Report: People Inside WWE Were Offended By Edge And Randy Orton’s Gym Spot At WrestleMania 36

Last night, Edge and Randy Orton finally went one on one in a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania 36. The match has been criticised by some fans for being boring as the bout clocked in at 36 minutes, making it the second longest match in WrestleMania history. Ultimately, after they brawled around the Performance Center, The Rated-R Superstar delivered a vicious Con-Chair-To to Orton to be the Last Man Standing. 

One particular spot early in the match has been the subject of criticism inside WWE for being insensitive. As The Viper and Edge fought in the gym area, Orton placed Edge’s arm and neck inside gym equipment and proceeded to beat him down. Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that people within the company were offended by the beat down as they believe the spot was too similar to Chris Benoit’s real-life suicide. Meltzer said, “I know people in the company it offended.”

The final days of Chris Benoit’s life have re-entered the public consciousness in recent weeks because of season two of Dark Side Of The Ring. The documentary covers the double-murder and suicide and the impact it had on Benoit’s family and professional wrestling as a whole.