Off The Ropes: Hey WWE Fans That Try To Interfere…Just Enjoy The Show! by Hab Rich

With the latest barricade jumping incident at WWE’s Night of Champions last Sunday, I must say I’ve had it with fans who think it’s cool to hop barricades or throw objects into the ring during live performances. Let me be frank, you’re all blathering idiots. You’re an embarrassment to real wrestling fans universally and you should all maybe stick to WWE2K16.

It’s deeper than that though, so let’s examine the thought process (or obvious lack thereof) of a water-head wrestling fan determined to make an ass of themselves. Tickets as close as where these barricade jumpers emerged from aren’t exactly cheap, so what gives? Do these cats have money to throw away like that? Because surely after dishing out the cash to pay for those seats, there’s a chance that 99% of normal wrestling fans wouldn’t dare interject themselves physically into a match or superstar entrance.

The latest barricade jumper basically committed WWE Live Show suicide, for lack of a better term, and in today’s social media world of sharing and oversharing, he left his ‘note’ on Twitter. I won’t link his handle or even what he said into my column, because it’s the internet folks so get on out there and find it yourself. I’m just baffled as to if they did it because they hate WWE or because they love it so much they just want to be a part of the action; either way, it’s a serious headscratcher. As normal wrestling fans, I’m sure not many of us who love going to live events would risk never being able to attend another one by interfering in a match. But again, we’re dealing with outliers so I guess nothing’s off limits.

Any way you profile these recent barricade bumrushers, I’m sure we’d all come to the same conclusion that those fellas just aren’t altogether there in the brains department. Any old adage you wanna throw in there about folks being off their rockers, or a few bricks short would apply to them. I just think it’s a pathetic cry for some kind of attention or recognition, which is what they all got. So enjoy WWE’s lifetime ban and enjoy WWE programming from home. Maybe start a wrestling blog, or an ant farm, or a pet rock collection.

This is for the goofballs who may have encouraged these folks that got involved. Go ahead, claim “I didn’t think they’d actually do it,” but you wanna know something, we aren’t listening. Normal people go to WWE Live Events and behave themselves, mainly by NOT encouraging people to do something that’s going to potentially injure a WWE Superstar. Normal people give the wrestlers pats on the shoulder when, if by chance, they come in from the crowd or the action spills over the barricades. This could be for anyone, but don’t dare or encourage someone you think has bad intentions of getting involved. In my opinion, that makes you accomplice. Just enjoy the show.

Wrestling fans, don’t be the folks I just mentioned in the two previous fans. Enjoy the entertainment, don’t try to be part of the show. Boo John Cena all you want, just don’t cross the line and try to hurt someone who’s sole job is to entertain you. Boo Roman Reigns until you’re blue in the face, just don’t be the skid mark that tries to shove him down the stairs as he’s making his entrance. Superstars take a great enough risk as it is, without having to worry about fans trying to injure them. Don’t be the one person that ruins a live event for everyone. If sports entertainment has gotten you so discouraged to the point you’re plotting violence against the superstars, then maybe you should detox a little. With football season kicking off, that’ll give you all the time you need to cool off.

In today’s litigious society, I doubt WWE would want the public hassle or shame of a lawsuit from a fan who jumps into the ring and (rightfully so) gets pummeled mercilessly. Thirty years ago, a fan who thought it was okay to jump in the ring during a match was more than likely to be beaten black and blue. One of the tenets of the southern wrestling I grew up watching was the old, salty cowboy character. With that in mind, and if you’re old enough to remember riddle me this; would these barricade jumpers be so antsy to jump into the ring during any match involving Dutch Mantell or Dick Slater? They’d best thank their lucky star, medallion or rabbit’s foot that neither Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose nor the Wyatt Family members decided to stomp the old proverbial mudhole in them and . . . you already know the rest.

WWE Universe, I’m deputizing each and every one of you reading this column. You enjoy it when WWE comes to town, right? I’m sure you do. Do you want your next WWE Live Show ruined because some fan jumped in the ring? Of course you don’t. With that in mind, let’s all agree to gang tackle the next fool who tries something that foolish. Deal? Okay!

If you’re reading this column and entertaining the idea of jumping in the ring, don’t do it. I don’t care how much attention either of these clowns are getting right now, it’s not worth it. Long after the last column about these two turds has been published, they still have to deal with the fact that they’ll never be able to see WWE live and in person again.

I wouldn’t necessarily call all the sitting and standing at WWE events a cardio workout, but except for the intermission and occasional trip to empty the bladder, those should be the only mildly athletic things we as fans do. It’s quite simple, “Sit, stand, repeat.” I’m pretty sure Paul Heyman is coming for his royalties, but I really couldn’t make it much more plain than that. If you just have to be a knucklehead and try to jump the barricade or harm our WWE Superstars, I hope you slip and fracture your ankle while trying.

You paid your hard earned money folks, just enjoy the show.