Zachary Madsen, a 26-year-old man, has been arrested and charged for attacking and assaulting WWE superstar Bret Hart during his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, April 7, according to the New York Police Department. Madsen jumped the barrier before attacking “The Hitman” and dragging him to the mat.
Madsen is facing two counts of assault in the third degree, criminal trespass in the third degree and a violation of local law. He is set to be arraigned in Brooklyn court on Sunday, April 8 — WrestleMania 35 Sunday.
Madsen, who is from Lincoln, Nebraska, has previous run-ins with the law. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Madsen is currently awaiting trial for the violation of a protective order. Madsen is accused of stalking MMA fighter Haris Talundzic who he had previously trained with.
Shortly after Madsen entered the ring and tackled Hart, he was swarmed by a number of professional wrestlers who were sitting ringside and members of the event security team. In one video captured by a fan, UFC heavyweight Travis Browne, the husband of Ronda Rousey, can be seen immediately sliding under the ropes and ripping Madsen away from Hart. Browne then rained down some heavy punches on the attacker for good measure.
Browne can be seen in the tan suit and black pants.
The good news is that Hart, who is 61 years old, suffered no injuries during the ambush.
WrestleMania 35 takes place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The event — which will be the first-ever WrestleMania event headlined by a women’s match when Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch compete in a triple-threat match for both the Raw and SmackDown titles — will begin with the preshow at 5:00 p.m. ET on the WWE Network. The main card will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET.
