AEW Dynamite Ref Suggests He Waited To Ring Bell So 'F*** ICE' Chant 'Could Resonate'

The referee for last night's AEW Dynamite main event suggests that he waited to ring the bell so the now famous "F*** ICE" chant could resonate

Brody King in New Japan
Brody King in New Japan - Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

On a normal evening, Brody King defeating AEW World Champion MJF in less than two minutes would've easily be the biggest story on last night's "AEW Dynamite." Instead, it was overshadowed by what occurred just prior to the match starting, when the fans in Las Vegas, Nevada launched into a "F**K ICE" chant directed towards the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, one that drew a notable reaction from MJF and lasted up until referee Bryce Remsburg rang the bell.

As it turns out, it wasn't just a coincidence that Remsburg waited to ring the bell while the chants broke out. Taking to X in the early hours of Thursday morning, Remsburg responded to a post of the now viral clip of the chant.

"It seems like the referee may have waited to ring the bell so these could resonate longer?" Remsburg said. "Oh no. Whoops."

While Remsburg is the first to openly acknowledge that he helped emphasize the chants, he doesn't appear to be the only one, as AEW announcer Tony Schiavone stopped talking as the chants began, and remained silent alongside broadcast partner Excalibur until the chants concluded. There was also no notable effort made to censor the chants, despite that usually being the case for chants involving profanity during pro wrestling shows.

The "F**k ICE" chants are the latest form of protest from within wrestling against the government agency, which has come under fire following the death of two citizens from ICE agents in Minnesota last month. Weeks ago, WWE star Becky Lynch subtly took shots at the organization in an Instagram video, while former "WWE NXT" GM Ava was less subtle this past weekend, openly criticizing ICE and the Trump administration. King himself has been among the most vocal critics of ICE in wrestling, wearing an "Abolish ICE" shirt while wrestling at "AEW Grand Slam: Mexico City" last year, while also raising funds for families in Minnesota affected by ICE's actions.

Read more: How Did Cody's 'The List' Pan Out For Everyone Else?

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Read the original article on Wrestling Inc.

Category: General Sports