Pro wrestling star Seth Rollins is used to getting attacked, but not necessarily by fans.
The 35-year-old World Wrestling Entertainment star found himself in that very predicament last night during Monday Night Raw at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
In a now-viral moment, a fan jumped over the guard rail near the ramp and flew at Rollins, tackling him to the ground. The fan came out so quickly that Rollins didn’t really have a chance to react. It’s pretty spectacular and mildly horrifying.
Fortunately, Rollins was OK after the altercation, suffering a bruised lip and waving away medical help.
Take a look at what happened below.
Because the incident happened in an arena, there are more angles than just this one. In the following video, we get to see the aftermath of the hit.
A referee following Rollins quickly jumps to his aid, then another ref comes barreling in with a flying elbow. Rollins gets up and is pretty angry. He starts calling the man a “little bitch” and chastises him for the blind side.
The attacker is 24-year-old Elisah Spencer, according to reports. Spencer was charged with attempted assault and disrupting a live event. WWE said it would go after Spencer legally.
“WWE takes the safety of its performers very seriously,” a company spokesperson said. “The individual who attacked Seth Rollins has been turned over to the NYPD and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Spencer released a bizarre video after the incident claiming responsibility for his actions and saying something about Vince McMahon and that he had a personal “beef” with Colby Lopez, Rollins’ real name.
Videos of the incident have been viewed millions of times, and even older wrestlers are commenting on it. Chavo Guerrero, a wrestler in his ’50s, called Rollins out on Twitter.
“Remember when the wrestlers were tougher than the fans?” Guerrero tweeted. “Ah, the good ol’ days.”