Pennsylvania Man Sues WWE Over Unmarked Puddle on Raw in Columbus

A Pennsylvania man has sued World Wrestling Entertainment and several parties, alleging he was injured after slipping on an unmarked puddle at a WWE Monday Night Raw taping in Columbus, Ohio. In a 19-page complaint filed Sept. 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, plaintiff William Ricks says the April 22, 2024 incident occurred as he walked near sections 207 and 208 at the arena.

According to the filing, Ricks slipped and fell on what the complaint describes as a hazardous, unmarked puddle of a liquid or liquidlike substance that was not open and obvious. The suit does not list specific medical diagnoses, but alleges that the fall has caused permanent pain and suffering. Ricks named WWE, the Columbus Sports Arena and Entertainment, and Ohio State University as defendants, and included UMR, Inc., an insurer, on the grounds that it may have provided medical payments for care related to the incident.

The complaint asserts counts of negligence, failure to warn and vicarious liability against WWE, the arena operators and Ohio State University, saying those defendants owed a duty to ticket-purchasing attendees to maintain the premises free...