ROH still investigating Bully Ray fan incident

After initially saying they would investigate a backstage incident between a fan and Bully Ray within 48 hours, Ring of Honor said in a Thursday statement that they are still investigating.

The incident occurred at last Sunday’s State of the Art event in Portland, OR.

From ROH:

“Ring of Honor prides itself on providing a fun and entertaining environment for both our fans and wrestlers to experience professional wrestling at the highest level.

Fans are encouraged to cheer, boo, and chant during the show while wrestlers interact both positively and in rivalry, as that is the engagement that makes the ROH experience what it is. Wrestlers interacting with fans is core to the experience, however, under no circumstance should any of our athletes or staff confront or engage fans outside the bounds of this entertainment experience or outside the bounds of the area that hosts this experience. We hold all of our athletes and staff members to the highest standards and, because of the actions over the weekend, we fell short of meeting those standards.

We are still in the process of investigating this matter as well as reviewing and assessing internal security protocols to ensure a safe environment for all fans and athletes. All of our athletes and staff will also be trained and reminded of our policies and protocols for fan interaction and appropriate behavior in all situations.

To our amazing and wonderful fans, we apologize for the matter that transpired this past weekend as it does not reflect who we are as an organization or how we hope to engage with our fans. ROH fans are known worldwide for their passion, admiration, and appreciation for our athletes, and we share this same admiration and appreciation for our fans. We encourage all of our fans to continue attending our events and supporting our amazing athletes in a respectful manner as they have done in the past, and we promise to continue delivering what the fans deserve – the best wrestling and the best fan experience on the planet.”

Fan Josh Ketch attended the show and claimed security brought him backstage to be confronted and intimidated by Bully Ray (Mark LoMonaco) for heckling The Allure (Velvet Sky, Mandy Leon, and Angelina Love) over the course of several matches. Ketch claims he wasn’t being vulgar and was both struck and spat on by Leon in addition to being insulted by Sky (Jamie Lynn Szantyr).

LoMonaco released a statement on Twitter admitting to talking to Ketch backstage, but said he did not intimidate him and was merely sticking up for The Allure after Ketch crossed the line, citing other fans who can back up that Ketch was out of line during both nights of the Pacific Northwest tour.

Ketch tweeted that he has yet to be contacted by ROH.

Szantyr and Leon accused Ketch of verbal sexual harassment on Twitter. Szantyr called Ketch’s comments “lewd and disgusting” while Leon said he was “scratching for attention” and “extremely inappropriate” with his comments on both nights. Love tweeted it was sexual and verbal harassment, adding “Fans don’t act the way you did. I looked directly in your eyes. You had evil intent in them.”

Reaction from fans and media have been expectedly mixed with some saying that Ketch was out of line and has been an issue at other shows in the region while others noted that he did nothing wrong and that it was the talents who overstepped their bounds.