'%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)
What's the story?
The job of a heel wrestler is never pleasant, as they have to perform all sorts of antics so that the crowd hates them. Sometimes these antics can go too far in the eyes of the fans, and they try to assault the wrestler who has offended them.
Independent wrestler Devin Danger learnt first hand that his heelish actions didn't go down well with the crowd in his tag team match at Salinas, California for Big Time Wrestling. He spat at a small girl in the crowd and was assaulted by an adult, who was presumably accompanying the child. As is the trend nowadays, the entire incident was caught on camera and surfaced on Twitter.
In case you didn't know...
Wrestlers who have to perform heelish actions are always in danger of antagonizing the crowd. In the late 90's, this resulted in trash being tossed into the ring, directed at the wrestlers.
When Hulk Hogan joined NWO in WCW, or when Shawn Michaels defeated the British Bulldog using the help of D-Generation X to win the European Championship, the crowd reacted in a hostile manner as their faith was betrayed.
You can watch Hulk Hogan join NWO here:
On another occasion, Chris Jericho was assaulted by a fan in the parking lot when he was trying to get into his car. This was during his heel run against Shawn Michaels. All wrestlers have to keep in mind that they walk a fine line, that they are always in danger of crossing, and unfortunately Devin Danger discovered this the hard way.
The heart of the matter
When Devin and his tag partner made their entrance, they both started to antagonize the crowd. This was fairly normal for any heel. But, Devin stopped and noticed a young girl in the crowd, and extended his hand for a handshake, but as she came forward, he took his hand back and spat what appeared to be gum at her.
While it did not seem to make contact, an enraged adult assaulted him immediately afterward.
You can watch the video here:
He had to be stopped by security personnel who instructed him to back away, but not before he was able to strike Devin.
What's next?
Several fans and wrestlers have berated Devin for antics, and many said that he had crossed the line, and the adult had been justified in his actions.
Author's take
Spitting at a child is never acceptable, no matter what the excuse is. There are several ways to act heelish without doing something of this nature.
