ironworks
05-25-2012, 04:16 PM
Feed Source: Bleacher Report
Chris Jericho has been indefinitely suspended by WWE for his actions at a house show in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Thursday night.
According to a report from TMZ, Jericho was working a match with WWE champion CM Punk. Jericho, in an unplanned spot, took a Brazilian flag from Punk, who brought it with him to the ring. He proceeded to crumple the flag into a ball and kicked it out of the ring.
The report says that local law enforcement stopped the match and threatened to arrest Jericho for desecrating the flag, which is a crime in Brazil that is punishable by incarceration.
Per the TMZ report:
Cops gave Jericho an option -- apologize to the arena ... or go to jail. Chris chose the former ... grabbing the mic and telling the crowd he immediately regretted his actions. Cops allowed the event to continue.
WWE used its website to release an official statement on the matter, simply stating that Jericho has been suspended and that the company has issued an apology to the Brazilian government and citizens.
There have been numerous times in the past where a heel character will use a country's flag in a disrespectful way to generate heat from the fans. Different countries have different laws, obviously, and Jericho should have cleared this with people in the back before he tried anything.
Jericho wasn't trying anything malicious—he just thought he was doing what he had to in order to be more hated.
It will be interesting to see how WWE handles this indefinite suspension since he is one of the company's biggest stars and involved in an ongoing television storyline with Randy Orton that seemed like it would lead to a pay-per-view match at No Way Out on June 17.
Chris Jericho has been indefinitely suspended by WWE for his actions at a house show in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Thursday night.
According to a report from TMZ, Jericho was working a match with WWE champion CM Punk. Jericho, in an unplanned spot, took a Brazilian flag from Punk, who brought it with him to the ring. He proceeded to crumple the flag into a ball and kicked it out of the ring.
The report says that local law enforcement stopped the match and threatened to arrest Jericho for desecrating the flag, which is a crime in Brazil that is punishable by incarceration.
Per the TMZ report:
Cops gave Jericho an option -- apologize to the arena ... or go to jail. Chris chose the former ... grabbing the mic and telling the crowd he immediately regretted his actions. Cops allowed the event to continue.
WWE used its website to release an official statement on the matter, simply stating that Jericho has been suspended and that the company has issued an apology to the Brazilian government and citizens.
There have been numerous times in the past where a heel character will use a country's flag in a disrespectful way to generate heat from the fans. Different countries have different laws, obviously, and Jericho should have cleared this with people in the back before he tried anything.
Jericho wasn't trying anything malicious—he just thought he was doing what he had to in order to be more hated.
It will be interesting to see how WWE handles this indefinite suspension since he is one of the company's biggest stars and involved in an ongoing television storyline with Randy Orton that seemed like it would lead to a pay-per-view match at No Way Out on June 17.