Dear WWE fans: Stop touching wrestlers when they're in the crowd

Crowds are scary. Human beings are generally unpredictable and when you put them in a large group that fact is magnified. I won't pretend to be an expert on psychology but we've all undoubtedly been in a situation where we've found strength in numbers.

So when a pro wrestler travels through the crowd during the course of a pro wrestling show, it is that very principle that leads to normally uncomfortable interaction becoming seemingly routine. For some reason, many fans -- not all, of course, but many -- feel it perfectly acceptable to reach out and touch complete strangers, something that almost certainly wouldn't happen in a more intimate one-on-one encounter.

Something something, everyone else is doing it, something something, why not?

The Shield spent almost the entirety of their run as a stable entering through the crowd for their matches. And throughout that time, they were all too often subjected to overzealous fans pawing at them, eager to touch without consent. It was always wrong, but for some reason no one can give you much of an answer for, it moved into the dreaded "it's just the price you pay" territory.

As if that makes it any better.

During last night's episode of Monday Night Raw at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, Dean Ambrose, a former member of The Shield, ventured into the crowd. While he was there, fans went out of their way to pat him on the back and generally find a way to make physical contact with him. He did well to brush it off, accepting the unfortunate nature of the beast.

Then, this happened (GIF via Imgur):

This creates a scenario whereby we end up minimizing the severity of a simple pat on the back to emphasize how absolutely wrong this fan was to grab Ambrose by the hand and raise his arm. As you can see, Dean doesn't take kindly to it, ripping his arm away and giving a disapproving look.

If you're a fan attending a pro wrestling show and a wrestler is walking through the crowd in your general vicinity, that does not, in any way, give you the right to put your hands on them. No consent has been given therefore no action should be taken.

Stop doing this.

It's not okay.

If you desire physical interaction with the wrestler in question, give them what they have a basic human right to: a choice. Like so (GIF via WrestlingWithText.com):

How great is that? The fan extends a fist, hoping Roman Reigns, another former member of The Shield, will reach out and make contact with it. If he doesn't, hey, life goes on. If he does, then it was his choice and doesn't that make it that much more fulfilling?

Sure enough, Reigns rewards the fan with the most badass no look fist bump you'll ever see.

That's how you do it.