Order! Order! Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Wrestler’s Court. Six years ago, I began a series of articles covering this subject. Reading through the old work, I began thinking… why not? Let’s rewrite all these articles, add more content, and present it in an all new way. As far as I know, nobody has gone as far to bring it all together in one place.
If you read my previous articles, you’ll already know the stories. However, I have made a concerted effort to add more detail and include alternative tales I did not previously cover. With that said, let’s begin with what CM Punk had to say about Wrestler’s Court. He said:
“Wrestler court was the most insecure small d*ck energy average white man embarrassment to the wrestling business sh*t of all time.”
Before we judge so harshly, let’s start at the beginning. What is Wrestler’s Court? In the words of Dutch Mantel (aka Zeb Colter), the original creator, it’s a “kangaroo court” to iron out minor injustices in a light-hearted manner. Most of the trials were to boost morale, but some could be seen as hazing, especially by the defendants.
The court is independent from management, although most of the wrestlers & staff would attend. They did not conduct it backstage during TV episodes, because there was already too much going on. This is where I allow the chief judge, The Undertaker, to tell us what he thought of Wrestler’s Court.
Dutch Mantel conceived the idea after the death of Bruiser Brody, who was stabbed backstage in the showers by wrestler José González. He later died in hospital.
Dark Side of the Ring Review — “The Killing of Bruiser Brody”
Mantel felt the wrestlers were on the road away from their families a lot, and needed an outlet. Having a platform where animosities could be dealt with in an entertaining manner would not only stamp out heat, but it would keep up morale and maintain a level of respect. He used it in various independent promotions, including Jerry Jarrett’s Memphis territory in the 70s, before leaving Smoky Mountain Wrestling for the World Wrestling Federation in 1994. You can listen to him talking to Steve Austin about Wrestler’s Court in the video below.
The Kliq & BSK
Why is this important? Because it showed there was enough respect to make a crazy concept like Wrestler’s Court work. The Godwinns named themselves the “unofficial” police officers of the locker room. Wrestler’s Court would see judges in The Undertaker, Ron Simmons, and Yokozuna. Mantel acted as a bailiff. Later on, when The Undertaker wasn’t around, other judges like Triple H were used. The prosecutor’s position was mostly played by Bradshaw (JBL). Defense attorneys included Brian Adams (Crush), Bubba Ray Dudley, Ivory and others.
The rule of Wrestler’s Court was that if you couldn’t tell the truth, tell a better lie. You could lie, cheat, and bribe your way out of an offense. Most of the time, you could get out of an offense by buying gifts like food and beer for the boys. Sometimes, harsher penalties had to be handed out, like paying for hotel rooms or being expelled from the locker room for a while. However it played out, it was to make people accountable for their actions. Other times, it was just something fun to do on the road.
Stories of Wrestler’s Court in WWE have dwindled over the years, more so since The Undertaker stopped wrestling full time. In 2016, Seth Rollins revealed they don’t do Wrestler’s Court anymore in WWE, but it has happened in Impact Wrestling & Ring Of Honor. Impact produced a parody of Wrestler’s Court as a storyline for TV, to find out who was guilty of shooting the character John E. Bravo.
You have reached the end of the introduction. It’s all about the stories from this point. Please take them with a grain of salt, because stories can be exaggerated or remembered wrong. All I can do is tell you what I have found. If any elements of the stories have been proven otherwise, let me know and I’ll make corrections. Thank you.
Sloppy Sunny
Sunny was one of the first to be called in to Wrestler’s Court. The boys didn’t like how she treated Chris Candido and was found guilty. Her punishment? To have The Godwinn’s slop bucket thrown over her on TV. Yet, it was no ordinary slop. Earlier in the day, they left the bucket in the locker room and told everyone to “leave it alone”, knowing full well the guys would add their own contents.
There’s no way of knowing what was added, but you can imagine. On TV, The Godwinns cornered her around ringside. Sunny did her best to persuade them to look the other way, but it was inevitable. Oh well. It’s not like she hasn’t done nastier things since then!
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