LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — TNA Wrestling rolled out some old fashioned southern hospitality on Saturday, hosting another successful Fan Interaction session, this time on the day before the company’s annual Bound For Glory pay-per-view.
Hundreds of the TNA faithful filled the hall at the Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville, Georgia to get autographs and pictures with nearly every star on the TNA roster. Also in attendance and seen mingling around the crowd was Dixie Carter, TNA President, who happily signed autographs and bent an ear to any fan who wanted to say hello.
The event, which was recorded for the online show TNA Today, kicked off with a special preview presentation for the upcoming TNA Wrestling video game from Midway Games. Fans were shown several minutes of video from the new game, including a simulation match between Samoa Joe and Christian Cage. The preview of the game, which will be released in 2008 for multiple platforms, was one of many exclusives just for the crowd on hand.
In addition, fans were able to meet Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones, the controversial football player turned tag team champion. Sunday night could very well be the last appearance by Jones in TNA, and the line to meet him was one of the longer of the day, along with those for Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Kevin Nash and Scott Steiner. Fortunately there was plenty of time to meet everybody and get their autographs, pose with them for a Polaroid, and have them sign whatever material the fans had with them. Some fans were creative and brought their own home-made posters, others brought standbys like chairs or championship belts, while most others bought merchandise at the onsite store.
But the things that really stick out at these events aren’t the items you can buy. It’s the small personal moments that really make the TNA Fan Interactions special. Moments like seeing Matt Morgan’s jaw drop in awe when Jim Cornette reminisces about his days managing the Midnight Express. Moments like seeing a young girl meet Jackie Moore and thank her for being her hero. And moments like seeing Raven console a child who missed most of the day due to illness and offer to take him backstage so that he could get a photo or two anyway. It’s moments like that that make the Fan Interactions an experience worth going to.
