Huh? The Anti-Bullying Campaign?

[Mustang Sally]

It could be seen as ironically amusing that WWE's noble effort to prevent bullying has a stopping point.......right at the top......speaking of Vince & Stephanie McMahon; the leaders of the whole shebang.

Yes, pro wrestling as a form of sports entertainment is going to feature bullying in every degree imaginable; one person inflicting their will on another usually has element of bullying in there....yet, it's the essence of wrestling.

The McMahons' take it to an art form with their 'might makes right' mantra.

Look at how they're treating Roman Reigns. A while back, they order him to defend against more than one opponent. Last night, they put him in against a whole crew of them, with the further promise that he's going to face all 29 at the Royal Rumble.

Why are they doing this?..............because they can. It's bullying at it's absolute worst, don't you think?

Last night, when Roman finally got on top of Kevin Owens, he moved to ringside and bellowed his defiance at Vince & Stephanie.

Their response? Vince simply smiled and pointed at the rest of the bad guys waiting outside the ring apron, letting Roman know if he gets by one, there are others anxiously waiting to get in there.

Yes, it's so completely unfair that it stinks to high heaven, yet this is the way the McMahons have operated for years.....and I continue to be struck by how incongruous this form of behavior is with the anti-bullying campaign WWE claims to live by.........outside the confines of a WWE TV show.

Obviously, it's all make-believe and pro wrestling wouldn't be much fun without it. Still, I believe it's time for the bosses to stop inflicting their will in this manner; they've been doing it for too long (kayfabe).

One more thing: If the company is afraid to turn John Cena bad because they worry about the kiddies having nightmares, what do they think the little rugrats are gonna think when they see the employer bullying the employees, using their corporate power to create impossible situations for the workers?

A long time ago, this was fun & original....but not anymore. Have you had enough of the McMahon family operating in this manner?

 

[ShinChan]

Obviously it is too much. The misuse of power by the Authority is a too overused storyline. It should have ended after Daniel Bryan won WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 30. But No! Whatever is successful once for them, They are gonna use it again and again until they face the consequences.

Also about the effect on the kids. I think they are too puzzled between Kayfabe and reality. They are bullying their employees kayfabe wise and on the other hand, They have an Anti-Bullying campaign going on. Too contradictory and dumb!

On misusing power on Roman Reigns kayfabe wise, Its all a master stroke to make him much over. They want us to cheer him. They are gonna do anything to make their homegrown talent the top babyface!

 

[AegonTargaryen]

Agreed. Absolutely@ A long time ago, this was fun & original....but not anymore.

Actually, it was 9.20 AM here in India(Raw airs LIVE at 6 AM tuesday mornings, beginning with the pre-show) and I had been sleep deprived and a bit distracted during the main event. But since I knew Brock was "there"...I already foresaw him coming out and suplexing the LIVING FUCK out of them all. Surprisingly, he only did that to four-five guys, followed by F5'ing Roman Reigns. I had actually, for a minute, been anticipating a Brock Lesnar helping Roman get on his feet! Like a "Lesnar joins forces with Reigns and truly becomes FACE" scenario? Though that didn't happen...the prolonged nod by Reigns, with that cute smile, followed by a shorter though equally screaming "Respect" nod of Lesnar, was a glorious sight. All they conveyed was.."Hey, I respect you..Let us hope we face each other again".

I had already pointed out the incongruity between Stephanie Mcmahon's kayfabe bullying and slapping a fucking interviewer(male) and the Anti-Bullying campaign, only to be chagrined because 90 percent of the posters failed to perceive my point.

I agree that it's incongruent and hypocritical, while knowing that they're "kayfabe" personas of their real life corporate power-hungry selves.

Have I had enough of the Mcmahon family operating in this manner? Probably. But if not them, it'd be John Laurinaitis or Eric Bischoff doing that to the FACE superstars. As long as the WWE has a HEEL onscreen manager/owner, this won't stop. But the Mcmahons' form of bullying is truly annoying at this point. I seem to enjoy Stephanie being a bitch to Roman Reigns and acting like how her family owns every wrestler...but slapping around employees, even in kayfabe, is a bit too much. Thankfully, that has stopped.

The worst thing I've ever had to see(when it comes to hypocrisy/incongruence between WWE's anti-bullying image and the behaviour they exemplify) was a handicapped...one-legged wrestler being thrown around and bullied by Lesnar and Vince. That was abominable, kayfabe or not.

 

[Trill Co$by]

I think the biggest problem here is that WWE keeps showing videos of the HEELS being anti-bully campaigners... and that's just stupid PR. If it wasn't for the whole publicly traded aspect, and all the family friendly sponsors they get then they wouldn't need to have people go over to crying kids in the crowd and apologize because the kid's too stupid to differentiate between fact or fiction... (Ahh, to be young and ignorant)

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that this Anti-Bullying campaign isn't a bad thing at all. In fact, with how the Authority is being booked, I find it the best possible Anti-Bullying campaign they can have... especially when last night the bullies got put into their place by the legitimate bad ass in Brock Lesnar.

Having faces who openly express their distaste for bullies is a pretty cool thing to see for kids. In fact, with Kalisto as US Champion it would be nice to use him vs. Del Rio as a bully vs. underdog storyline to help showcase how standing up against bullying can lead to great things in life.

 

[enviousdominous]

The WWE probably left a ton of stupid ideas off the table in one of their war room meetings to figure out how to lure more people into their seats. One of the stupid ideas that made it to tv was the whole "B A Star" campaign.

Kids by and large are marks, they think the whole chain of events that occur on a pro-wrestling program have happened naturally and all violent acts shared between performers during that time were completely genuine. This is part of why a mark absolutely must have every piece of the John Cena ensemble to feel complete as a human being.

"B A Star" campaign rolls around, and now all the bad guys that John Cena had been trouncing as a means of paying them back for their dastardly ways are showing their happy dopey selves in a suit and presenting elementary school children with sage advice for what to do if they ever meet a bully. I think "Walk away" or "Get an adult" gets beaten to death during these fun visits.

These kids tune into pro-wrestling, and see violence being used as the appropriate response to being socially slighted and they would get to hear Jerry Lawler send the essence of man back fifty years with the sexist comments he'd throw around.

The main effort on part of the "B A Star" program seemed to be duping us into having a "Well ain't that special?" feel good moment. With Susan G Komen it can be argued that they did some good, performing for the troops is a nice gesture as well. The "B A Star" program benefitted nobody and became a gratuitous way for d-list celebrities to repeat "bullying's bad, mmm'kay." over and over again for cheap appeal.

If you try to please everybody, you'll probably please nobody.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

The McMahons' take it to an art form with their 'might makes right' mantra.

Look at how they're treating Roman Reigns. A while back, they order him to defend against more than one opponent. Last night, they put him in against a whole crew of them, with the further promise that he's going to face all 29 at the Royal Rumble.

Why are they doing this?..............because they can. It's bullying at it's absolute worst, don't you think?

Last night, when Roman finally got on top of Kevin Owens, he moved to ringside and bellowed his defiance at Vince & Stephanie.

Their response? Vince simply smiled and pointed at the rest of the bad guys waiting outside the ring apron, letting Roman know if he gets by one, there are others anxiously waiting to get in there.


One more thing: If the company is afraid to turn John Cena bad because they worry about the kiddies having nightmares, what do they think the little rugrats are gonna think when they see the employer bullying the employees, using their corporate power to create impossible situations for the workers?

that's the point....they are heels.


Children are supposed to hate/fear/scourge the heels. So the heels engage in behavior the company and its partners present as being the abhorrent lowest of the low IE bullying. The hero positions himself who does not fear the bullies, and whom will ultimately overcome them (as all kids wish they too could do. Recall my comparison of Reigns turning and walking off from his screeching 7th grade vice principal two weeks ago....Something all kids wish they could do)

If they are smart, its a purposeful extension of kayfabe to have the "bad" guys go against the nicey nice PR stuff they do. I await Kevin Owens supporting breast cancer next year.

 

[J.J.]

Vince is just playing out his power driven heel persona. Heel characters are clearly characterized as bad guys, and counter role models. When deliberate heels undertake bullying or any other antisocial behavior, that's just story telling. Now, if John Cena who is a deliberate role model, makes homophobic jokes, or engages in bullying, that's a huge contradiction, and a mixed message that would need to be addressed if they want this campaign to be taken seriously.

I enjoy Vince's presence on TV and his hands on approach to further put Reigns over. From a kayfabe standpoint it goes back to what I originally said. But if you're going to point out The Authority's actions how do you overlook and justify Brock's actions on Raw last night?

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

They're the heels in-story so their bullying behaviour is not really condoned by the company itself. But I know you're speaking from a somewhat kayfabe perspective Sally.

My real issue is that the Authority, and Steph in particular, is booked as the Boring Invincible Tweener. Steph can't put anyone over. They're objectively heel, yet in promos she snarks, semi-shoots and makes funny comments to get over and always has the last word. Steph you are never going to be CM Punk. Stop trying to put yourself over. on the mic. It's a big problem for me, because I can't see Steph being humilated in the same way that Vince was. Vince at least knew that to make money, his ego had to be kowtowed and brought down by Austin on a frequent basis (although sometimes the reverse problem happened and the hero looked too strong instead). I appreciate it's difficult for Steph to suffer a physical comeuppance on the largely male roster, and rightly so. But sometimes she really needs to have her ass kicked by a popular woman wrestler.

The two main villains are non-wrestlers right now, which may remind some detractors immediately of TNA. History has consistently shown that in wrestling and other forms of fiction (A Song of Ice and Fire for example) that when the villains don't lose enough, people start to become apathetic. There's no chance the hero could win.

Additionally this makes the belt look weaker. The belt should be the objective for everyone I feel. Instead the belt is secondary, because it's a symbol of who either managed to screw the Authority or be subservient to them. People like Orton are frequently shown vying for the Authority's approval rather than any title or actual wrestling success. It's like the bad guys don't actually care about the belt before they care about Helmsley and McMahon.

So yeah I think the Authority has been on top too long. Kinda like the nWo or Hogan/Bischoff in TNA, they've been too powerful and this itself damages the main event booking. Also that is a horrifying parallel, because those overpowered factions were ultimately extremely detrimental to their companies in a brutally non-kayfabe fashion.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Children are supposed to hate/fear/scourge the heels. So the heels engage in behavior the company and its partners present as being the abhorrent lowest of the low IE bullying. The hero positions himself who does not fear the bullies, and whom will ultimately overcome them

Understood, and I figure the kids can grasp the idea of wrestlers being heel performers that are going to get theirs in the end, etc etc. I just think WWE has taken it too far with the owners being the bullies. In school, a kid being bullied can (presumably) turn to the school administrators for help......but if the school administrators are the bullies, what does the kid do then?

IMO, casting the McMahons' as unfair rulers of all they survey made a nice program, but enough is enough.

I await Kevin Owens supporting breast cancer next year.

I think Kevin is holding out for a massive Slim-Fast campaign built around him.

....and it's a long way around.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I have to disagree, which is quite a rarity when it comes to Sally's posts. I know that using the whole "they're heels, it's what they're supposed to do" sounds simplistic, but that's a big reason as to why it works. The McMahons, the Authority as a whole, are portrayed as greedy, tyrannical, hypocritical, affluent snobs who hold themselves to different standards than everyone else; they behave the exact opposite of what they endorse outside of the ring while they're inside the ring.

Even though I know it's all scripted, it doesn't keep me from "disliking" such people because I dislike such people in real life as well just the same as most other ordinary people do. When I was a kid and saw E.T. for the first time, I knew it wasn't real, yet I liked the squat, so ugly he was kinda cute alien while I didn't like the government agents sticking their noses into things because they thought they knew better than everyone else. Vince being an elitist, snobbish jackass with an equally snobbish daughter who come off as conniving, evil people who get their jollies from messing with the lives of decent, hardworking people, aka the babyfaces, gives me reason to want to see the babyfaces get the upper hand while the bad guys come out with the short end of the stick. It's classic storytelling and, for me, simple, easy to invest in storylines never get old when the actors are able to do their jobs well.

 

[J.J.]

Understood, and I figure the kids can grasp the idea of wrestlers being heel performers that are going to get theirs in the end, etc etc. I just think WWE has taken it too far with the owners being the bullies. In school, a kid being bullied can (presumably) turn to the school administrators for help......but if the school administrators are the bullies, what does the kid do then?

IMO, casting the McMahons' as unfair rulers of all they survey made a nice program, but enough is enough.

You have a valid argument. But you have to realize WWE is a business first. They're always going to believe the dictator boss character is always a winner. McMahon vs Austin is the greatest feud of the WWE Attitude Era in the late 90s. We seen it as a way to elevate Triple H, DX, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, The Shield and now Reigns. Freshen up a bit, yeah. But you can't fully abandon a method that has succeeded over the last 2 decades.

 

[jaywalker]

I agree with the the whole tired of the authority storyline, but I can't stand the basis of the thread.

This sounds like the people who try to to demand rape and abuse not be allowed to be done in stories. As if somehow if something is eliminated from media, or not portrayed, somehow that's going to end it happening on earth for all of times. How they're okay with murder in stories is beyond me with their logic, but w.e

Like I don't get how you can make anything out of this.

Are you saying they'd be inspired by authority figures being bullies? Why would they be more influenced by authority figures being bullies rather than the other heels, who you said would continue to have to be bullies? The other heels would be more inspiration because they're in the same boat, the authority is more like teachers and the principal, kids would easily relate to wrestler on wrestler bullying since they'd be kids on kids, where all parties are on the same level.

Unless you're saying that because their authority figures that means kids will think they have no where to go when they're bullied because even those in charge are bullies. Then we'd be in a discussion now about how WWE needs to be a realistic, or even ideal, source of how the world structure is to kids, thus it wouldn't be okay for people like Roman to hit HHH or even for wrestlers to act out violence on fellow wrestlers who are heel. Just because a fellow kid cheats on a test off your answers, or some kid shoves in the hall or a group of bullies always team up to decide to hit you with the ball in dodge ball, doesn't mean you get to kick their ass or should go down to their level with equal retribution.

WWE storylines, and stories in general, shouldn't be dictated base on being how humans should act.

The only problem I have with the whole B A Star stuff is how WWE is about it real life wise, completely without genuine because they themselves are true bullies. Vince and his cronies are fine with making fun of Jim Ross, and a multitude of things throughout time. I wouldn't be surprised if Vince and Donald Trump were a lot alike.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

What the McMahon's are doing onscreen is completely, 100% kayfabe and everyone knows it. I'm assuming that parents also tell their children it's fake, this is a lot different than Santa Claus.

The Be-A-Star Campaign is real life behind the scenes.

Most people are able to separate what they see onscreen and real life and if they can't they really shouldn't be watching.

Personally I'm glad they've taken up causes like Be-A-Star and others because while I think people should think for themselves people do look up to and listen to what the WWE Superstars say and do.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

If WWE is really serious around the idea of anti- bullying campaign they should just do "Fight The Bully" campaign. They could just show faces like Reigns or Cena going school to school and saying "See, we were being bullyed and yet came on our feet and fight back and go on top of that" Much more efficient and effective then that PR junk of hypocrisy WWE does right now. Sure, PG people would go apeshit crazy about it but at least its not hypocrisy and gets the right message and its related with product they do.

Have you had enough of the McMahon family operating in this manner?

You get used to it. At least its better then Steph going around never knowing if she is heel or face punishing Roman this week and then punishing some heel next week. But yes, it is getting old. Eventhough it produces heat right now that really helped build Reigns reaction.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

If WWE is really serious around the idea of anti- bullying campaign they should just do "Fight The Bully" campaign. They could just show faces like Reigns or Cena going school to school and saying "See, we were being bullyed and yet came on our feet and fight back and go on top of that" Much more efficient and effective then that PR junk of hypocrisy WWE does right now. Sure, PG people would go apeshit crazy about it but at least its not hypocrisy and gets the right message and its related with product they do.

So correct me if I'm wrong, what your suggesting that the face of the company and arguably the #2 face should go around the country telling kids they should fight back when they get bullied.

This is a horrible idea for a publicly traded company like the WWE. Some kid gets hurt after this and the WWE takes a big hit.

This will never happen for a variety of reasons. PG is one of them. Then there's the fact that I'm sure no one in WWE wants children beating the snot out of each other.

I hope no one agrees with this idea it's that bad.

 

[rbv13]

Why is the McMahon family the so called vilians? They are the leaders of a publicly traded and highly successful entertainment corporation. Under their supervision fall the Super Stars and Divas. They ask certain things of these individuals for the betterment of the organization. It is expected that the employees should comply. In the case of Roman Reigns he has been very defiant. Just recently he turned down a WWE WHC opportunity offered by Triple H. He then viciously attacked Triple H. Later when management tried reprimand him he beats up an old man. If you ask me Roman is a terrible employee and person. I just hope kids don't start beating up their teachers after seeing how he acts.

 

[jaywalker]

Ok JBL. I guess all those beat downs, handicap matches and obvious bias is normal good guy stuf from the McMahons.

 

[Headman]

I disagree on this one. If anything I think bullied kids would identify with characters who are being mistreated. The way I see it, it must be nice to see someone on tv go through something similar to what you're experiencing and having the guts to keep fighting. So no, I don't care how far the Mcmahon's take it as long as there is a protagonist who stands up for himself.

 

[rbv13]

Ok JBL. I guess all those beat downs, handicap matches and obvious bias is normal good guy stuf from the McMahons.

It is called tough love. Management only wants what is best for the entire organization. They know Roman can be an important contributor towards that success but he needs to be a team player. It is like Classic Parenting. To teach a lesson in proper behavior you don't give a child ice cream. You give them a firm tap on the behind. Roman is lucky to have such patient supervisors.

 

[whoopin' ass]

I have always said the wwe's anti-bullying campaign is a bit of a joke as Steph is always at the events but whenever she is in the ring with a wrestler, she is a bully. Say what you want about them playing characters, when you are using your own name you need to think a but more and maybe back away from some of this stuff. Kids won't understand the difference so them seeing Steph at a school talking about bullying and then seeing her on tv being a bully will confuse them. Besides, who is wwe to talk about bullying - Vince built the entire business by trying to bully other companies.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Yes, pro wrestling as a form of sports entertainment is going to feature bullying in every degree imaginable; one person inflicting their will on another usually has element of bullying in there....yet, it's the essence of wrestling.

They're being heels. Heels bully faces. Kids then get behind the faces who overcome these bullies. It's pro wrestling 101.

 

[ShinChan]

What the McMahon's are doing onscreen is completely, 100% kayfabe and everyone knows it. I'm assuming that parents also tell their children it's fake, this is a lot different than Santa Claus.

The Be-A-Star Campaign is real life behind the scenes.

Most people are able to separate what they see onscreen and real life and if they can't they really shouldn't be watching.

Personally I'm glad they've taken up causes like Be-A-Star and others because while I think people should think for themselves people do look up to and listen to what the WWE Superstars say and do.

Yeah its Kayfabe but its too prolonged. Heel Boss VS Face Employee is too much overused, buddy. Kids willnot be able to separate Kayfabe and reality.

They're being heels. Heels bully faces. Kids then get behind the faces who overcome these bullies. It's pro wrestling 101.

Right, buddy

But there needs to be a limit to it.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

So correct me if I'm wrong, what your suggesting that the face of the company and arguably the #2 face should go around the country telling kids they should fight back when they get bullied.

This is a horrible idea for a publicly traded company like the WWE. Some kid gets hurt after this and the WWE takes a big hit.

This will never happen for a variety of reasons. PG is one of them. Then there's the fact that I'm sure no one in WWE wants children beating the snot out of each other.

I hope no one agrees with this idea it's that bad.

As I said, never gona happen and PC people would go apeshit about it. But sure beats this "Kids, dont be a bully, then goes on TV and be a bully" policy.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

Yeah its Kayfabe but its too prolonged. Heel Boss VS Face Employee is too much overused, buddy. Kids willnot be able to separate Kayfabe and reality.

I'll agree that it's overused but I understand why they do. Everyone reading this has wanted to slap their boss in the mouth if not more. It's an easy way to get fans behind the face they're trying to push. It worked in the A.E. with Austin and it's working now with Reigns.

As for the kids you're not giving them near enough credit. They have something a lot of us didn't have growing up and that's access to tons of information via the internet. We're talking about Kayfabe but the internet killed kayfabe a long time ago. It's how the McMahons can be obnoxious tits you wanna slap in the face on-screen and have an anti bullying campaign off-screen. It's fake and everyone knows it, adults and children.

As I said, never gona happen and PC people would go apeshit about it. But sure beats this "Kids, dont be a bully, then goes on TV and be a bully" policy.

No it doesn't. Those 'PC people' as you call them at the ones that pay to bring their children and buy their kids all that merchandise. If the WWE advocates a 'beat the shit out of people who bully you' campaign those same people put WWE in their rear view and take their money with them.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

No it doesn't. Those 'PC people' as you call them at the ones that pay to bring their children and buy their kids all that merchandise. If the WWE advocates a 'beat the shit out of people who bully you' campaign those same people put WWE in their rear view and take their money with them.

As I said, realisticly never gona happen but to me its far better then "Be a Star". Just because you think its wrong to advocate to fight back bullying doesnt mean that its bad thing. At least for real world where you have massive bullying problem and where some PR stuff where wrestler goes to school and talks how he was being bullied as a kid doesnt mean that much.