**Edited on October 1st 2018**
The third hearing is now in session. Today, the court will see cases involving 1) Randy Orton and Dawn Marie, 2) Alex Shelley and Matt Bentley, and 3) The Miz and Chris Benoit serving as the main event. It is recommended you read the introduction piece if you are unfamiliar with Wrestler’s Court; you can find the introduction and previous hearings under my profile. With the details ironed out, you have the judges permission to proceed. It is critical you approach these stories with an open mind, as some may be exaggerated and/or lacking in information.
Dawn Marie & Randy Orton share a hotel bed
The story was told by Dawn Marie in her RF Shoot interview (couldn’t find any videos or evidence to back it up). One night after a show, the wrestlers booked in to a hotel, but Randy showed up late and the hotel rooms filled up, meaning he would have to sleep in the car. Dawn Marie offered to share her room with Randy; as long as he didn’t get any ideas. Turned out the room had no couch, only a small chair, so she offered to share the bed with him. Randy was a gentleman all night.
Orton was summoned to Wrestler’s Court the next day. Dawn doesn’t remember why, she assumed he overslept and missed something. Randy accepted the punishment, and didn’t tell the court about sleeping in the same bed as Dawn as he didn’t want to hurt her reputation with the boys. A classy act, according to the voluptuous Dawn Marie.
Alex Shelley & Matt Bentley feud gets real
The second instance of Wrestler’s Court making its way to TNA Wrestling. Shelley and Bentley were scheduled to wrestle, and Jerry Lynn was their agent for the match. The layout of the match had already been decided, but Shelley wasn’t happy as he didn’t agree to any of the spots he would have to take; so he tried to make several changes. Bentley found out about the changes and took offense to it, so much so that he and Shelley had a scuffle at the base of the heel entrance ramp.
The court decided to appoint Jerry Lynn as judge, as he was the agent for the match. It was really heated, as Shelley disagreed and “popped off at the mouth again”. Bentley hurled himself at Shelley and tried to swing for him. He was stopped mid-swing, and it was decided the trial would end prematurely. Lynn decided if they wanted to work “stiff” in their match, they had permission, as long as it didn’t effect the quality of the match.
He wanted nothing more to do with it, and the court ruled that if one of them struck first, the other had to accept their “receipt”, but if they chose to go down that route, they had to agree to consider the issue closed immediately following their match. If the issue continued to happen, they would have been called in to Jeff Jarrett’s office with severe repercussions. They were not fired over the incident, so safe to say they resolved their differences. The match I provided below is not the one in question; I would have posted a picture of Shelley and Bentley together, but I couldn’t find any.
The Miz expelled from locker room over chicken incident
In The Miz’s early career, he had to deal with a lot of hazing from some of the boys. They didn’t appreciate some reality TV star making his way in to their locker room without paying any dues. Some veterans didn’t like his attitude, or his ability in the ring. In the first few months of his main roster career (2006), there was an incident which has only been described as “The Miz disrespectfully eating chicken over someone’s bag, and getting crumbs in it”. The bag in question, from when The Miz originally told the story, belonged to a referee. But it was later revealed it wasn’t a referee’s bag, it actually belonged to Chris Benoit. WWE does not permit the use of his name, which is why The Miz initially told everyone it belonged to a referee.
It was Benoit who found The Miz in the act. The story was changed to include JBL finding the Miz, instead of Benoit (for the reason above). The Miz was called in to Wrestler’s Court, and was found guilty. His punishment was that he wasn’t allowed to change in the locker room for six months. On one occasion, fans saw The Miz entering the public toilets to get changed, with some murmuring “Isn’t that The Miz??”
Benoit was to let The Miz know when his sentence was up. Instead, Benoit changed the severity of the punishment on several occasions. Originally the sentence only included house shows, but he changed his mind. Benoit changed his mind again and extended the sentence (possibly up to a year). In the end, Benoit decided he would never be allowed to change in the locker room. In interviews, The Miz has referenced the incident to highlight the real grief he used to further his on-screen character.
It’s one of the harsher examples of Wrestler’s Court, but it also highlights The Miz’s persistence against hazing. You could say it made The Miz stronger, and it set an example to the locker room; never eat anything over someone’s bag, or you will pay the price! Below is an interview between Chris Jericho and Mike Mizanin, with the latter telling the story from his perspective. I’ve been your judge for the evening, and apologies if the hearing was a little short. Thanks for reading, and see you soon.
