WWE Star Bret 'The Hitman' Hart Gets Tackled by a Fan During Hall of Fame Ceremony Speech
WWE legend Bret “The Hitman” Hart was delivering his Hall of Fame induction speech when a fan ran onstage and tackled him to the ground.
The attacker, identified as 26-year-old Zachary Madsen, was immediately arrested and taken to the New York Police Department’s 78th precinct in Brooklyn, CBS News reported. He faces two counts assault, one count of trespassing and a misdemeanor charge of violation of local law.
Hart, 61 — a five-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion and two-time WCW World Champion — was part of one of the best tag teams in wrestling history, the original Hart Foundation, which was being inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday. He was giving his speech at New York City’s Barclays Center alongside Natalya Neidhart, the daughter of his late brother-in-law and tag team partner, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart.
In the midst of Hart’s live televised speech, Madsen, who was wearing a rasta hat, stormed onto the ring and grabbed Hart around the waist. That’s when the live feed went black, but videos posted on Twitter show Madsen pulling Hart to the ground as multiple wrestlers and security jumped in to help.
This is probably the best angle of the incident involving a fan (and I use that term loosely) attacking Bret Hart. Disgusting. This guy deserved everything he got in the aftermath. Glad to hear Bret was OK and able to resume his speech. #WWEHOFhttps://t.co/6j1Rf8pkMb pic.twitter.com/pXwDdcIo6s
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) April 7, 2019
In footage posted on Twitter, people can be heard booing and screaming as Madsen is pulled from the stage and out of the arena.
According to CBS, WWE stars Shane McMahon, Xavier Woods, Tyson Kidd and Curtis Axel all ran to Hart’s aid and helped secure Madsen. Security guards reportedly received minor injuries from the attack.
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WWE released a statement shortly after the incident saying, “An over-exuberant fan surpassed our security at ringside and made his way briefly into the ring. The individual has been turned over the police authorities.”
Hart was reportedly not injured, and went on to finish his speech. The Hall of Fame Ceremony took place leading up to WWE’s WrestleMania 35 which kicks off Sunday night.
