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Wrestling is regularly performed in front of a live audience and the WWE Universe plays a huge role in the overall production of the show.
While performing in front of an audience is considered one of the best parts of being a WWE Superstar, it also comes with its issues. One of the biggest is the fact that security has to be on their toes because more often than not there will be someone from the crowd wanting to join in on the action.
There are also times when WWE Superstars go too far and fans step too deep into a story, which then leads to them approaching the ring and attempting to attack a wrestler.
This has happened numerous times over the years and the following list looks at just five incidents that happened to current WWE stars.
#5. Former WWE Champion Randy Orton
Randy Orton has been part of WWE now for almost two decades, so he's accustomed to performing in front of a live audience.
The Legend Killer has also had his own fair share of altercations with the WWE Universe as well.
Back in 2013, Randy Orton was attacked by a fan following his match at a live show in Cape Town, South Africa. The former World Champion had defeated Big E and was doing his trademark celebration on the ropes when a fan entered the ring and low-blowed Orton before being apprehended by security.
The incident gained so much attention that WWE were forced to release a statement on their official website.
"WWE.com has learned that Randy Orton was violently attacked by an audience member during a SmackDown World Tour Live Event in Cape Town, South Africa, this evening. Footage of the attack was captured by a WWE fan and posted to YouTube, and shows the perpetrator striking Orton from behind. The matter is currently under investigation by the local authorities, and the South African fan is being held in jail pending criminal charges. The extent of Orton’s injuries are unknown at this time."
It was later revealed that Orton's attacker was a huge WWE fan and had planned to attack the former Champion because he wanted a match against him.
#4. Current WWE COO Triple H
Triple H has been part of the business now for almost three decades and has come through the ranks in WWE throughout that time.
The Game was once seen as one of the company's biggest heels, which led to some unwanted attention.
Early in his WWE career, back in 1998, Triple H was performing in Germany, and following his match against Stone Cold Steve Austin a fan approached the ring.
Triple H had been defeated by Austin following a stunner and was lying on the mat when the intruder approached. The Game sensed that there could be an issue and reacted quickly to deliver a suplex before referee Mike Chioda was able to step in and help the situation.
Stone Cold recalled the incident on his podcast a few years later, where he revealed that the former WWE Champion was watching his back because he was the babyface.
“Triple H [is] a stand-up cat. He picked that dude up, slammed him and started punching his lights out. And he’s yelling to the security guard, ‘Get your ass in here!’ And the security guard didn’t know whether to sh*t or wind his watch. He was confused, you know? It happened so fast. I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t help beat the guy up, I’m the babyface. But Triple H was watching my back, and he beat the snot out of that guy.”
It appears that the fan was looking to go after Stone Cold following his victory, so it's lucky that Triple H noticed and prevented any kind of physicality.
#3. Current WWE Superstar Natalya and Bret Hart
WWE's Hall of Fame ceremony has become a traditional yearly celebration as part of WrestleMania weekend.
The Hart Foundation was finally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 and Natalya was by her uncle Bret Hart's side to accept this on her late father's behalf.
In one of the most shocking scenes, a fan entered the ring where the two stars were standing and punched Hart in the face. At the time, Natalya was holding onto the former WWE star, which meant that she fell to the ground as well.
The crowd of wrestlers reacted quickly and were able to ground the assailant before security could take him away, but the likes of Harry Smith and Dash Wilder were still able to make a point.
Bret Hart later described the incident and the attacker's name was revealed to be Zachary Madsen.
"I didn't see the guy until it was too late. I could tell something was happening but I thought it was a fight in the crowd. You never take anything for granted. I consider myself lucky that it was as insignificant of an incident as it was. Everyone thought I got punched and hurt and manhandled by that guy but it was more the other way around, I think."
Following the incident, Madsen was charged with two counts of assault and trespassing.
#2. Former WWE Champion Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins has been one of WWE's biggest heels in recent years and following the Shield's split, The Messiah was one of the company's most hated stars.
Back in 2016, a fan seemingly took it a little too far when he approached Rollins whilst he was in the ring on Monday Night RAW in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Rollins was able to continue his segment whilst security stepped in to apprehend the fan, and it was later reported that one of the security teams was bitten. Luckily, Rollins was uninjured and even though he was a little shaken up, security was quick enough to prevent the fan from making any kind of contact with the WWE star.
It was later reported that the fan was facing criminal charges for assault and criminal tresspass after being detained by Corpus Christi police. It was also revealed that his name was Edward Ferrero and he was another huge WWE fan.
Rollins wasn't the only former Shield member to be approached by a member of the WWE Universe. A year earlier Dean Ambrose narrowly avoided being stabbed by a fan at a house show.
#1. Current WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is now one of WWE's biggest heels, but interestingly The Tribal Chief was attacked by a member of the WWE Universe whilst he was portraying a babyface.
Reigns was wrestling Bray Wyatt at a house show in Victoria, British Columbia, in 2015 when a fan threw a replica Money in the Bank briefcase at the former Champion, hitting him in the head.
Despite the attack coming as a shock, Reigns was able to continue the match after a few minutes in the corner to recover. Wyatt was also surprised by the interference in the match, but the two men were able to take a slight pause whilst Reigns recovered before the match continued and The Big Dog came out on top.
Reports suggest that the fan was urged by other members of the WWE Universe to throw the case at Reigns, but he later apologized and the company opted against filing charges. The fan was banned from all future WWE events, which seemed like a relatively acceptable punishment.
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