There was a questionable spot during the Edge vs. Randy Orton Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania 36 that many found disturbing.
The match featured Edge and Orton doing battle all over the WWE Performance Center. Once the fight hit the gym, Randy Orton used a weight cable to choke Edge, reminiscent the method Chris Benoit used to killed himself back in 2007. There was immediate criticism for the incident on social media.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, some people in WWE were troubled by the visual. Everybody is WWE familiar with the details of the Chris Benoit situation. Especially with Benoit back in the headlines from the excellent Dark Side of the Ring episode covering the murders, many people made the connection and it was seen as a ‘questionable’ decision at best.
Aside from the criticism the match received for the choking spot, its duration was also criticized. The 40-minute Edge vs. Orton match is now the second-longest bout in WrestleMania history, right behind Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart from WrestleMania 12, which was an Iron Man match that lasted over an hour.
Edge eventually defeated Orton in their match with a conchairto. Orton was unable to answer the 10 count after Edge crushed his skull with a steel chair. It was “The Rated-R Superstar’s” first singles match in nine years.
