In the closing moments of the Oct. 8 edition of Raw – during a verbal exchange with Mr. McMahon – an incident occurred betwee­­­n WWE Champion CM Punk and fans in the crowd.

On Tuesday afternoon, WWE released the following official statement:

“During Monday night’s Raw televised event, WWE Superstar CM Punk exited the ring and into the stands as part of the show. Unfortunately, WWE security was not in the appropriate place at the time. Given CM Punk’s persona as a ‘bad guy,’ fans were naturally heckling him, but unfortunately a few fans began shoving him, and one struck him in the kidney and on the back. WWE regrets that proper security measures were not in place, and CM Punk apologizes for reacting in the heat of the moment. Other than this isolated incident, WWE always provides proper security to ensure the safety of our fans and our performers.”

“I think the whole situation sucks,” Punk told WWE.com. “It’s an unfortunate and isolated incident. I was up in the stands, surrounded.”

“Somebody said, ‘let’s push him down the stairs,’” Punk explained. “I got hit in the ribs three times. I was getting shoved and I was getting punched…Then I started getting tagged in the back of the head. Unfortunately, I lashed out in the heat of the moment and I apologize. I’m really just glad nobody was hurt."