"It’s terrifying" - 5 times WWE Superstars got into fights with fans
Over the years, WWE fans have tried various ways to get noticed by their in-ring heroes. They get their favorite WWE Superstars’ attention by tagging them on social media, making posters for them, or sending them personal videos.
Meanwhile, some rowdy fans do not know where to draw the line between real life and kayfabe. They take the action a bit too seriously, and at times cross the boundaries that can lead to adverse situations.
The company's security team works hard to ensure that fans stay behind the barricades and do not get involved in the action in any way. However, it’s impossible to always keep an eye on every fan in the arena.
With that being said, check out the five times WWE Superstars got into fights with fans due to various reasons.
#5. Triple H took down a fan who tried to attack Stone Cold Steve Austin
Triple H has assumed several roles in WWE since retiring from the ring. He is currently leading the company in a new direction since becoming the head of the creative team.
During his time in the ring, Triple H was known as one of the meanest and most aggressive superstars. In 1998, he faced Stone Cold Steve Austin at a house show in Berlin. The two Superstars had a good match, during which Texas Rattlesnake hit Triple H's manager Chyna with a stunner before pinning The Game for the three-count.
Right after the match, a fan attacked Stone Cold. Triple H acted quickly and suplexed the fan and proceeded to kick and punch him along with referee Mike Chioda before security arrived to eject him from the arena.
Stone Cold Steve Austin spoke about the incident on an episode of the Steve Austin Show and shared his thoughts about the event:
"Triple H had his eyes open just like a shark laying there. I thought the fan was one of the boys because way back in the day after a match, after a house show, we’d come out from the back and jump in there and take guys finishers as a rib! This wasn’t a rib; it was a fan who was at ringside who happened to be a Triple H and Chyna fan and was not very happy that Stone Cold Steve Austin had given him a Stunner and got the three count." said Austin.
Triple H’s fan learned the hard way that it’s not smart to mess with The Game. He ensured that the situation was taken care of before the security team arrived.
#4. Seth Rollins was attacked by a fan during a segment
A fan attacks Seth Rollins last night on Raw. That’s some old school heat right there! https://t.co/tGMCP3kYX1
Seth Rollins has been playing an excellent heel character on screen for several months. The Visionary has competed in many high-profile rivalries but hasn’t won a title in some time.
In November 2021, Rollins was ready to take on Finn Balor in a singles match on WWE RAW. However, the match never got going as The Visionary attacked Balor before the opening bell.
As Seth Rollins headed up the ramp, he was attacked by a fan who was present in the arena. The fan jumped the barricade and attacked Rollins, who was with a referee at the time. The former Universal Champion was quick to act and got a few strikes in before officials could get involved and restrain the attacker.
Speaking to TMZ.com later on, Rollins claimed that the incident was terrifying, and it happened very quickly:
"It’s terrifying, brother. It happened very quickly. I was mostly just reacting and hoping that our security would come and do their job. Which they did very quickly. And then was just trying to detach and move on. Hope that everybody is okay," said Seth Rollins.
Luckily, the WWE veteran did not suffer any serious injuries and was safe. He also stated that the fan should be banned from future WWE shows and events to protect himself and others from any future attacks.
#3. Cash Wheeler (Dash Wilder) punched a fan who attacked a WWE Hall of Famer
WWE legend Bret Hart was inducted into the Hall of Famer for the second time in the class of 2019 as part of The Hart Foundation. As Hart was giving his speech, a fan surpassed the security guards and tackled him inside the ring.
Many wrestlers spring into action to stop the fan and restrain him. Among them was former tag team champion Cash Wheeler (fka Dash Wilder). After seeing that the fan hadn’t been restrained by security and could do some more damage, Wheeler landed a stiff punch on his face which knocked him out cold.
Speaking with Jim Cornette on his podcast, FTR spoke about various topics. During the interview, Wheeler explained what happened after he punched the match who attacked The Hitman.
Cash revealed that he showed footage of what went down to Vince McMahon. He added that the former WWE Chairman realized that Wheeler wasn’t at fault for punching the rowdy fan:
"I did have a meeting with Vince McMahon and I did have to show him the video from multiple angles so he could see that the guy wasn't restrained. There were no cuffs, no cops, no security, just the boys, and a mentally unstable guy whose hands are not being restrained at all. And as soon as he saw the video and I told him kind of like what the guy had been saying, everything changed. He wasn't mad to begin with, he was just worried. But once he saw the video, once he saw the guy was not restrained, he was still a threat and that was the case, he was like, 'that's completely justified,'" Cash Wheeler said.
Quick thinking from the former WWE tag team champion ensured that the fan could not do any more damage.
#2. Sami Zayn shut down a rowdy fan
Sami Zayn confronted a fan who allegedly yelled homophobic slurs at him during a house show tonight in Daytona Beach twitter.com/JohnBetz/statu…
Sami Zayn is one of the most entertaining and genuine characters in WWE today. The Great Liberator has worked hard to become a top guy even though he doesn't embody the quintessential main event level physique or appeal.
In December 2019, Zayn was part of a WWE live event at Daytona Beach that featured several SmackDown Superstars. During the show, a fan constantly shouted homophobic slurs at The Master Strategist.
Zayn, who accompanied Shinsuke Nakamura to ringside for his match against ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt, tried to stay calm at first. However, he lost his cool and confronted the fan who refused to shut up. The person continued to make direct remarks about Zayn that were discriminatory.
The Master Strategist nearly got physical with the person, but the referee and other officials managed to hold him back before things could get out of hand. According to some fans, the person was kicked out of the show for his behavior.
Sami Zayn has been a supporter of many causes bigger than himself. It comes as no surprise that he decided to take a stance against the person making discriminatory remarks during the show.
#1. CM Punk took a shot at an unsuspecting fan
CM Punk worked his way up to become one of the biggest heels in WWE for some time. The Best in the World ran into some trouble during his time in the company, but that still couldn’t keep him away from the top.
On the October 8, 2012, episode of RAW, Punk found himself in a rather dangerous situation. After his match on the show, Punk retreated into the crowd section to escape from a Superstar. However, security guards were not in the right position for Punk’s move, and the WWE Champion was targeted by some fans.
They took advantage of the situation and struck Punk in the back a couple of times. It prompted the Straight Edge Superstar to retaliate. However, he wasn’t sure who was behind the attack and struck the person closest to him.
Soon after, TMZ ran the story with a comment from WWE regarding the situation:
A rep for the WWE tells TMZ, "WWE security was unfortunately not in the appropriate place at the time. Given CM Punk's persona as a 'bad guy' fans were naturally heckling him, but unfortunately a few fans began shoving him and one struck him in the kidney and on the back."
The rep adds, "WWE regrets that proper security measures were not in place, and CM Punk apologizes for reacting in the heat of the moment."
Watching the video again, it was clear that the fans wanted to do some damage to the Superstar while no security was present. Thankfully, no one got injured in the incident.