When I began watching wrestling in 1985, it was common to see fans reaching over the guardrail to try to shake hands with or high-five the wrestlers as they came to the ring.
Often, the babyfaces would greet the fans in return. Meanwhile, the heels would react by pulling their arms away and snarling at the fans.
In Texas, where the Von Erichs were gods, female fans would pull them in for hugs all the time. The same was true for other heartthrobs like The Fabulous Ones and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express.
But in 2026, touching the wrestlers has become a no-no or at least highly discouraged, and probably for good reason.
This week alone, we covered two stories involving fans making contact with wrestlers, ranging from obnoxious to outright disrespectful. At Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend, Fallon Henley was shoved by a young fan. She later posted on social media, “Don’t touch the wrestlers.”
On Friday, my colleague Jon Velez-Jackson reported on a fan who proudly filmed himself touching wrestlers as they made their entrance, seemingly treating it as content for social media.
Thinking back to my youth, there was an unspoken etiquette among fans. Going in for a high-five or patting a wrestler on the back or shoulder was okay. It was as much a show of support as it was a “brush with greatness.”
But hitting, pulling hair or clothing, or touching anything but the upper back or shoulders was, is, and always will be completely off-limits in my view.
Admittedly, my old-school and perhaps antiquated perspective is that fans limiting themselves to respectful gestures like a high-five or a light pat on the back could still be okay. And the heels? They could respond as they always have: pull away, glare at the fan, and keep walking.
But maybe enough bad apples have ruined it for everyone. That certainly appears to be the case, especially with more and more wrestlers speaking up, and poor fan behavior pouring out of the arena and into personal spaces.
If so, it’s a sad state of affairs because it robs both sides of a connection that brings fans and performers together in a way that’s unique to entertainment.
