The WWE makes million of dollars in live gates at live events all year long from fans who proudly wear wrestling shirts, listen to wrestling podcasts and even rock replica belts–it’s pretty safe to say wrestling fans are among the most rabid and passionate fan bases in all of pop culture. The WWE got wise a few years ago and even branded their fans the WWE Universe, not unlike a wrestler who brands his part of the fan base (how many people are Hulkamaniacs?).
Every now and again though, that rabid need to display their fandom turns ravenous and sometimes even crazier than crazy. Whether fans blindly tried to invade the show, attack a wrestler, be a wrestler, or #HijackRaw, fans have done some crazy things over the years to make themselves the focus of the show. When they do try and take over, it’s almost a black mark for the rest of the fans, because these few "fans" make the industry look like the carny days of old, as opposed to the slickly produced entertainment product that it is today.
You’ll probably never see a random fan try to bat for the Yankees, run a touchback for the Bengals, or dunk on LeBron, as these types of events are seldom seen in other sports (apart from streaking), but in the land of sports entertainment, they’re fairly common place. Here are the top 25 craziest things the fans have done.
26 25. Putting Butts in Seats
However, Foley did make it and the fans didn't make the difference in the arena on January 4th, 1999. During the Monday Night War, Eric Bischoff would reveal the results of taped Monday Night Raws during live Monday Nitros. The thought process was “don’t change the channel, we’ll just tell you the results right now since they’re taped and we’re live.”
One fateful Monday night, on January 4th, 1999, WCW announcer, Tony Schiavone, released the results like he always did. On this night, he told the fans that Mick Foley was going to win “their” world title tonight. Bischoff fed him the line “that ought to put a lot of butts in seats.” Despite hyping the main event of Nitro (Hulk Hogan vs. Kevin Nash; which turned out to be the infamous “Fingerpoke of Doom”), fans flocked over to the taped Raw to see Mick Foley finally ascend to the top of the mountain in one of the industry’s truly feel good moments. It also was the beginning of WCW's decline, as Raw won the ratings battle that week and never looked back. Good work fans.
25 24. Bodyslamming Girlfriends
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Joe Weller is a 19 year–old–kid from England who makes YouTube videos. who gained popularity by impersonating and making fun of football star, Cristiano Ronaldo. However, it was his video where he puts the moves on his girlfriend that garnered him notoriety amongst the wrestling community.
In the video, after complaining that his girlfriend doesn’t like the color blue, Weller deliveres a scintillating barrage of Superstars’ trademark moves to his girlfriend (into the safety of a pool). Weller gives his lady friend the chokeslam, an RKO, an F5, and several other moves all set to classic commentary from the WWE. This got the attention of Paul Heyman, and the original Paul Heyman Girl, Madusa, and the two would square off on an episode of Heyman Hustle. The 2015 Hall of Famer would defend the honor of Weller’s girlfriend by delivering a devastating suplex to Weller.
23 23. Dancing in the Streets
It’s no secret that the Monday Night Raw on the day after WrestleMania is usually one of the best Raw’s of the year. The “anything can happen” fervor of Raw is at a fever pitch, as it’s the night where the reset button is hit and many new storylines can start. Over the past few years, not only can anything happen in the ring but anything can happen in the stands.
Something strange was in the air at New Jersey’s IZOD Center on 04/08/2013, as the fans decided to take Fandango, a character that many believed was going to be a flop and, either on purpose or ironically, push him to the top, as they would sing along with his theme song and create their own dance to the beat. Thus, the term “Fandangoing” was born.
22 22. Just Wanted to Be Famous
We finally get to our first entry on the list that involves a fan thinking it’d be a good idea to jump over the rail. During a John Cena / Jeff Hardy match on the June 2nd, 2008 edition of Raw, a fan decided he wanted get in on the action. Since WWE security is usually amazing at stopping these sorts of things before they get on camera, the incident is barely seen on TV, as the camera was more focused on Cena taking Hardy down in a headlock. However, other angles, like the one you can see in the video above, show a young kid wearing a striped shirt was the culprit. It’s actually pretty smart to wear a ref’s shirt when jumping the guardrail, as maybe he thought WWE officials would have mistaken him for a WWE referee. Luckily for the safety of the wrestlers in the ring, security at these shows aren’t that dumb and didn’t fall for the ruse, tackling the kid and removing him from the ring.
21 21. Fanboy Foley Flop
It’s likely that this is the earliest piece of footage of the future hardcore legend, Mick Foley. During his rise to fame, Foley showed the fans home video of his alter-ego, Dude Love on the roof of his house, arms high in the air mimicking his idol, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka before diving onto a friend laying across a mattress. It’s a moment etched in time now, but consider this: if Foley never made it, this would just be an early fan video of some nut trying wrestling moves off his roof.
20 20. Scaling the Chamber
As every WWE fan knows, WrestleMania week is the biggest week of the year. There are events being hosted in and around Mania’s host city and none are more personal than Axxess, a convention of sorts where the WWE has superstar signings and trots out all kinds of memorabilia for the fans.
While most fans at WrestleMania 31 had little interest in seeing Roman Reigns leave Santa Clara as WWE World Heavyweight Champion, they generally kept to just booing the guy. For one fan, however, that just wasn’t enough. During a Fandango signing session at Axxess, this fan decided to climb the ten tons of twisted steel, otherwise known as the Elimination Chamber, and began chanting “boo Reigns on Sunday.” Jumping the guardrail at a live event is dumb enough, but climbing the demonic structure is just plain careless.
19 19. A Fan Vetoes Prettyboy Nash
In the first installment of “Poor WCW Security” on our list, we have a fan getting demolished by future WWE Hall of Famer, Macho Man Randy Savage during an episode of Nitro. During an angle were Savage would put make up on Kevin Nash, a fan decided to take umbrage with Nash getting assaulted and get into the ring. With security failing to do their job, Savage took matters into his own hands and tackled the guy, holding him until security decided to get on the clock. WCW, in its infinite wisdom, decided to give credence to the jerk and Tony Schiavone commented on how rowdy the fans were getting.
18 18. The nWo's First Opponent
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6jo42_wcw-bash-at-the-beach-1996-17-17_sport
The Outsiders, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, had guaranteed in the weeks leading up to Bash at the Beach that their third partner would be revealed at the event. The match began as a 2–on–3 handicap match with the Outsiders against the WCW alliance of Sting, Lex Luger, and the Macho Man. Wrestling fans were heartbroken when they learned that the third man who was aligning with Hall and Nash to destroy WCW was the most beloved man in wrestling; Hulk Hogan. Hogan made his way to the ring and dropped a leg drop on Savage.
Rather than see how the angle would play out, a fan decided #itsstillrealtome, long before it was a hashtag and attempted to stop the New World Order before they could really get rolling. Luckily for Hogan’s safety, Hall and Nash put the boots to the guy immediately. Along with that fan, the rest of the crowd littered the ring with garbage for the entirety of Hogan's promo.
17 17. Mistress Nattie
Sometimes, WWE Divas dress provocatively. Their outfits could be reminiscent of certain…um…types of models. True enough, the third generation Diva, Natalya Neidhart does wear pink and black adorned with spiked studs, so it might be possible to confuse her for a model, but not a professional dominatrix, right? Well, that’s exactly what happened when a prison inmate named Christopher Donnelly filed a lawsuit asking for $250,000, claiming Nattie was actually a dominatrix who beat the stuffing out of him from 2005–2009. Luckily the courts saw right through this one and dismissed the case.
16 16. Don't Mess With the Ref
At this point, you must be realizing how truly inept WCW Security was at keeping the wrestlers safe from the crazed fans who sometimes try to physically get at the Superstars. So the task of getting rid of these yahoos had to fall on someone, since it might be uneasy watching the wrestlers decimate these fans. During a match between Dean Malenko and Psicosis on Monday Nitro, a fan once again makes it across WCW’s gates and headed to the ring. On this night though, we all learned that the referees are just as tough as the wrestlers. The fan was greeted by Mark Curtis, who immediately took the guy down and held him in a front face lock until security could arrive.
15 15. "But I Just Wanted to Main Event 'Mania"
WrestleMania 23 took place in Detroit, 20 years after the famous Hogan/Andre showdown in Detroit at WrestleMania III. The tagline for the event was “All Grown Up,” showcasing how far the company has come. Unfortunately on this night, one WWE fan wasn’t very grown up at all and crashed the ring right before the main event between John Cena and Shawn Michaels. WWE cameras took the focus off the fan, but Michaels, ever the D-Generate sat on the ropes and antagonistically waved goodbye to the stupid fan.
14 14. Never Go After a Man's Mother-in-Law
During the build to WrestleMania 2000, the main event was set to have Triple H defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against both The Rock and The Big Show. Since Stephanie was backing her hubby, the Game, while Shane-O-Mac had sided with the Big Show and Vince had bet the farm on The Rock, naturally, we needed “A McMahon in Every Corner.” When Linda McMahon appeared on Raw to formally announce Mick Foley as her man, a fan tried to do quite possibly the dumbest thing a fan could do and go after the boss’ wife. Luckily, Triple H is not above breaking kayfabe and decked the guy before he got anywhere near his future mother-in-law.
13 13. Chanting Boring at the Hall of Fame
Ask any Superstar or Diva and they’ll tell you, when you buy a ticket to the show, you can do almost anything you please (so long as you don’t try some of the things you'll see on this list). The one night of year where this actually frowned upon is during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. This night is strictly for celebrating the Superstars and Divas and their contributions to the sport. Sure, the fans can come and partake in the ceremony, but catcalling is severely looked down on.
During the 2013 ceremony, fans turned on Maria Menounos while she was inducting her friend, Bob Backlund, chanting boring and catcalling the Extra host. To be fair, Menounos’ speech included a barrage of “Bob Backlund did this, Bob Backlund did that,” which, if she was delivering a full–fledged promo, would have been seen as heeling the crowd.
12 12. London Brawling
The most recent addition to our list also might be the most absurd. WWE’s most recent trip to London featured Wade Barret and Paige getting hometown welcomes, John Cena saying London deserves a WrestleMania and a great Smackdown main event, featuring a team up between Cena and Daniel Bryan against the Tag Team Champions, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd. Prior to the match, several fans stormed the ring. Luckily, they weren’t trying to take down the superstars; they just wanted to wrestle each other. One fan gave another the Rock Bottom on their way to getting caught by security. Hopefully, their poor behavior doesn’t reflect badly on all of Great Britain and they’ll get a WrestleMania one day.
11 11. "Give Me a Chair!"
At any ECW show, all sorts of crazy could, and did, happen, and sometimes the fans were just as nuts as the wrestlers. After all, these were hardcore wrestlers not afraid to bleed for their art. In the early days of Extreme Championship Wrestling, Heyman had employed Terry Funk, Cactus Jack, and a tag team known as the Public Enemy. The main event of Hardcore Heaven 1994 was Funk vs. Cactus, which was interrupted by the Public Enemy, who assaulted the hardcore legends (sounds a lot like the buildup to a future dumpster match, doesn’t it?). After taking out The Public Enemy, the icons asked the crowd for a chair. What happens next is one of the most replayed scenes in ECW’s history, as seemingly every fan in the Arena lobbed their seat into the ring, burying Public Enemy.
10 10. Fan Really Hates Raven or WCW Security Really Sucks
Raven was easily the best heel in ECW, especially during his feuds with Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman. Paul Heyman refers to this character as one of his greatest creations. So, obviously, WCW nabbed the guy during one of their talent raids. Sadly, like many a wrestler with no ties to Hulk Hogan, Raven floundered in WCW.
However, that didn’t stop a memorable fan interaction on an episode of Nitro, where the Bowery brawler was dragged out of the ring by a fan while he was cutting a promo on Diamond Dallas Page. Raven might have left himself open since he would deliver his promos sitting in the corner of the ring, but that doesn’t excuse the perpetrator or the company that allowed another one of their employees to be accosted by a fan.
9 9. Surfin' Spike Dudley
As the runt of the Dudley litter, Spike Dudley showed more heart than a lot of competitors. Swimming in the hardcore shark infested waters of ECW, Spike didn’t have much of a choice except to keep fighting and hope it won the crowd over. Delivering his patent move, the Acid Drop, a running top rope bulldog to men many times his size, would earn Spike “the Giant Killer” moniker. One night against Bam Bam Bigelow, there would be no slain giants. The Bammer heaved Little Spike Dudley into the crowd. However, the ECW faithful didn’t let the little guy fall. Instead, they body surfed him around the arena, adding another moment to ECW’s mythical party atmosphere. You can that video here.
8 8. Don't Mess with the Ref... Part 2
For our last WCW entry on this list, a tag team of idiots tried to storm the ring. During a Diamond Dallas Page promo, where he tried to call out the nWo, he got two fans instead. While there’s no doubt that DDP could have easily yoga-stretched both guys until they screamed uncle, he instead watched as the duo of referee “Pee–Wee” Randy Anderson and ring announcer, Dave Penzer, manhandled the morons. Penzer grabbed one by the legs and dragged him out of the ring immediately, while Anderson snatched the other intruder by the throat and choked him, while waiting for the inept WCW security.
7 7. John Cena Versus New York City
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x11rjvs_hostile-crowd-towards-cena_shortfilms
ECW was gone since March 2001, but thanks to unwavering fan support, the promotion wasn’t dead and buried, and in 2006, thanks to that support, ECW would be officially revived as WWE’s third brand at the second annual One Night Stand event. The PPV was headlined by Rob Van Dam cashing in his Money in the Bank and challenging John Cena for the WWE World Title. Cena, who at this point wasn’t quite as polarizing as he is now, was certainly a polarizing figure to the ECW faithful in attendance at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom.
Not only was Cena booed out of the building, but hanging from the rafters was the infamous “If Cena Wins, We Riot” sign. If this wasn’t bad enough, John Cena usually takes his shirt off and heaves it into the crowd for some lucky fan to grab. On this night though, the Doctor of Thuganomics couldn’t catch a break and the fans kept throwing his shirt back. The game of hot potato continued until Cena just gave up and dumped his shirt to the floor.