Fanatics Fest NYC Recap: The Good, The Bad, And The Wholesome
Dubbed "the Comic Con for sports", Fanatics Fest NYC is the first event of its kind. Promising fans the chance to meet and take photos with their favorite athletes, this event seemed almost too good to be true. Many disappointed WWE fans will agree that Fanatics Fest was too good to be true. What really happened during those three days at the Javits Center?
Cody Rhodes' Last-Minute Cancellation, Rhea Ripley's Wholesome Fan Interactions, And Rey Mysterio's New Tag-Team Partner: The Ultimate Recap of Fanatics Fest NYC
Fanatics Fest NYC was a multi-day interactive event in New York City's Javits Center from Friday, August 16 to Sunday, August 18. It promised to "sit at the nexus of sports fandom, culture, and collecting" and "bring together fans across all sports to celebrate their passions under one roof." This was the first of what the Fanatics Fest website promises will be many, many Fanatics Fests.
Fanatics Fest promised to be especially exciting for WWE fans. It included WWE Activation, where fans could "become WWE Superstars" by choosing their Superstar entrance theme and walking down an official WWE set while "hyping up" the crowd! Many WWE Superstars were scheduled to appear at Fanatics Fest, including CM Punk, Liv Morgan, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, Rhea Ripley, and Hulk Hogan. The WWE Website provided a schedule of which days and times each Superstar would be at Fanatics Fest and which events they would be available for, ensuring that every fan would meet their favorite Superstar.
This sounds like a dream come true for sports fans. As with anything that seems too good to be true, it wasn't long before Fanatics Fest ran into some issues.
One of the most prominent issues with Fanatics Fest involved fans who hoped to meet Cody Rhodes. According to Cageside Seats, WWE fans arrived on Sunday and eagerly waited in line for the Photo Op Session with the Undisputed WWE Champion. Those fans were soon disappointed when the Fanatics Fest staff "abruptly canceled the remaining photo ops with Rhodes." Inside the Ropes reports WWE management made it clear that Cody Rhodes "had no fault" in the cancellation and that fans who didn't get to take photos with Rhodes were given refunds. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful further clarified that "the system went down during Rhodes’ session, and The American Nightmare was also working on a strict schedule."
A similar issue occurred with WWE Superstar Jade Cargill's Photo Op Session. Wrestling World quotes a story by PWInsider, in which a fan reported that the wait for autographs and photo sessions was "'really long'" and described the process as "'a crazy mess'" and "'a very disorganized experience.'" This fan also reported, "'I have a friend who waited two hours for a photo with Jade Cargill who pre-paid and had to get a refund because she was taken away before the line could be finished.'"
Denis Tuohy of Respect My Region wrote about his experience attending Fanatics Fest. Tuohy described the event as "terribly unorganized." He explained "If you wanted to get a picture you had to go to one side of the venue, and if you wanted to get autographs another...These spots were in the back corners of their respective areas and there were hardly any signs indicating where what was, only banners hanging over the spot, but other things were hanging which blocked each other. Not to mention at a crowded convention like this, you are usually looking ahead because you are bobbing and weaving through foot traffic, not looking towards the ceiling."
Tuohy asked other fans if they'd had the same issues with getting lost, and "almost unanimously everyone I asked also said they had a really difficult time finding things at first."
Several sports fans took to social media to share their negative experiences at Fanatics Fest.
The inaugural Fanatics Fest NYC wasn't all bad. Even though many things went wrong with the event, many things also went right.
One of the most prominent things that "went right" about Fanatics Fest was Rhea Ripley comforting an upset fan. X user Soren MET RHEA was one of the unfortunate fans whose Photo Op with Cody Rhodes was abruptly canceled. After being given this devastating news, Soren was told by the Fanatics Fest staff that there was "nothing they could do." According to a post she made on X, Soren went to talk to the staff and was told to go to the Photo Ops sales desk for more information. According to her X post, Soren was "distraught and crying as I explained what happened and how a refund wouldn't change what I missed out on and I came all the way from Canada."
Soren was offered a photo opportunity with Rhea Ripley as a "make-good." While she was walking to Ripley's Photo Session, Soren met Drew McIntyre.
Though she was happy about having met Drew, Soren was still upset that she wouldn't get to give Cody Rhodes the bracelet she'd made for him.
When Soren got to Ripley's photo session and told her that she was upset that she didn't get to give Cody Rhodes the bracelet, Ripley told Soren "I promise, I will get it to him for you no matter what."
Many sports fans took to social media to post about their positive experiences meeting their favorite Superstars.
Wrestling fans didn't just come out of Fanatics Fest with photographs and merchandise. Several Superstars used Fanatics Fest to share new aspects of their storylines with their fans.
Before the event, WWE teased that Rey Mysterio would have a "special tag-team partner" at Fanatics Fest. During the event, this "mystery partner" was revealed to be hip-hop star Travis Scott, who earned a huge ovation from the Fanatics Fest crowd when he appeared in a Lucha mask. WWE appearances are nothing new for Scott, who has previously appeared in multiple segments with Jey Uso.
CM Punk used his appearance on the Masked Man Show at Fanatics Fest to tease a potential match against Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin. Punk said, "'If [Austin] wants to Go To Sleep, he can call me.'” Austin has been retired for several years, aside from an appearance at WrestleMania 38, when he took on Kevin Owens. Austin has previously mentioned wanting to fight CM Punk. He told ESPN in an interview that, if he were to come back for another match, a matchup with CM Punk would be "a good one." Austin said "'I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me -- so, as long as he can take a [Stone Cold] Stunner. I consider him a great friend, a great guy and a great wrestler who's had a great career. We'll see.'" It's clear Punk and Austin want to fight each other, and Punk teasing this fight at such a major event gives WWE fans a glimmer of hope that they'll get to see a CM Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin match.
Fanatics Fest NYC had some pitfalls, from Cody Rhodes' last-minute cancellation to long lines and general disorganization. Despite these setbacks, Fanatics Fest brought sports fans together and allowed them to meet their favorite athletes while connecting with like-minded people. This was the first Fanatics Fest ever, so there were bound to be a few issues. If the event's organizers learn from this year's mistakes, future Fanatics Fests will be incredibly successful and continue to create unforgettable experiences for millions of sports fans.
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