Politics and Wrestling don't mix

[PDepew2181]

Let me first start off by saying I'm not trying to rile up anyone's opinions, beliefs, what have you. I want to say something that I think is the truth: politics and wrestling just don't mix.

I'm sure that everyone who frequents WrestleZone saw the twitter comments that Joey Styles made about Barack Obama. No need to repeat them here. It provoked a reaction in me, as political issues do in a lot of people. I took up my opinion on Joey's WWE Universe comment board. Even registered on WWE Universe just to do it. I'm not going to repeat those comments hear either, if you really wanted to see them, you could just go to that page and view them, I have the same username.

But it got me thinking as to one of the reasons I watch wrestling: escapism. Wrestling allows me to just put the brain on neutral and not have to deal with anything for a while. I don't have to think about my job, my finances, what's going on in the world, anything like that. So when I see politics getting dragged into wrestling, nothing good happens of it.

Last year, WWE got Obama, John McCain, and Hilary Clinton to give pre-recorded messages on Raw. I thought that was a good way of presenting it to people, much as the SmackDown Your Vote campaign does (ironically, that's how I registered to vote 9 years ago). But then later in the night, there was a very horrible in-ring segment with caricatures of Obama and Bill and Hilary Clinton. Well, gee, I wonder whose side Vince is on? But leaving that aside, the segment was pointless, wasn't funny, and basically undermined having the real Obama and Clinton on the show in the first place. It was like watching another version of the fake Donald Trump/Rosie O'Donnell crap from a couple of years ago.

As I said, politics provoke strong reactions in a lot of people. About two or three years ago, I briefly wrote a column for a website called PowerWrestling.com, which is apparently now defunct. In one article, I was talking about a report that Batista got upset with ECW fans at a Hammerstein Ballroom show because they dared to boo him. I was taking Batista to task for not being able to take it, as John Cena had recently done at the One Night Stand PPV where he lost to RVD. I then made reference to something the sister of a friend of mine told me about a show she went to in the Baltimore area a few months prior. Apparently she saw some of the wrestlers after the show, and reported that Batista was very rude and snubbed every fan there, and that Orlando Jordan was very nice and signed autographs and posed for pictures for everyone asking. Around this time, there were reports about Jordan being gay, so I decided to write a line saying something to the effect of "see how nice gay people are, why can't they get married?"

To say that my attempt at humor provoked a reaction is an understatement. Here's a piece of feedback I received:
"...Secondly, I'm against marriage for ******s. I don't care if some ******s are nice people. ******ry is evil. ******s should not be able to get married."

Just as an FYI, that person also defended Batista's actions, called Randy Orton "a gay asshole," and called me a "******" at least three other times before telling me to fuck off.

Obviously I struck a nerve with someone. That wasn't my attention, but I soon realized that I was pretty naive to think it would not. Another person sent me feedback, polite feedback I might add, saying that he came to that site for wrestling and wrestling alone, and preferred those types of comments not get thrown into the discussion. I took that feedback to heart (I did not take the mean feedback to heart, and challenged that person to respond, though he never did. Yes, it had to be a he). It reminded me of why I was writing for that site and why I watch wrestling as a whole. For the remainder of the time that I wrote articles, I was careful to stick to wrestling and just left anything that could be construed as political out of the writing.

So, basically, having made this story way too long, is it so much to ask WWE to just stick to wrestling, too? I'm not saying that Joey Styles can't have his opinion, but why the need to make it public, and in the process insult and belittle a good number of fans? To placate Vince? I certainly hope not. Frankly, WWE is only good when they stick to wrestling. We know this thanks to the WBF, the XFL, and anything produced by WWE Films. Recently they haven't even been too good with wrestling. Maybe they should just keep their focus on wrestling and maybe the product and the ratings will improve. Just please keep anything remotely political out of the WWE.

Wow, if you've read this far, I commend you. Anyone else have any thoughts on this, intelligent or inflammatory?

 

[Punk13]

I read it all!
Anyways all i have to say is wrestlers should stick to there day job which is wrestling or be like the Rock and just leave the WWE to go act..............Hint Hint John Cena.........

Thats my 2 cents

 

[The Doctor]

While I disapprove of Styles making his political views known like that, it's not just him. Striker makes he's uber-Republican views known every week on ECW, but I still enjoy him as a commentator. I've been wondering if Styles and Striker make those comments to get into Vince's good books, since everyone knows that Vince is super Republican, or if they are their real views.
I agree to an extent that politics and wrestling shouldn't mix, but the Smackdown your Vote campaign and having wrestlers at the conventions were both very good ideas, encouraging new voters to vote.
I'm not sure what I'm trying to say. Maybe that it can be good and bad.

As for the flamer defending Batista...Oh, wow.

 

[Razor]

Meh. The personalities on TV have real people behind them, and they're gonna have views that are the same/differ from yours. The only difference is that they are on a national TV platform, and have millions within their reach. They're gonna say what they think, and say it loud.

Like Kane's recent open letters to the President. The first one was during the Republican Primaries and was in favor of Huckabee, correct? The second one was to Barack Obama about the economy. On top of that, two wrestlers (their names escape me) were making the rounds for each major party during the Election; two for the Democrats and two for the Republicans. Sure, the wrestlers were going around to help get the 18+ viewers to vote, but meh. Still served a purpose.

I read what Styles wrote. Typical "Obama's a Marxist" stuff that pisses me off usually, because it's nothing but empty name calling. But this isn't the place to argue that, that's for the Cigar Lounge.

Though I do agree, political arguments don't ever really seem very relevant in wrestling, and the wrestlers/personalities should watch what they say, they may alienate fans with what they say on air/WWE Universe. Though I must say, Sgt. Slaughter pulled off that Iraqi War heel turn with finesse.

 

[RatedR69]

No problem with it whatsoever. One the few reasons why I still like wrestling after all this time, one of the few venues in entertainment not dominated by the left. Did everyone just wake up this morning and find out that the majority of those in the wrestling business (with actually any stroke, anyways) are moderate-right leaning? I think most of the kids that buy all the Cena merchandise can see that.

BTW, Vince did mock the far right by doing the Right To Censor bit--he'll attack anyone who is out to stop him from making money, regardless of the politics. McMahon is one the few rich folk out there that will be taxed highest under the Obama administration, and again, why the shock that he sees him and a rich-hating congress as someone who wants to ruin his business?

To end, let's put it this way: If it were such a big problem, would the IWC flock to TNA if they espoused more left-wing views and put Keith Olbermann under the Suicide mask? Didn't think so.

Joey Styles hates Obama; Oh no, time to stop watching wrestling!! sarc/off

 

[Jordan adams]

I like this thread , and this is something I have thought about for sometime. There has been some really good things that have happened with wwe getting involved in politics like smackdown your vote and when they had JBL and Mick foley debate. But the problem to me is that it seems like the politics have gone very one sided with strikers comments every week on ecw. and now for comments from the guy that got famous screaming cat fight, cat fight, Catfight. I think if there going to go political they need a more far and balance view (where have I heard that one before). But to the comment that Vince is super republican he might be but he is businessman first and if going liberal was going to make him more money some how he would do it in heart beat and I think we all know that. And If you think calling Obama a Marxist is moderate Republican comment I would hate see what you think is extreme right wing view.

 

[JGlass]

No problem with it whatsoever. One the few reasons why I still like wrestling after all this time, one of the few venues in entertainment not dominated by the left.

You think most venues of entertainment are dominated by the left? I think that's a pretty unfair assumption, considering that almost every major media outlet is owned and run by massive multi-billion dollar corporations. Bet you I can tell you who Rupert Murdoch voted for on Nov. 4th!

Did everyone just wake up this morning and find out that the majority of those in the wrestling business (with actually any stroke, anyways) are moderate-right leaning? I think most of the kids that buy all the Cena merchandise can see that.

Once again, you're making an assumption. Until I see voting records from the WWE or some sort of poll, I find it hard to believe this. Sure, there have been some outspoken conservatives in the wrestling business like Warrior, I think Flair is conservative, and of course McMahon himself, but that's not to say there aren't liberals in there too. Just this year, Candice, Shelton, and Batista were all representing the WWE at the Democratic National Convention. Mick Foley gave a speech about voting at my girlfriend's high school, and it turned into a Obama support/McCain bashing party. Don't be quick to assume since wrestlers are rich and "manly" that they're politics are right wing.

Joey Styles hates Obama; Oh no, time to stop watching wrestling!! sarc/off

I don't think the problem here is that Styles hates Obama. It's the way he acted and thrust his opinion out there. He said, "The (Catholic) University of Notre Dame should be ashamed of themselves for having pro-abortion President Obama speak at their graduation. Even those misled Americans who voted for the Marxist Barack Hussein Obama are invited to join the Judgment Day Live Chat on WWEUNIVERSE.com." It's fine to have that sort of opinion, but I don't think Vince McMahon is going to be happy that he may have alienated Obama supporters by saying calling them misled and that they voted for a Marxist. If he wants to state his political opinions, he should work for Fox News or some other news network, but while he's in WWE, he should simply talk about the wrestling, that's it.

 

[FromTheSouth]

You think most venues of entertainment are dominated by the left? I think that's a pretty unfair assumption, considering that almost every major media outlet is owned and run by massive multi-billion dollar corporations. Bet you I can tell you who Rupert Murdoch voted for on Nov. 4th!

This is the least informed statement I have ever heard. The media is run by the left. Look at who producers, directors, etc. support. MSNBC is owned by GE. GE, historically, has supported liberal candidates, and MSNBC was the Obama network during the election. CBS news producers OK'd the National Guard story about Bush without proper documentation, destroying Dan Rather's legacy just to try and screw Bush before the 2004 election. The New York Times and Washington post are left leaning to say the least.

I love how Fox is the only network that is fair to the right, yet is a sign that the entire media is right leaning? Are you kidding me? Do you know what the right and the left even stand for? Stop trying to communicate when you don't have the skills to do so. One balanced network (FOX) according to the people who study these things, and ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN are all left leaning, once again, according to people who study these things, and the media is right leaning? I don't think you understand media, politics, wrestling, or how to wipe yourself.

And, please, tell me who Rupert Murdoch voted for on Nov. 4th?

I'll bet you ten million dollars it wasn't John McCain. Murdoch is an Australian citizen, unable to vote in our elections. Get a fucking clue and stop posting this garbage in the wrestling sections.

And stop assuming every corporation is right leaning. This is another example of left leaning idiocy. Corporations are bad, so they must be Republican. First of all, the car companies are multi-billion dollar corporations, and they hire nothing but Union labor. Unions are not right leaning, at all. The steel industry, same thing. Most retail companies support democratic candidates because of the influx of government money they can get. You stepped off on the wrong bus stop if you want to debate these points.

Once again, you're making an assumption. Until I see voting records from the WWE or some sort of poll, I find it hard to believe this. Sure, there have been some outspoken conservatives in the wrestling business like Warrior, I think Flair is conservative, and of course McMahon himself, but that's not to say there aren't liberals in there too.

JBL is a Fox News financial analyst. The McMahon's have always supported the right. Warrior is a whack job. The fan base is right leaning. No one said that every wrestler voted for John McCain, but the people at the top of the business own the evil corporation, or are middle aged southerners. Who do middle aged southerners vote for?

Just this year, Candice, Shelton, and Batista were all representing the WWE at the Democratic National Convention.

That must mean that they are dems through and through. There's no way that they were sent there as a promotional opportunity. That couldn't have happned. Did you forget about Mickie James and John Cena at the Republican convention? Remember? That happened too. You are full of nonsense and half truths.

Mick Foley gave a speech about voting at my girlfriend's high school, and it turned into a Obama support/McCain bashing party.

Mick Foley has always thought his opinion mattered more than it did. If his opinion mattered, then they wouldn't have had him speak at a highs chool, where 75% of the audience can't even fucking vote.

Don't be quick to assume since wrestlers are rich and "manly" that they're politics are right wing.

OK, this topic is about the top of the business. Most workers (i.e. the wrestlers) vote democratic because dems give things away and don't make you work harder for them. This is why subordinates vote democratic. The thread was started to address managements views of politics. And, those views are obvious. Linda McMahon was jsut appointed to Connecticut state education board, by a Republican. If Linda didn't agree politically, she wouldn't have been appointed.

I don't think the problem here is that Styles hates Obama.

How is that a problem. Look at teh opinion polls, he is joining a very wuickly growing list of people who hate socialism, over the top taxes, and an overly permissive society where morals and concepts of right and wrong are being overshadowed by whiny secularists who have nothing better to do than try and change the nation because they think they can.

It's the way he acted and thrust his opinion out there. He said, "The (Catholic) University of Notre Dame should be ashamed of themselves for having pro-abortion President Obama speak at their graduation.

He's right. People go to this school for the religious backing. It's a private school. If I went to a Jewish school, I wouldn't listen to a speech from Mahmoud Ahmedinejihad. The commencement address should not run counter to the views that the school has espoused for two hundred years. This is a Catholic school, and there is no doubting what the Catholic Church's opinion is. And here's the kicker. Joey Styles is standing up for Catholic school, right? Notre Dame is catholic. CATHOLIC'S PREDOMINATELY VOTE DEMOCRAT. Your argument about anyone being right leaning is worthless. Supporting a Catholic cause is supporting a democratic cause. The Christian Conservative movement is run by Protestant churches. You don't understand American politics.

Even those misled Americans who voted for the Marxist Barack Hussein Obama are invited to join the Judgment Day Live Chat on WWEUNIVERSE.com."

Umm, do you think Obama is running the country in accordance with how he campaigned? He said he was bringing tropps home, but is in the process of sending more overseas. He said he was going to close Guantanomo within 100 days. 100 days have passed, and he doesn't know what to do with the prisoners, so it remains open. There's no way we can afford the promised tax cuts. And he's trying to make us socialist. Believe me, misled is an understatement.

It's fine to have that sort of opinion, but I don't think Vince McMahon is going to be happy that he may have alienated Obama supporters by saying calling them misled and that they voted for a Marxist.

1. He is a free thinking person.
2. He posted these statement on fucking Twitter, not WWE.com/
3. Vince isn't going to fire him for driving traffic to his website.
4. If Vince was against political discourse, that murderous campaign special never would have happened.
5. Vince allows his guys to appear on all kinds of TV shows often with subversive humor. Controversy sells. No one understands that like Vince.
6. It won't alienate Obama supporters. If someone is that sensitive that won't watch wrestling anymore because the guy in charge of the website said something mean, what makes you think wrestling didn't offend these people away years ago. Can you imagine, "I watched wrestling for 25 years. I loved all the dick jokes, live sex celebrations, bra and panties matches, paddle on a pole matches, and the partnership with Playboy. But I will never watch again, because the 197th guy in the chain of command said something bad about Obama."

If he wants to state his political opinions, he should work for Fox News or some other news network, but while he's in WWE, he should simply talk about the wrestling, that's it.

A liberal for censorship? That's new.

Joey Styles job is to manage the website and create traffic. This should work. The WWE has never shied away from controversy. This will be no exception.


And I am pretty sure your panic and disgust means you just got worked, you feeble little mark.

 

[Jordan adams]

Although a capitalist and supposedly conservative, Rupert Murdoch supported Senator Hilary Clinton (D-NY), as was mentioned on FOX News. The Aussie-American media baron who created the Fox News Channel in 1996 as a conservative counterpoint to what he considered the liberal Cable News Network (CNN), founded by outspoken liberal media baron Ted Turner in 1980. I got this quote off of IMDB I thought it was interesting and it applied to the conversation since his name came up a few times. To pretend that either msnbc and fox news and cnn are all well balanced is kind of stupid there all but a spin right or left. But like vince Rupert is a businessman first then Republican and the proof of this is that Seth McFarland still has a job. Back to the thread though i disagree with Joey it was on his own personal twitter and he has the right to post it.

 

[PDepew2181]

fromthesouth, you've kind of proved my point.

Look, this is a wrestling site, so the focus should be wrestling. I was offering my two cents on why I believe politics and wrestling don't mix. We should be discussing wrestling here, and it's my fault for now having started this thread. Your entire post was nothing but political opinion, which is fine, but you weren't exactly the kindest in some of your language. That's a problem I have with the "blogosphere" and the way politics have been distorted by the internet over the last decade or so.

I'll just add these tidbits to a discussion I fear will now spiral out of control.

First, the position of the media. It's impossible to tell if the media is truly biased. I say that not because of who owns which network, but because I've always felt the the media, particularly the cable media, can't be taken seriously. They're not news networks, they're "infotainment" networks. Anyone who thinks that Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann and Rachael Maddow are news anchors are mistaken. They're John Stewart and Stephen Colbert, only Stewart and Colbert don't take themselves seriously. I've always felt that the media supports the status quo, no matter who is in charge. They don't challenge those who are in power, unless the dreaded public opinion polls tell them to do so. After all, can't turn off the audience by offering things they don't want to hear. The media was never critical of George W. Bush until public opinion began to sour on him. Face it, back in 2002-2003, we all thought he was a great president. I did, too, and I'm a diehard liberal. So the news media can't be taken seriously.

Second, I'll add this point to the Obama/Notre Dame discussion. Unlike I would guess most of the people here, I actually attended the University of Notre Dame from 1999-2001. I have some perspective on that story. I didn't go to Notre Dame for the religious experience, even though I was born and raised Catholic. I went to Notre Dame for the experience of getting a Notre Dame education and hoping that would help me in life. Sadly, I was lazy and failed out, so it didn't work out for me. However, I can tell you that this isn't the first time Notre Dame invited a speaker who held view contrary to the teachings of the Catholic church. The commencement speaker in 2001 was none other than new president, George W. Bush. George Bush is very famously pro-death penalty. The death penalty is just as much against Catholic doctrine as abortion. So is euthanasia, for pete's sake. Unless I am very much mistaken, and I don't believe I am, there were no protests against Bush or the Univeristy for inviting him. If there were, no one in the "news media" covered it and it was nowhere near as big as these protests were against Obama. It is my contention, meaning it's hardly a fact, that Joey Styles had no problem with Bush speaking at Notre Dame. His twitter statement proved his issue was with Obama, not Notre Dame, since he referred to Obama as "pro-abortion" rather than "pro-choice." That's a typical right-wing distortion against an individual's views. Again, that's just my opinion on the matter.

So I suppose I've proved my own point. This topic is already descending into some ugliness and name-calling that is all too prevelant on the internet, and little of it has had to do with wrestling.

 

[FromTheSouth]

Although a capitalist and supposedly conservative, Rupert Murdoch supported Senator Hilary Clinton (D-NY), as was mentioned on FOX News. The Aussie-American media baron who created the Fox News Channel in 1996 as a conservative counterpoint to what he considered the liberal Cable News Network (CNN), founded by outspoken liberal media baron Ted Turner in 1980. I got this quote off of IMDB I thought it was interesting and it applied to the conversation since his name came up a few times. To pretend that either 1. msnbc and fox news and cnn are all well balanced is kind of stupid there all but a spin right or left. But like vince Rupert is a businessman first then Republican and the proof of this is that Seth McFarland still has a job. Back to the thread though 2. i disagree with Joey it was on his own personal twitter and he has the right to post it.

1. No one knows how to separate commentary from coverage. Media matters and George Washington University (bastions of liberalism) report that Fox News' coverage of news is both fail and balanced. Their commentators have a rightwards slant, that is for sure. But that is necessary to balance CNN, and MSNBC, which is Obama headquarters.

2. And that is my point. Joey posted this on his Twitter, as an effort to drive traffic to the website. It's not like pointing to political discourse by the users of your site is a bad thing for the WWE. It allows for so many benefits.

First of all, this kind of debate can pull people to the website who are embarrassed to be wrestling fans. This kind of debate puts the fans in a better light.

Secondly, if Joey Styles can generate some traffic to the website, ad buys cost more, and therefore, make more money for the company. If politics make the company money, then politics will be used in future skits, which gives WWE the social relevance it has been looking for for the last 5-7 years.

 

[Black Snow]

I guess for me the issue is where the information is coming from. Stuff like WWE universe or twitter is something that you have to actively search out and follow as a supplemental feature. It doesn't really influence the storylines or the weekly going ons of WWE's meat and potatoes which is their television. It doesn't really matter to me if the opinions are liberal or conservative.

Striker makes he's uber-Republican views known every week on ECW, but I still enjoy him as a commentator.

See, this is what I don't like. When I tune into ECW each week it's to hear Striker and Mathew's funny and insightful commentary while watching some good wrestling action (minus Kozlov, of course.) When Striker throws in a political comment it's fairly annoying. It doesn't add anything to his overall commentary. It just feels really forced.

I've read a few articles in WWE magazine and the official website over the last year thanks to election season where the wrestlers are asked about their political views. That's fine. Go wild. It's a forum for that just like something such as WWE Universe and twitter is made for people to give their thoughts. But on TV the announcers are supposed to discuss the action and maybe throw in a little personality. Square peg round holing your politcal views for no tangible reason besides just because you can seems juvenile to me. At the end of the day it's not going to make me enjoy his commentary any less or stop watching the show. It's not a major issue. But I can't say that I don't find it a tad annoying.

If Striker, Styles or anyone else wants to express their political views then they should just blog about it or post on a forum. Anyone who wants to read their views can then take the time and effort to look them up. Simple as that.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

How about I solve this discussion here & now...

Who gives a damn about politics, I just wanna watch professional wrestling because I enjoy watching a sports-based soap opera that is quite frankly, better than any other soap opera that is going around.

If the WWE starts dragging politics into their storylines & inserts politics into a lot of TV time that isnt used for the SMACKDOWN YOUR VOTE campaign, then I mite complain on a thread like this & just switch off the TV. I am a wrestling fanatic, not a wrestling nerd. There is always TNA and many other promotions. If you dont like them, either find a new outlet, return to WWE or do something about it (this third option is what i shall be undertaking, I just need time)

 

[Henry Hill]

the problem here is that everyone has an opinion and likely its not really close to whats actually going on, mine included. what the problem with wrestling in politics and even people just discussing wrestling, is that we are not a logical group of people, and often get emotional, everyone from Joey to Barack, and discussions that start out as friendly non irrational arguments quickly turn into emotional rants, because in politics or wrestling, when someone "attacks" what we believe in/what we like, it comes off as personal and people get defensive. that in essence is why politics don't really mix with anything, including political discussions themselves.