WWE superstar Randy Orton was having a few drinks in Denmark while on tour and started major beef on Twitter with wrestlers on the independent scene. It all began when Orton retweeted a post by Rip Rogers, a retired wrestler and current trainer.
WWE superstar Randy Orton started weird Twitter beef with other wrestlers while drinking in Denmark
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
To understand the beef you need to get the backstory and not-so-subtle rivalry between the WWE, independent wrestlers, and fans of both. Essentially, some fans decry WWE for being too formulaic and rote, believing the real, exciting, talented wrestling is happening outside of the company. Rogers is challenging that idea by saying the matches are flashy, but cliched in their own way — and from a health standpoint he’s saying these performances aren’t good for a long-term career. To this end, the word “dive” is referring to a wrestler taking a high-risk move, and Rogers is saying they’re overusing these moves.
When Orton retweeted the post, a lot of fans took it as a company man aiming to take a shot at other wrestlers, following years of being told his matches are boring compared to everyone else. This came off as a rich guy poking fun at passionate wrestlers who aren’t making seven-figure contracts.
Bubba Ray Dudley, former WWE superstar, now on the independent scene himself, joined the fray.
Which Orton decided to respond to.
It seemed like an unnecessarily harsh response, but Bubba Ray took the high road ... sort of.
His “Falling > House of Horrors” line was a reference to a match Orton had recently against Bray Wyatt where the pair wrestled in a pre-taped segment that happened inside a low-rent haunted house. It was campy, and almost universally panned.
The exchange between the pair resulted in hundreds of wrestling fans calling out Orton for everything, from his style to lack of personality. Finally, he decided to issue an “apology.”
Instead of trying to mend things with fans and other wrestlers, he doubled down on the insults, while flaunting the amount of money WWE makes in comparison with independent brands. This went about as well as you’d expect.
At least one person was enjoying it all.
Dustin Rhodes might have put his Goldust makeup on only so he could take this photo for his Twitter account, which is the best part of this whole thing.
