Top 10 Infamous WWE International Incidents
Vince McMahon and Turki Alalshikh
10. Ending a WWE tour under a cloud
The 2010 Raw “WrestleMania Revenge Tour” of the United Kingdom and Europe was meant to conclude as a standard overseas run. Instead, a volcanic eruption in Iceland grounded air traffic across Europe and left much of the Raw roster stranded abroad for four days after the tour had officially ended. To reach the final two scheduled dates in Belfast, Northern Ireland, wrestlers, referees, and road agents were forced into an exhausting travel chain that included a bus ride from Lille, France to Calais, a ferry crossing to Dover, and then another seven-hour journey by road. Meanwhile, the SmackDown roster had already completed its own European tour and were rushed in as replacements. They endured close to 50 consecutive hours of travel to arrive in time for a hastily assembled episode of Raw.
9. Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch’s Irish wedding brawl
In October 2007, Randy Orton, Lance Cade, and Trevor Murdoch became involved in a physical altercation while staying in Ireland. According to Murdoch, a fan repeatedly harassed Orton at a hotel bar. Security eventually removed the man, but he reportedly waited outside with what Murdoch described as “about 25 of his mates” and confronted the wrestlers when they exited. A brief scuffle followed before the trio escaped. They were later informed by road agent Arn Anderson that police were looking to arrest Cade and Murdoch. Both men were questioned but released in time to catch their flight to the United States. Murdoch later claimed Vince McMahon “laughed it all off” and assured them WWE’s legal team would handle the matter.
8. Nathan Jones walks out in Australia
Nathan Jones entered WWE with legitimate athletic credentials and a unique background that included time spent in an Australian maximum-security prison. Despite his imposing presence, he struggled with in-ring performance, touring demands, and the mental strain of life on the road. On December 6, 2003, when WWE arrived in Perth for a live event, Jones unexpectedly quit on the spot. He informed officials that he was walking away not only from WWE, but from professional wrestling altogether. Apart from three matches in Australia in 2005, his wrestling career effectively ended that night.
7. Palmer Cannon quits mid-tour
Former SmackDown Network executive Palmer Cannon abruptly ended his WWE run during the WrestleMania Revenge Tour of Europe in April 2006. Cannon had been placed on the road to gain experience through dark matches. After wrestling Funaki on the opening night in Italy, he checked out of his hotel, took a taxi to the airport, and returned to the United States on his own. Reports indicated Cannon had grown increasingly frustrated over persistent hazing by SmackDown veterans, with JBL identified as a major instigator. The situation reportedly came close to turning physical. Cannon declined multiple requests from WWE to reconsider his decision and never returned. JBL would later be knocked out by announcer Joey Styles during a 2008 trip to Iraq following continued backstage antagonism.
6. The meltdown of Chad Dickens in Mexico
Chad and James Dickens had a short WWE tenure, but their exit exposed deep locker room issues within SmackDown in 2006. On tour in Mexico, Chad struggled with relentless ribbing and openly complained and cried, while James tried to play along. Eventually, Chad’s conduct led to a wrestler’s court hearing. Soon after, he accidentally locked several locker room enforcers inside a hotel bathroom, worsening the already tense atmosphere. Relations between Chad and James deteriorated, culminating in a physical confrontation in which James knocked his partner out. WWE released both men within a month of the incident.
5. Vader arrested in Kuwait
On April 11, 1997, Vader and The Undertaker appeared on the Kuwaiti talk show Good Morning Kuwait. When host Ban Al-Mansour asked questions Vader considered disrespectful, he flipped a table, grabbed the host by his tie, and issued a stern warning on live television. Police arrested Vader on charges of assault and “lascivious conduct” because he had sworn on air, which violated local law. He was placed under house arrest in his hotel for two weeks. On the tenth day, another disturbance required the involvement of 20 officers, US Embassy staff, and his attorney. Vader later claimed the confrontation had been planned with a producer, though the host himself had not been informed.
4. The Black Country hotel bar brawl
During the WrestleMania Revenge Tour of 2005, the Raw roster crossed paths with kickboxers and their supporters at a hotel bar in Birmingham, England following a televised Raw taping on April 25. Tensions rose as members of the kickboxing group began taunting WWE staff, with one man reportedly confronting referee Jack Doan. The encounter escalated into a full-scale fight. Wrestlers such as Batista, Kane, and Chris Jericho overpowered the much smaller group with relative ease. Police arrived at the scene, but no arrests were made. Kickboxing promoter Cash Gill later admitted that his fans had initiated the incident.
3. Chris Jericho versus Brazilian law
At a May 24, 2012 live event in São Paulo, Chris Jericho attempted to draw heat before his WWE Championship match against CM Punk by kicking a Brazilian flag that Punk had brought into the ring. The act violated Brazil’s strict laws against flag desecration. Police immediately stopped the match and informed Jericho he could be arrested. Faced with the choice of apologizing publicly or being taken into custody, Jericho apologized on the microphone and the match continued. WWE later suspended him for 30 days. Jericho has since described the aftermath as chaotic, recalling armed soldiers backstage and an enraged senior officer.
2. The Plane Ride From Hell
Following Insurrextion on May 4, 2002, WWE chartered a Boeing 757 to transport the Raw roster from London to Connecticut. The flight quickly devolved into chaos. Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle wrestled in the aisle. Bradshaw knocked out Michael Hayes, whose ponytail was then cut off by X-Pac. Dustin Runnels sang to his ex-wife Terri over the plane’s PA system. Ric Flair walked the aisles wearing only his robe. More serious accusations were made by flight attendant Heidi Doyle against Runnels, Ric Flair, and Scott Hall. Lawsuits followed and the fallout led to Curt Hennig and Hall being fired from WWE. The incident remains one of the darkest chapters in wrestling travel history.
1. Stranded in Saudi Arabia
WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has remained controversial due to human rights concerns and claims of political image laundering through sports entertainment. After Crown Jewel 2019 in Riyadh, nearly 200 WWE employees and wrestlers were stranded on the airport tarmac for hours. WWE initially cited mechanical issues, but reports later suggested the holdup occurred after Vince McMahon halted the live broadcast in Saudi Arabia over unpaid fees. According to those accounts, the plane was grounded by authorities. McMahon, along with Kevin Dunn, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Tyson Fury, left separately on private flights. The rest of the roster returned a day later, forcing SmackDown on November 1 to feature mostly women’s division and NXT talent.
