Seth Rollins once again had a very close call with a fan, though a bit too close for comfort this time around. During a moment while Rollins was making his way up the ramp during the Barclays Center follow-up to Survivor Series when someone in the crowd charged him.
Rollins ended up tackled as cameras cut away, with security quickly swooping in to usher the fan out. The crowd can be heard chanting “f-k him up” as security swarms him, showing that some aspects of the old days of pro wrestling are still alive, for better or for worse.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Rollins had a close encounter with a fan a few years prior, ahead of a match with John Cena and New Day. That moment was a bit less violent, but WWE has had plenty of close calls in recent years. The most shocking and high profile was likely the attack on Bret Hart during the WWE Hall of Fame inductions in 2019.
None of this compares to wrestling incidents from the past. Shows with WWF, WCW and ECW were always highlighted by fan interaction off the unwarranted variety. Hulk Hogan and the nWo would always be pelted with trash, Terry Funk and Mick Foley kicked off a flood of chairs being thrown into the ring and countless superstars have had to beat up fans as they entered the ring on live television.
But Monday’s incident highlights how wrestling still manages to draw out emotions in viewers and blur lines between reality and fiction. It also shows that a lot of fans are pretty dumb and lack the awareness to be fully trusted to not interfere when the show comes to them.
Thankfully Rollins was not hurt in the incident and managed to save character too, yelling at the fan and making his way backstage. Finn Balor was still recovering from the beating he had received in the ring prior to the incident, so it is unclear if he knew what was going on at the time. Somewhere Randy Savage is trying to hop over the Pearly gates and get a few licks in on the fan.
