Over the weekend wrestling fans enjoyed Wrestlemania 35 and all of the events that come with it, including the Hall of Fame ceremony that honored “The Hitman” Bret Hart. Unfortunately, for Hart, he was attacked during his Hall of Fame induction speech.
The ceremony was aired live on the WWE Network but the cameras were immediately cut when the attack occurred. Hart and his niece, daughter of Hart’s tag team partner and co-inductee Jim Neidhart, Natalya, were on stage when a man tackled Hart driving him to the mat. The momentum of the tackle brought Natalya down with them. From there, security and wrestlers flooded the ring to protect Hart and Natalya, while also apprehending the attacker.
The attack on Bret Hart & Natalya.
What a disgusting act. #WWEHOF pic.twitter.com/3IwjyhMGzX— WΞ FIGHT. WΞ OVΞRCOMΞ. WΞ BΞLIΞVΞ. (@AhYezzir) April 7, 2019
The attack is 26-year-old MMA fighter Zach Madsen, who was arrested previously arrested for violating a protective order. Hart was able to finish his speech, as for Madsen, he received some stiff shots and a beating on his way to being arrested. Statements from both the WWE and Natalya are available below.
“An over-exuberant fan surpassed our security at ringside and made his way briefly into the ring. The individual has been turned over to the proper authorities.” – WWE
I’m so proud of my uncle @BretHart tonight during our HOF ceremony. Bret is a cancer survivor, a stroke survivor and one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He didn’t deserve to be attacked or have his moment or my dad’s diminished. We got it back on track. Thank you, guys?
— Nattie (@NatbyNature) April 7, 2019
