WWE News: Chris Jericho Suspended for Desecration of Brazilian Flag

Chris Jericho has been suspended for 30 days by WWE for his actions at a house show in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Thursday night. 

WWE used its website to release an official statement on the matter, stating that Jericho has been suspended and that the company has issued an apology to the Brazilian government and citizens. 

According to a report from TMZ, Jericho was working a match with WWE champion CM Punk. Jericho, in an unplanned spot, took a Brazilian flag from Punk, who brought it with him to the ring. He proceeded to crumple the flag into a ball and kicked it out of the ring. 

The report says that local law enforcement stopped the match and threatened to arrest Jericho for desecrating the flag, which is a crime in Brazil that is punishable by incarceration. 

Per the TMZ report:

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Cops gave Jericho an option -- apologize to the arena ... or go to jail. Chris chose the former ...  grabbing the mic and telling the crowd he immediately regretted his actions. Cops allowed the event to continue. 

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There have been numerous times in the past where a heel character will use a country's flag in a disrespectful way to generate heat from the fans. Different countries have different laws, obviously, and Jericho should have cleared this with people in the back before he tried anything. 

Jericho wasn't trying anything malicious—he just thought he was doing what he had to in order to be more hated.

Assuming the 30-day suspension starts on Friday, Jericho will be eligible to return on June 24, which is one week after the No Way Out pay-per-view. This puts a big hole in the lineup, as WWE appeared to be setting up a feud between him and Randy Orton for that show. 

Check back for more on the WWE as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s wrestling page to get your fill of the WWE. For more WWE talk, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics you just can’t miss.

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