Fans attend events for pure entertainment and nothing a little extra that makes them feel uncomfortable. In WWE, entertainment can take many forms. However, exotic dancing isn't one of them.
An attendee at one of the events has taken them to court for such treatment.
A Cook County sheriff’s officer has sued WWE and wrestler Montez Ford over an alleged unwanted sexualised dance during Monday Night Raw; claiming the televised incident led to public humiliation and left his children being mocked at school. The lawsuit centres on footage from a July event in Illinois, which the plaintiff says spread online after WWE and Ford shared it.
Noel Lucas, a Cook County Sheriff’s officer who also works private security, was assigned to the 6 July 2026, episode of Monday Night Raw at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, near Chicago. According to the lawsuit, a WWE employee instructed him to take a position closer to ringside before the Street Profits’ entrance.
The tag-team duo, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins, were making their way to the ring when Ford, whose legal name is Kenneth Crawford, allegedly approached Lucas and performed an unwanted lap dance during the Netflix broadcast. The complaint says Ford danced immediately in front of and over Lucas, repeatedly thrusting and gyrating his hips and pelvis.
The lawsuit describes the encounter as "a sexually provocative dance immediately in front of and over Plaintiff [Lucas], repeatedly thrusting and gyrating his hips and pelvis towards Plaintiff, performing a sexualized 'lap dance'."
It further alleges Ford moved progressively closer to Lucas as the dance continued; with his “left inner thigh repeatedly rub[bing] against Plaintiff’s leg.” The footage appeared to show Lucas looking uncomfortable before later cracking a faint smile, although the lawsuit alleges that the performance was unscripted and took place without his consent.
The footage spread online and Lucas says the consequences followed him home.
The interaction was not included in the current Netflix replay of the 6 July programme, which cuts to a commercial break early in the Street Profits’ entrance. However, a clip circulated online, including through WWE’s and Ford’s social media accounts. Lucas alleges that the video attracted hundreds of thousands of views and made him recognisable to members of the public.
According to the complaint, Lucas encountered people at his full-time courthouse job who recognised him from the clip and mocked him by thrusting their hips towards him; imitating the movements Ford had allegedly performed. The lawsuit also says Lucas’ children were "mocked and ridiculed" at school because of the video.
Lucas alleges that he has suffered “humiliation, embarrassment and emotional distress” and continues to experience distress because the footage remains publicly available. His complaint also argues that WWE and Ford used his visible image for commercial purposes without authorisation, allegedly violating the Illinois Right of Publicity Act.
The complaint names WWE, Ford and a company subsidiary.
Lucas filed the lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County, naming WWE, Crawford and its subsidiary Event Services, LLC, as defendants. The complaint lists 14 counts, including allegations of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of the Illinois Gender Violence Act.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the complaint alleges Ford "approached him without warning, straddled him, and began repeatedly thrusting and gyrating his hips toward him in a sexually suggestive manner."
The filing further alleges that Ford moved closer during the performance and made unwanted physical contact. As reported by POST Wrestling, Lucas claims Ford’s "left inner thigh repeatedly rubbed against Plaintiff’s leg."
Lucas maintains that he never agreed to participate in the performance and had no reason to believe his security assignment would involve physical interaction with a wrestler.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary and punitive damages, reimbursement of legal costs and an order preventing WWE and Ford from using Lucas’ identity. These are allegations in a civil complaint; rather than findings established by a court.
Lucas’ second job brought him to the arena. Alongside his work for the Cook County Sheriff’s Department, he supervises a team of security guards for Monterrey Security; the private firm that assigned him to the event.
WWE had not immediately responded to a request for comment, according to the report. The case is scheduled for a management hearing on 10 December.
I condone the lawsuit. If I were to go to a wrestling event; I'd expect only what's advertised. I wouldn't want anything extra; especially a lap dance. The aftermath is even more horrendous.
It's cruel to be mocked for something you didn't ask for.