The man who attacked WWE star Seth Rollins during an event at the Barclays Center has now been arrested and charged.
Rollins has been a massive star in WWE following his debut on the main roster in 2012 alongside Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose (now Jon Moxley) at the annual Survivor Series pay-per-view. Rollins has since gone on to become WWE Champion, WWE Universal Champion, Raw Tag Team Champion, a Money in the Bank winner, and much more.
During the live television broadcast from the Barclays Center on Monday night, Rollins was jumped by a WWE fan as he made his way up the ramp. The man has been identified as Elisah Spencer, who tackled Rollins shortly after his in-ring segment with fellow WWE star Finn Balor. Spencer and Rollins scuffled with one another on the ground as WWE officials and security attempted to break up the ordeal. Spencer is now facing attempted assault and attempted violation of arts and cultural affairs charges from the NYPD. According to police, Rollins declined medical treatment following the incident.
In a statement to ESPN, WWE said, "WWE takes the safety of its performers very seriously. The individual who attacked Seth Rollins has been turned over to the NYPD and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." The attack was initially caught on camera as WWE broadcasted live, but the feed quickly changed. Instead, commentators talked viewers through replays of Rollins' assault on his intended competitor, Balor, in the ring shortly before the incident took place. Shortly after, Rollins was shown on the entrance ramp with a bloody mouth. He later returned to ringside to watch Raw's main event.
On Sunday night, Rollins was the captain of Team Raw's Survivor Series team, which reigned victorious over Team SmackDown. Rollins was joined on this team by Kevin Owens, Balor, Bobby Lashley, and Austin Theory. Rollins was the sole survivor of Team Raw and led his team to victory after obtaining the three-count over Jeff Hardy. Prior to his intended match with Balor, Rollins told the crowd that he had single-handedly defeated Team SmackDown and that he would once again prove to Balor that he is the better man. Rollins would then attack Balor before the match was able to get underway.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time a fan has managed to disrupt a live sporting event. Back in July, an AEW fan jumped the barricade and entered the ring before being taken down by in-ring personnel. Both WWE and AEW go to great lengths to protect their employees from incidents like this and while they are a rare occurrence, WWE will likely implement additional protocols to avoid repeat offenses.
Source: ESPN