The combination of several thousand virtual fans and a new toy like ThunderDome was bound to have kinks for WWE, and several particularly problematic “fans” from Monday’s Raw resulted in the company needing to issue a statement Tuesday.
During the broadcast, several viewers took note of a front row virtual fan clad in what appeared to be a Ku Klux Klan robe during the Retribution attack on Rey Mysterio and Dominick. Fans also noted a video of a person being executed (also “sitting” in the front row) during the same segment as well as an image of Chris Benoit during Drew McIntyre’s promo earlier in the show.
WWE released the following statement Tuesday:
“This abhorrent behavior does not reflect WWE‘s values and we have zero tolerance for these unacceptable acts. We are working to ban those involved from future events and per our policies, any inappropriate actions result in the removal from the live stream.”
WWE launched the virtual fan experience last Friday on SmackDown as part of ThunderDome, their new in-arena presentation designed to bring fans into the live experience and to provide more of an atmosphere for those watching at home. It’s expected to be a fixture on WWE TV until fans are allowed to return to the venue. Fans register online, but it’s unclear what the criteria is for being chosen after the fact and what measures WWE can take in banning those individuals that cause issues.