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Randy Orton may have been in a hell of a fight last night, but he's also throwing his hat into a worldwide one, as well.
WWE has had plenty of stars speak out in favor of the current Black Lives Matter movement in recent weeks. One surprising voice in the crowd has been that of former WWE Champion Randy Orton.
In 2016, Randy Orton had Tweeted about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's protests against police brutality before games - Kaepernick would drop to one knee while the US national anthem was played - saying "Americans are dying. Pigment of skin doesn't matter. American people matter."
What changed for Randy Orton?
That tone changed last month when Randy Orton tweeted out support for the movement and responded to a follower critical of his position with the following message.
While speaking with CBSSports.com, The Viper explained just why he reversed his position - he listened.
"It took me a little time, but what I had to do was realize, Kaepernick, he wasn't sh****** on the flag... He was taking a stand against police brutality. As a white guy, I don't see it. But then I started listening to my black brothers and sisters, especially the ones I've known for years and some for more than a decade... hearing first-hand accounts of interactions with cops that took advantage of the situation and the power they had because [of]... the color of someone's skin. That's when the lightbulb went off."
"I'm embarrassed to say it, but it took me a little while but I get it. What I said on Twitter, I stand behind. If anyone doesn't agree with me, I think they need to do more digging."
Randy Orton also pointed out that the perspective of some of his African-American colleagues helped him change his.
"Go look at Big E's Twitter from a week ago, go look at Xavier Woods' Twitter, go look at things Kofi [Kingston] said, that Mark Henry said, that Shelton [Benjamin] said, that R-Truth said. If you read what they're saying and try to put yourself in their shoes for even just a minute, you're going to see right now that it's not fair."
"I think white people, like me, especially with a platform, saying that? Sitting on your laurels and not saying anything? I don't think that's helping anything. You need to get out there and get in this conversation. You need to insert yourself. That is what I was trying to do."
Last night, in a pre-taped match, Randy Orton faced Edge in what was billed as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" at Backlash.
