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AEW gets mainstream coverage from CNN due to the “F*ck ICE” chants heard on Dynamite

Aaron Rift

During the February 4th 2026 edition of AEW Dynamite, fans chanted “f*ck ICE” (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement) as MJF’s match with Brody King began. King had previously worn an “Abolish ICE” T-shirt during an episode of Dynamite.

CNN.com published an article that featured comments from Eero Laine of the State University of New York at Buffalo, who noted that the chants stood out because they were not directly connected to in-ring action. He said the chants “are interesting in that they support a political stance associated with one of the wrestlers, but they are not necessarily directly related to what’s happening in the ring. And the chant is not part of the repertoire of standard wrestling chants.”

Laine added that professional wrestling ultimately thrives on attention, referencing Eric Bischoff’s book Controversy Creates Cash. He stated, “That’s the bottom line with wrestling, it’s attention. They’re selling attention.”

Laine also explained how wrestlers can “embody” broader ideas, telling CNN, “You can actually watch two ideas fight each other in the ring, and you can cheer and boo for each of them. So there’s a kind of morality play at work in the ring.”

The article noted that representatives for Brody King and MJF, as well as AEW and WWE, did not respond to requests for comment.

CNN’s Michael Ballaban also characterized the situation as part of a broader rivalry between AEW and WWE, writing:

“The embrace of contemporary issues is part of a larger, politically shaded rivalry playing out in the industry, between the 7-year-old AEW and the industry’s ruling juggernaut for generations, WWE (Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent corporation, owns a minority stake in AEW).”

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