Justin Roberts speaks out on Connors induction

[MoxViolence]

I haven't posted in awhile but this one felt necessary. Its rather lengthy, but its a great read. I want everyone's thoughts on this.....

Former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts has opened up in a heartfelt blog titled "Believe Half of What You See and Portions of What You Hear" over at his Medium.com blog which includes photos.

The longtime ring announcer who was was employed by WWE from 2002 until his release in 2014 discusses his thoughts and feelings on his friend Connor “The Crusher” Michalek, WWE and his recent Hall of Fame induction, which from his perspective wasn't told the way he experienced it - It's a long but insightful read, that will bring a tear to your eye.

Hi, my name is Justin Roberts. I was an announcer at World Wrestling Entertainment for about 12 years. Sometimes when you’ve worked there and you speak up about something company-related, it’s easy to be painted as a bitter, ex employee. What’s strange is that my unhappiness at this dream job didn’t start after I left; it started while I was there.

The last time I wrote a blog here, it was about how I loved professional wrestling. I was with the company at the time and loved (and I still love) professional wrestling. There were reasons why it wasn’t titled “I love WWE.” My unhappiness started in my last couple of years with the company and I was actually just as happy when they decided not to renew my contract as I was on the day that I signed. They told me I wasn’t getting fired, there was nothing that I did wrong, that they were going a different direction and the door was always open. I politely closed it behind me and with that said, I’ll now share one of the contributing factors on why I wouldn’t want to go back to this company.

I have always been a fan of the movie “Basic” where “telling the story right” is the theme. WWE also tells a story, week after week. Sometimes their stories seem “real” and we forget that they’re a company… that tells stories. Remember “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s jealousy over Elizabeth and Hulk Hogan? Matt Hardy and Edge battling over relationship reasons, CM Punk taking the title and leaving the company? Daniel Bryan overcoming the evil bosses who did everything to keep him down? These were memorable, reality-inspired storylines, but overall, they were stories that WWE told us fans.

This past weekend at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, they told a story. While using real life people and real stories, they did what they do best: they told a story and they didn’t let the facts get in the way.

Last year, just days before his unfortunate, sudden death, the legendary Ultimate Warrior suggested during his Hall of Fame induction speech that WWE should honor the hardworking people who work behind the scenes at the company. He spoke about those people who worked there: “Some of them for years, 20–25–30 years,” he continued, “To have a category in the Hall of Fame where you honor these people.” Unfortunately, the WWE track record shows that many people who work there and give their lives to the company for 20–30 years don’t get rewarded, they get released once they’ve been there for too long.

I can name numerous employees that I worked with at WWE who would be deserving of such an award. Those people devoted all of their time and energy to WWE, because they loved their jobs and thought they were working for a good cause. A guy like Mark Yeaton who was let go on the eve of what would have been his 30th anniversary. He was the guy that worked all morning and afternoon in the production office of the TV shows, then sat at ringside and rang the bell for the show, while communicating on headset with the bosses to make sure everything ran smoothly. Then he would return to the production office where he made sure the operations ran as they should while accommodating everyone who approached him about needing something done. Then he would go through the locker rooms to make sure no one left anything behind. He even cleaned up the towels and did anything else asked of him. Mark would take a bullet for the company and would have made an excellent and deserving award recipient, but he was let go for a budget cut. (You probably won’t hear much from Mark publicly as far as saying anything negative about the company, or the many others like Mark, as their employee contracts prevent them from speaking out. Mine doesn’t.).

Who else could be a good nominee? Lots of folks. There are so many hardworking men and women that work behind the scenes at that company. How about Sue, who arranges all of the great Make-A-Wish events, Adam who manages fan services…All of these people deserve recognition by the company, and that’s what the Warrior was trying to say. But the question is, how much publicity could those awards make for the company? Or how could you market that award to mean something to the public?

So rather than honor those people that you don’t see or hear about , who work hard to put on the shows that we all love, the company decided to tell a different story. This year, they spliced and spun the Warrior’s speech to make the award about “warriors” outside of the company, because that might make for a better story — and for better publicity.

“It’s inspiring to see people helping people.” …”I think it would be appropriate to have a category in the Hall of Fame where you honor these people.” But wait. I watched his speech last year. They took what he said and twisted it to become something totally different. Ok, you don’t want to honor the hard working employees? Ok, no problem. You’re going to honor people who help people, soldiers, Special Olympians, warriors? Ok, it’s not what he was going for in the speech, but I personally am ok with honoring these warriors.

They gave the award to my friend, Connor Michalek and I am very much ok with that, but I might be biased. Eight year-old Connor was a tough, witty, smart & lovable person. I met him in the crowd of the Pittsburgh Royal Rumble in January of 2014. He caught my eye as it looked like maybe he was going through some rough times.

Meeting Connor for the first time
Anytime I thought that about someone in the crowd, I felt like I should do something, anything, to try to help them, or at least give them an extra thrill. Whether it meant giving the heads up to a wrestler so they would approach them, grab them an autograph, merchandise, setting up an impromptu meet and greet — if there was any way I could help make someone else’s life even a little bit better from this crazy, lucky position I found myself in, I would do it. And it was so easy to make people happy by pulling these strings. It didn’t take away from the company and it made these fans feel special. Have you ever done something really nice for someone? You know that feeling, where you just feel beyond happy about it? I loved that feeling and I loved seeing smiles beam from the faces of these fans. I’ve always thought being kind to others just makes you a happier person in the end.

On this night, as I began asking him if he was having fun, his father was urgently trying to tell me something. I turned to his father and said hello as I noticed that another little boy was trying to get my attention. Connor turned to him and said, “Excuse me. Right now, he is talking to my dad. When he’s done, he will talk to you, you just have to wait your turn.” I smiled and turned back to his father who handed me a note. He told me that Connor did not have much time to live. He also mentioned that he was the little boy who made a YouTube video to try to meet his favorite wrestler, his hero — Daniel Bryan. I remembered seeing the video online and even texting the link to Daniel. He had used his Make-A-Wish to go to Disney, but through the help of a local radio station, he was able to meet Bryan.

He asked if I could give the note to Daniel and I assured him that I would. Then knowing that he had already met Daniel, I asked if he liked any of the other superstars — to which he told me that he likes everybody! It was rare to bring someone from the crowd backstage, but on this night I didn’t even give it a second thought. He instantly captured my heart and I felt that was the right call.

Dave Batista had just come back to WWE and was shooting an interview backstage when I interrupted. Without any hesitation, he joined me and I introduced him to Connor. While they were talking, I approached Sheamus and Randy Orton. All 3 guys immediately went over and had 1-on-1 conversations with Connor and even gave them their t-shirts and shoulder towels to keep. Connor handled the conversations like a little man. He wasn’t intimidated by these big guys that he saw on TV, in fact he was telling Batista not to hurt Daniel — he was laying down the law to the massive Batista who was smiling and blown away by this child.

The show had ended and most of the guys had left to get on the road for the long drive to the next town. While we were talking, Triple H’s bus driver had told me that Triple H and Stephanie were coming through. I asked if that meant we should move and he told me that they would probably love to meet Connor as well. The driver Terry is a really good guy, but I never had much of a relationship with H or Stephanie. I took his word for it and introduced Stephanie to Connor. Then she introduced him to Triple H. I took a picture for them on my phone and Sean from HR immediately gave Connor’s father, Steve his business card to contact him for the photo. I knew how much that picture would mean to them and immediately got his email address to send the photo right away so he wouldn’t have to jump through any hoops.

The next day, I handed that note to Bryan as promised. I flew home the following day and had lunch with a good friend. I explained that normally, I would help someone to make sure they had a great experience, but leave it at that. I told him that I felt like it would be selfish if I did that in this situation. I didn’t know if Daniel would be able to reach out to them, but just in case he wasn’t able to, I felt like I should. At that point, I wondered if I could maybe try to help Connor beat this thing with a miracle, or at least try everything I could to help him feel better, and I would use the power of my fortunate position — plus the help of my WWE superhero friends — to do it.

I didn’t even know what Connor was sick with early on. I didn’t ask. I didn’t talk about him being sick or anything negative. I only wanted to keep him positive and talk wrestling, because we both loved wrestling. I was at the arena one day when one of his other favorite wrestlers, Rob Van Dam happened to show up for a visit. I explained that he had a big fan named Connor and I asked if he could say something to Connor.

Connor lit up when he saw that video. His father told me how much that meant to him. His father loved to see him smile and was always by his side when we talked. Whether it was to watch wrestling with him, to take him to something wrestling related, or to let him put all of the wrestling moves on him, his father was always there and willing to do whatever he could to help his son. One of their favorite activities was playing the WWE video game. I told Connor that I was in the process of recording voiceovers for the next videogame and there’s a part of the recording process where I record non-WWE names for a build your own superstar section. I told him that I would record his name so when he built his own character, he could be introduced to the ring. I wanted him to be able to look forward to the release of that next game.

While his brain cancer made everything challenging, Mondays were especially tough on the eight-year-old who I never once heard complain. He would go through hours of chemo and attempt to stay awake to watch RAW. At first I would send him pictures from ringside to show him what was happening during commercial breaks. Then I would Facetime him and show him the live video of what was going on in the ring. He felt like he was right there! After that, I realized that I could Facetime him during the day while everyone was hanging out at the arena for that night’s show.

I had a great relationship with the rest of the talent and they were very open to doing anything they could to help everyone out. I would walk around the arenas on Monday and ask various stars and even behind-the-scenes friends to say hi to my friend Connor on Facetime. Over the weeks, he established a friendship with all of these great people. Vickie Guerrero, Kane, The Bella Twins, Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, Ryback, Charles Robinson, New Age Outlaws, Big E, Mick Foley and Daniel Bryan. These were his heroes and he was quickly becoming theirs as he made friends with all of them. Mondays at the hospital weren’t fun, but his father told me how he looked forward to the call and always used that to help Connor get through the sessions. “Who do you think Justin will call with today?” he would ask. I was determined to prove the doctors (who were amazed that he was still walking around) wrong and I really started to think it was possible.

I wanted to do anything and everything I personally could, to keep him fighting and hanging on. I would give updates to Stephanie McMahon who seemed very interested in keeping track of Connor and his progress. I told her my plan to use the power of WWE to do what medicine could not. I told her about the voiceover on the video game and I even pitched an idea that would bring that to real life!

I invited Connor and his family to come to DC for an episode of Monday Night RAW, right before WrestleMania. Stephanie asked if there was anything she could give him that he might like. I suggested maybe an Intercontinental Championship replica…I told her I had this crazy idea about being in the ring earlier in the day, before the show and before the fans were in the building. I would introduce Connor, like I introduced the superstars. He could come to the ring with a full entrance, just like the wrestlers. He could get into the ring, where he would be approached by Big E who at the time was the Intercontinental Champion. RVD called Connor the interConnornental champion, so maybe Big E told him to push him, he fell over and Connor pinned him and I would announce him as the new Intercontinental Champion! But then…Triple H and Stephanie, who were the authority figures of the show, would come out and hand him his own replica title and call him the new InterConnornental champion!

I got the runaround on the idea and was told to go through other channels. So I did. I wasn’t sure how it would play out, but I contacted Ryan from onehourtees.com in Chicago who did really good work. He not only designed a graphic for Connor, but he sent me a box of Connor t-shirts at the arena and also sent me the graphic to give to the stage designers, just in case the plan came into fruition.

Everything was all set. I got his family a hotel room right outside of town in case he was tired on the drive up, got them ringside tickets and couldn’t wait to watch Connor hang out with all of his new friends. I introduced him to Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Hulk Hogan…I’ve never introduced my own family members to these stars. Nothing and no one were off limits for my buddy. The guys and girls were amazing to Connor, all day. I have lots and lots of stories about his interactions with them and they were all amazed away by this little man.

Stephanie had started contacting them on her own and even decided to invite him to WrestleMania, which I thought was incredible. She let me invite him personally, so I got to see his face light up while I did that over Facetime.

Connor was on top of the world when he found out he was going to WrestleMania. He pointed and said“Yes! Yes” as he ran around all day
When he got to the building in DC, I had sent her a text letting her know that they were there. Shortly after we made our rounds, we met up with her. Connor gave her a big hug and thanked her for the invitation, then presented her with a necklace and gave me a bracelet along with a stone that had his picture in it. He told me that if I ever wanted to think of him, all I had to do was look at that stone. I appreciate that gift and look at it all the time.

We walked out into the arena from the stage and were approached by Triple H. He said hello to Steve, Steve’s father and Connor. He asked Connor if he were to walk to the ring, what music would he come out to? I thought to myself, Daniel Bryan-duh. Connor responded the same, minus the duh. As he started walking away, I called out “Triple H. If he’s walking to the ring, I sent the stage designers a graphic for the entrance wall.” He just talked into his headset and walked away. Daniel came over to say hello and gave him the sweatshirt off his back along with a hug. Before I knew it, the music hit — the graphic was up on the video wall and my plan to have him walk to the ring was happening. Unfortunately, I was no longer a part of my plan. I wouldn’t get to announce him and Big E wouldn’t be in the ring with him, but now Triple H would play that role. While it would have been very special to introduce him to the ring and announce him as the winner, being in there with the guy that was feuding with his hero was just as cool for him as announcing would have been for me, so I was just happy that this was taking place. On top of that, the locker room was around the ring and they cheered him on as he walked down the aisle and into the ring. It was an amazing moment. I stood in the aisle, watched, and recorded the video on my phone. And even though I wasn’t able to perform my dream part of it (after dreaming it all up), I knew how thrilled Connor was and that was all that mattered.

He had an incredible day and night. The next week, his father took him to WrestleMania where Stephanie’s team took care of all of the arrangements. They had a blast. Watching Connor’s face all night was the highlight of announcing that show. Daniel spotted him in the crowd and after he won the Championship, he approached, talked to and hugged Connor. He was cured, if only for just one night.

From there, Steve took Connor to Florida where he was able to play on the beach. Connor loved the beach. He would send pictures and we would Facetime. His health started to decline right after that. Stephanie told me that she wanted to put together an internal video for the employees of the company, to see the effect WWE has on people. The cameras recorded Connor at the arena, during WrestleMania and a producer would be calling me to discuss. I thought it was a great idea, even though I figured that it wasn’t just for the employees. I assumed it would make its way out to the public as well. I was ok with that; it was a beautiful story about making my friend happy. Connor and his interactions with the heroes who were helping him numb the pain, and all in the world of WWE. I just didn’t realize that when they retold this story, it was going to become just like those other reality-inspired storylines I mentioned earlier.

The next week came and went. The plan changed and only Stephanie and Daniel Bryan were interviewed. Stephanie was generous to Connor. Daniel was always good to him when they were face to face at the arenas. Daniel is a quality person and incredible performer. I feel bad that the company put him in a position where people on the outside might assume they were closer than they were.

When the video came out, I was surprised, maybe more surprised than I should have been, to discover that reality was not a part of the story. The company told the story the way they wanted it to be told. And then I remembered: that’s just what the company does — it tells stories. Maybe I experienced this one too personally to see it distorted, but it was not easy to take.

Connor fought a hell of a battle and eventually, the battle ended and he was laid to rest. I found myself Googling stories about him and finding pictures and videos of his wonderful community and how he obviously touched them as well. They all supported him, as did the Pittsburgh Pirates. This little eight-year-old touched more people in his short time than most will in a lifetime.

Triple H played the video at the arena for the talent to see. I couldn’t look at the screen, because I knew what happened the couple of times I watched from home, so I just listened. It was sad to watch, because my friend was gone. On top of that, it stung quite a bit to see how the company revised my history. Still, while the messages from Stephanie and Steve differed from the video, the smile on Connor’s face was the most meaningful thank you I could ever receive.

When this whole thing started, I never wanted anything other than to help Connor. So I kept my mouth closed and went on with my work. The company decided to form an organization in Connor’s name. “Connor’s Cure,” if you’d like to donate. After starting their own charity, they began playing that same video every night, at every event, which meant that as the ring announcer, I had to watch this video every single night and then talk about it afterwards to an audience of thousands of people. Between how sad it was not to have Connor anymore, and to be forced to watch a revised version of history — a story that was very personal and meaningful to me — the sting deepened. My boss even made a joke out of me making the announcement at the TV events. He would time me and threaten to cut my microphone if I did not finish the announcement fast enough. And this cavalier attitude was especially frustrating for me. After all, it was important to the company to show this video (bordering on propaganda), and the company wanted me to say something after — but make it snappy!

The Hall of Fame video package prominently showed Connor and John Cena in front of a Make-A-Wish banner. I love that foundation and everything they do to help kids. I knew that they couldn’t help everyone and always tried to help anyone I could who may not have gone through the proper channels, but still needed a little help and were right there at the arena. It was tough when I had to remember, this is business, and to the company, this story had gone from a genuine one, to business. I know Connor would love knowing that he is a Hall of Famer and that he’s famous! I’m happy that the terrible last few months of his precious life were just a little better than how they could have been. I miss him and I am glad he was a big part of my life. I see a lot of him in his little brother Jackson and the witty things he says and does to make me laugh. I’m also happy that he is in the Hall of Fame. There’s no doubt he could have ended up there later in life. He was brave, tough and an all around special person.

WWE told a version of the Ultimate Warrior’s story from last year. WWE told a version of Connor’s story. I just wish while telling stories, the company’s actions matched their words — they should actually care for the welfare of the people who actively care about the company and devote their lives to making it the best it can be. I wish instead of just paying for rehab of former talents, WWE would take care of the current talent who are on the road nonstop, with no breaks unless they are already injured. I wish they would appreciate those employees who have been there for years and helped them to grow, rather than fire them after they’ve been there “too long.” I watched the Hall of Fame and cried my eyes out. I bit my tongue and swallowed my pride for a long time, hoping everything stemmed from the kindness of their hearts. I thank all of the talent and employees who did and still do everything to help people, out of their kindness and not for business purposes. When I was reading Twitter this weekend, I felt like I was punched in the gut. Despite rewriting the story and using it to pat themselves on the back for being a standup organization, I wish Connor’s Cure and Connor’s induction into the Hall of Fame were driven by sincerity and not strategy. But sadly, it looks like they are just part of the “philanthropic” future of marketing.



So, does Justin have sour grapes towards to company, or does he have a legit point?
Discussion starts now

 

[InsomniaMusic]

both
its a gripe but sour grapes cause him to speak on it

 

[THTRobtaylor]

He raises some very valid points, some I touched on in the HOF thread.

Strictly this was NOT what Warrior wanted, he wanted people involved with the WWE to get fair recognition, I am pretty sure a Mark Yeaton type was exactly who he had in mind when he made his speech.

Somewhere it did change and it became very bound up with Dana Warrior... I felt her involvement at the HOF went too far and detracted from Bryan and Connor's story. But this is the essence of what Roberts is saying, that however much Connor may have touched the PEOPLE within WWE, the handling of this by the company has become a PR exercise first. It's inevitable in any situation like this, to the guys in WWE themselves it's a few minutes of their time to speak to Connor that first time, or out of a dull day backstage for the facetimes... those things are easy to do. But once WWE starts flying the family in for Mania etc, there has to be an element of "payoff" and thats where the story will spin. Individuals make donations cos they can, companies do for a reason.

Is this sour grapes? Perhaps, but not in the "disgruntled employee" way. There will be big part of Justin Roberts that would legit be upset that he was "cut out" of this. It is clear Bryan would induct but would it have killed WWE to invite him to the ceremony? Even if he had "closed the door", even as a guest of the family? No... would it have hurt for him to be acknowledged in the speech that Steve gave? No, but someone in WWE told him to talk about Dana Warrior instead. It was cloying and you could see Steve was uncomfortable with it.

I don't think WWE has "twisted" anything, I just think more that they had "two birds", they had to acknowledge Connor AND Warrior at this event and did so with the easiest, straightline method. Things like Big E. not being the guy involved or Roberts not being allowed to announce "the match" in favor of Trips... sure that might be a little bit of WWE "maximising publicity potential", as the image of Trips being "KO'd" and pinned would have more impact from WWE's point of view, but also from the fundraising side of things... By the time that happened they already had an idea Connor's Cure was coming. It's hard to criticise Trips and Steph, but again perhaps the "classy" thing to do was involve Justin rather than not allow him to be.

It could read as bitter, "hey this was me and they hijacked it" but I don't think it is, this is a guy who already knew he was on the outs with WWE, did a very noble and good thing and feels they have stolen that from him... like I said, it would have cost little for them to let him get a mention in the speech at least and he would no doubt have been fine... It's similar to the Scotty/Rikishi beef, you don't need the "I did this" acknowledgement, just the "thanks for your part"... if you don't get that then it can really hurt, especially for something as meaningful as taking a dying child and his family under your wing and to your heart.

WWE is often accused of lacking class, they have done a lot right with this and the Dana Warrior stuff but they just missed out on being spot on... they let Dana ramble a bit, make it as much about her as her husband almost and she got more time than Randy's whole induction for example... Steve would be blameless, he was clearly not comfortable talking on stage and would do as told/suggested... Ultimately (no pun intended) the award may differ next year, but the first one after Warrior's death was always gonna be awkward... Next year I doubt Dana will be in attendance/involved, her part in this is now over to an extent. It's just a little bit of a shame that the two had to be intertwined cos both deserved their own special moments.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think it's probably a little of both, but I think it's mostly about sour grapes. Roberts is definitely bitter about being released as he's made other statements since being released that all but say otherwise.

As far as Connor's induction being part of a marketing strategy...umm...well, so what? Either Justin Roberts is completely clueless about how the real world actually works, or the primary reason Whenever a company partners up with some sort of charitable organization, and when I say company I mean any company involved in any business, it's not just being done so that the company employees, particularly the higher ups, can experience the warm & fuzzy feelings that come with working with said charities; of course there's also a business motive behind it. You know one of the MAJOR why Make A Wish & the Susan G. Komen Foundation has partnered up with WWE? Because the people ultimately in charge of those companies are aware that WWE is a pretty substantial force in television that helps draw further attention to their organizations. On the reverse, WWE gets to be seen and painted as something other than the big, evil corporate entity by partnering with such well known charities. If Donald Trump donated $20 million to one of those companies, sure he'd be doing a great thing, but he'd also be getting himself a pretty nice tax write off as well. And do you think those companies care whether or not Trump is a sexist, misogynistic, bigoted anti-Semite? Hell no. It's a tit for tat world, always has been, most likely always will be.

As far as the elements of not everyone being in the HOF who deserves to be, like backstage guys or the people behind the scenes, again, what's so new about this? Does the production crew in the trucks helping broadcast baseball, football & basketball deserve to be in the HOF even though they themselves aren't part of the sport? Do the janitors who cleaned George Steinbrenner's office deserve to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? How about the caterers who provide food backstage for the wrestlers? Are they supposed to be inducted? I know that there are some people who aren't in the HOF that deserve to be, there are also people in there who probably don't deserve to be. It's not a perfect set up, or even a fair one but, then again, since when is the world fair? Unless the rules of existence have somehow changed overnight, not everyone is going to get recognition. Also, I can't help but wonder why is it that WWE seems to always be the one singled out for conducting business matters the way they do when everyone else is doing the same thing?

 

[Kamala316]

First, and most importantly, I'm glad that Connor is no longer in pain, and can smile down on us from the best seat in the house knowing that his dream of being famous came true; no one, especially a child, deserves to be put through the pain that that young boy had to endure. Rest in peace, Connor. That being said, we all have to keep in mind that when we watch WWE programming, we are seeing what WWE wants us to see, wants us to hear, etc. I even hate to say this given the REAL LIFE story about this brave young boy, but WWE would not of gotten involved unless they felt it would help their public image. Connor's favorite wrestler was Daniel Bryan. Connor and his family formed a bond with Justin Roberts (if I remember correctly, Roberts was individually thanked by Connor's dad in his HOF speech). But when WWE put this story in a video, and you see Stephanie several times, along with HHH in the ring with Connor instead of someone else (as was the original plan), and then the bit with Cena/Make-a-Wish, it came off as propaganda. To me, if you want to celebrate Connor's life, tell the REAL LIFE story, not a manipulated form of it where the McMahon's try to come off as saints in the public eye. I understand that Justin Roberts doesn't have the same level of popularity as John Cena, HHH, etc., but Justin Roberts reached out to Connor WHEN THE CAMERAS WEREN'T ON HIM! The moment the story started getting more attention was when Stephanie, HHH, and Cena showed up, which makes me sick. The older I get, the more I see WWE for what it is, and it absolutely sucks from an entertainment, and more importantly, moral point of view.

 

[enviousdominous]

This is a very tricky subject. I don't think that Justin Roberts is trying to explain that the WWE did anything wrong, per se. I think he's more trying to reflect positively on the experience, with the brief caveat that he would have liked for the WWE to be more honest in how they documented Connor's involvement with their company.

Connor apparently wanted every part of what the WWE gave to him, for his sake I think that the WWE performed admirably. There's a slight difference between admirable behavior and noble behavior; I'm willing to believe that the WWE had some concern for shaping public opinion of their company and that Connor was used to benefit their image. The WWE is admirable for granting Connor the joy of participating in his favorite art form, I believe that the WWE is less than borderline noble for using his image to promote their own.

With that said; I'm very glad that the WWE did what they did. Were they wrong to use Connor's story to promote their image? No, not necessarily. They grant wishes to countless children tirelessly, in this case they granted Connor the stage and a few standing ovations from the crowd. Giving that to Connor was amazing, and they would have had a more benevolent reputation vicariously through Connor anyway.

One of the few lingering threads keeping me from giving up on the WWE is the work their performers and staff members do toward terminally ill children. Even if some of them are doing it for personal gain, they're doing it at all. This is one of those subjects where I cannot truly fault the WWE

 

[CyberPunk]

I work in a corporate and I can relate to what Justin Roberts posted. WWE is not alone in this; every corporate is same. The 'unsung' heroes as they say exist everywhere.

Business is a ruthless, emotionless, thankless, unforgiving world. Not everyone will be recognized in a corporate. In the end, it's just about what benefits the business. WWE is no different. Connor was their ticket to some great PR, and they cashed in on it. They spun a story out of real life situation and who can blame them. It's how any large corporate works. I am glad that Connor got into the hall of fame. That little kid touched many lives in ways many can only dream of. But WWE saw the business side of it and made it their own.

If you have worked in a corporate, you'll know what it means to be in this kind of position. I have seen it too many times and thus can totally relate to what Roberts might be feeling.

 

[Navi]

Do any of us know the real story here though? We're heard from Justin Roberts and this isn't the first time his name as come up in relation to Connor, and in a way we've heard from the WWE. We've seen what they did, and the efforts they went to too make his Mania experience special.

There was a rumour floated when he was released that part of it was because of this. He was upset that Stephanie had grabbed the spotlight away from him, when he in fact was the first person to actually introduce Connor to the WWE superstars. So whether his version of the story is true or not, it's still very sad, that it seems he and the WWE are having some sort of a tug of war over who did what. It doesn't matter in the long run.

This is a story about a small dying child who had his ultimate wish come true. It doesn't matter who made it come true, or who invited him to Mania, or RAW or any of those things. What does matter is that a group of adults came together to make this an unforgettable experience for him and his family.

If someone was snubbed like Justin Roberts feels he has been, then he can sleep well tonight knowing that he helped out a small boy. It makes no difference if Stephanie and HHH took most of that a put it on themselves. People in the know will see that, and does it make them look bad? In a way, but they also did their part.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE responded to Roberts blog as follows:

"It is offensive to suggest that WWE and its executives had anything but altruistic intentions in honoring Connor and his legacy with The Warrior Award. In conjunction with Connor's father, Connor's Cure was established by Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer, and to honor a boy that so many people within the WWE family came to love. The fund is managed by the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation and has already raised more than $200,000 for pediatric cancer research.
In addition, following the Ultimate Warrior's impassioned Hall of Fame speech last year encouraging WWE to recognize its unsung heroes, the Warrior Award was established in his memory to honor those who exhibit unwavering strength and perseverance, and who live life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of the Ultimate Warrior. With the full support and input of Ultimate Warrior's widow, Dana Warrior, Connor Michalek was the first recipient of the Warrior Award, and moving forward the award will be given annually to acknowledge other unsung heroes among WWE's employees and fans.

WWE is proud to use our global platforms to raise awareness for important social causes, including Connor's Cure as well as our longstanding partnership with Make A Wish, our on-going partnership with Susan G. Komen, which has resulted in more than $1.5 million in funds raised, and our international partnership with Special Olympics."

So, according to WWE's statement, which as you'll note has a few examples of WWE putting itself over from a public relations statement, Dana Warrior was involved in this decision and Connor's father helped establish "Connor's Cure." Now, I in know way believe that WWE went about this with absolutely no business aspirations in mind, but was business and good public relations the primary motivation? My gut tells me no, but I've no way of knowing for sure.

The way I see it is that it's a win-win for all involved. WWE looks altruistic and has a great PR story, a little boy that touched a lot of lives has a legacy set up in his name and said legacy prospers in part to being associated with WWE. As I said earlier, it's a tit for tat world and always has been.

 

[ilapierre]

I think what's important to take from this is that Triple H and Stephanie are two faced scum bags. Paul Levesque is the biggest diva -like opportunist, jumping at every opportunity to be front and center in every on camera role. The guy is in his mid 40s..5 years older than Savage was when he was phased out of WWE programming as being too old. Savage was 10 times the entertainer and human being Triple H is. That's why Savage was Steph's first choice. Savage, perhaps the best wrestling entertainer of all time, got what at the Hall of Fame? 10 minutes of Hogan talking about himself and about 7 minutes of Lanny. He was inducted behind the moronic Terminator and Paul's best buddy..who headlined over Savage! A fucking slap to the face of wrestling and Savage's legacy. And don't give me the line 'oh Savage is dead he doesn't get to headline'. If Hogan wasn't already in and died, he would still be headliner and on 'last'. So would Flair. Parading Michaels and Nash and the clique at the end of the night was complete bullshit. And two years in a row? Yawn. What's the plan next year? Induct Taker but have X Pac headline? WWE was at all time low with Nash as champ and Hall and Michaels pretty much carried the guy when he wasn't booking himself title wins.

The Hall of Fame honoured Warrior two years in a row essentially and the whole Connor segment was about an hour compared to about 15 minutes for one of the company's top 5 ever greatest performers. Savage's entire legacy has been downplayed and I think we all know where this blame can be put. The same person who got about 1 hour of TV time at Wrestlemania and gets 1 hour a RAW each week. The same opportunist leetch who injects himself into Wrestlemania matches he doesn't belong in year after year. CM Punk said it best. But you know I think at this point some of you 'tool's' (and jack hammers) literally act as PR people for Triple H. You will make every excuse for that pile of shit human being. Yet there are probably 100 former WWE employees who could tell you stories similar or even worse than the one recounted by Justin Roberts. It's not sour grapes to be honest. When you are an employee of a douchebag you will get fired for speaking badly of your boss or his family. I've worked for some douchebags and kept mum about their bullshit while on payroll. I've been able to speak out about these former morons because I'm financially set and can be 100 percent honest. I don't want other people to have to go through some of the bullshit I went through without knowing. I take great pride in outing these people who abuse their power over everyone else. That's why I respect and trust people like CM Punk, Justin Roberts, Randy Savage, Steve Austin, Colt Cabana, etc..Fuck even Billy Gunn and Road Dogg have called out Triple H for being the world's biggest hypocrite. The documentary 'Wrestling Isn't Wrestling' is a complete utter attack on Paul Levesque and how much of a blood sucker he is. Sure, Trips and Steph's Twitter PR people said they loved it to save face. But you can bet Triple H would love to take a 'hit' out on Mr. Landis.

Anyway, I find this Triple H and Steph stealing Big E and Justin's role in the PR of Connor's story absolutely disgusting. WWE did do a great job making its audience cry and feel for the Michalek family. I, like Roberts, cried throughout the father and Bryan's speech. The whole thing was moving. Second time I watched it, last night, I couldn't help but notice that WWE's role in it seemed a bit contrived.. Justin's words verify something I already sort of suspected.He was an insider involved in the process from beginning to end. I'll take a real human being's account over a corporate explanation any day.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

I guess this depends on your perspective. I don't believe that anyone should feel the need to be publicly told that they're respected. Hall of Fames are nice but it mostly should just be the company's way of saying thank you to people who helped their business. As for the hero-worship aspect of it, I think it's a bit much. Statues and such are cool but it turns into borderline idolatry.

I say that because Justin Roberts seems to care all too much about who is and isn't recognized publicly by the company. If his only concern was the intentional misdirection the company took in ushering in the Warrior Award, then he wouldn't have written chapter 86 of his life story about all that he went out of his way to do for Connor. This was about Justin. He wanted us to know all that he did and why people like himself should be recognized for their efforts based on what UW said in his speech at least year's HoF.

The mature thing would have been to never tell us at all. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate his efforts but I think he devalues the generosity when he shares his good deeds with the world. This all strikes me as a "well I did so much for people and no one will eve know what a great guy I am unless I tell them" type of thing. Hell even the company went out of it's way to show Connor as a great kid rather than all that they did to help keep him in high spirits. The WWE was classier in their efforts than Justin Roberts in his blog.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

WWE responded to Roberts blog as follows:

"It is offensive to suggest that WWE and its executives had anything but altruistic intentions in honoring Connor and his legacy with The Warrior Award. In conjunction with Connor's father, Connor's Cure was established by Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer, and to honor a boy that so many people within the WWE family came to love. The fund is managed by the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation and has already raised more than $200,000 for pediatric cancer research.
In addition, following the Ultimate Warrior's impassioned Hall of Fame speech last year encouraging WWE to recognize its unsung heroes, the Warrior Award was established in his memory to honor those who exhibit unwavering strength and perseverance, and who live life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of the Ultimate Warrior. With the full support and input of Ultimate Warrior's widow, Dana Warrior, Connor Michalek was the first recipient of the Warrior Award, and moving forward the award will be given annually to acknowledge other unsung heroes among WWE's employees and fans.

WWE is proud to use our global platforms to raise awareness for important social causes, including Connor's Cure as well as our longstanding partnership with Make A Wish, our on-going partnership with Susan G. Komen, which has resulted in more than $1.5 million in funds raised, and our international partnership with Special Olympics."

So, according to WWE's statement, which as you'll note has a few examples of WWE putting itself over from a public relations statement, Dana Warrior was involved in this decision and Connor's father helped establish "Connor's Cure." Now, I in know way believe that WWE went about this with absolutely no business aspirations in mind, but was business and good public relations the primary motivation? My gut tells me no, but I've no way of knowing for sure.

The way I see it is that it's a win-win for all involved. WWE looks altruistic and has a great PR story, a little boy that touched a lot of lives has a legacy set up in his name and said legacy prospers in part to being associated with WWE. As I said earlier, it's a tit for tat world and always has been.

WWE's statement is even more of a shame than Robert's, because in many ways it does prove him right. They are out and out referring to all their "good works" rather than the actual issue Roberts was talking about. It all comes down to that word class... they could have shown class by acknowledging Roberts' part in introducing Connor... that would have ended it. But they choose the word "offensive", almost saying "How dare you impune our good works?..." It didn't need to name drop Susan G. Komen or the like, but they did... that proves his point better than he could make himself.

Ultimately both sides need to sort their attitudes out a bit. WWE needs to show a bit more class, just cos Warrior died doesn't mean Dana has carte blanche and just because Justin "discovered" Connor doesn't mean he is entitled to any recognition. Like someone said, those who KNOW... will know the truth...

 

[Blade]

The kid was happy in the final months of his life. Part of it was thanks to Justin Roberts, and part of it was thanks to the WWE. Maybe it's a little uncomfortable when WWE use these tragic cases to show how wonderful they are.

But at the same time, whether it's Conor, any other child from Make a Wish, or any child in general who attends a show, if it makes them happy, who the fuck cares? Even if it's 50% WWE being kind, and 50% PR reasons, at the end of the day, they make children happy. That's the only thing that really matters here.

I'm not really in the position to say whether or not Roberts is bitter about his release... But I feel like he has misdirected sadness and anger because he lost a genuine friend in that little boy.

 

[Navi]

The saddest part is, that no one on either side of this, Roberts or the WWE has come out looking well.

Sometimes keeping your mouth shut and having the internal knowledge that you did the right thing is more important. I see the word "class" being thrown around here and quite frankly, neither side has shown that they even know what the word means.

Oh I see a lot of class from both Roberts and the WWE, too bad it's all low.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Arguably the saddest part is that a lot of the time, "corporate charity" sucks... Look at all the controversy over where money for Ice Bucket Challenges and fundraising events often goes and that other charities then "stole the idea" from ALS to raise funds for themselves. Having worked for Charities most of my career, I can tell you where money goes... most of the time towards payoffs and pensions for staff. Even smaller charities can be guilty of such things.

That's why this whole thing is so unsavory, because it highlights the flaws, they mention the Komen charity and Make A Wish which are basically 2 corporate juggernaut charities... yet the Connor stuff was an all to rare "one off" thing, it's so rare you see a company like WWE do something for just one kid specifically like that, it was like Batkid... a totally special moment not an exercise. Everyone seems to have forgotten that involved here, WWE's statment is more interested in "hey we don't do this stuff for gain" than "We ALL made one kids life better cos we could, including Justin Roberts."

Whatever their intentions, their behaviour has sullied what was a special thing.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

While I think his criticisms are 100% spot on, I also think we're all the "heroes" of our own story, and Roberts is no different. I wonder what someone else would think who was there for all these events if they saw this?

The WWE is no different than any other corporation in that it pursues philanthropic pursuits for publicity and because it humanizes them. And like any other entertainment company, it's about creating the mirage of the story that they tell, not about any one person...unless you are one of the few people critical to either that story getting told, or you're one of the owners.

The WWE is always aggressive in responses to things like this partly because of its roots, and it's owner's mentality. A more even hand would've played this cooler, acknowledging Roberts while dismissing his criticisms.

That's just not the way they roll, though.

 

[XXJJ]

Major League Baseball honors Jackie Robinson every year. The real reason they do that is because African American kids are not playing baseball they're playing basketball and football instead. They're using an icon in American sports as a marketing ploy to try to increase there popularity in inner cities.

Every corporate brand is always looking to better its image. It's not really a new concept.

However, Steph and Hunter have 3 kids. I'm sure this story had to hit them hard. I can't believe their sole intention is just marketing the WWE.

Roberts comes off as a dipshit. That line about how it stung because they revised his history is disgusting. That poor father lost his kid. Who the fuck cares about your history and if you are not getting enough credit. It's such a petty thing to be upset about.

 

[blueskyy]

It's just one of those stories about nothing is genuine in this world today. Nobody does anything out of the goodness of their hearts anymore. If they do something for you, you better bet your ass off they want something in return...

Little Connor was a happy kid when he departed, but if he is in heaven looking down, and seeing how this plays out, he would probably tell you that WWE had made use of him. But would he have minded at all? Probably not... if the end result is for a good cause... but what is a good cause, well, that's another story...

If we feel that Connor had got a fair deal, then there's really no reason to argue for Connor. The thing is, for someone who's emotionally invested in this, it's hard not to feel anything when it looks to you like it is yet another marketing or pr strategy.

WWE can argue all they want about their intentions, but let me ask you this, were their promotions more about the WWE brand, or those people they were trying to help? What does "raised more than $200,000 for pediatric cancer research" mean exactly. Research money is only useful if it goes to the right people. Cancer is cancer, lots of time, it's hereditary, it may also be caused by toxins or chemicals. Will the $200,000 change anything? Probably not... And with regards to the the $1.5 million WWE had helped raised for Make-A-Wish, I guess that's a figure they can always brag about from here on out.

 

[SoulTrain4]

WWE is a heel promotion from a lot of these people's perspective.

The amount of negativity involved with this is actually sickening.