Waiting on Line to Enter Axxess

Lady Cat, Angel of Doom, Me and Anne
Me and Bronnie (from Australia)
Richard & Anton from England and Josh and Charles from Alaska


Once again this year's Axxess was a three day affair, running from:
Thursday, 3/26/03 - with one Axxess,
Friday, 3/27/03 - with 2 Axxess
and Saturday 3/28/03 with 3 Axxess.

Axxess Sign

This year's Axxess was much smaller (space wise) than last year's. Missing this year were the racing cars, the WWF cars of Taker, HHH, the Rock' ambulance, the inflated balloons of The Rock and SCSA. The busts of the wrestlers from last year were also missing. I looked everywhere but could not find the Jakks Pacific Dolls as I wanted to buy one of Taker.

Axxess contained two authograph signing areas with one wrestler signing only.

Eric Bishoff
Eric 1
Eric 2
Eric 3
Booker T
Tori Wilson
Tori Wilson Again
Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar Again
Kevin Nash
Kevin 1
Kevin 2
Kevin 3
Goldust
Taker
Goldust
Rhyno
Stone Cold Steve Austin
SCSA Again
SCSA Yet Again

And 2 areas for pictures with the wrestlers for the American Diabetes Foundation.

Bill Demott, Me, Steven Richards and Kanyon
Team Angle
Team Angle Again
Al Snow, Me and Maven
A Train and Paulie
Steven Richards
Bill Demott
Kanyon
Tommy Dreamer
Spike and Tommy Dreamer
Hurricane
Hurricane Again
Hurricane Yet Again
Full Blooded Italians
Rico and Rosie
Paul E.
Paul E. Again
A Train
Chavo & Eddie

The announce a match was there along with gambling from the Silver Dollar Casino and the weight area from the Muscle Beach Fitness Gym. The Playstation 2 area was also there.

The best part was meeting the wrestlers as you walked around and they were either coming or going to a signing. That's when I had the opportunity to take pix of them and be photographed with a few.

Lita
Lita Again
John Cena
Debbie and Tommy Dreamer

The next pictures are courtesy of Anne

Annie and Matt Hardy
Annie and Brock Lesnar

The next picture are courtesy of Bonnie

Bonnie & HBK
Chris Benoit
Chris and Molly
RVD
Stephanie
Bonnie and the Dudleys
Kanyon
Portland Inquierer Taker and A Train Photo

The next Picture courtesy of Debbie

Rhyno
Debbie and Rhyno
Debbie and Chris Benoit
Tommy Dreamer and The Fink

The next Pictures courtesy of Bronnie

The Big Show
RVD
Kane
Stone Cold Steve Austin

The ring, as always, is a fan favorite, but this year there were no dark matches and no place to sit, all you could do was listen to interviews and participate in question and answer sessions with the wrestlers if you were called upon by Howard Finkel.

Eddie & Chavo Guerrero
Another of Eddie & Chavo
Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Again
Close Up of Edde
Another Close Up of Edde
The Rock
Rock Listening
Rock Pouting
Howard Finkel
Lita
Rey Mysterio 1
Rey Mysterio 2
Tazz & Angel of Doom
Trish Stratus
Trish Again
Y2J
Y2J Again
Jaime Noble

AXXESS - IN MY OPINION:

Axxess was slightly more organized than last year, but way too small for the money that was paid for the tickets ($40.00 U.S.).

For some reason I always seem to find the wacko security guards and this year was no exception. As I was taking pictures of Taker with my telephoto lens, the guard blocked my lens with her hand and told me I had to move over to the other side. (Now why should I have to move when I've paid my $40.00 to take pix of the wrestlers? I wasn't in anyone's way or blocking anyone from walking past me. I thought "Axxess" meant we (the fans) had "access to the wrestlers"?) Anyway, I did as she had asked and then she decided to stand in my way preventing me from taking my pictures until I told her that if she didn't move out of my camera view I was going to "Reach Out and Touch Someone", namely her. She is a blond Security Guard by the name of "Martha" and wore the number "862" on her shirt.

The guards once again insisted that you stand in line, even to take pictures and on those lines it would normally take you about 45 minutes to get to the front of the line. The only good thing this year was that the wrestlers stayed at the tables signing autographs for 90 minutes, so you were practically assured of getting the autograph of the wrestler you had stood on line for. The only ones that the lines were super long for were Goldust and Taker.

Once again, my suggestion is that they make two lines. One for people who wish to get the wrestler's autograph and one for those who only wish to photograph the wrestlers which would allow you one minute to take his or her photograph and then you would have to leave. This way everyone is satisfied. Apparently, as I'm almost sure the WWF knows, not everyone can stand on a line for 45 minutes (I know I can't as I suffer from a bad back). Especially when you have to stand on various lines just to see a wrestler at a time.

Another thing that I have observed for the past 3 Axxesses (2001, 2002 and 2003) I have attended is that if you are in a wheelchair (for whatever reason) or you are with someone in a wheelchair, you are brought directly to the front of the line and are able to get an autograph and photo with whatever wrestler is there. For those of us who are not in wheelchairs, that practice is not fair. I understand that some of those people have illnesses that may be lifethreatening or incapacitating, but that should not give them privilege over the people on line as we all paid the same price to get in and some of us on line will not get the autograph of the wrestler we stood on line for. (Hmmm. Maybe next year I'll rent a wheelchair in New York and see what happens).