**MERGED** Jack Swagger, Zeb Coulter & Swagger's Arrest (Keep it all here!!)

[Papa Pillman]

I don't consider myself republican or democrat, I have zero problem with legal immigration. I do have a problem with illegal immigrants and nothing being done about it though, as should every reasonable American if you ask me. So why would WWE choose to demonize this belief? It's okay if you present the story without bias but... it's obvious Swagger is the bad guy and Del Rio is the good guy here...I'm all for freedom of speech but I find this a little dangerous...

No matter where you sit on the political fence or the immigration issue, you still have to realize that the extremists exist. Also you have to realize that wrestling characters are extreme personalities by design. So offering a character who represents a certain view in an undefendably extreme way is not an attempt to "demonize" everyone who can sympathize to a degree with those beliefs.

Also the WWE has presented an even more extreme example, albeit in a much more cartoonish way, of this type of character in the past with JBL during the Eddie feud literally patrolling the borders.

It is safe to say that the Mcmahon's, who have spent uncountable millions on Republican senatorial campaigns, do not have a "left wing" agenda.

As for a conspiracy theory, if you really need one, here is what I proposed in the original thread about the character:

Is it possible that presenting a character like this is the McMahon's offering a subtle Fuck You to the more extreme right sect of the Republican party, perhaps feeling that the party didn't fully support Linda to the best of it's capability due to a belief that they viewed her as not "right-wing enough"?? It is an interesting thought to me.

There may be your most likely "agenda" if there truly is one.

 

[GSM]

I don't feel that they are shoving any political views down the people's throats at all. They are simply putting a character out there that is a jerk that has a radical stance against illegal immigrants, the emphasize lying of the radical part.

Swagger and Zeb are referring to people in a demeaning way because they think less about them as human beings not because they figured out unemployment deficits. They are meant to be unreasonable jerks. They are not proposing a new law in congress but verbally and physically attack people based on that.

Not too long ago JBL did the same thing, he was in skits in which he caught illegal immigrants at the border and beat them up, I don' remember any debate back then but in recent times people have become so sensitive when it comes to politics. Nobody is imposing anything on anybody and if anyone is afraid that a movie or wrestling feud can shake the foundations of their belief system then that is fine, scary but fine.

Movies can be political and at times should be, some of the greatest movies of all time pushed social issues, films like "Dr Strangelove" or even "Platoon" all had motives in mind. They are meant to make people think not brainwash anybody.

And no it shouldn't be in looked at in grey because then we wouldn't have a wrestling feud but a debate which rarely involves any matches on PPV.

 

[GSM]

Oh Jack what have ye done.

The WWE officials will or are very pissed at him for sure. He was given this new chance, a manager and a major spot and he does this ?

I highly doubt that he will regain the WWE's trust.

 

[tomthebodz]

http://corporate.wwe.com/company/abuse_policy.jsp#15

"In the event of any positive test for marijuana, the WWE Talent shall be fined Two Thousand Five Hundred US Dollars ($2,500.00) per positive test, which shall be deducted from the WWE Talent's downside guarantee."

That's WWE's stance on pot, so he might not necessarily be released. I think that he deserves to be though.

WWE gives him another chance and gives him a massive push and this is how he repays them. Absolutely stupid of him.

 

[CM Steel]

It's like "Jack WTF R U doing"? Jack got caught up getting high on the road to Wrestlemania 29. This man must have gotten a red, white, and blue bottle rocket launched up in his ass to get pushed to the moon upon a WWE superstar returning from an injury. It's something about the Swagger!

Add Dutch Mantell into the mix and you got a patriot version of Triple H & Ric Flair from their days pre-Evolution. But Jack Swagger must be "high" up on the moon, because he just caught a case.


Jack, are you tripp'in or slipp'in pimp'in?

 

[Sedated]

I understand the extremist point and that wrestling is built on extremes. The problem I have with that though is they've yet to say anything extreme. Maybe I missed a promo or something but everything I've seen what they were actually saying was generally reasonable. It's just the backyard, don't tread on me stuff that's presenting it in a extremist fashion.

If what they were saying was more over the top I'd have zero problems with the whole thing. At the moment though they're just tearing down reasonable beliefs which I find questionable, especially on a show that's supposedly geared towards a young demographic. Again, maybe I missed something but nothing actually said ever came across as demeaning or hateful to me..

 

[MCMG]

How lucky is it that Ziggler has the briefcase. There is an easy escape. I can't see Swagger getting fired. I think that he will get suspended untill after Mania (or at least kept of tv. No excuse for having an illegal drug. Foolish.

 

[ProudJericholic]

There's no way that he can still receive his big push. I'm pretty sure having weed is illegal and now he just made the WWE look bad.

I think as a solution, maybe have Ziggler cash in before mania setting up del rio vs ziggler for the title? Or would that be too soon do you guys think?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Problem they have is this has happened at the worst possible time as the obvious guy to step in is in Australia on a band tour... If Jericho was around then they could have had him beat Swagger and have Zig cash in on the night to make it a 3 way and make it work.

I am not sure it ruins Mania but now they can only really go the Mark Henry route, having him squash Swagger and putting him in the match. There isn't enough time to turn Orton and for Zig to cash in on RAW or SD would make the match even weaker.

Only other thing I can see is they use the Shield to replace Swagger - They take him out in favor of themselves or Punk going for the title. (Freebird rule for the title?)

Not sure Swagger should be fired, but it is a massive mistake and one that will cost him any further shots. He'll do a suspension and they can still use Zeb - he can say that hell, even Swagger wasn't the right guy and he is going to find the right one. Again, Jericho and Coulter could be good together, but Y2J is busy the next 2 weeks and those are the 2 this'll get sorted in.

 

[KnowYoRole]

Good. The idiot could have killed someone, and he is an idiot for ruining a push this close to Wrestlemania.

Not that I care though, Jack Swagger is terrible in every sense of the word and him NOT being in the world title match is incredible. Give the world title match to somebody who is actually talented and responsible.

 

[#heel420]

Some guys biggest detractors are themselves. Jack Swagger is now following the RVD & Jeff Hardy route. Where when ever the company decides to put stock in you and you screw yourself over but, bad news for Swagger he isn't half as over as Hardy or RVD were/are. I doubt he's selling that much merch for them and for this reason I don't think WWE will be so forgiving and give him another chance. Wonder if A&8's will still be around after his 90 days clause...

 

[Poop Master Flex]

What.

A.

Dumbass.

I've seen a lot more valuable people get severely punished for the exact same thing and this can't mean well for Swagger. I doubt they will change his Mania match but if there was ever a chance he was gonna win that its now thrown out the window completely. Hell putting on a great performance at Mania (assuming WWE goes ahead with plans) maybe the only thing right now that can save Swaggers job, he better be on his A-Game for the next long time or else he's done as he's not very valuable as it is. I don't see this ending well for Swagger as the WWE is putting him to good use only for Swagger to shoot himself in the foot.

I know everyone fucks up but Jesus Christ he couldn't have picked a worse time.

 

[VictorySauce23]

He is an idiot for doing that. He had a huge push and he flushed it down the toilet ( should have done that with his weed). They should give the title shot to Henry. It's just so stupid that he would do this but this kind of happens to a lot of guys in WWE.

 

[Elchicano15]

This is such a bummer for Swagger. I really was enjoying this new push/character to and happy to see this new gimmick take him to the main event level. After 4-5 years with the company it seemed that he was starting to become relevant. It had potential to save his career as it was flat lining. This reminds me of RVD and Sabu all over.

Well I guess the next best choice is to have Orton (maybe as heel) in the match or Ziggler cash in. But Del Rio does deserve to go into Wrestlemania as champ and if Zigs cashed in before the event his reign would only last up to a month. Mark Henry would be a great choice by having him destroy Swagger on the air for his racism but that would probably turn him into an automatic face. Orton can possibly take over where Swagger left off. That would defiantly put anyone over as a heel and Zeb could still be Randy's mouth piece. Zeb could talk about how he goes back with Cowboy Bob Orton, or something.

 

[Galvatron]

He has to lose this push. WWE are hypocrites if he stays in the Wrestlemania match with ADR. If they killed Rob Van Dam's biggest push he ever got in WWE when he got busted for weed, then they have to kill Swagger's push on Raw this coming week. It's his own fault for being so stupid.

 

[The Perfect Max]

Calling him a fucking dumbass is an understatement. What in the blue hell was he frigging thinking? If a WWE superstar is going to do drugs and get caught, the best possible time of the year is certainly not the February / March / April gap. Why couldn't have got high in September, October, November? Hell, make it a jolly Christmas time and have it in December. Absolute tool. I had high hopes for Jack Swagger. I have really enjoyed his return thus far and I believed he was going places. WrestleMania 29 may still be in his future. It is still over six weeks away, but that doesn't take away the fact he doesn't deserve it after this. Personally any superstar who does a drug like this shouldn't be given opportunities like Swagger may still be getting April 7th, especially straight after the incident, if it still goes ahead though.

If his position is given to someone else, which I would hope would be Mark Henry, Jack has no one to blame but himself. I would really love to see the rampage McMahon is on right now. Probably pissed himself. If there is one thing good that can be said about this, it's that the true main event won't be tarnished. In all honesty, as much as I enjoy Swagger's work, PPV buys won't be heading south if he isn't on the card. But I would say, if Swagger isn't at WrestleMania 29, he's compromised his position in the WWE more than he can image. Shame.

Look's like Bad Timing Bob struck again.

 

[Ferreira]

And it's also WWE's fault. What they should have done on Elimination Chamber was Ziggler cashing in on Del Rio and Jericho winning the Chamber Match. So at Wrestlemania we would get: Del Rio vs. Swagger and Jericho vs. Ziggler for the belt. But they really wanted to push the guy that the first time he was World Champion bumped and was a prick. Good choice, WWE, good choice. I'm not even going to start talking about the gimmick...

Swagger, I hope you are fired. So many young guys on that locker room dream to get the opportunity and you got it twice, and screwed up big time. Give the push to somebody deserving. I don't like the gimmick but I can appreciate the good work of Dutch, he was great on the mic, and what he deserves is another wrestler to push, I don't know where to go, but even Cesaro makes sense, but the gimmick needed a bit of a switch.

 

[FarFromFine]

WWE will completely ignore that it happened until after Mania and follow through with the storyline. Swagger wasn't going to win at WM anyway so he'll get this push until Mania, lose, then get future endeavored.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

Damn, what's the big deal? It's weed. It's a dumb move on his part to be carrying weed and speeding, but it's not like he was driving down the interstate snorting a bump and drinking Wild Turkey. Chances are Swagger was never going to win the WWE title in the first place as the most likely scenario was losing to Del Rio, kicking his ass after the match, and Ziggler cashing in at Mania.

People are acting like he's going to lose his job over this or something; WWE has one of the most relaxed stances on marijuana. They're much harsher when it comes to the synthetic shit and rightly so since it has a lot of negative health risks. Marijuana is the most commonly used substance in the WWE, a lot of the wrestlers use it as it's a much better option to painkillers. I'm pretty sure Orton has a medical card, and only got a suspension for burning the K2 synthetic shit.

And to all the people crying foul over him driving while under the influence of weed; you've obviously never smoked before. Unless ol' Jack was slamming down Gravity bong hits before he got in his car there's really no way that his driving could be that hindered. In my weed days I drove all the time; never got a ticket. Never hit anybody. Never swerved; if anything I was a better driver.

 

[Tequila Dave]

Any WWE Talent, who is arrested, convicted or who admits to a violation of law relating to use, possession, purchase, sale or distribution of drugs will be in material breach of his/her contract with WWE and subject to immediate dismissal.

Well, Swagger's out. Expect to see him in Aces & Eights in a couple months.

What a stupid, stupid man. He was finally handed a great gimmick, manager, and storyline - and now he's gone and fucked it up. Not only that, he also put a lot of people in harm's way potentially.

It should be interesting to see what happens now with the world title picture. Fortunately for WWE, they're far enough away from Wrestlemania to build a new program. I wouldn't be surprised (or disappointed) to see Mark Henry fill Swagger's place. The promos won't be anywhere near as good, but it should result in a solid feud and match (though it may play out similarly to ADR vs. Big Show).

 

[H33LTurn]

Fire his ass. Seriously. Swagger's actions going into Wrestlemania with a bigger push than he deserves are a clear indication to the company that he's not worthy of representing the brand. Common sense would tell him to leave the weed at home at least until after Wrestlemania. Someone who wants to make it in the business puts their push ahead of recreational drugs, thats a fact.

 

[TheMainMan32]

I'm not one to judge anyone because I've driven legally drunk and only thought that I had had a few drinks. It doesn't take much to be over the limit. That could be overlooked, the weed cannot.

Wasn't the WWE ENRAGED at Orton when he failed his last wellness test? There was talk of releasing him and he was, at that time the third biggest star in the company. Jack Swagger ain't Randy Orton, not even close. It's a shame too because after years of hating him, he did something last week that he never did before: kept me from changing the channel. Been nice knowing ya, Swagger.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Well if Vince doesn't kill him first, I gotta wonder if Dutch will himself.

Getting busted on a DUI, while working with a guy who recently lost his grand daughter to another idiot behind a wheel.

I could care less if Swagger loses his job over this. Biggest push of his career, and he can't call a cab? No pity for him whatsoever.

But I hope they can manage to keep Dutch in the picture still. No way does he deserve to lose his job because the guy they stuck him with is a complete idiot.

 

[Bernkastel]

I'm on the fence with this one. The WWE can be forgiving about these things sometimes and can give surprising amounts of leeway. Randy Orton still has a job and a dozen world championship reigns even after all the shit he's done. Mysterio keeps fucking up and still has a job. Cameron - the very definition of a throwaway character - still has a job after getting a DUI. WWE may not punish Swagger but might force him to do some sort of drug rehab program. If he fuses to do that, or fucks up again that's when they'll can his ass.

Even with these charges it's hard to just say, "oh he's out of the main event." Or "oh he's getting fired."

 

[nightmare]

I'm on the fence with this one. The WWE can be forgiving about these things sometimes and can give surprising amounts of leeway. Randy Orton still has a job and a dozen world championship reigns even after all the shit he's done. Mysterio keeps fucking up and still has a job. Cameron - the very definition of a throwaway character - still has a job after getting a DUI. WWE may not punish Swagger but might force him to do some sort of drug rehab program. If he fuses to do that, or fucks up again that's when they'll can his ass.

Even with these charges it's hard to just say, "oh he's out of the main event." Or "oh he's getting fired."

Difference here is that Swagger is not nearly as valuable or popular as Orton or Rey. They draw. Naomi? That one is up in the air for me as to why she is still here.


Swagger will probably still have a job, but now he will be doing the job at WM. I doubt they will out-right fire him or scrap the WM match, but he will not be happy with how creative handles him from now on. He did it to himself. You just won an upset at EC, go on to the WHC match on the biggest show of the year- but you cant drive in a straight line & hide a bag of herb? That is just being careless.