Zachary Madsen's court appearance today in Kings Criminal Court in Brooklyn was continued until Tuesday 5/28.
Madsen has been charged with two counts of assault in the third degree as well as trespassing after hitting the ring that was being used as the stage for the acceptance speeches to tackle Bret Hart, taking down the WWE Hall of Famer and Natalya on Saturday 4/6. In New York, Assault in the third degree is an A misdemeanor and can be punishable in up to a year in jail per count, should Madsen be found guilty.
After tackling Hart, Madsen was immediately besieged by a number of pro wrestlers, including Hart’s nephew Davey Boy Smith Jr., New Day, Shane McMahon, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater and many others. Video of the incident clearly shows Dash Wilder drilling Madsen with an incredible punch as well After Madsen was dragged out of the Barclays Center, Drake Maverik, who had entered the fray, demanded that everyone ignore him and have Bret Hart continue his acceptance speech for the Hart Foundation, which Bret did to thunderous applause.
Hart and WWE security guard Thaddeus Jones were each examined after the incident at a local hospital but released. Hart was dealing with pain and stiffness in his hip after the incident.
Madsen allegedly told authorities "it felt like it was the right time" for him to attack Hart.
WWE issued the following statement following the incident: “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.”
Madsen’s Twitter account features a number of strange tweets towards WWE personalities, including Triple H (demanding that women not headline Wrestlemania), Vince McMahon (featuring a photo of himself painted up as Batman foe the Joker and wearing the costume hat he wore when charging the ring last night) and others.
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