Wrestling Responds To George Floyd And Fallout

They have opinions too. While you might not realize it at times, wrestlers are humans as well, with several of them living in the united States. That means they are going to be hearing the same stories that any normal person does, including the more controversial ones. That was the case over the weekend with a rather interesting story, and a lot of wrestlers have commented.

Last week, a video emerged of George Floyd dying while being choked by Minneapolis police officers. The video has caused intense responses, including riots and destruction around the country. The situation has spiraled out into a much wider issue of police brutality and several people have weighed in on the situation. This includes wrestlers and wrestling personalities.

Since the situation has unfolded, several people involved in the wrestling world have responded to the entire ordeal. The majority have been on the side of the protesters, though several of them have condemned the destruction of both public and private property. One of these was Titus O’Neil, who hosted a conversation with Batista, Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan and Hillsborough County (Tampa, Florida) Sheriff Chad Chronister. Stephanie McMahon responded to the conversation and praised O’Neil:

So proud of @WWE superstar @TitusOneilWWE for having the uncomfortable yet Important conversations we need to move our society forward.
https://t.co/eJbTYX825t

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) May 31, 2020

All lives DO matter, but the point I was trying to make is that I finally realized that until #BlackLivesMatters, they can’t. Get it? https://t.co/KSf6VkMINq

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) May 29, 2020

Racism is wrong. There is no grey area here. IT IS WRONG. Teach your kids this everyday, so we can rid ourselves and our future of this life ending disease. #JusticeForGeorgeFlyod #BlacklivesMaters

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) May 30, 2020

I’m a former police officer. I joined the force because I believed the only real way to bring change to policing is from within. I remember being told “empathy will get you killed.” No, lack of empathy allows you to kill. We have to change policing from within. #GeorgeFloyd

— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) May 27, 2020

The point of all this is simple; society and specifically our African American brothers and sisters have a justifiable distrust with the police. It’s the responsibility of the police to fix that issue but they won’t. Thus, it is on us,as a society to force that change from within

— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) May 27, 2020

So sick of this happening to our people! On top of that nothing being done about it . Something has to be done and many things have to be changed! Rest In Peace #georgefloyd ? pic.twitter.com/BW27nJMMyK

— Trinity (@TheTrinity_Fatu) May 27, 2020

This seems appropriate. Check out WWE’s tribute for Martin Luther King Day:

Opinion: There is no good way to spin what happened to start all of this or what has happened as a result. However, it is good to see these wrestlers use the platform that they have to speak out on it. They have the right to speak their mind on the situation and it is worth hearing what they have to say. Maybe it can do some good for everyone involved, which is certainly needed at the moment.

Which wrestler’s reaction was best? Will WWE say anything about the situation? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books. Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for “GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES” to sign up. Thank you for reading!