A few years ago I paid for VIP seating and traveled 400+ miles to attend one of these streamed "money" matches with Earl, a non-trivial expense. The moment it because obvious he was losing, and losing badly, the bad behavior started. I committed the crime of drinking from a cup while Earl was shooting. I wasn't even in his line of sight. He went off on me. He went off on other spectators. Men, women, didn't matter, he insulted them and blamed them for imaginary slights. The mood of the entire venue went dark for the rest of the weekend. His opponent (Skyler Woodward) made attempts to lighten the mood, even making concessions to change the break rules halfway through the match. To no avail, Earl had checked out and didn't even try to win for the rest of the two day match.
I will never again pay a dime towards anything promoting such bad behavior. I've heard all of the excuses and justifications. As far as I am concerned his terrible behavior is being exploited by circus promoters. It is an embarrassment to the sport and should not be tolerated. I no longer wear nostalgia shaded glasses when it comes to him.