I Hate Randy Orton, Says WWE Star Attacker

Security personnel remove the spectator who punched Randy Orton

Cape Town - When wrestling superstar Randy Orton came to Cape Town he was probably expecting chants, cheers and a couple of boos. What he got instead was a low blow that ultimately stole the show. It started as a relatively normal night for the ripped cast of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) as they staged the first half of their Live World Tour at the GrandWest Arena on Tuesday. That was until South African favourite Orton won his match against Big E Langston. Standing on the turnbuckle and soaking up the applause after his win, the wrestler did not notice a fan slide into the ring. Never mind half-nelson, this fan went full ball-breaker, planting a heavy punch in Orton’s groin that sent the wrestler tumbling onto the mat. 

Video footage from a spectator shows security officials pouncing on the fan and pulling him out the ring as an angry Orton started to give chase. The video is no longer available on YouTube due to a copyright claim by WWE.

 

Most pundits presumed the low blow was part of the script. But on Wednesday, police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk confirmed that the fan had been identified and would be arrested and charged. According to Van Wyk, the attacker had scaled the stage barrier and managed to slip past security before delivering the punch. 

ENCA’s website identified the fan as Tsepho Sekhabi, a 20-year-old Joburg man who told the website he had quit his job as an administrative clerk to catch the wrestling federation’s two nights in Cape Town. The self-proclaimed “wrestling machine” admitted that he had been planning the big hit for a while.“I just don’t like Randy Orton. This was an opportunity for me so I got up there and made a name for myself,” he told eNCA. 

While the wrestling federation’s website reported that the extent of Orton’s injuries was unknown, Sekhabi did not escape unscathed. The spectator reportedly was bruised on his left cheek after he was caught by one of Orton’s kicks. GrandWest’s general manager, Mervyn Naidoo, told the Cape Argus that Sekhabi had been banned from the entertainment facility. 

“We do not tolerate misbehaviour in any form, and have immediately banned him from entering the property for five years.” Naidoo said the WWE had indicated it was speaking to police to lay charges against the man. “Orton will be prepared to return to South Africa to attend the court case.”

GrandWest will work with the police by making surveillance footage of the incident available to them.

Meanwhile, users on Twitter commented on the low blow, many calling Sekhabi an “idiot”. “Only in SA, got to love our country,” tweeted @codex_ink. “Won’t blame Orton if he never wants to come back to Cape Town again,” said @madkiddsmith.