WZ reader Jaco Breytenbach has sent in the following:
I was at the Cape Town event last night. The incident with the fan and Randy Orton may be a work. The "fan" is a local wrestler called Blacksmith. He trains regularly (4- 5 days a week) at the gym where I am a manager. Adding fuel to the matter is that some people who were in attendance claim that the event security opened up a gap towards the finish of the Orton/Langston match where the "fan"/Blacksmith was able to enter the ring.
WZ reader M. Huntley has sent in the following:
The guy who 'attacked' Randy Orton during last night's event at the Gran West Arena was local South African wrestler The Blacksmith. Many fans in the arena found the whole incident strange and suspicious as he was posing for photos before the show with fans who recognized him. He was sitting 5 or 6 rows in front of my friends and I. He entered the ring when the event crew backed-off from the security spots giving him the window to proceed into the ring. Everyone on the bus home was suspicious about the whole thing, a few people reckon its a WWE publicity stunt to sell tickets or to take away attention from TNA's August1 videos given the fact that people would be watching footage of Orton's so-called attack.
WZ reader Daniel Hayward has sent in the following:
I attended this infamous WWE event last night. People were posing for photos with the guy who attacked Randy Orton last night. The attacker is a domestic wrestler called The Black Smith. The general feeling in South Africa is that this whole thing is a PR stunt and not a legitimate incident as that of the Pieter van Zyl, the fan who attacked a referee in an international rugby match between South Africa and New Zealand back in 2002 which was a legitimate occurrence. Sorry to burst the bubble, but this thing was planned. The Black Smith was a plant. No Steve Bartman incident here.
Editor's Note: While the above reports are nothing more than speculation at this point, it is interesting that WWE contacted WZ just minutes after the incident happened last night, offering us an official statement. Couple that with the fact that WWE.com is hyping the story as a "violent attack" on Randy Orton and has posted fan footage of the incident, one could speculate that this is indeed a work.
In the past, when fans have breached security and entered a WWE ring, and/or talent has been struck by a fan in any way, WWE typically remains quiet about it and never publicizes it.
On the other hand, however, in this case, Randy Orton did retaliate against the fan and hit him, so this could also be a case of WWE covering themselves against any negative PR they might encounter due to Orton striking back.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
