Several years ago, wrestling legend & former WWE manager Dutch Mantell invented the concept of Wrestlers' Court as a joke. Some superstars later applied it in the WWE locker room to keep the peace between wrestlers. A few top performers played the role of judge, including The Undertaker, JBL, and Ron Simmons.
Over the years, a few current superstars have stood in front of the Wrestlers' Court for different charges, including bribing a writer for more TV time, romancing the girls, and eating a piece of chicken over another wrestler's bag.
Here are five current superstars who got summoned to Wrestlers' Court.
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WWE Hall of Famer Edge
In April 2001, Edge and Christian were rising stars in WWE. However, they once stood in front of the Wrestlers' Court after getting accused of giving gifts to former head writer Brian Gewirtz in exchange for more TV time. Gerwitz was also called to Wrestlers' Court, becoming the first writer to stand trial in the locker room.
Speaking about the incident in his book "There's Just One Problem," Gewirtz disclosed that he bonded with Edge and Christian when he joined WWE. As they became friends, Edge once gifted him an action figure of his favorite superhero, The Flash. Nevertheless, it was not in exchange for more TV time.
However, Gewirtz, Edge, and Christian stood trial in Wrestlers' Court after Bob Holly saw The Rated R Superstar handing the action figure to the WWE writer.
"Undertaker brought the court in session as Bradshaw laid out the charges—we were being accused of giving and accepting gifts in exchange for television airtime. Edge and Christian pleaded not guilty to the charges, and then it was my turn. Bradshaw asked, 'How do you plead Mr. Ger-witz?' (...) Bradshaw had laid the first trap, baiting me. (...) 'My last name is pronounced 'Gewirtz,' so if you're going to proceed with this sham of a trial, the least you can do is get my name right.' The crowd instantly leapt to their feet. (...) As I waited for the slow clap that never came, Undertaker cocked his head and turned with a look that said, The f**k did you just say?" he wrote in his book.
After several superstars testified, including Bob Holly, Perry Saturn, and Paul Heyman, The Undertaker found the three guilty.
While he sentenced Gewirtz to write an essay about his love for wrestling, Edge and Christian bought off The Undertaker by gifting him a $150 Harley Davidson coffee table book, as Christian disclosed on E&C's Pod of Awesomeness. Hence, he dropped their sentences.
The Miz
After participating in the 2004 Tough Enough competition, The Miz signed a contract with WWE. In early 2006, The Awesome One made his main roster debut, joining SmackDown.
During his early days in the Stamford-based company, The Miz was put on trial in Wrestlers' Court after spilling crumbs on Chris Benoit's bag while eating fried chicken in the locker room. The court found him guilty and banned him from the locker room for six months.
In an interview with The Baltimore Sun, the former WWE Champion spoke about his punishment.
"I got kicked out for eating a piece of chicken over a guy's bag in the locker room, and I got kicked out for six months. I had to find a place to shower, to use the restroom, to change. I've had it pretty rough in the WWE just because I'm an outsider, and WWE is kind of like a close-knit family or like a fraternity. Once you're an outsider trying to lurk in, they will haze you and haze you and try to see if you're up for the task or if you're just going to quit. I'm not a quitter. I'm more of a person that says bring it on," he said. (H/T: Wrestling Inc.)
Despite this, The Miz later became a top superstar in WWE. He is now a two-time Grand Slam Champion.
WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker
The Undertaker was usually a judge in the Wrestlers' Court. However, he once got put on trial by the concept's inventor himself, Dutch Mantell.
Speaking on Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the 72-year-old disclosed that before Wrestlers' Court turned into something serious in the Stamford-based company, he put a young Undertaker on trial for "romancing the girls."
"I did this with Undertaker first and I put him on trial for I think romancing the girls around. Imagine. Because he denied it. He denied it. And then I was the prosecutor and the judge. Of course, you know. I never lost a case," he said. (0:57 - 1:19)
In a recent tweet, Mantell explained that The Undertaker was convicted in short order.
Although The Deadman has retired from in-ring competition, he is still under contract with WWE. He is currently an ambassador for the company.
Randy Orton
During his early days in WWE, Randy Orton got in trouble after sleeping in Dawn Marie's room. According to the former diva, The Viper told her he had no place to sleep, so she invited him to spend the night in her room as long as he did not get any wrong ideas.
In her RF shoot interview in 2008, Dawn Marie disclosed that Orton was summoned the next day to the Wrestlers' Court.
"We're on the plane and everyone's asking him 'where did you sleep last night?' Why didn't you pick so-and-so up or something crazy, and they were going to take him to Wrestling [Wrestlers'] Court because something like he blew someone off or no one could find him," she said. (38:00 - 38:12)
While Dawn Marie did not reveal more details about the incident, she disclosed that Orton luckily got away with it.
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg
Between 1996 and 1999, Goldberg and Chris Jericho shared the WCW locker room. Nevertheless, they were not friends. Instead, the two wrestlers did not like each other.
Although Jericho left Ted Turner's promotion in 1999 and moved to WWE, Goldberg joined him in the Stamford-based company in 2003. The real-life heat between the two superstars almost immediately reignited.
In his book "Undisputed: How to Become World Champ in 1,372 Easy Steps," Jericho disclosed that he confronted the former Universal Champion after getting informed that Goldberg was bad-mouthing him backstage.
"I stood in front of him and stared directly into his eyes. 'I heard you were saying some stuff about me during my match. I don't know if you realize it, but things have changed. This isn't WCW. If you have something to say to me, say it to my face,'" Jericho wrote.
Things then turned physical between him and Goldberg, with Y2J getting the better of the Hall of Famer. Following the incident, both superstars stood in front of the Wrestlers' Court. However, Triple H, who acted as judge, ruled in favor of Jericho.
While Jericho is now an active competitor in AEW, Goldberg is a part-time performer in WWE.