Wish You Were Here…

Orlando, FL, is the place to be if you are a fan of wrestling, especially since every major wrestling promotion in the United States are running shows for their respective brands in the area. Yes, WrestleMania weekend is in full force and TNA, ROH and WWE are all doing their part to satisfy the inner cravings of wrestling fans of all types. The weekend got an early start with last night’s live Impact broadcast and will be capped off on Sunday night with WrestleMania XXIV.

I can still remember being a little surprised when the WWE announced that Orlando had been picked to host the next WrestleMania. Even though TNA’s corporate offices are located in Nashville, TN, the majority of their televised events have taken place at Universal Studios in Orlando. In the minds of many wrestling fans, Orlando is the home of TNA, much like Philadelphia was home to the original ECW.

As much of a surprise it was to hear about WrestleMania in Orlando, it should come as no surprise that the WWE put their foot down when it comes to their talent mingling with the talent from TNA. Case in point, Robbie McAllister, of the WWE tag team the Highlanders, attended last night’s Impact broadcast and was even shown on television during the show. PWInsider is now reporting that he has been sent home because of it.

Sure, showing up as a spectator at a live televised event was probably a dumb move on McAllister’s part. It does seem, though, that the WWE are going through great lengths to keep their talent segregated from the other promotions. There have been reports of TNA stars being barred from the hotel that the WWE talent is staying at and TNA’s web site even has an article about TNA talent not being allowed access to a backstage coffee machine at Universal Studios because it is too close to where the WWE had set up shop for their fan fest.

That may be taking it a little too far, especially considering that there are many friends and acquaintances between the companies. How many times have Edge & Christian held the tag team titles? How many others aside from Kurt Angle have held the grand slam of championships in the WWE? What about all of the other former champions such as Team 3D, Scott Steiner, Rhino and Kevin Nash?

In all seriousness, every fan in America knows that the WWE is the de facto standard when it comes to wrestling promotions in the country. The WWE came to Orlando knowing full well what they were getting in to. I really don’t think any public socializing between the companies are going to make them look bad in the eyes of the wrestling fans.