'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Death threats in any scenario should be taken very seriously. Die-hard fans of wrestling take WWE a bit too much to heart at times. As children, most fans believe that everything that happens in WWE is real. The divide between fantasy and reality widens for most fans as they grow older.
However, there are still fans who take the action and drama they watch on television as very real. This has caused problems for Superstars which have led to arguments with the WWE Universe on social media and during meet-ups.
While some fans just like to poke certain Superstars who are playing heel characters, others have been known to take things too far and threaten Superstars based on on-screen characters and storylines.
On the other hand, some real-life occurrences have also prompted certain people to make death threats to WWE Superstars, making things more difficult for the performers.
Keeping in mind how some WWE Superstars may struggle to keep their personal lives and characters different from their on-screen ones, let's look at 10 Superstars who’ve received death threats in real-life.
#10 WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair received death threats from football fans
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is among the most well-respected individuals in the wrestling industry. While Flair has received a lot of love from the wrestling community, he was targeted by some football fans in 2014.
Flair did not attend a playoff game between the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers in early 2014 because he received death threats from fans before the big event. Flair gave a pep talk to the ‘49ers before the game, and that did not settle well with the Panthers’ fans. But it certainly should not have warranted death threats.
“When the 49ers reached out and WWE asked Ric to jet up there, of course he said yes,” says Melinda Morris Zanoni, Flair’s agent at Legacy Talent and Entertainment, “and he’s friends with a bunch of the 49ers just like he is with the Panthers, Packers, and many other NFL players. But no, Ric does not intend on attending the Panthers vs. 49ers game this weekend.” “What can I say? I’ve always been a very good heel!” added Flair.
Flair has lived in Charlotte for decades and his love for the 49ers did not settle well with the Panthers’ fans. The controversy began after Flair said that his heart was with the 49ers only days after Panthers players revealed they had been using Flair’s famous “WOOOOO” chant to celebrate wins.
Reports suggested that Carolina fans felt betrayed, and went as far as to offer death threats to The Nature Boy.
“We know fans are passionate about their teams, but some of the choice language we have been receiving is scaring off our interns,” says Melinda.
Flair’s “Wooooo” cheer was often used on the scoreboard during Panthers’ games, but some legal disputes led to it being removed.
#9 Ariya Daivari received death threats after his role at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble
The Greatest Royal Rumble was a big pay-per-view for WWE which was looking to spread their product to an even wider audience. To make the event more memorable for the local fans in Saudi Arabia, WWE decided to book a typical hero vs. villain segment.
Ariya Daivari and his brother Shawn Daivari came out waving the flag of their home nation Iran, and certain members of the Saudi Arabian fanbase did not take this too lightly. While the Saudi Arabian wrestlers in the ring humiliated the foreign billed Superstars, Ariya took to Twitter to reveal that he received some hateful messages, including death threats.
“Unfortunately some people took offense to this despite it being pure entertainment. Some threats were made against my life. I wanted to put this statement out to clarify where I as a person stand compared to my t.v. character.”
Following the Greatest Royal Rumble, Ariya even went as far as to apologize for his role on-screen and clarified that his on-screen character differs from his actual views.
Ariya has been on 205 Live and NXT ever since, and thankfully the fans in question did not go too far after making the death threats.
#8 WWE Superstar Lana has been a constant target for online harassment
In late 2019, Lana was involved in a WWE storyline that involved her real-life husband Rusev and on-screen partner Bobby Lashley. The storyline was heavily pushed by creatives, and many in the WWE Universe did not enjoy it as much as management would have liked.
While the on-screen drama was scripted, some fans took things way too seriously and decided to send death threats to Lana on social media. In an interview with Comicbook.com, Lana opened up about receiving death threats online.
The Superstar further revealed that things got so serious she was contacted by WWE Officials and the FBI.
“I mean, people are mean, mean, mean. They’re bullies. Today, I open my email account and I had this death threat on my email and you know, you can go see it on into my Instagram story, but it was just like the names that people call are just absolutely appalling.”
The storyline did not end well, and all three Superstars went their own way in 2020. Thankfully, none of the Superstars involved were physically harmed by fans who made death threats, or similar threats.
#7 WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley received backlash for his storylines in 2019
Some fans in the WWE Universe weren’t too happy with the storyline between Lana and Bobby Lashley, as we've discussed, so they decided to take matters into their own hands. Not only did Lana receive some death threats during the storyline, but Lashley also received messages from fans that weren’t too nice.
Lashley and Lana played the heel characters in the storyline, and fans sympathized with the babyface Rusev. Lashley opened up during an interview about how fans started venting their anger by targeting the duo on social media and during meet-and-greets.
“I get very, very bad comments, ones I don't want to say on camera right now. Vulgar, death threats, there's a lot of things—but, ya know, I'm not a hard person to find and if anybody has anything to say about me, they can just come and see me. Not saying I'm going to fight every fan that disapproves of what we're doing, but I'm not going to back down to stupidity,”
The All-Mighty was forced to keep a low-profile during the storyline to ensure that things did not go too far. He also tried to make the fans understand that on-screen relationships should not be taken too seriously.
Lashley has since moved on and has managed to get ahead on WWE RAW as a top Superstar on the brand.
#6 WWE Superstar King Corbin got in trouble after an inter-gender spot
King Corbin is seen as one of the safest workers in WWE today. His heel character and work ethic have allowed him to compete against some of the biggest stars in the company. While Corbin’s rivalries against Kurt Angle and Seth Rollins brought him a lot of heat, it was a spot with Becky Lynch that got things a bit too complicated.
Corbin teamed up with Lacey Evans to compete in a Mixed Tag Team Match against Rollins and Becky Lynch. During the match, Corbin shocked the WWE Universe by performing his finisher, known as End of Days, to Lynch.
In an episode of the Notsam Wrestling Podcast, King Corbin sat down with the host, Sam Roberts, and spoke about the particular spot.
“I was curious to the reaction. It was one of the craziest reactions that I've ever heard because when I'm getting up behind her and you hear them going 'Oh!' and then when I snatch her they are going 'No!' and then when I like do it, it's like almost dead quiet for a second. They're like 'Hey dude, did he just hit her with the End of Days?' and they like popped, they are like 'yeah!', wait no, 'boo!' It was the most confused amazing reaction of just pure natural excitement and hatred.”
Corbin went as far as to reveal that he received some death threats following the major spot. However, The King laughed it off and claimed that he enjoyed the reactions from the live crowd during the show.
#5 Rey Mysterio was threatened following a tragic incident outside WWE
Rey Mysterio has been one of the biggest babyfaces in WWE for a long time. However, the Master of the 619 too has received some death threats following a tragic incident that took place in the ring.
In 2015, while performing for the Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), Mysterio competed in a tag team match featuring himself, Xtreme Tiger, and his tag team partner Manik.
Mysterio delivered a dropkick to Hijo Del Perro Aguayo, who ended up getting a whiplash that badly injured him. Mysterio wasn’t aware of what had happened and continued to deliver his signature 619, following which the men in the ring realized something was wrong.
Perro Aguayo suffered a cervical spine trauma that led to a cardiac arrest, caused by a cervical stroke. This led to him being rushed to the hospital, following which the doctors pronounced him dead later that night.
Certain fans did not realize that Aguayo’s death was not Mysterio’s fault and ended up threatening the Superstar. While things could have gone from bad to worse, Mysterio was thankfully not harmed following the incident and has once again become a major player in WWE.
#4 WWE Superstar Carmella received some hate after her private life was made public
Carmella has been one of the most prominent female WWE Superstars in recent times. The Princess of Staten Island has had a good showing on WWE SmackDown, and she’s looking to make it big once again.
In late 2019, news broke that Carmella was dating former WWE Superstar and current Color Commentator, Corey Graves. Graves’ wife made some remarks on social media that ended up getting Carmella a lot of heat. In an episode of Total Divas aired on the E Network, the Superstar revealed that she received death threats after being wrongly accused of breaking up Graves' marriage.
"Why the f--k would she go on social media and put that out there? I'm not kidding. This is not ok, - I'm not ok right now. Literally, I'm getting death threats."
The former SmackDown Women’s Champion cleared the air about the relationship between her and Graves in an episode that followed and claimed that she only dated Graves after she ensured that he had been separated from his wife. However, Carmella continued to receive some negative messages from the WWE Universe long after she clarified her position.
#3 WWE Superstar William Regal has been the victim of harassment
William Regal has proven himself to be one of the best General Managers in WWE history. However, the current GM of WWE NXT was seen as a great wrestler during his time in the ring.
Just like many other Superstars on this list, Regal too was the victim of online harassment and threats not too long ago. In 2012, Regal responded to one fan and claimed that he received at least one death threat per day.
The very same year, he tweeted that “I'm used to abuse and death threats but that has to be stopped.” This showed that Regal was receiving a lot of threats at a time when he was competing in the final few matches of his career.
Regal’s family was also made a victim of some threats, which must have made for difficult times for the WWE Superstar. In 2015, Regal tweeted that he received a call where the caller threatened him and claimed that “Everything you love will be taken away from you.”
Fans urged the WWE legend to contact the police. It seems like the Superstar has been a major target for some mischievous people.
#2 WWE Superstar Sonya Deville received some threats and scares off-screen
Sonya Deville has gotten the WWE Universe behind her by working hard and proving herself on the mic and in the ring. 2020 proved to be a mixed year for Deville, who started off in a tag team with Mandy Rose. Their storyline developed over the year and turned into a rivalry that was well-received by fans.
However, outside the ring, Deville faced some real-life issues that made headlines. Deville was the victim of a break-in by a stalker who seemed to be ready to do some harm to the WWE Superstar.
Thankfully, the stalker was arrested and charged by the police. However, things did not end there, as Deville continued to receive anonymous messages and social media posts, according to HeelByNature.com.
Deville bravely carried on her role on-screen and finished her rivalry against Rose before leaving the company for some time. The Superstar returned to WWE SmackDown in early 2021.
#1 Harley Race almost burned down the WWE ring and targeted Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan
The story of the altercation between Harley Race and Hulk Hogan in WWE has a few different versions. However, each one points to the fact that Haley Race did threaten to kill Hogan a long time ago.
Hogan appeared on the 'WOOOOO! Nation' with Ric Flair and talked about the time when Race pulled a gun on him. The legendary Superstar revealed that he went to Race's Kansas City territory and discussed the late great Dusty Rhodes.
According to The Nature Boy, Race was so angry at WWE and Vince McMahon going to NWA that he arrived in WWE to confront Vince and Hogan.
"Harley was so goddamn mad at WWE, WWF at that time, and he's leaving me to wrestle [Bruiser] Brody over there and we had 3,000 people," Flair said. "He's going over to the convention center to kill Hulk! He pulled out his 9 mm tucked into his pants and goes, 'I'll be back'".
Hogan added to the story and claimed that Race attempted to set the WWE ring on fire before the show. He also revealed that Race pulled a gun on him as he was coming out of the bathroom.
"The ring crew said, 'he'd already been here and tried to light the ring on fire' and they all told me he wanted to kill me, so I went across the street to the Rusty Scrupper and drank two bottles of wine and I just come sliding back there, right before the main event, hoping I'd miss him. I'm sitting on the toilet, going number two and I had my pants down, and Davey Boy Smith goes, 'Harley's here! Harley's here! Harley's here!' and Davey Boy Smith started screaming. And I pulled my pants up, but didn't wipe my rear end, just blowing out of the bathroom to find him, and he was standing right there with a gun in his hand going, 'I came here to blow your damn kneecaps off, but I'd rather work with you guys.' He scared the hell out of me."
Thankfully, no one was harmed following the altercation. However, this must be one of the scariest threats that a WWE Superstar has received during their time in the company, even if it did come from a fellow wrestler.
