But on Saturday night, fans witnessed an impromptu, real-time melee at the Barclays Center when a spectator jumped into the ring and tackled 61-year-old wrestler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, who was being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
A brawl involving WWE superstars ensued. Some onlookers assumed it was just part of the show, a staged fight that is characteristic of WWE events, where reality and scripted narrative are often intertwined.
“It’s a wrestling show, so you don’t ever really know was going on when something like that happens,” Andrew Antillon, a spectator who was at the event, told CBS News.
Hart was delivering a speech during the induction ceremony when police say a 26-year-old fan, Zachary Madsen, slipped under the yellow ropes of the wrestling ring and knocked The Hitman to the ground.
A group of WWE wrestlers, who were standing ringside, quickly joined the fray, tackling Madsen and tearing him away from Hart, the police said.
Madsen faces assault and criminal trespass charges.
“An over-exuberant fan surpassed our security at ringside and made his way briefly into the ring,” a WWE spokesman said in a statement. “The individual has been turned over to the proper authorities.”
Madsen had recently tweeted about several WWE wrestlers, including Charlotte Flair, the SmackDown Women’s Champion: Daniel Bryan, the current WWE World Champion; and Vince McMahon, chairman and chief executive of the WWE.
“ROAD TRIP!! I want to say THANK YOU to @VinceMcMahon for helping guide US to the Main event of #WrestleMania35” he posted on April 4, which referenced him attending the WWE’s largest event of the year, WrestleMania, which will take place Sunday evening at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Hart injured his hip as he fell to the ground and was treated at the scene, the police said. But he was able to finish his induction speech.
Hart is considered one of the greatest wrestlers in WWE history. Born into a wrestling family, he gained fame in the 1980s and 1990s.
His character, The Hitman, worked as a part of a two-man tag team with Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart. Both men were easily recognizable because of their matching, bright-pink garb. Neidhart, who died at age 63 last year, was also being honored Saturday.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.