Kayla Braxton discusses unsafe fan behavior in wrestling

"

Kayla Becker, better known to WWE fans as Kayla Braxton during her time in the company, recently discussed inappropriate fan behavior and how she felt “really unsafe” in certain situations. Fans crossing a line with talent has been a major topic of discussion in the wrestling world for several months with incidents like someone making Stephanie Vaquer feel uncomfortable in an airport making headlines. Such incidents became even more highlighted around WrestleMania 42, where multiple stars — including Damien Priest, Randy Orton, and Drew McIntyre — had issues with fans. The most notorious WrestleMania-related incident occurred in a Las Vegas hotel lobby when CM Punk slapped a phone out of a fan’s hands because the person reportedly continued to film a private moment between Bayley and Punk’s wife, AJ Lee. Braxton, who worked mainly as a backstage interviewer during her 2016-2024 run in WWE, appeared on the latest episode TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast, where she discussed subjects like her involvement in The Bloodline angle and her aspiration of making it as an actress in Hollywood. During the talk with TMZ hosts Branson Quirke and Roger Corral, a recent incident was brought up that involved Rhea Ripley having a fan show up at her house and text her. “The accessibility that they [fans] have I think is a real problem,” Braxton said. “Like they shouldn’t be able to show up to your baggage claim, or wait for you at the airports, or follow you up to your rooms at the hotels. These things need to be stopped.” The hosts then brought up the various fan incidents that happened in Las Vegas during WrestleMania. “They’ve got to figure that out, man. ’Cause there there was too many times I felt like really unsafe, all the girls do – and the guys – and they have this sense of accessibility. It’s going to get worse,” Braxton said. She then described a tactic of autograph collectors using their kids to gain access: “Going to the airport at 5:00 a.m., leaving a SmackDown, and having some dude with 40 bikini photos of me with their child right next to them that should be in bed, because they know if they had their kid with with them we might not say no to them. Like get a clue.“ Kayla then revealed a strategy she began using that she learned from another WWE star, who she said may have been Nikki Cross but couldn’t remember. “Somebody on the roster was like, ‘I’ll sign one for you, and that’s it. Because I know you’re about to go sell them. I’ll sign it for you, and I’ll personalize it to you because here you go. Here’s a courtesy that I don’t even owe you, but I’ll give this to you,’” Braxton said. She added: “That’s kind of how I started working, too.” What do you think, Cagesiders? Are too many fans crossing a line with stars? Let us know in the comments.