When Triple H beat up a WWE fan for attacking Stone Cold Steve Austin in the ring

April 2024 · 4 minute read

Fans often use the f-word when talking about wrestling, but there are circumstances where it is anything but fake.

The performers in the ring are scripted, but they are still incredible athletes and, most of the time, bigger than normal human beings.

On the odd occasion, a fan has tried their luck attacking a wrestler and it’s almost never gone well. So it probably wasn’t a good idea to try and attack Stone Cold Steve Austin in his prime, especially when he is facing the six-foot-four, 250lb Triple H.

During a European tour in 1998, WWE made a stop in Berlin, Germany. Steve Austin had only just dethroned Shawn Michaels for the WWE title and was at the peak of his powers. No professional wrestler has ever been more popular than Steve Austin.

Still, on that night in Berlin, there was one man who was not a big Steve Austin fan.

After the ‘Texas Rattlesnake’ hit the Stone Cold Stunner on both Chyna and Triple H, he secured the victory with a pin, 1-2-3. Almost immediately, a fan jumped the barricade and rushed Austin.

Triple H was not standing for that. A few things to note at this point; heels and babyfaces are rivals in wrestling to this very day, and Triple H was a bona fide bad guy. In ‘kayfabe’, which is wrestling’s term for storyline and presenting what they are doing as real, Triple H, a bad guy, would never help Steve Austin, a good guy, no matter the situation, much less after they just fought.

‘The Game’ threw the rule book out that night and decided to defend his wrestling peer. As you can see from the video, Triple H jumps on the fan and punches him several times, basically manhandling him with referee Mike Chioda even getting some licks in.

The German fan was handled by security and eventually taken backstage. Still, it’s remarkable that a man was able to film a WWE event in 1998 and the footage holds up today.

In the description of the video, the uploader explained: “This following video was filmed by me. I won a meet and greet and permission to film the entire show,” the uploaded said. “After Stone Cold Steve Austin finished Hunter Hearst Helmsley, a German fan entered the ring and tried to attack Steve Austin. By the way: the referee is a beast.”

Steve Austin has since discussed the incident on his own podcast, The Steve Austin Podcast.

“I was wrestling Triple H, and Chyna was ringside, and after I stun Chyna and get the 1, 2, 3 on Triple H, a fan hits the ring and tries to attack me.”

Austin continued, “Triple H had his eyes open just like a shark laying there. I thought the fan was one of the boys because way back in the day after a match, after a house show, we’d come out from the back and jump in there and take guys finishers as a rib! 

“This wasn’t a rib; it was a fan who was at ringside who happened to be a Triple H and Chyna fan and was not very happy that Stone Cold Steve Austin had given him a Stunner and got the three count.”

As Austin notes, he couldn’t join in on the beatdown because he was portraying a good guy at the time and beating up a fan, no matter the circumstance, wouldn’t have looked good.

“Triple H, stand-up cat, he picked that dude up, slammed him and started punching his lights out,” Austin said. “I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t help beat the guy up. I’m the babyface, but Triple H was watching my back and he beat the snot out of that guy. 

“The thing about it is when you pay your money to come into that building, you’ve earned the right to voice your opinion. Cheer, boo, do whatever to the wrestlers, and we expect that. 

“You don’t want to be spit on, you don’t want to be punched, slapped, none of that, but when someone crosses those rails or someone comes between those ropes, you’re considered fair game… But I always gave Triple H credit for doing that.”

Austin also spoke to the German fan backstage after the event, but he resisted getting his own back.

“I went backstage and I had a couple of words with the guy. I didn’t take a cheap shot at him or nothing like that but I had a little ‘Come to Jesus meeting’ with him and I let him know how I felt,” Austin said.

The lesson to learn here is one you’d consider common sense - don’t try and take on a massive wrestler!

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