An Essay by Gordo, the wizard of id
On Friday night (April 28/06) at the UWA Hardcore show in Mississauga,
Ontario, there were a couple of incidents
that blurred the line between “the show” and “real life.” I wasn’t at the show,
but have read numerous accounts of what transpired and spoken to wrestlers and
fans that were at the show. I have to say I’m disgusted with the actions of
some of the parties involved.
UWA fans are a rambunctious lot and during shows, the area
around ringside can be a wild and outrageous place. Quite often fans and
wrestlers engage in face to face screaming matches and even some shoving
occurs. Many times, wrestlers pour water on fans and some wrestlers spit water
(or worse) into the crowd. Some fans spit right back. On Friday night, it went
even further…
Some of the incidents included fans stomping on a wrestler
who was thrown over the barricade, a fan leaping the barrier in an effort to
enter the ring, a wrestler tearing a fan’s glasses from his face and tossing
another’s hat 50 feet away, fans slapping wrestlers at ringside and, in the
climatic finish to this nonsense, a wrestler punching the shit out of a fan in
the front row.
Accusations about who was to blame for what have filled the
UWA (and other) message boards. Some feel that UWA security dropped the ball by
not ejecting the rowdier fans before their antics escalated. Others feel that
the wrestlers contributed and initiated it with their actions and many blame a
few random asshole ticket holders for the whole mess. In a way, they’re all
correct.
Here are some of the incidents that occurred: Wrestlers Jeff Flury and Nick Watts got into a fracas with fans early on the card.
Apparently incensed at insults being hurled at them, Flury and Watts
sprayed and spit water into the crowd. A shoving match with some fans followed,
during which some fans spit on the wrestlers. (Some reports claim the fans spit
at the wrestlers first.) Nick Watts grabbed the glasses from a fans face,
attempted to break them and tossed them on the floor. He also grabbed some guy’s
hat and threw it 50 feet away over the crowd.
Josh Prohibition got
into an altercation that saw him throw punches at the crowd and then delivered
a scathing promo, inviting fans into the ring to scrap. One fan, affectionately
referred to as “Mike on Crack” by the UWA regulars, jumped the barricade but
was quickly returned to his own side by security.
Lionel Knight was
dumped over the barrier and fans stomped him while he was lying on the floor.
Chris Hero and
fans engaged in pushing contests and face slapping in the early stages of his
match against M-Dogg 20 and later in the match, while Hero was outside the ring
catching his breath, a fan delivered a stinging slap to his back. Hero
responded by delivering 3 quick punches, which effectively splattered the guy’s
nose all over his face. (There are conflicting reports – some say Hero punched
out the wrong guy.) The bloodied fan was ejected from the building by security.
The whole night sounds to me like a clusterfuck of the
highest order. Bottom line: A lot of mistakes were made. I credit UWA security
for usually doing a good job keeping the rabid UWA fans in check, but they
dropped the ball Friday night in a couple of ways. The guy who jumped the
barrier should have been immediately thrown from the building. It doesn’t
matter if Josh Prohibition “invited” him into the ring or not. Cross the
barricade? You’re out. And don’t come back. UWA security says they spoke to the
fans in the group that were later involved with Hero and told them not to
strike the wrestlers but admit they didn’t threaten them with eviction. Small
wonder that they didn’t listen. The fans who stomped Knight should have been
tossed and maybe even held for police. (Some claim that it was a “work.” UWA
security says it wasn’t.) Nick Watts, who has a history of spitting into the
crowd, should be reprimanded by UWA management for his actions. As if spitting
alone wasn’t reason enough, there is no excuse for attempting to destroy a fans
personal property, even if that fan spit water on him. He should have just had
security remove the guy from the building. The fan who struck Hero is lucky a
broken nose was all he got; he should have been arrested.
UWA wrestlers contributed to all of this by initiating
pushing matches and throwing water and saliva at fans; something Flury and Watts
do quite often. Is it any wonder that fans respond in kind? If Watts
spit or pored water on someone last time, no wonder the fans think it’s okay to
make the first strike the next time. With these types of “crowd interactions”
occurring on a regular basis, real violence was inevitable.
No one should ever spit on anyone. Beyond the fact that it’s
disgusting, there are potential health consequences. Wrestler or fan, if you spit
on someone, you’re a fucking asshole. Since when did that become acceptable?
Where I come from, spitting on someone is a guaranteed invitation to a
shit-kicking. Not to mention that it fits the definition of assault under the
Canadian criminal code. Throwing spit, water, or anything else at wrestlers is
totally unacceptable behavior; period. Throw
nothing but insults. Wrestlers who pour water on the crowd, spit on fans,
initiate physical contact and destroy fan’s property need to grow the fuck up.
Seriously, if that’s what you need to do to get “heat” you don’t belong in the
ring because you’re hardly a professional. This kind of shit needs to stop.
Gordo, the wizard of id
zapflash@sympatico.ca
