On most nights, Brody King pinning AEW World Champion MJF in under two minutes would dominate the conversation coming out of AEW Dynamite. Instead, Wednesday’s show in Las Vegas is being remembered far more for what happened before the opening bell than the shock result that followed.
As MJF stood in the ring awaiting the start of the match, the crowd erupted into a loud and sustained “F**k ICE” chant aimed at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The chant immediately caught attention—not only because of its volume, but because it was allowed to continue uninterrupted until referee Bryce Remsburg finally rang the bell.
It turns out that delay wasn’t accidental.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Remsburg responded on X to a viral clip of the moment, jokingly acknowledging his role in letting the chant breathe. “It seems like the referee may have waited to ring the bell so these could resonate longer?” Remsburg wrote. “Oh no. Whoops.”
Remsburg wasn’t the only one who appeared to step back and let the moment happen. On commentary, Tony Schiavone stopped speaking as the chant broke out, with Excalibur also staying silent until it ended. Notably, AEW made no visible effort to censor the profanity, which is often muted during live broadcasts when chants cross that line.
The chant itself reflects a broader wave of political protest that has recently surfaced within the wrestling world. ICE has faced heightened criticism following the reported deaths of two citizens in Minnesota involving ICE agents last month, and several wrestling personalities have used their platforms to speak out. WWE’s Becky Lynch previously made subtle comments aimed at the agency on social media, while former NXT General Manager Ava was far more direct in her criticism over the weekend.
Brody King, whose in-ring win was ultimately overshadowed, has been one of the most outspoken critics. He previously wore an “Abolish ICE” shirt during AEW Grand Slam: Mexico City and has helped raise funds for Minnesota families affected by ICE-related actions.
While King’s lightning-fast victory over MJF will still go down as a rare and surprising result, the night’s lasting image is the crowd-driven moment that AEW chose not to silence—adding another example of how wrestling crowds, and sometimes the performers themselves, continue to blur the line between the ring and real-world issues.
AEW referee Bryce Remsburg posted a follow up after receiving lot of attention:
“Will donate ALL proceeds from Cameos until 2/13 to Lancaster Neighbor Fund, who supports immigrants right in my city of welcome. Kindness onward.”
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