WWE Superstars get asked a lot of questions, and some of them repeat themselves. Most pro wrestlers are tired of getting asked, “is it fake?” That question is actually probably less insulting than the one Grayson Waller and LA Knight had to deal with recently.
The Grayson Waller Incident
On the Sunrise talk show in Australia, Grayson Waller and LA Knight faced an unusual request from the host. The host asked Knight if he could perform one of his signature moves on someone in the studio. Knight said no and passed the task of handling the question to Grayson Waller.
The hosts then proposed doing a WWE move on their floor manager, because he is leaving them soon. That is when the floor manager walked onto the set and prepared to face off with Waller.
The floor manager acted like he was preparing for a fight, and not taking it seriously. Waller, however, became quite annoyed at this suggestion and chose to uphold the integrity of the wrestling business.
“I don’t think you understand, because if I go over there we’re gonna have the police here, because I’m not gonna give you some fake punch. I’m gonna punch you straight in the jaw. The disrespect that you give me when you act like this isn’t real. Don’t act tough. You guys disrespect us, are you kidding me?”
They were able to remove the floor manager from the set, and Waller composed himself. LA Knight remained seated for the entire thing, as you can see in the footage from the incident.
Respect the old-school vibe. pic.twitter.com/zJWeWoKpiy
— Aaron (@AaronVarble) January 17, 2024
History of Protecting Kayfabe in Pro Wrestling
This is not the first time that a pro wrestler needed to protect kayfabe. John Stossel learned that the hard way nearly 40 years ago.
The Stossel controversy occurred in December 1984, during an interview with David Schultz, who was also known as “Dr. D.” Stossel questioned the legitimacy of professional wrestling, asking if it was fake.
In response, Schultz slapped Stossel across the ear, causing pain and hearing loss. Then he slapped him again for good measure when the journalist got to his feet.
The incident was recorded and later aired on the “20/20” program, leading to legal action. Stossel filed a lawsuit against Schultz and WWF, resulting in a settlement of $425,000.
There was also a legendary 1997 appearance of Vader and The Undertaker in Kuwait. That interview took quite a turn, and the Deadman stayed in character as the host of that program realized it was Vader Time.
Thankfully, Grayson Waller was able to escape this situation without a lawsuit, but he seemed ready to take things to a Schultz level if they needed to escalate that far.
https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C2NA5anuYlW
Grayson Waller Reacts
While Waller did not drop any clever words, or pontificate about respect for pro wrestling, he did let fans know he is aware that he is now the new David Schultz. He did so by simply tweeting out a photo of the former WWE Superstar who once busted John Stossel’s ear drum.
— Grayson Waller (@GraysonWWE) January 17, 2024