CM Punk fans ejected from arena, shirts and signs banned.

[DCLXVI]

So we have heard reports about CM Punk signs being confiscated but now WrestleZone is reporting that venues have been told to go as far as forcing people to change or be denied entry for wearing CM Punk shirts. Is it just me, or is this not wrong or should be illegal? It seems like unfair censorship.

The shirts are licensed WWE merchandise that sold in droves up until the past 6 months or less ago. Money given to WWE! WWE does not even come to a lot of towns or countries often, if ever. If you buy a ticket, you should be able to wear whatever you want - besides - it's their fucking t-shirt! I would be livid if I took my kid whos favorite wrestler was CM Punk, and they were told to change! How do you explain that? Punk is featured in a WWE game that just came out a month ago and not only is he featured, he has his own special playmode!

What is next, no UFC shirts? No TNA shirts? Hell, people used to take signs that said "WCW Sucks", or "WWF Sucks", or signs promoting ECW. Has WWE finally lost it trying to further alienate their fans?

 

[OYDK]

That's crazy. What happened to the "freedom of expression" WWE constantly talks and brags about. I mean, back in the day during the MNW's, I remember signs plugging the NWO and WCW for crying out loud and THOSE were still allowed in the building. I don't get why WWE is so scared of CM Punk... do they think he's some sort of revolutionary of something?

Where have all the balls gone in WWE?

 

[Make it Reign]

I think WWE took it too far not allowing t-shirts. You can't wear WWE merchandise to a WWE event? Doesn't make much sense to me. I don't see the colts/ravens banning manning/rice jerseys just because of what they did or play for another team now.

 

[laodaron]

Yeah, sorry, but WWE is a private company, and if they deem that your attire is going to be an issue, then they can tell you not to wear it. Much like if your attire showed a naked woman, or a penis, or the word Fuck, or a gang sign. The people that would wear CM PUnk clothes to a WWE event after the last year are intentionally trying to be subversive, and there's no arguing otherwise on that.

 

[TheICChampion]

Does it apply to live events? I mean there's no one outside of the arena who's going to see what you're wearing. I'm planning to go to a live event (good thing I haven't bought tickets yet) but now I'm not so sure. I mean, what's next? They're not going to let you bring replicas of their old title belts, such as the World Heavyweight title? OK, I can understand all the other stuff such as not wearing clothing that can be offensive or gang-related, or bringing signs of that nature, but it's a FORMER SUPERSTAR who made you guys plenty of money. I mean, they let people wear Hogan shirts, and he damn near helped put the WWE out of business. CM Punk's never done that. Jeez.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

That's crazy. What happened to the "freedom of expression" WWE constantly talks and brags about. I mean, back in the day during the MNW's, I remember signs plugging the NWO and WCW for crying out loud and THOSE were still allowed in the building. I don't get why WWE is so scared of CM Punk... do they think he's some sort of revolutionary of something?

Where have all the balls gone in WWE?

I can see both sides of it.

On one hand, fans should be able to express themselves when they go to shows. Fans wanna have fun and, at the end of the day, that's what most of them are there for.

At the same time, however, we've all heard the old saying about a few rotten apples spoiling the whole barrel and I'd say that has at least something to do with this situation. I've read reports of some fans showing up for the primary purpose of disrupting a show with their shenanigans. Some fans are more interested in causing a scene or even being the "stars" of the show for a few brief moments. Whether it's at sporting events, concerts or what have you, there are usually a few fans here & there who do some things for the sake of doing it. The result of such happenings are policies being adopted that can affect fans who're not trying to make a statement or disrupt things.

In some ways, as with many of the happenings & decisions that go on in WWE, some of this may well be influenced by Vince's ego. Vince McMahon seems to like the notion of WWE being the center of everything regarding wrestling. As a result, if a wrestler leaves the company, then it's almost as if Vince expects people to just pretend as though the wrestler doesn't exist anymore. To be fair though, that's how it is much of the time because interest in someone leaving the company dwindles dramatically after a few days.

CM Punk is one of the few exceptions to the rule but, even now, interest has dwindled a bit. Interest in Punk has been something of a roller coaster this year that's had peaks and valleys. Interest boomed after he walked out and was pretty high all throughout WrestleMania season before it started to die down over the summer. You'd still hear a few CM Punk chants here & there, though it got to the point where they happened mostly during AJ Lee's matches. There was always some degree of discussion on Punk at any given time but, again, it cooled off as the year progressed. Then, Punk finally broke his silence and interest was revved back up to peak levels with fans discussing what Punk said, if he was right, if he was wrong, if he was telling the whole truth, etc. It's stayed high partially due to Punk announcing he was signing with the UFC. However, as we've seen in the past few weeks just as we saw as the year progressed, some of the sympathy some fans had for Punk started to change as more information came out or due to Punk coming off looking bad in some interviews.

 

[FreezeIzGAWD]

You people are Hilarious......

THEY DONT WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH PUNK!

PERIOD!

Yes they have a right not to allow someone in there venue with a shirt that they deem unfit.

PERIOD!

As a bouncer we could tell people they could not wear hats, bandanas, offensive shirts, jerseys, pants that sag etc....

I hate it when y'all make up meanings of the law.

Freedom of expression means you are afforded the rights to express yourself without PROSECUTION.

It's not ILLEGAL to wear Punk gear. You just can't in MY VENUE. You don't like it....

LEAVE!

You change and you can come in and enjoy the show.

Honestly why would someone wear a Punk shirt to WWE events right now unless they were just being DI€k$.....,

He is not relevant. He has not WRESTLED IN ALMOST A YEAR AND HE IS NOT PERFORMING NO TIME SOON!!!

It's just you cool guys who want to ship you are Rebels who are doing it.

Well cool go be REBELS else where Punks cause your BYTCH A$$ can't get in here!!!

LOSERS!!!

Man I WISH HE WOULD JUST DIE ALREADY!!!!!

 

[NegativeFeedback]

Yes they have a right not to allow someone in there venue with a shirt that they deem unfit.

PERIOD!

Really? I am pretty sure that most people coming to a WWE event with CM Punk merchandise will be wearing CM Punk shirts bought directly from WWE through either WWEShop or at another WWE live event.

You can't sell someone a shirt and then kick him out of your show for wearing said shirt.

If I was in that scenario, I would get together with the other 4 people and sue WWE. I bet they wouldn't want to embarrass themselves by going to court and arguing for their right to refuse people who wear their own shirts. Those 5 guys could receive a good settlement if they did this correctly.

As for if WWE actually has a legal standing, I don't think so. None of this is highlighted in the ticketing prices. The only thing it says is that they have the right to refuse admission. But that means absolutely nothing in the court of law since it's vague language that puts too much power on one party without explaining a process by which they decide when to exercise that right.

 

[Dagron]

They need to reassess their policy here. The censorship is way out of line. I understand not wanting anything crude on TV but outside of that they need to go back to anything goes, just like back in the 90's. Scanning for funny and/or outlandish signs is part of the fun of watching a live broadcast.

Hell, back in WCW, Lodi got over by losing matches in less than 20 seconds and holding up outlandish signs with insider references ranging from WWF, ECW to RFvideo for crying out loud. I don't think the guy ever DID win a match, but he got some of the loudest reactions at the time... what does that tell you? Stop being so petty and let us *try* to enjoy the uninspiring product as best we can. Yes they reserve the right to confiscate whatever they want, I just think it's bad business.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Why are people surprised that the biggest douchecanoe company on the planet would ban people for wearing a shirt of an ex-WWE star? Since when have they ever NOT tried to control their company is viewed, both live and historically (i.e. Chris Benoit)?

All just part and parcel of their same old approach.

 

[klunderbunker]

Assuming this is true, of which I have severe doubts (check the byline), I'm pretty much with the masses here: the signs are one thing, the shirts are just dumb.

First of all, is WWE that paranoid about someone seeing a handful of people in a Punk shirt in a crowd of 10,000 people?

Building off that, I get the idea behind avoiding the signs. Some people are going to cause trouble and that's their big goal through the night. For some reason they get a kick out of starting a CM Punk chant and bragging to their moronic friends that they TOTALLY started that chant.

I understand why WWE doesn't want CM Punk chants on their broadcasts. It's embarrassing when the fans simply do not care about what's going on in your ring and on your show, but that comes off as more of WWE's problem than the fans'.

THe signs go with the chants. You don't want people seeing a sign in the arena and starting a CM Punk chant, nor do you want a sign saying "WWE Sucks. GO PUNK!" showing up on camera for three hours on Raw.

However, that brings us to the house shows. I understand the idea behind this on TV, but house shows? You're worried about what people see at a house show? Those shows are designed for fans to have a good time, not having scheduled fun that must abide by the WWE's definition. If someone is getting rowdy or ruining the show for the rest of the fans then fine, but to say no Punk anything of any kind is stupid.

Finally, there's the most ridiculous idea of them all: no Punk shirts, including those purchased from WWE. If you throw someone out of a WWE event that they paid money for and don't hvae this No Punk Shirt policy firmly established, there's going to be a lawsuit somewhere down the line and the following is going to come up.

Plaintiff lawyer: "Well why did theyeject you?"

Ejected fan: "I was wearing the CM Punk shirt that I bought at the last WWE event they held in the same arena. They didn't seem to mind taking my ticket money, popcorn money and shirt money, but they drew the line at me wearing a shirt with their own logo on it."

I get the idea behind keeping the show enjoyable for fans that aren't causing a problem, but this sounds like it's going WAY too far. It's assuming that every fan in a CM Punk shirt is there to cause trouble, which really isn't the way you want to treat someone who is willing to come to your shows and spend $25 on a shirt. Not to mention, once the word of this gets out, how loud do you think the Punk chants are going to get in the smarky towns? What are they going to do? Hire an audience that will chant on key?

This is a big overreach and something they need to tweak. Get rid of fans actually causing problems, not fans that might potentially cause one.

One last thing: the reports indicated that the people who were ejected were causing chants and problems for other fans. If that's the case, yeah throw them out. Yeah you paid a ticket to get into the event, but the second you start ruining someone else's time, you forfeit the right to be left alone. No ticket you purchase gives you the right to ruin someone's evening because you either had too much to drink or you're just a jerk that doesn't care about anyone but yourself.

 

[rmp0012002]

It would be like the Detroit Lions telling fans they couldn't wear Barry Sanders jerseys at games because he retired when they needed him. They also feature him in their latest video game so it's definitely a bush league move. I would ask for a refund plus the price of the shirt.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

I agree with the signs because people shove them in your face and are just obnoxious but the shirts are a little overboard. Yes Punk walked out but the shirts are not vulgar in any way so people should be able to show support if they want.

Why are people surprised that the biggest douchecanoe company on the planet would ban people for wearing a shirt of an ex-WWE star? Since when have they ever NOT tried to control their company is viewed, both live and historically (i.e. Chris Benoit)?

All just part and parcel of their same old approach.

Are you really going to compare a guy who killed his family with one who walked out? I disagree with what they are doing here but damn they had every right to ban Benoit off their broadcasts. If you think otherwise the problem is with you and not them.

 

[laodaron]

I'm pretty much with the masses here: the signs are one thing, the shirts are just dumb.

First of all, is WWE that paranoid about someone seeing a handful of people in a Punk shirt in a crowd of 10,000 people?

Building off that, I get the idea behind avoiding the signs. Some people are going to cause trouble and that's their big goal through the night. For some reason they get a kick out of starting a CM Punk chant and bragging to their moronic friends that they TOTALLY started that chant.

I understand why WWE doesn't want CM Punk chants on their broadcasts. It's embarrassing when the fans simply do not care about what's going on in your ring and on your show, but that comes off as more of WWE's problem than the fans'.

THe signs go with the chants. You don't want people seeing a sign in the arena and starting a CM Punk chant, nor do you want a sign saying "WWE Sucks. GO PUNK!" showing up on camera for three hours on Raw.

However, that brings us to the house shows. I understand the idea behind this on TV, but house shows? You're worried about what people see at a house show? Those shows are designed for fans to have a good time, not having scheduled fun that must abide by the WWE's definition. If someone is getting rowdy or ruining the show for the rest of the fans then fine, but to say no Punk anything of any kind is stupid.

Finally, there's the most ridiculous idea of them all: no Punk shirts, including those purchased from WWE. If you throw someone out of a WWE event that they paid money for and don't hvae this No Punk Shirt policy firmly established, there's going to be a lawsuit somewhere down the line and the following is going to come up.

Plaintiff lawyer: "Well why did theyeject you?"

Ejected fan: "I was wearing the CM Punk shirt that I bought at the last WWE event they held in the same arena. They didn't seem to mind taking my ticket money, popcorn money and shirt money, but they drew the line at me wearing a shirt with their own logo on it."

I get the idea behind keeping the show enjoyable for fans that aren't causing a problem, but this sounds like it's going WAY too far. It's assuming that every fan in a CM Punk shirt is there to cause trouble, which really isn't the way you want to treat someone who is willing to come to your shows and spend $25 on a shirt. Not to mention, once the word of this gets out, how loud do you think the Punk chants are going to get in the smarky towns? What are they going to do? Hire an audience that will chant on key?

This is a big overreach and something they need to tweak. Get rid of fans actually causing problems, not fans that might potentially cause one.

It has way less to do with the shirts saying CM Punk and being seen than it does the fact that basically, someone wearing a CM Punk shirt at this point is intentionally trying to start shit at a WWE event. It's with almost certainty that anyone wearing a CM Punk shirt wants to be noticed, wants someone to comment, and then wants to start a problem. The only exception I could see would be if it's a kid wearing a CM Punk shirt, but even then, I still wouldn't allow them, either.

 

[FreezeIzGAWD]

Are you guys SERIOUS?

They are a PRIVATELY OWNED COMPANY. The guy they are not allowing to be represented is a man who is running down their company and is talking bad about their product and brand AS WE SPEAK and you guys are saying they are WRONG.

Okay this censorship thing is HILARIOUS.

You do not have the right to wear and say what you want WHERE AND WHENEVER YOU WANT TO.

Try walking up in an APPLEBEES and start a "We want Fridays" chant and see if you don't get escorted the hell up out of there.

Better yet wear a TSA are nothing but Pu$$ies shirt into the airport and see if you make your flight.

Oh even better since all of y'all have jumped on the UFC bandwagon why don't a bunch of you guys go to an UFC event wearing Tito Ortiz shirts and scream WE WANT TITO throughout the show and see how long it is before Dana has security put a boot to that A$$!

This Man is running down their company on social and national media signs with a rival company (most corporation have a non disclosure policy but I guess the E doesn't) and y'all are mad at THEM for not promoting this Moron at THEIR SHOWS.

You guys love Punk so much. He is in the UFC now. Take your signs and shirts there and cheer all but your PUNK BYTCH A$$ES WONT DO IT HERE!!!!

Losers!!!!

 

[klunderbunker]

It has way less to do with the shirts saying CM Punk and being seen than it does the fact that basically, someone wearing a CM Punk shirt at this point is intentionally trying to start shit at a WWE event. It's with almost certainty that anyone wearing a CM Punk shirt wants to be noticed, wants someone to comment, and then wants to start a problem. The only exception I could see would be if it's a kid wearing a CM Punk shirt, but even then, I still wouldn't allow them, either.

I don't buy that.

What about a casual fan that doesn't listen to everything on the internet? Yeah we know all about the podcast, but we're the kind of fans that dedicate WAY more time to wrestling. Yeah there are some fans that are wearing Punk gear to start trouble, but what if that's the only wrestling shirt they own and they wanted to wear it to a show? If I drive to say Cincinnati (about an hour and fifteen minutes from my house) to a show and am told that I can't wear the shirt I wore to an event because of some unofficial policy that I MIGHT cause trouble because I have the clothing for it, how likely do you think I am to ever pay WWE another dime? It's suggesting that every single fans is of the exact same mindset, which is about as insulting to the fans as you can get.

 

[wwe fan2009]

well it may be dumb but like people have said they are a private company and can make the rules. Speaking of Punk wow what a crybaby hes champion for over a year and still complains

 

[laodaron]

I don't buy that.

What about a casual fan that doesn't listen to everything on the internet? Yeah we know all about the podcast, but we're the kind of fans that dedicate WAY more time to wrestling. Yeah there are some fans that are wearing Punk gear to start trouble, but what if that's the only wrestling shirt they own and they wanted to wear it to a show? If I drive to say Cincinnati (about an hour and fifteen minutes from my house) to a show and am told that I can't wear the shirt I wore to an event because of some unofficial policy that I MIGHT cause trouble because I have the clothing for it, how likely do you think I am to ever pay WWE another dime? It's suggesting that every single fans is of the exact same mindset, which is about as insulting to the fans as you can get.

It's a catch all mentality. In addition, they're probably pretty free about the policy. I do'nt believe for a second that every single CM Punk shirt was told to leave. However, I DO believe that every single asshole at the event wearing a CM Punk shirt WAS told to leave.

 

[klunderbunker]

It's a catch all mentality. In addition, they're probably pretty free about the policy. I do'nt believe for a second that every single CM Punk shirt was told to leave. However, I DO believe that every single asshole at the event wearing a CM Punk shirt WAS told to leave.

That's much more likely what I think happened and I have zero issue with that if it's the case. WWE is smart to get rid of these jugheads that have to cause a scene. I mean, where does this policy end? A nine year old? Someone in their 40s? Fans in wheelchairs? I'd be more like what you're thinking: if you're being loud and obnoxious in line and talking about how much better Punk is than anything else, you're a lot more likely to get flagged than someone calm and polite who is there to hvae a good time.

 

[OYDK]

I can see both sides of it.

On one hand, fans should be able to express themselves when they go to shows. Fans wanna have fun and, at the end of the day, that's what most of them are there for.

At the same time, however, we've all heard the old saying about a few rotten apples spoiling the whole barrel and I'd say that has at least something to do with this situation. I've read reports of some fans showing up for the primary purpose of disrupting a show with their shenanigans. Some fans are more interested in causing a scene or even being the "stars" of the show for a few brief moments. Whether it's at sporting events, concerts or what have you, there are usually a few fans here & there who do some things for the sake of doing it. The result of such happenings are policies being adopted that can affect fans who're not trying to make a statement or disrupt things.

I agree but at the same time, doesn't confiscating CM Punk signs, and especially shirts, just kind of exasperate the problem? I mean, it doesn't do anything except infuriate those fans, not to mention the ones who ARE just there to enjoy the show, even more. I know if I just happened to where my only wrestling shirt (CM Punk) on a whim to a wrestling event, and was asked to take it off, I would be pretty pissed and probably respond with a "Fuck WWE" attitude. Is that the best way to react? Probably not but I'm a petty jackass and I admit it. I'm sure there are others out there even if they don't want to admit it.

I agree with some other posters. WWE should let the signs and shirts in and focus on the people who are ruining the show for others. Just wearing a CM Punk shirt doesn't necessarily constitute that.

 

[Bockwinkel's Class]

What are they going to do? Hire an audience that will chant on key?

Eric Bischoff tried that in his early days with WCW

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

In all honesty, I can't believe how many fascist pieces of trash post on this site. Defending WWE because they are a public company for banning T-shirts they sold their fans less than 12 months ago? That's HIGH-larious.


Anyways...I'm sure it's not true anyways.

 

[TheICChampion]

Well, if I do go I'll bring my Punk shirt and maybe another one just in case. If they start giving me a hard time just for wearing a Punk shirt then I'm going to give them hell. Especially if I'm quiet and just sit back and enjoy the matches then they don't really have any reason to kick me out.

 

[ShinobiMusashi]

If I went to a WWE event and they told me I had to either take off my CM Punk shirt or leave I would never go to another WWE show.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I can't see this being true if it is true I would never go to see a WWE event again, Fair enough with the signs on TV I can understand, But to ban people wearing clothes that they bought from the WWE themselves which the WWE I'm sure at the time was happy to take the money for these items, That for me crosses a line for me.

I'm not standing up for CM Punk as I still think hes the most overated wrestler in history and annoys me with his wanting everyone to feel sorry for him because the WWE never let him main event wrestlemania and his better than everyone else on the roster attitude but to ban people wearing his t-shirt goes too far and sort of feels like a nazi germany desision.

The CM Punk chants would settle down and be all forgotten about soon enough but this sort of desision would do irrepairable damage to the WWE so it would be a very foolish move on WWE's part, If the WWE are so against people wearing CM Punk T-shirts, At least offer everyone refunds for all the money you made from the merchandise sales or is this their new way to make money ban a different wrestler's merchandise every couple of years so the fans will buy new merchandise of someone else to wear to their events instead.