Chris Jericho Caught On Camera In Profanity-Laced Altercation With Fan
Reports suggest that SmackDown Live Superstar Chris Jericho was involved in an explosive verbal altercation with a fan on Friday night, following a tribute show he played for a fellow musician who had recently died.
TMZ Sports wrote on Monday that the incident took place outside Irving Plaza in New York City, where the WWE veteran and Fozzy lead vocalist had just performed at a tribute show for Adrenaline Mob bassist David Z, who was killed two and a half weeks ago in a vehicular accident. Witnesses told TMZ that Jericho was approached by several people asking for selfies and autographs, and while Chris was initially receptive, he “started to get frustrated” and refuse fans who kept approaching him.
As seen on the video posted by TMZ Sports (WARNING: NSFW language), a man approached Chris Jericho, claiming to be a fan and wanting to congratulate him on a recent SmackDown Live match. Jericho, however, reportedly responded by cursing at the man, triggering an altercation between both parties.
“Chris wasn’t having it and told the guy, ‘F**k your a**.'”
Both men were accompanied by their respective friends, as the argument saw the two sides rattling off a stream of curse words at each other. But as TMZ noted, the argument was purely verbal, and “everyone left without further incident.”
According to the New York Daily News, David Zablidowsky, aka David Z, was killed in Micanopy, Florida on Friday, July 14, after a tractor-trailer rammed into two vehicles carrying his Adrenaline Mob bandmates. At the time of his death, the band had stopped to fix a flat tire, while en route to play a show at Biloxi, Mississippi. Seven other Adrenaline Mob band and crew members were seriously injured in the accident.
In a statement issued to TMZ shortly after news of the incident broke out, Chris Jericho apologized for the altercation, explaining that he was not in a good state of mind due to the death of his friend, David Z. He also noted that the fan he argued with was the one acting rude, hence his angry reaction at the time.
“David Z was a good friend of mine and I was mentally and emotionally shattered after paying tribute to him and essentially saying goodbye to him Friday night. I was not in a good state of mind at that time and instead of ignoring a pushy (aka rude) fan which is what I would usually do, I snapped. My apologies to all involved and God bless David Z.”
(NSFW VIDEO) Chris Jericho Remains Calm During Verbal Altercation With a ‘Rude’ Fan: https://t.co/NCsVWuPVZ3 pic.twitter.com/SB9MjOIR7n
— Wrestling Resource – The Sportster (@WrestlingSheet) July 31, 2017
Adrenaline Mob Is ‘Overwhelmed’ and ‘Devastated’ After Bassist David Z’s Death https://t.co/ud29obvsTf @UltClassicRock
— Dr. Rock (@DrRockMedShow) July 31, 2017
Friday night’s incident is not the first time Jericho has been caught on camera fighting with fans. Bleacher Report wrote about another Chris Jericho altercation, where, in 2009, he reportedly punched a male fan in the face, before spitting on the man’s female friend. At that time, Jericho was working as a villainous character and was subject to heckling from a group of unruly fans following a WWE house show in his native Canada.
[Featured Image by WWE]
