WWE star Roxanne Perez used a stop in Las Vegas to ask fans for a bit more restraint when approaching wrestlers away from arenas, saying hotels and airports have become flashpoints for uncomfortable encounters.
Perez earned a shot at the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship at Triplemania 34 Night 1 in Las Vegas on Friday night. Before her match, she spoke with OutKick Dropkick about the pressure that comes with WWE stardom, including fans who approach wrestlers at hotels and airports rather than at official meet-and-greet locations.
“First off, I love my fans so much,” Perez said. “I love all of the fans. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the fans. And I think being a fan myself, growing up as a fan, I can see it in a different light. I think these fans, they love what we do, they respect us so much. They admire us. It is a big deal when they get to meet us and they get their picture signed. But it’s also, like, we just gotta be careful on where we do it and when we do it.”
Perez said arenas are the appropriate place for fans to seek out autographs and photos, but that hotels function as a private home while wrestlers are traveling.
“We obviously have the arenas. The arenas are where we show up. There’s an exact location where you go and meet and meet the WWE superstars,” she said. “That’s always what I did when I was a kid. But also, when we are on the road, our hotels are our home. When we’re running late for a plane and trying to catch our flight, and it does break my heart to tell people no, but at the same time, we do have to respect everybody’s privacy.”
Perez emphasized that wrestlers are trying to balance their public role with an ordinary private life.
“We are just humans. We are WWE superstars but we are just humans. We’re trying to live our life while also trying to make the fans happy. But there’s gotta be some line. That doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate our fans at all. I just think there needs to be a little bit of a line. But we do love you guys, OK?”
Perez did not point to any specific incident that prompted her comments. She joins other wrestlers who have raised similar concerns recently. Paige has spoken about being approached by autograph seekers while trying to catch connecting flights, and Major League Wrestling star Scarlett Bordeaux has told OutKick Dropkick that she advises other women wrestlers on keeping their home addresses off the internet.
