Politics and Linda Mcmahon are hurting the WWE...

[Little Jerry Lawler]

How is the WWE being ruined by Linda McMahon and politics? In the past few months you had Cena and Batista have some of the best matches of the year, Sheamus become champion, and Swagger shocking the world and is still champion and doing good. The young guys are being pushed and the diva's are doing better than ever. The WWE will never be anything like the Attitude Era because if they were, they would be killing themselves because the Attitude Era was more of a negative than a positive. The WWE is doing fine right now.

 

[brighamosity]

The OP could be referring to the Batista/Cena match at Over the Limit, in which Batista attempted to back a car into Cena and through a wall. You know, kids stuff.

Even so, Cena didn't die. Violent things happen on wrestling all the time, but it's simulated violence. In Bugs Bunny cartoons, people get hit by cars and trains all the time. But you will never see Elmer Fudd choke Bugs Bunny. As others have stated, WWE is trying to stray from things that kids could realistically do. No kid is going to steal his parents' car and run someone over with it. But a kid could easily grab a tie and use it to choke someone. Even if they didn't mean to, they could accidentally kill someone if they were to tie it and not be able to untie it. But it would be very difficult for a child to accidentally run someone over with a car.

 

[goldbergiswrestling]

JR's blog says "hed be shocked if he wasnt back sooner than later" . I think he knows something, worst case scneario (if this story is true) they paid him off to take a nice little vacation until novemember and he will then be back. Does it suck ? Of course, the angle would be much cooler with him in it. But the fact is, it still rocks without him for now and i will still be anxious to see what happens next week. So if its true, sure it hurts a little but it wont cripple them by any means

I agree it would be kewl having Bryan Danielson would be kewl, having him and his already established star power might overshadow Wade Barrett as the leader of this new faction. I think it is in WWE's best interest anyways to get bryan out of the way so Barrett can shine.

Im not gunna blame anybody for it because Im sure it wasn't Linda's decision alone. a polotician is only as good as the people who tell them what to do

it came from an "official" who uses an apostrophe in "its."

PS there SHOULD be an apostrophe int "its" It's is a conjunction of the words "It is" meaning u need an apostrophe before the s

 

[NYJETMET]

Is it just me, or has the whole WWE product absoultely sucked since Linda McMahon all of a sudden wants to play politician?

I shout from the mountain tops.....................

Will someone with the cash and credibility PPPPPLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEE start a real federation that can actually compete unlike the weekend warriors in Orlando like 'Dopey' Carter, 'Sloppy' Joe, AJ 'Has Absoluetly No' Styles and the senior citizen circuit.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think this has been blown way out of proportion. I do think that it's possible that Linda McMahon's political ambitions could have had something to do with Danielson's release. It's an election year, which means there are people that are looking at anything and everything connected with a candidate in order to find some dirt to use against them. Before the primaries, the past conduct of the WWE was used against Linda McMahon. Even though she wasn't part of the creative outlet of the company, she was still one of the company's highest ranking officers. Could Danielson choking Justin Roberts with his tie possibly remind someone of the Chris Benoit incident and use it against Linda McMahon? It's possible. Anything is possible, after all.

As for actual politics being the downfall of the WWE, yeah I think that's a tad too melodramatic. The WWE is a publicly traded company, which means that it's going to be under a certain degree of scrutiny. The fact that the McMahon's control the vast majority of WWE stock doesn't mean that they aren't answerable to anyone else that owns stock in the company.

It sucks that Bryan Danielson was released, it really does. I'm hoping that the WWE does attempt to bring him back after this has died down as I personally feel it was ridiculous to release him anyhow.

 

[DiscipleofWrestling]

First off if the person who is running against Linda (I have no clue who it is because I hate politics and do not really care) is going to use the WWE, which has been around for about more than 50 years to put heat on Linda then that is just sad and that is telling me that this guy has nothing else up his sleeve to beat Linda except by using her husband's wrestling company as his weapon to win the campaign. Obviously, if that is all that he could come up with he does not deserve the Senator spot. Anyways, Politics should not have to interfere with our entertainment because us, paying fans have been loyal to the WWE where we pay our dollars at live events, give the WWE their ratings every week, and comment how the show could be better. The best thing is that they listen to us, but now we could see the dark days in the WWE. What if Linda wins wil they get rid of punching or submissions next? Will they release every wrestler because he or she made a mistake? One thing is for sure and that is because of stupid politics we have to pay and the WWE will just get worse.

The guy who's running against Vince... I mean, Linda McMahon... has gotten into heat recently because he was caught lying about serving in Vietnam when he actually served in the armed forces during Vietnam. Now, I don't live in CT, but I, myself, would have a hard time choosing between a man who lied about his service to this country and a woman who heads an organization with a lot of ties to steroids, dead wrestlers, and anything but "family values" in entertainment. The guy, Blumenthal (I believe is his name), should definitely focus on his purported experience against McMahon. There will be mudslinging. It's American politics, unfortunately. And speaking of politics....

Politics will always play a part of the WWE's structure, especially now that it is publicly funded due to stocks. The fact that Linda McMahon is running for Senator of CT only exacerbates this whole issue. THE PG ERROR is not due to just Linda's campaign, but it is also due to the corporate sponsors WWE currently has. Mattel wouldn't be likely to see Daniel Bryan action figures complete with a neck tie strangle position. WWE has chosen to go child-friendly, and it has had its rewards and plenty of failures. I think the NXT storyline is a good sign though because it shows the company's attempt to do somewhat fresh storylines despite their rating handicap. I don't think that the magic solution to this whole problem is Linda McMahon's failure as a candidate. And I personally don't believe that the apocalypse will happen should she win. We, wrestling fans, are lucky that there are some alternatives. Even if you hate TNA and ROH, WWE fans, I have a hard time believing that we'll be seeing "Mantaur" or Duke "The Dumpster" type of gimmicks overpopulating the WWE again.

 

[Mustang Sally]

funny that a woman who is claiming to be a conservative republican is married to someone who tells employees to legitimately kiss his ass on national tv.

I don't know how much Linda's candidacy is causing WWE to tone down their act, but the very concept is ridiculous. The company has been doing what they do for many years and it's absurd to think that becoming PG at this late date would make any difference.

If Linda's political opponent wants to use her business background as an offensive weapon against her, there's miles of footage he can use to embarrass her. Hell, how would Linda like it if Blumenthal aired videos of her being tombstoned by Kane......or being stunned by Steve Austin?

The fact is that these things did happen and WWE is what WWE is. Trying to make the company more family-friendly for the duration of her campaign is truly shutting the barn door after the horse has already escaped.

If Linda loses the election, Vince will hopefully take things back to where they ought to be.

 

[WhyTravisFelt]

I think we need to keep what appears to be the plan in mind:

Most likely Danielson was genuinely fired for what seems to be a multitude of possibilities. Was it Benoit, advertiser demand, stockholder demand, PG related business, or, as the OP postulates, a campaign run nobody outside of Connecticut gives an ess about or was it some combination of any or many of those? Regardless, it very much appears that WWE (outside of politics) has been very high on Danielson and seems to take the firing as a formality that could potentially lead to even better things to come for him with the WWE.

I think it's the wrong time to get our panties in a twist about it. Time will tell. If Danielson doesn't come back, if he goes back to ROH or joins TNA, that's a new, different story altogether, but for now let's just count our chickens as they begin to hatch. If Danielson doesn't return and it comes out that it was partially Linda's senate run that made the difference, than this will be a genuine debate, to which I would agree the OP; WWE is going down a road I, for one, won't care a whole much to watch without him and the intriguing NXT business will be a disappointing waste for me.

 

[Workshop]

PS there SHOULD be an apostrophe int "its" It's is a conjunction of the words "It is" meaning u need an apostrophe before the s

The conjunction isn't the only form of "its". I was referring to this excerpt from the email, which uses the pronoun:

because of it's violent nature

That was a subtle indication that the email may have been fake, although the possibility of a human error remains.

 

[ThAwRe$tLiNgGaWd]

I fail to see why his release is really that big a deal. As I've said before, it saves his face pop, and quite frankly, he's far more useful getting a face pop for the WWE, because he's already so over as a face. Think about it; the NXT group is going to get their heat anyway. I believe that it's unmistakeable that last night, the NXT guys got the heat they needed. So, the NXT was going to get over as heels anyway. If anything, DB was going to be like RVD in the 2001 Invasion, in that he'd get semi-face pops, and kind of ruin the vibe of the group. Now, he can come back in 90 days, or whenever this blows over, and still work as a face, perhaps against the NXT guys if they choose.

As for politics affecting the WWE.... Eh, probably. There's a clear case of Triple H being at the helm of certain choices, and I get what you're saying. It's akin to certain lobbyist groups having a say in the government's business. But I doubt this will last long. It's merely a coverup visage until things die down. I'd actually argue that government regulation in all wrestling would actually be beneficial to the wrestlers in the long run, but the WWE is a private company....

Oh, wait, what's that? They're not a private company, anymore? Well, snap me down. The WWE is, in fact, a public traded company. Which means, frankly, the WWE is accountable to the men and women who buy stock in the company, and those that financially support the WWE and it's ventures. I think, frankly, we're all making a mountain out of a molehill. This is merely Public Relations matters, and eventually Bryan will be back. Just cool your jets, boys.

Look, guys, the thread is about politics outside the WWE, not in it. I'm sure we all know there's politics inside it. For that point, everyone has such a hard on to blame the Kliq, you all have failed to realize this is about Linda McMahon's Senate run, not politics in the WWE. If it were, why would he discuss Linda's run with the Senate so much in the OP.

Guys, for the love of God, read the OP. And stay on topic. I gave my answer above. Just trying to save the topic, because it is interesting

Ummm... duuuude? Where in your original post did you come remotely anywhere close to explaining the outside political influence on the WWE? You failed to even mention one word about Linda McMahon and her senate seat affecting the direction of WWE programming. You ranted on us to stick to the OP topic but yet you write and I quote "As for politics affecting the WWE.... Eh, probably. There's a clear case of Triple H being at the helm of certain choices" Man, do you even read what you write sometimes? and you are gonna bash us?! All you wrote about was the NXT guys, Triple H, government regulation (to which you have no basis for your stance, other than saying it's beneficial, how?), and WWE being a publicly traded company. Where was your on-topic answer in all that useless garble? You FAILED!

Until Linda hopefully loses the senate seat we are going to be stuck with this awful predicament that the WWE finds itself in. Unfortunately for us as fans, any little mistake that her election committee deems to be damaging to her campaign, we in turn get the short end of the stick with it. i.e pg programming, and releases such as the case with DBD, etc. etc. etc. I would like to believe that LMcM had nothing to do with it all, but in this day in age of political correctness and accountability, nothing surprises me anymore.

 

[Tenta]

Ummm... duuuude? Where in your original post did you come remotely anywhere close to explaining the outside political influence on the WWE? You failed to even mention one word about Linda McMahon and her senate seat affecting the direction of WWE programming. You ranted on us to stick to the OP topic but yet you write and I quote "As for politics affecting the WWE.... Eh, probably. There's a clear case of Triple H being at the helm of certain choices" Man, do you even read what you write sometimes? and you are gonna bash us?! All you wrote about was the NXT guys, Triple H, government regulation (to which you have no basis for your stance, other than saying it's beneficial, how?), and WWE being a publicly traded company. Where was your on-topic answer in all that useless garble? You FAILED!

Until Linda hopefully loses the senate seat we are going to be stuck with this awful predicament that the WWE finds itself in. Unfortunately for us as fans, any little mistake that her election committee deems to be damaging to her campaign, we in turn get the short end of the stick with it. i.e pg programming, and releases such as the case with DBD, etc. etc. etc. I would like to believe that LMcM had nothing to do with it all, but in this day in age of political correctness and accountability, nothing surprises me anymore.

Um...

As for politics affecting the WWE.... Eh, probably. There's a clear case of Triple H being at the helm of certain choices, and I get what you're saying. It's akin to certain lobbyist groups having a say in the government's business. But I doubt this will last long. It's merely a coverup visage until things die down. I'd actually argue that government regulation in all wrestling would actually be beneficial to the wrestlers in the long run, but the WWE is a private company....

Oh, wait, what's that? They're not a private company, anymore? Well, snap me down. The WWE is, in fact, a public traded company. Which means, frankly, the WWE is accountable to the men and women who buy stock in the company, and those that financially support the WWE and it's ventures. I think, frankly, we're all making a mountain out of a molehill. This is merely Public Relations matters, and eventually Bryan will be back. Just cool your jets, boys.

You seem to have clearly misinterpreted my point, and done so in a fashion in which I'm sure makes you feel more intelligent, but really, it just makes you look like you don't understand the point. What I was getting at was that there were different reasonings and influential groups that have a likely claim to the WWE's products. As to the actual government's hold on the product, I consider it inconsequential, at best. The government has really no vested interest in the programming, and because it is a publicly traded company, the WWE must take into account the lobbies and protests of those that own a stock of the company, or share in advertising the company. Funny thing; Politics doesn't always mean the infrastructure of the legislative government, but could mean multiple forces converging on the WWE. Politics is more than the Senate and the House, but politics behind an advertiser's decision, or the beliefs of someone who holds a large amount of stock into the company. Meanwhile, discussion seemed to focus towards the WWE's internal politics, which I said to ignore for this thread, and discuss the external politics. That could be anything from Mattel, he Senate, or anything really. The political race, frankly doesn't hold nearly as much weight as you tend to believe it does. The outside influences are going to come from those that have an investment in the company, not the senate, or any form of government.

How would government regulation help? Perhaps a mandated test for drugs done outside the WWE's medical staff? Less steroids, less illicit drug use... Catch my drift? Actually, I highly doubt you would, really. You seem so fixated on trying to make some errant point, I think you fail to see the overall big picture.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

That was completely uncalled for and not the best way to make yourself known.

Until Linda hopefully loses the senate seat we are going to be stuck with this awful predicament that the WWE finds itself in. Unfortunately for us as fans, any little mistake that her election committee deems to be damaging to her campaign, we in turn get the short end of the stick with it. i.e pg programming, and releases such as the case with DBD, etc. etc. etc. I would like to believe that LMcM had nothing to do with it all, but in this day in age of political correctness and accountability, nothing surprises me anymore.

Does everyone REALLY think that if Linda McMahon loses that the PG Era will vanish in an epic display of fairy dust? Are smarks REALLY that clueless about the ends and outs of the wrestling world? Let me put it this way:

For years we had Black & White Wrestling. Guys that looked out of shape, monstrous behemoths that were known to do harsh things like use forks on each other and get legitimately booed on the brink that fans really wanted them dead. I call it Black & White because of how old it is and this was when wrestling first aired on television.

Then we had the Golden Years of wrestling, which was mostly for how flashy people dressed and the charisma factor settled in. People like Savage, Hogan, Hart, Michaels, Flair, etc are well documented when it comes to this era.

Of course after that we have Attitude Era, which clearly every other smark thinks we should be in

Now PG. Honestly it really has little to do with Linda's campaign; WWE needed a change and it was losing money. Attitude Era (If you don't count Ruthless Aggression/Brand Split) lasted for YEARS. They needed something subtle, smart, and different. PG Era is here.

Had to give a little history lesson to show that WWE is going through a phase and that's it. Has really nothing to do with Linda and if she loses Vince McMahon isn't going to pull out a wand and go *POOF* back to Bra and Panties matches.

 

[Dwayne_Jason]

I, for one find myself a little in the middle. People say PG era has made things safer but lets put this into perspective. The last wrestle mania as wonderful as it was sucked when it came to buy rate and UFC headed by Vince's son outdid wrestlemania. Is that bad? Of course not, but here's the thing PG era gives you no drugs, no chair shots and a healthy lifestyle but what it takes away is more beneficial to the company such as actual characters as opposed to supermen. I would think that rapper gimmick Cena is MUCH more loved, by smarks, marks and kids alike than supercena. Before the PG era we had a little more freedom that wasn't as outrageous as Attitude but entertaining as hell. I find that things that are government regulates should not be so tightly done so. When it comes to a healthy lifestyle guys like Orton, Cena, HHH, Shawn, Undertaker they all know the risks while doing big moves and frankly they love it if a match is more dramatic if blood is involved then spill some blood. I think WWE's PG rating is the overcompensation of the benoit incident and as far as Linda firing DB I think that politics OUTSIDE of WWE might very likely get involved especially if Linda's losing. And I think that these things will continue until Linda loses completely or wins completely. As for DB he's a talented wrestler and honestly if all goes to hell there's always UFC. I think he'd be a formidable foe there.

 

[Workshop]

The last wrestle mania as wonderful as it was sucked when it came to buy rate and UFC headed by Vince's son outdid wrestlemania.

What gave you the impression that UFC was headed by Shane McMahon?
There were rumors of talks between Shane and UFC, nothing more. UFC is headed by Dana White.

I would think that rapper gimmick Cena is MUCH more loved, by smarks, marks and kids alike than supercena.

You might be right, but from my personal experience, I have to disagree. I can't and couldn't stand the gimmick of a white guy that pulls his pants down to show his underwear, speaks ghetto, yet at the same time is supposed to be appealing to children. I think the wigger aspects that the character used to get over initally as a face is the main reason Cena is booed today.

I find that things that are government regulates should not be so tightly done so. When it comes to a healthy lifestyle guys like Orton, Cena, HHH, Shawn, Undertaker they all know the risks while doing big moves and frankly they love it if a match is more dramatic if blood is involved then spill some blood.

What does government regulation have to do with this? In every sentence before and after it, you talk about either WWE's regulations or complaints of campaign officials.

I think WWE's PG rating is the overcompensation of the benoit incident

Why would Vince change the whole direction of the company just because of one incident? I don't think he would afford Benoit the luxury of changing anything because of his actions, except for not mentioning him at all on television.

Vince makes his decisions based on whether or not they generate money, and PR is, of course, important, but he'd have to be a madman to shift the whole format of his television shows because a single employee out of hundreds decided to off his family.

 

[Vintage]

Being the sacrificial lamb to pander to corporate sponsors and minimize any political backlash would certainly leave me a bitter man. I would pass the pay day up and seek employment where I wouldn't have to worry about being fired for doing my job. Rule bending or not, this happened at like 10:58 PM and if the WWE was soooo concerned they could have panned away or used another camera shot. The more I think of it the more I see that the WWE has been prepping for Linda's capaign run for quite some time. The WWE won't change any time soon. I happen to live in the Tri State area and ironically, it looks like Linda is going to win her election. She mysteriously had no party opposition and the Democrat she's now running against is getting blasted for telling fake war stories like the dude from Tropic Thunder. I just wonder if he's a senile old white dude or a black dude playing a senile old white dude..

 

[The Viper Orton]

I honestly think WWE has lost sight of what they really are...A wrestling company. 90% of what happens in wrestling should not be available to younger kids, and thats the parent's responsibility not WWE's.

Thank you Sir. This needs to be a topic on its own. WWE is the "shark" wrestling company. It is the familiess responsibility to hold it from their kids if they don't want their kids to see such content. I mean, comeon, the kids would learn these stuff one way or another (school, other tv shows, neighborhood....) wwe isn't the only way children see "unhealthy" product.

 

[The Champ]

Claiming that politics and Linda are the only reason, or even the main reason, for the change to PG is not entirely true if you ask me. I think what originally triggered it were the Chris Benoit murders, and the bad press that the WWE received from that. It became a job for them to put a gigantic happy face on the product so that parents wouldn't object to their kids watching a business in which one of their own employees became a vicious child murderer. It also has a lot to do with sponsors, as we saw with the Daniel Bryan incident, sponsors that are responsible for a lot of "THE MONNAYY~!" and that will only sponsor the company under a certain rating. I think that the Bryan release sucks, but I'm pretty confident that he will be brought back eventually, and it's not like the tie spot was really necessary in any way. I personally don't need blood and bikini contests to enjoy my wrestling, if other people do, then I can see why you're frustrated. But I don't think we've sacrificed too much with this PG rating, and like it or not, it makes sense business wise.

 

[JackBurton]

First I wanna preface the next few statements by saying I dont agree with WWE's current direction; but I do not under any circumstances think WWE has to be the exact polar opposite to garner the credibility its lost this past decade.

Saying that.......

Wasn't it fairly family orientated back when Hogan was on top? Didn't they make a shit load of money and have a fair level of credibility?

WWE was making this switch to a family orientated product long before this whole senatorial election debacle, so to blame this shift in direction completely on Linda McMahon or her campaign people, is over the top. Would it have some bearing, yes? Most probably - but the change in direction is the reason for the firing of a young talent just trying to do his job. So if anything at all, its in-direct collateral damage at most.

JR does a good job of "straw-maning" this Senator campaign theory. He defends Lindas character and refutes the assertion that she was the one who asked (or demanded) the Dragon be fired. I dont remember anyone saying it was Linda; only that her campaign people might have been responsible. Unfortunately for us informed people politics is about image rather than substance. And that seems to have impacted the WWE as a company - but only to speed up a process that I believe was already in motion.

 

[The Champ]

The thing is, WWE was popular during the Attitude Era because that type of stuff was all over TV at the time. WWE has wanted kids and families to watch their product since the inception of the company, and so they're kind of returning to their roots. Like I said, I think Benoit also had a lot to do with it, but it's not like this is some kind of new and revolutionary concept. They're trying to avoid extreme cases of violence that would remind sponsors or parents of certain events that took place in June 2007, and strangling certainly falls under that category. Jack Burton is correct in that this was going to happen whether Linda ran for Senate or not, and they were already starting to steer into that direction before her candidacy was announced.