Professional wrestling has, no doubt, one of the most dedicated fanbases ever. They know how to play along, when to cheer, when to boo, and are grateful for any little thing the wrestlers send their way. However, this dedication can sometimes go over the top. Every now and then, a fan steps up who either decided to act upon some in-ring injustice, or simply wants to be a part of the show. Here are some of the craziest wrestling fans ever.
Referee Impersonator
We’ll start of with this unnamed wrestling enthusiast that thought it would be a good idea to enter the ring in the middle of a John Cena vs. Jeff Hardy match. Considering the potential for getting hurt, he did alright with only security guards tackling him to the ground and carrying him out. We have to give him credit, though, for choosing a referee shirt as a clever way of blending in. The professional security, however, didn’t fall for it and soon the match continued without many people even noticing.
Spiderman Wannabe
On a more athletic side, here is one fan that climbed the great steel cage that was the Elimination Chamber at the WWE fan convention, Axxess. This cheerful wrestling fan with a “Hit It Strong” T-Shirt, managed to climb up, and wave to what he thought was his audience. After that, he simply crawled to the side and very slowly (and unimpressively) climbed back down. According to the reports, he was arrested afterwards, but it was a small price to pay for his five minutes of fame.
Savaged Fan
One thing are crazy fans, the other are completely suicidal fans like this guy who decided to stand up to Randy Savage. During a Nitro event, while Macho Man was painting Kevin Nash’s face (literally) with his own blood, a fan decided to stop this ludicrous behavior with his own body. Since the security was pretty bad, Savage decided to take matters into his own hands. He tackled the intruder and kept him down until the security finally decided to do their job. In the heat of the moment, the uncontrollable Randy even attacked one of them, mistaking him for another fan. After this incident, he just focused back on destroying Nash like a true professional.
Referee Choke
Here is an example of how even the referees at WCW events were better security than the actual security. In a 1997 match between Psicosis and Dean Malenko, as Malenko was punishing him, a fan jumped into the ring and was immediately tackled by the referee, Mark Curtis. While Malenko and Psicosis did help out with a kick each, it was the referee’s knee hit, followed by a strong chokehold that kept things under control while the security team came in. The fan probably didn’t realize until it was too late that the referee was in fact trained in many wrestling techniques.
Wrestlemania Break-In
This is yet another wrestling fan with a death wish. During the Wrestlemania 23, in a serious match between John Cena and Shawn Michaels, a fan decided to barge in and take his clothes off, despite being close to the two of the most unforgiving fighters in wrestling. Of course, this is not WCW security we are talking about, so he was almost immediately escorted from the ring. What makes this moment great, however, is the Michaels’ improvisation skills. As the fan was carried away, the ever playful, Shawn sat on the ropes in the corner and waved to him, taunting him. In the video, you can see Cena trying really hard not to laugh at this.
Have a Chair
Now, this shows how fans are even crazier when working as one and especially during ECW shows. This famous incident happened during an event where Terry Funk and Cactus Jack (one of Mick Foley’s incarnations) confronted the tag team known as Public Enemy. At one point, with both Public Enemy team members on the ground, Cactus turns to one audience member as asks for a chair. What ensues is one of the most memorable incidents in wrestling history. Chairs start flying in from all over, completely burying the defeated team. One chair manages to hit Terry and he, the great performer that he is, falls down, seemingly unconscious.
Have a Leg
During the IWC event, where Tommy Dreamer faced Test in an Extreme Rules match, one fan had quite a strange request. While Tommy was often asked to use some of the props that fans brought from home as weapons in the ring, this fan brought forth something unorthodox. It was his wish for Tommy to use his prosthetic leg to overcome his opponent. Interestingly enough, Tommy was happy to oblige. He choked his opponent with it, made a mark on his face and eventually won the title. The fan was thrilled and even got Tommy’s shirt as a memento.
Ole School
Finally, it is only becoming to finish with one of the old-school wrestlers, Ole Anderson, and his incident with a hostile fan. It is not a secret that wrestlers were much tougher back in the days and that performing had its own set of dangers. While masterfully playing a heel, Anderson obviously infuriated one of the senior wrestling fans who, in turn, went up and stabbed him. This incident, however, only increased Ole Anderson’s fame as he became known as an extra tough wrestler who came back to work only two days later. They simply don’t make them like they used to.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
