WWE Covers Fan Attacking Randy Orton, Big E. Comments, Media, Tour In South Africa Continues
- As noted yesterday, Randy Orton was attacked by a fan at Tuesday's live event in Cape Town, South Africa. A crazed fan had entered the ring following Orton's match with Big E. Langston and hit Orton with a low blow. Orton's music stopped playing, and security dragged the fan out of the ring. While security was pulling the fan out of the ring, Orton kicked him in the head.
In what may be a preemptive move to avoid any negative pub over Orton hitting the fan, WWE has posted an article about the incident here, and noted that fan was in jail pending criminal charges. The article added that the manner was under investigation by local authorities. WWE also sent us a statement yesterday noting that Orton was "violently attacked from behind by a South African fan," and that the extent of his injuries were currently unknown.
WWE also posted edited fan footage of the incident on their YouTube channel. A little over a minute of the original footage (which you can view above) is edited out of the video they posted, which includes Orton striking the fan at the 0:26 mark and subsequently climbing the ropes and giving the finger.
- Big E. Langston, who was Orton's opponent at last night's event and had to be held back after the attack (at the 0:40 minute mark in the video), commented on the incident on his Twitter, writing, "That's not exactly what we mean by 'intimate fan experience.' #WWECapeTown"
- Several media outlets have picked up on the story, including The Washington Post, USA Today, FOX Sports and TMZ. South Africa's Eye Witness News also has an article about the attack, and noted that security measures have been stepped up for tonight's show at the Grand West Arena in Cape Town, which was the site of last night's event.
- Once again, we would appreciate a report for any of the shows on the South African tour, so if you are attending one, please send us a report by clicking here. Here are the remaining dates and locations for the tour:
* Wednesday, July 31st: Grand West Arena in Cape Town
* Thursday, August 1st: Westridge Stadium in Durban
* Friday, August 2nd: Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg
* Saturday, August 3rd: Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg
Michael Ferro contributed to this article.