ESPN Host No Longer A WWE Fan

[Jack-Hammer]

Most people remember the controversy surrounding ESPN host/journalist Michelle Beadle and the incident involving CM Punk and AJ Lee during the Tribute to the Troops taping in 2013. Beadle, who'd known Punk for over a decade, jokingly called him something, maybe fuckface or something along those lines, and AJ, who was unaware of their friendship, went off on Beadle which led to an embarrassing moment for WWE. This lead to tons of speculation at the time that WWE was going to bury AJ but, thankfully, it didn't happen.

What appears to be the final straw from Beadle is Triple H's support and friendship of boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr., which has been going on for the better part of a decade. Last night, Mayweather took his professional boxing record to 48-0 by defeating Manny Pacquiao via unanimous decision, simultaneously retaining his various Welterweight titles and adding Pacquiao's WBO Welterweight Championship to his collection. Beadle said via Twitter that she's turning in her "fan card" due to Triple H supporting "a serial abuser." Since 2002, Mayweather has been arrested several times on battery charges, usually involving women, and has either been convicted our negotiated a plea for reduced sentencing.

I've got no personal love for men who beat women, but this strikes me as one of those guilt by association situations. Odds are, just about everyone is friends with or related to someone that's done some lousy things in his/her life. Just because Triple H is friends with the guy doesn't mean that he automatically condones Mayweather's treatment of women in the past. Doesn't mean Trips agrees with it, nor does it mean that he somehow feels Mayweather was justified in his actions or anything along those lines. It's true that Triple H has frequently and often touts Mayweather...as a boxer. I might be wrong, but I don't think Trips has ever come out and said what a great guy he is or a great humanitarian he is or anything along those lines; while I can't say I care much for the guy's personality, given that he's an arrogant, chauvinistic, homophobe, but the guy's one helluva boxer and I don't see what's so wrong with acknowledging and appreciating that. He's had 48 professional fights without a loss and is an 11 time World Champion in 5 different weight divisions. If he has one more successful bout before he retires, he'll tie Rocky Marciano's record and become only the 8th boxer in history to retire without any draws or defeats.

We see this all the time in wrestling as well where a celebrated star's personal problems get tossed into the mix with what he's done within the realm of his career. I can't say that Austin earned my respect as a human being for smacking his wife Debra around, but it never made me less of a fan of the Stone Cold Steve Austin persona and all the fun I had watching him during the 90s and early 2000s.

 

[No Count Pup]

Beadle should have never associated with WWE from the start based on their relationship with Mike Tyson.

I can never fault a person for acting on principle. If Beadle wants to scrutinize Mayweather for his past I respect that. He's a public figure. My only question: If Mayweather's camp hadn't revoked her credentials, would she have complained about Triple H?

 

[jmt225]

Guess who Michelle Beadle's favorite wrestler is?

.......

.......

.......

Got it, yet?

It's "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Now look, I don't know what happened between Austin and Debra, just as I don't know what happened with Floyd's case(s). But if you're going to criticize Floyd so heavily for the domestic violence accusations made against him, then how could you then turn around and not care about the same kind of accusations that were made against Steve Austin? Maybe race has something to do with it, I don't know.

What I do know is that Michelle Beadle is a hypocrite, and a fucking moron to boot. I cannot wait until that idiot becomes irrelevant, which I hope is someday very soon.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

And don't forget the recent Chyna "revelation"... Whether you choose to believe Trips did it or not is your own call... Personally, I think it was likely something that was known in the business but a taboo to talk about/let get out on pain of blackballing... same level as whether Randy DID bang Steph or what really happened to Brody (kayfabed story if ever I heard one) in Puerto Rico. In watching the interview with Jericho and Steph, they made clear there was an enforced gap. It's easy to imagine Vince getting wind of Trips having hit Chyna and withdrawing all support for the relationship based on that.

Since 2001, no one really wanted to burn that bridge with WWE/face the inevitable legal crap that would go with them telling. In Russo and Chyna's case there was nothing for them to gain by lying about it or lose by keeping it quiet... and Austin's reaction to the answer told me all I need to make my mind up...

Steve was calling BS, knowing the shit he went through (rightfully) you could see it irked him that Trips was deflecting. Steve clearly knew more and that's why he asked the question.

So by that token, of course either way Trips ain't gonna have an issue with Floyd having done it, but at the same time he still would get on with Steve too... if he did it, then he can relate, if he didn't then he can still do business...

WWE has a really bad track record with this kind of thing... to a hypocritical level at times. Tyson is credited with his role in revitalizing WWE and is in the HOF but in today's climate it would be ultra controversial for a convicted rapist to be on WWE TV. Yet Abraham Washington was binned for a comment related to a convicted rapist? Real hypocrisy if ever there was any.

Several Hall Of Famers have dark skeletons who fail Trips' "google test" including Jimmy Snuka who has a civil judgement against him for KILLING his girlfriend in an alledged drug fueled argument. That's the same as OJ has folks... it means a judge ruled he did it... yet Benoit is persona non grata in death, despite being medically proven now that he was not in control when he committed his crimes...

It's the one thing I can't ever say I like about WWE, but ultimately most people are hypocrites in some way, and we all have limits of tolerance. Show me someone who doesn't and I show you a liar... so I can accept it in WWE as I have to accept it in daily life... otherwise we'd all be killing each other over every slight, error, crime or insult.

Floyd hit his partner and did time... that's the end of it, if he does it repeatedly then inevitably in todays climate sponsors will desert him... or the Nevada Comission would ban him... (of course he'd just run to WWE) but the reality is in today's world you don't "get away" with stuff like before through money or celebrity..

Look at Ray Rice, Jon Jones and other recent high profile cases, not only are their careers in tatters but from a celebrity point of view they are fucked.

In the UK we have Ched Evans, a convicted rapist (albiet with an ongoing appeal) and footballer who is having a dogs time getting to play again... yet we allowed Tyson in to box/work... If you commit a crime, part of the "world system" is you must rehabilitate but there seems to be a real issue now where celebs/sportsmen get real problems returning to their old lives, mainly based on jealousy over what they earn. A plumber who is convicted of rape might have issues getting female clients, but no one is really gonna stop him, yet there are organised campaigns to stop Evans playing football anywhere in the UK... this isn't a Tyson style rape where he forced himself violently, it was a "consent/threesome" situation and it was judged he did wrong. But if he can't go back to his career, can we ask him or anyone to rehabilitate? It's a very murky situation...

As for Michelle Beadle... she's got an issue with Floyd full stop, apparently she thinks he blackballed her from his fight... so it's not hard to see an agenda there.

 

[Thriller Ant]

As for Michelle Beadle... she's got an issue with Floyd full stop, apparently she thinks he blackballed her from his fight... so it's not hard to see an agenda there.

Yeah, he blocked her and another reporter because they reported on and criticized others for ignoring the domestic violence in his past.

I can see where she's coming from. I mean, a lot of wrestlers aren't saints, but WWE isn't going out of their way to support and promote them like they are Mayweather. Frankly, it seems to me like Triple H just wants to make himself look relevant by talking him up and calling him a friend or whatever.

 

[OYDK]

Well she's not wrong. When your company's number one priority is to end bullying, the COO associating with and supporting a known domestic abuser doesn't look very good. Had Mayweather only abused 1 woman 1 time, than the excuse "everybody makes mistakes" can be plausibly used... I'm not saying that's right, but it's one of the reasons why people like Stone Cold and Mike Tyson aren't looked at as giant pieces of scum today (although an argument can be made that they should be). However, Mayweather has a decades worth of charges relating to domestic battery and that can't be overlooked whether we're talking about the boxer or the man.

Which is another point I've been thinking about. Can we really decipher the difference between the man and the boxer? Does Mayweather all of the sudden stop being a terrible human being when he boxes? You can respect the man in the ring and say he's a great boxer but to SUPPORT him is a completely different beast altogether. Mayweather is one of the biggest "bullies" in the world because he uses his impeccable boxing skills to batter defenseless women... it's just not smart on WWE's part to act like they're so close with Mayweather when they've been trying to "end bullying" for years now. There's a reason why Mayweather is universally hated, I mean was ANYBODY cheering for Mayweather last night? It's because people refuse to cheer for a terrible human being no matter how good he is at what he does. HHH should be on the "morally high" side even if it's just to keep face.

Whatever Beadle's intentions were, that doesn't make her statement any less true. If WWE wants to stop the heat they've been getting from the mainstream media lately, they should probably make some better decisions going forward.

 

[shafe_41]

Yeah ok Beadle. So you're saying we WON'T see you sitting ringside at Mania AGAIN next year just because Triple H is extremely LOOSELY associated with Mayweather? I don't like anyone that beats a woman either but I would gladly sell myself to be part of Mayweather's clique. I can take that paycheck and be moderately responsible with it and give myself a pretty solid life if he wants to do business with me.

Then I don't want to see Beadle report on the NFL because Aaron Hernandez, Ray Rice, and Greg Hardy played in it and they've all committed various violent offenses. So if she watched the NFL, she supports that. I don't want to see her like the NBA either because if she does, then she supports guys like Latrell Spreewell and Greg Oden... guys famous for punching their girlfriends or coaches. She better distance herself from the MLB too because if not, she'll be supporting players that took steroids. But you catch my drift...

Nobody will miss her. She tried to hard anyway.

 

[Pedigree1]

Ms Beadle makes no secret about her disdain for the abuser known as Money Mayweather who as of now has been arrested 5 separate times for abuse and threatening to kill the mother of his children in front of his kids.. Yah real nice guy he is..

She got her credentials blocked along with Rachel Nichols because those two had the guts to speak the truth about that POS mayweather.. I dont blame her for turning in her fan card,WWE is sending a very bad message by having Trips who recently was not a higher up in the company a buddy with Floyd.. If he chooses to be a friend thats his choice..

But to be in a position of power like he is,Trips has got to be smarter than that especially if WWE claims they're against bullying and such.. Of course Ms beadle would be upset by that.. The old question always exists can you separate the athlete from the person??

Floyd for years has been a bully and always has used his hands against women this is not news.. He is garbage.. With all the negative Buzz lately the WWE could sure use some good news..

Now i understand Triple H may not condone what Floyd has done,but he is the COO now he cant be seen in any negative light at all! This is not good for business Paul Levesque

 

[kadroan]

That's her choice. She won't be the last to stop tuning into WWE. Until the day comes where WWE can't sell out WM's, Summerslam's and RAW's WWE has nothing to worry about.

 

[lilroach420]

I think Austin was just staying in character when he beat down Debra.

"Kayfabe ain't dead bitch!" *Stunner*

 

[Messiah]

I have no idea what happened between Michelle and Punk, i remember her from ESPN like everyone else. Her not being a WWE fan anymore is no big deal. People give up on the business all the time for multiple reasons.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I think Mayweather is an abusive pig but it never would have occurred to me to connect that to Paul Levesque's support of him as a boxer.

Michelle Beadle could have made mention of the fact she doesn't like Levesque's choice of friends, but to decide she no longer is a fan of his profession is completely pointless and unnecessary; it accomplishes nothing, although it has gotten us talking a bit about her, so maybe that pleases her.

Still, Michelle Beadle is no longer a fan of WWE? Okay, did the sun still come up the morning after she made her pronouncement?

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Although this isn't the nail in WWE's coffin as a company, Beadle is one of WWE's best fans. Probably third to Bill Simmons and Jon Stewart (maybe Maria Menunos and Arnold Schwarzenegger). She is a relatively young, attractive woman who has no shame in her fandom, with access to millions that may be likely to make the crossover from sports to sports entertainment.

She isn't Fat Chuck sitting on his laptop who decides he has had enough with HHH burying Cesaro. She is a powerful person who makes many people less self concious and more invested in pro wrestling.

Michelle Beadle = real money for WWE. Tough loss if true. Maybe HHH can recruit that hot ESPN girl who says mean shit to tow yard workers as a fan of WWE to make up for it.

 

[hollowpoint]

It's a slippery slope when you get into not supporting a sport or business because of the personal lives of people. If we knew what kind of people the wrestlers we supported were in real life, half of them would probably have 0 support. The problem with Beadle is she is a public figure and she feels the need to voice whatever opinion or stance she makes in the world as if anyone will loose sleep over whether she's a WWE fan or not. In the grand scheme of things, nobody cares if she ever shows up to an event again. The beat goes on and for every 1 celebrity that shuns the WWE, there are 1,000 celebrities that love it and will show up. About 90% of them are probably more relevant or famous than she is.

Now don't get me wrong, I actually like Michelle Beadle. I just think she allows her personal views to affect her professional business. She's a popular personality at ESPN but she needs to stop writing so many checks with her mouth that she can't really cash. In the end, she will be back in the WWE because HHH is a PR master at this point. He will meet with her and explain his relationship with Mayweather. They always comeback to WWE.

 

[Uncle Sam]

There are three notable differences between Steve Austin and Floyd Mayweather:

1. Mayweather, and/or his representatives, allegedly tried to have Beadle, and other journalists who had reported on the Mayweather domestic violence accusations, banned from the MGM Grand for the Pacquiao fight (http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/may/02/floyd-mayweather-cnn-espn-reporters-say-banned-fight).
2. Mayweather has faced domestic violence accusations from five different women, in front of his children on at least one occasion, one of whom provided testimony for when...
3. Mayweather pleaded guilty to domestic battery.

 

[d_henderson1810]

There are three notable differences between Steve Austin and Floyd Mayweather:

1. Mayweather, and/or his representatives, allegedly tried to have Beadle, and other journalists who had reported on the Mayweather domestic violence accusations, banned from the MGM Grand for the Pacquiao fight (http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/may/02/floyd-mayweather-cnn-espn-reporters-say-banned-fight).
2. Mayweather has faced domestic violence accusations from five different women, in front of his children on at least one occasion, one of whom provided testimony for when...
3. Mayweather pleaded guilty to domestic battery.

There are reports that Austin hit at least three different women. His first wife, Jeannie Adams, says that he hit her. We all know about Debra, and a girlfriend that Austin saw after Debra reports that she fled after Austin flipped out for thinking that she stole his boots, and when he caught up with her, he forced her face into the dirt and said that she is never leaving him.

Also, Austin plead guilty to domestic abuse against Debra, and blamed drunkeness, and said that he would never do it again (this was before the girlfriend incident mentioned above).

 

[Mudlup50]

How is this even an issue? Triple H is "friends" with one of the most well known celebrities in the country, but because he's a piece of shit to women and Triple H has a position of power they can't be friends? I really don't wanna come off as a dick here but Triple H is supposed to cut out friends because he got a promotion? I'm sure a large chunk of us on here have jobs, if we got promoted we're supposed to cut out all the people who don't fully agree with company policy? In what world does that make sense? I get that Floyd isn't breaking meaningless rules but my point still stands. You get a promotion and you lose friends?

Why this girl who to be honest I've never heard of, is such a big deal is beyond me. The WWE has lost millions of fans over the years, just like ESPN has and the NBA, and MLB and everything. Losing one fan won't hurt them, even if she tried to help them. Let her hate the company all she wants but I just think it's ridiculousness. She's going to stop watching because the (what level of power is Triple H? Like 4th guy in charge?)guy so many rungs from the top is friends with a guy who did something bad. This must be why I'm not a CEO in some huge company, because it really shouldn't matter. Triple H can be friends with Austin, Tyson, Mayweather, Rice, anyone he wants! Just like Vince can and just like any of us can.

 

[rbv13]

I would never condone real violence against women.... H has aligned himself personally with some major scumbags. Just going with the Kliq. In many of those cases he has shown to be a positive influence in regards to those individuals. We all have asshole friends, in some cases we are them, but help and support is always a plus.

 

[#tamale]

It's no secret that HHH is a fan of Mayweather. He's walked with his crew to the boxing ring. Beadle did not speak out then. Beadle is speaking out now because she was blackballed by Mayweather and co.. I don't disagree with her stance. I just question the timing.

Let's not forget that Lesnar and the WWE did pull a fast one on her and ESPN when he announced he signed with the WWE. They were not expecting that.

 

[FromGlasgow]

To be honest I have never heard of this woman I'm not even sure if its a big deal like do WWE have to be on good terms with this ESPN employee?
Otherwise I could care less who watches WWE or not.
Also I can't really understand the fuss as Mayweather doesn't even work for the WWE he previously worked for WWE a few years ago along with the equally bad Tyson I guess it was ok a few years ago but not now? Does she also blackball everyone who attended the fight such as Donald Trump as their also sort of indirectly paying money for their tickets which partly goes to Mayweather.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Michelle Beadle has every right in a Free Speech Society to voice her opinions....not necessarily on ESPN, her employer, but they have given her some latitude on these subjects, but none the less she has every right as a US Citizen to voice those opinions, which quite frankly many people would agree with RE: Mayweather. With regards to her public anti-Mayweather stance, Beadle did nothing wrong.

Mayweather, in a free society, has every right to deny Beadle special privileged access to his work place....she could have spent 2 grand and bought a ticket as per our Free Market Economy but she wanted special, free, prvaleged, access only afforded a select few and those few were chosen in part by Mayweather since he was key the event. Beadle being denied that access is the direct result of her exercise of her free speech rights, she blasted Mayweather publicly and insulted him, which she was allowed by law to do, and he denied her request for free, special, privileged access to his work place which he was perfectly within all rights to do. Again, no one discriminated against her right as a member of the general public to buy a ticket at fair market value and attend the fight, she wanted special treatment that was completely at Mayweather's discretion and was denied. Mayweather did nothing wrong.

Now, Beadle revoking her "fan card" is another story. HHH and some WWE guys supposedly have a cordial semi friendly relationship with Mayweather and all of the sudden Beadle hates on WWE ? Where was her indignation last week during her anti Mayweather rants, she knows Mayweather actually worked for WWE in 2008 right ? And she supported WWE then, and continued to do so for many years afterward right ? Beadle, as a fan must know about the domestic abuse arrests for Steve Austin & Kevin Nash, not too mention the mob ties that allegedly lead to Dino Bravo's murder and the well documented drug abuse of Scott Hall & HBK right ? Not exactly a calvacade of exemplorary behavior by WWE's top stars ? None of that ever convinced her to turn in the "Fan Card".....Plus WWE still employs alleged child molestor Pat Patterson, which seems way worse than Mayweather....apparanetly sexually abusing kids isn't enough to revoke the "Fan card" for Beadle...makes you wonder where her morarlity is, if she has any!

Beadle is a hypocrite, she can sing WWE's praises despite not cutting ties with drug addicts, child abusers, and domestic offenders as long as her press pass doesn't get revoked, don't pretend this is anything more than what it is, Mayweather was perfectly within his rights to revoke her privaleged, FREE credentials and she is embarrassed. Fact is, if she really believed all her anti Mayweather rhetoric she never would have been carrying a "WWE FAN CARD" in the 1st place, which just makes her petty and immature as well as a hypocrite.