photo, so they allowed me to get one taken at the end. When I met HBK, he was all smiles and I had asked him to personalize the 8x10 they were handing out for me, he said "OK" but maybe he didn't hear me or forgot in the rush because even though I pointed to a sticker on my folder with my name on it he didn't personalize it. He took a great photo smiling with me though and shook my hand, and then I was quickly rushed out within a matter of 30 seconds. I had heard on the forum they rush you like a herd of cattle though the lines, but I didn't realize it was THIS fast... but again, that's not the superstars' fault, it's just the way the company is conducting business so everyone gets an opportunity.
Next, I walked on over to the Sting line... it wasn't too long by the time I got into it, maybe took me half an hour to meet him. He did not have his face paint on and was wearing a pair of shades. In this meeting, I decided to get my blue SummerSlam Brooklyn t-shirt signed because I learned from the HBK 8x10 that their provided photos are just generic shots and not special with any SummerSlam logo or anything on it. This turned out to be a good decision because WWE featured my blue t-shirt being signed by Sting on their website and the signature came out nicely with the silver ink. An employee directed me to stand on the right side of Sting probably so the SummerSlam logo does not get in the way of the photo. I wanted to actually get a photo with Sting shaking his hand, but he was so busy pre-signing a bunch of 8x10's for upcoming line members that I felt like I was interrupting.. he even had the marker in his hand when our photo was taken. He didn't say a single word, but when he later exited his booth after his line emptied (before his actual session was over) and on his way out of the building he walked right past me and we shook hands as I told him it was a pleasure meeting him. Also, I was under the impression I get an unsigned 8x10 even if I have my own item signed, so I requested one from an employee after I had finished my turn in line.. at first, they said no.. but then when they read the ticket they did go and get me and a few others in line an 8x10. I got lucky because remember I said Sting was pre-signing these ahead of time, so some of the 8x10s they had picked up to give to those who completed their turn in line got one signed by Sting, including me.
Now that the first day of Meet & Greets had passed, I was not overly impressed of the entire experience on Friday. I'm not blaming the superstars at all, and in fact, I am not blaming anyone... maybe I just had higher hopes on what to expect so I lowered my excitement for Saturday. However, Saturday turned out to be MUCH more better! Let's start with the SummerSlam VIP NXT Panel in the morning. I was in the 3rd row but two seats directly in front of me were empty so it was like sitting in the 2nd row. The panel was supposed to have a discussion with Q&A for 90 minutes, but we actually got 2 hours worth of time. It was unreal for me to see Triple H, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Sasha Banks, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton up close! I never have even had floor seats because I couldn't afford to sit so close, I've always sat in the upper levels for events I attended. Even though Sting and HBK are worth $150 to meet, which is why I went, I did not feel I got an experience of that value... but in the case of the VIP NXT Panel, I feel I certainly did! Not only did we get to see and listen to the stars up close, but also received an autographed 11x17 poster that was signed by all panel members (except Byron Saxton)... and to my shocking surprise, we got to take a group photo with all 7 panel members (they all patiently waited backstage for half an hour as the cameras were set up)! Originally when I purchased the ticket, this is what I thought we would get, but I had lowered my expectations seeing how busy things get with even 1 superstar the day before. I asked everyone on the panel to pose with a 'thumbs up' with me, and they all did it! The exceptions being Kevin Owens, who did an awesome 'thumbs down' in the pic to be the rebellious one. Triple H had his arm around me but didn't do a 'thumbs up' but during the photo he whispered in my ear in his Triple H voice that "I'm not going to do a thumbs up in the photo but I want you to know that I will be doing a thumbs up in my mind." It was funny yet awesome that he was having this direct conversation with me during the photo and the photo itself came out wonderful. After the photo, I was rushed off stage but got to shake hands with Triple H, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens. They even provided an 8x10 photo print of the group photo a few minutes later. I heard the first few rows had an issue receiving their photo though (we took the photo based on our row we were seated in), so for the second day in a row I noticed a trend that it's not a good idea to be the first wave of people in line for photo ops.
The VIP NXT Panel event had already made my day, so I was really happy going into the PCB Meet & Greet. Due to overlap with the NXP Panel session, I did not get in the PCB line till 1:30PM and the line was HUGE! More than double the size of the line of the Sting or HBK line from the day before, but took me just a little over an hour to meet them a little past 2:30PM. This was relieving because I know their session was from 12:30-2:30 so they went a little overtime, yet it still turned out to be the best Meet & Greet out of the entire bunch! I immediately went over to Paige because I heard in the past she is super friendly (no disrespect to Becky or Charlotte, just wasn't sure how they are with fans), stood next to her, and requested if we all 4 can do a 'pinky shake' pose together. They accepted, so we did it, and I was really happy and grateful for the opportunity and hugged each diva one by one and said thank you, then wished them luck at SummerSlam. I had them sign my NXT Panel Poster I received earlier in the morning because it had a SummerSlam logo, was already signed by 6 superstars, and PCB have been a part of NXT also. Somehow in the shuffle, Charlotte did not end up signing it and luckily I noticed this when I had been exited away from the booth and let an employee know. He had my poster taken back for Charlotte to sign it then brought it back to me. I was so excited about the 'pinky shake' photo and focused on Charlotte's signature, that I forgot to request an unsigned 8x10 (just wanted to collect these for sentimental reasons) since they did not hand me one.. but that's okay, the session went well regardless.
Next was Roman Reigns, I wasn't originally planning to get his Meet & Greet because I was now way past my budget, but I was so happy with how Saturday went that I decided to pick his ticket up at the box office as well. It wasn't sold out but was close to it since his line was really big too. Seth Rollins was also having one at the same time, but he was already part of my group photo and received his autograph on the poster so I picked Roman. I wish I could have met Ambrose and Wyatt in the morning but their sessions overlapped with the NXT Panel. I wanted to get Orton too, but I felt at the time I had purchased the Meet & Greet tickets that PCB was a better value (meeting 3 ppl vs 1) and it would to be too difficult to get Orton as well because NXT Panel had overlapped an hour into the PCB/Orton timings and I barely got PCB towards the end as well. The Roman Reigns line took forever, and then the meeting itself went probably the quickest of all the sessions.. not his fault though. Rather, I found him to be a very humble superstar and super nice guy from the few seconds I spent with him. He was ready to pose however I wanted him to, ready to sign or personalize however I wanted it (but by then I had made up my mind not to try to get personalizations because it's so rushed and didn't want it messed up).. and he also shook my hand multiple times and thanked me 'so much' for the support. Despite it being the quickest meeting of them all, I still felt good after meeting him because he seemed genuinely appreciative of his fans. I was so exhausted and on Cloud 9 by then meeting all these superstars, that I forgot to ask for an unsigned 8x10 from him. Here's me with Roman Reigns and a photo of VIP NXT Panel 11x17 poster signed by the 10 superstars from Saturday:
you. 
