Watch: Joe Black attacked by fan at indie wrestling event
Joe Black was assaulted at Intense Wrestling Entertainment's 'Legion 300' event by a fan who hit him over the guardrail meant to separate the audience from wrestlers.
The incident took place during Intense Wrestling Entertainment's 14th May event, showcasing the two top stars of the promotion in the main event — Joe Black and Anthony Henry battling for the championship. Based out of Augusta, Georgia, the promotion found itself going viral for all the wrong reasons as Black's fight with the fan was shared all over social media.
According to a report by Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam, the fan was "mouthing off" during the entire main event. When Black was walking by the fan, he said something that irked the wrestler. He flipped the baseball cap off the fan's head, but that appeared to trigger the man. He then attacked the wrestler, immediately headbutting him, and a fight broke out.
Another angle of the fan incident with Joe Black tonight. https://t.co/ocs4gass8K
Black tried to attack him but was restrained. But he broke away and attacked the fan again, who then fought back. Soon, the locker room was emptied, with security and other wrestlers making their way out to stop the fight. Multiple fans, including the attacker, were ejected as a result.
Another video showed the aftermath of the incident. You can check it out below:
@CanBeOnly1Leage https://t.co/VfwAhE2t4x
Intense Wrestling Entertainment issued a statement about the Joe Black assault
IWE Pro apologized for the incident in a statement on Twitter. They said that the "unfortunate event" will be addressed by the promotion's personnel.
"An unfortunate event happened at the show tonight which will be addressed by IWE personnel. We want to thank everyone for coming out tonight and apologize for any inconveniences that may have occurred."
You can check out their Twitter post below:
An unfortunate event happened at the show tonight which will be addressed by IWE personnel. We want to thank everyone for coming out tonight and apologize for any inconveniences that may have occurred.
Fans attacking wrestlers is unfortunately not uncommon, with fans also attacking WWE stars in the past.
When the footage emerged, fans blamed Black for tipping off the fan's hat and provoking the incident.
@smileeBWR @Casshooole Perfect analogy because I have seen MJF do this twice and no one said anything bad about MJF. Meanwhile Joe Black is getting thrown under the bus. I wonder why? 🤔
Others have since defended his behavior, pointing out that he was simply being a heel, and MJF was praised for similar behavior as it was part of his character.
What did you make of the incident? Let us know in the comments section below.