WWE Changes Wellness/Domestic Violence Policies

[THTRobtaylor]

I just read that WWE is again revising it's policies on Wellness and Moral Terpitude to cover Domestic Violence with Steph being quoted as saying.

“We have a zero tolerance policy for domestic abuse. Upon arrest for such misconduct, our Superstars are immediately suspended and should there be a conviction, that Superstar or Diva would be terminated.”

It's an interesting move considering several of their superstars have had these issues in the past. Most notably of course Steve Austin, who is allegedly coming back to our screens. I can see the reasoning behind it but it's surely setting up an issue... If a talent IS suspended for such a violation while Austin is being used it would no doubt cause as much "stink" as the recent ADR and Emma cases did.

From WWE's perspective I guess, they don't want another Benoit... and this is something they have always frowned on, look at what happened to Drew McIntyre and his wife was doing the beating. But by putting it out there, they are drawing a BIG line which someone is bound to cross at some point.

Or is this a sign that there is some real bad publicity about to come their way? Remember the reports a while back that there were plans to reopen the Snuka case from 1983. If that is close to happening and some VERY bad stuff is about to come out, then WWE putting this into force now might be part of a plan to combat the negative publicity... It's bad enough if one of your superstars has killed their wife and child, but most of Joe Public don't even know about the Snuka case... if it does get reopened and criminal charges are filed then suddenly you have Benoit AND Snuka who killed partners (Snuka lost a civil case on this... same as OJ) and Austin as a focal point of your legacy, a convicted wife beater... that equals bad times.

What do you think, are WWE right to exercise that kind of clause? For the record if you disagree with it it doesn't mean you advocate spousal abuse... some may feel that what goes on in private should stay private and thats cool... could it work against a partner/wife of a WWE superstar if they were being abused, knowing if they call the cops that their lifestyle is "gone" as the job would be?

Look at some of the stories of the past from this perspective... with this rule in force, Randy Savage might have found himself terminated for his well documented treatment of Elizabeth for example.

 

[Navi]

I was under the understanding that they had reopened the Snuka case and they were going to convene a grand jury on it. That was reported at the beginning of the year and I've not heard anything since and totally forgot about it. Should it take this long to convene and go through the evidence, from what I gather wouldn't be much left, except maybe foggy memories. Didn't this happen in the early 80's, and I would think that some of the players in this drama would be gone by now. So with so little to go on, maybe they decided not to bother because if they did receive a conviction it could easily be overturned. And if I'm right the family already won some sort of case against him didn't they?

As for the other stuff, it's going to be hard for them to go back in the WWE history and start pulling out names from the past to try to convict them of what they did. I'm referring to Austin, and you can throw Jericho into that mix.

If they do put something like this into place doesn't anyone think it would start now, not going back 30 years? I'm sure there is bad stuff to come out of the WWE and books could be written about it. Another thing I'm afraid of though is this will put up a wall of silence to protect any wrestler that is abusing their partner, male or female. Knowing that it might cost someone their career, might make it a little harder for people to come forward. That's what I would worry about.

 

[Slash-LN]

"Or is this a sign that there is some real bad publicity about to come their way?"

No. It's sign that once again you're making conspiracy theories and accusations without having a full or correct set of facts to base it on. In other words this post is pretty much like 90% of your posts.

The WWE most likely is revising this stance because of the recent domestic issues with pro athletes getting so much press that leagues are changing their rules to try to take care of that. There's no conspiracy that the WWE is just doing this because they're setting up for negative backlash. They're simply following suit.

Yes Austin had domestic abuse issues in the past. He's not even on the roster anymore. That shit is done and over with. It doesn't make him any less of a dick in that department but it would be ridiculous for people to complain about.

The Jimmy Snuka stuff should have no bearing on this either.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

"Or is this a sign that there is some real bad publicity about to come their way?"
The WWE most likely is revising this stance because of the recent domestic issues with pro athletes getting so much press that leagues are changing their rules to try to take care of that. There's no conspiracy that the WWE is just doing this because they're setting up for negative backlash. They're simply following suit.

Yes Austin had domestic abuse issues in the past. He's not even on the roster anymore. That shit is done and over with. It doesn't make him any less of a dick in that department but it would be ridiculous for people to complain about.

The Jimmy Snuka stuff should have no bearing on this either.

That's how I'm looking at it. I get that WWE is a big company and we're a generation of people who've grown up believing about or hearing the absolute worst about big companies. As a result, whenever WWE addresses something that's controversial or a hot topic, some jump to the conclusion that WWE is in the process of hiding something. For a good long time, even before the Benoit tragedy, a lot of people both in and out of wrestling wanted WWE to act more responsibly when it comes to the safety and conduct of their talent and they've been doing that. They still get criticized over this, sometimes when someone fails a drug test. Once that happens, some internet fan will say something like "the Wellness Policy is a joke because WWE protects 'roid takers like Cena" and show just how ignorant they are. Athletes who abuse their spouses, as well all know, has been a hot topic of discussion in the media for the past few months so WWE is adopting a new policy addressing the issue.

As far as Stone Cold Steve Austin, it's a lousy thing that he did but....well, exactly how is it WWE's fault? It's unfair to criticize them over something that took place over 12 years ago. If Debra felt WWE played some part in what happened or the aftermath, she should've taken them to court but since she didn't, it's over & done with as far as I'm concerned. You wanna condemn WWE, then you have to condemn the TV shows Austin's been part of, the talk show's he's appeared on, the movie companies who's films he's been part of, etc.

In the case of Jimmy Snuka, again, I fail to see how it's WWE's fault. This happened some 31 years ago, Vince had only been in charge of the company for about a year and some change. WWE shouldn't be retroactively faulted for something Snuka allegedly did some 31 years ago. The case was turned over to a grand jury in late January of this year and here we are nearly 10 months later and I haven't heard of anything stating that Snuka has been indicted.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Domestic Violence is the cause of the moment due to the recent cases in the NFL. Rather than waiting to be called out on not having a policy for those who commit domestic violence and facing a PR backlash, the WWE is being proactive and nipping it in the bud.

Unless you're oblivious to what's been going on in the news lately, I really don't see how you can view this any other way.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I have to side with Nate here. The NFL is still catching shit for their handling of the Ray Rice incident, and the alleged cover ups of numerous domestic violence incidents over the years by teams, so the WWE is coming with this preemptive strike to avoid any flak they may catch over not having a policy in place.

 

[LBGetBack]

I was under the understanding that they had reopened the Snuka case and they were going to convene a grand jury on it. That was reported at the beginning of the year and I've not heard anything since and totally forgot about it. Should it take this long to convene and go through the evidence, from what I gather wouldn't be much left, except maybe foggy memories. Didn't this happen in the early 80's, and I would think that some of the players in this drama would be gone by now. So with so little to go on, maybe they decided not to bother because if they did receive a conviction it could easily be overturned. And if I'm right the family already won some sort of case against him didn't they?

As for the other stuff, it's going to be hard for them to go back in the WWE history and start pulling out names from the past to try to convict them of what they did. I'm referring to Austin, and you can throw Jericho into that mix.

If they do put something like this into place doesn't anyone think it would start now, not going back 30 years? I'm sure there is bad stuff to come out of the WWE and books could be written about it. Another thing I'm afraid of though is this will put up a wall of silence to protect any wrestler that is abusing their partner, male or female. Knowing that it might cost someone their career, might make it a little harder for people to come forward. That's what I would worry about.

Jericho? Where is that coming from?

 

[Navi]

Jericho? Where is that coming from?

Sorry it was someone else. I was thinking of his altercation with a fan in British Columbia.

 

[Slash-LN]

Jericho? Where is that coming from?

Some time ago Jericho hit a female fan who grabbed him as he was trying to get in his car.

[Youtube]6OIlJNnvAhE[/Youtube]

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

The NFL has been given extremely bad publicity given the Ray Rice incident amongst others. The NBA s reviewing their sanctions on domestic violence. Just yesterday the NHL suspended Slava Voynov indefinitely for a domestic violence incident that occurred on Sunday. Is the WWE getting ready for bad press? No they are getting their ducks in a row and following the other major sports leagues.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

That's how I'm looking at it. I get that WWE is a big company and we're a generation of people who've grown up believing about or hearing the absolute worst about big companies. As a result, whenever WWE addresses something that's controversial or a hot topic, some jump to the conclusion that WWE is in the process of hiding something. For a good long time, even before the Benoit tragedy, a lot of people both in and out of wrestling wanted WWE to act more responsibly when it comes to the safety and conduct of their talent and they've been doing that. They still get criticized over this, sometimes when someone fails a drug test. Once that happens, some internet fan will say something like "the Wellness Policy is a joke because WWE protects 'roid takers like Cena" and show just how ignorant they are. Athletes who abuse their spouses, as well all know, has been a hot topic of discussion in the media for the past few months so WWE is adopting a new policy addressing the issue.

As far as Stone Cold Steve Austin, it's a lousy thing that he did but....well, exactly how is it WWE's fault? It's unfair to criticize them over something that took place over 12 years ago. If Debra felt WWE played some part in what happened or the aftermath, she should've taken them to court but since she didn't, it's over & done with as far as I'm concerned. You wanna condemn WWE, then you have to condemn the TV shows Austin's been part of, the talk show's he's appeared on, the movie companies who's films he's been part of, etc.

In the case of Jimmy Snuka, again, I fail to see how it's WWE's fault. This happened some 31 years ago, Vince had only been in charge of the company for about a year and some change. WWE shouldn't be retroactively faulted for something Snuka allegedly did some 31 years ago. The case was turned over to a grand jury in late January of this year and here we are nearly 10 months later and I haven't heard of anything stating that Snuka has been indicted.

It depends on what does come out in that investigation if anything does, that a woman died and Snuka was held responsible by a judge is not a conspiracy theory, it happened and her family got a judgement against Snuka, it happened on WWE's watch and they de-pushed him, so they can't claim it's "nothing to do with them".

Where it could be murky is if any of the old tales of Snuka "hiding behind his gimmick", that he didn't speak much English and WWF basically kayfabing this to police at the time are found to be true, indictment or not... it would look bad after their Benoit stance and have to lead to an embarrassing HOF removal. At worst if it were found to be true, if there were evidence of it (and let's face it there are plenty of Vince haters who would testify who may have been there at the time) then it could be very awkward indeed as interfering with a police investigation doesn't get treated well. Again could very well be just stories but they have been around for a LOOONG time and the Police have long said they "know" what happened, but couldn't quite prove it. All it would take is one piece of evidence though.

Personally I hate that Snuka is in the HOF yet Benoit never will be, it is hypocrisy... had Benoit lived he would have been given diminished responsibility, just as Verne Gagne was when he killed his roommate.. his mental state would have been properly assessed, Nowinski would probably have still got a chance to do his tests and the outcome the same... That we know Benoit isn't the "domestic violence ogre" but a very ill man who snapped. He'd never have even seen a jail cell post conviction, just a hospital...

The Ray Rice case and the others do add more credence to them pre-emptively trying to stop issues rather than react to them all the time. To be fair it's more likely the War Machine/Christy Mack situation that has led to this... Ray Rice knocking his woman out in a lift is one thing a "trained" figher, as wrestlers would be deemed to be would be a totally different scenario in law... War Machine is going down for a LOOONG time, he nearly killed her... ironically 31 years ago Snuka did similar... and a judge says he killed someone.

As for Jericho, that was a different situation, no charges were filed and it was deemed "self defence" by the Police... not Y2J's finest or smartest moment, but his gimmick at the time was such that even if it had gone to court he could have wheeled out the old school "heels can get stabbed" line and it would have worked...also it's kind of irrelevant as it's not his wife he hit...

 

[Navi]

It depends on what does come out in that investigation if anything does, that a woman died and Snuka was held responsible by a judge is not a conspiracy theory, it happened and her family got a judgement against Snuka, it happened on WWE's watch and they de-pushed him, so they can't claim it's "nothing to do with them".

Where it could be murky is if any of the old tales of Snuka "hiding behind his gimmick", that he didn't speak much English and WWF basically kayfabing this to police at the time are found to be true, indictment or not... it would look bad after their Benoit stance and have to lead to an embarrassing HOF removal. At worst if it were found to be true, if there were evidence of it (and let's face it there are plenty of Vince haters who would testify who may have been there at the time) then it could be very awkward indeed as interfering with a police investigation doesn't get treated well. Again just stories but they have been around for a LOOONG time and the Police have long said they "know" what happened, but couldn't quite prove it. All it would take is one piece of evidence though.


Personally I hate that Snuka is in the HOF yet Benoit never will be, it is hypocrisy... had Benoit lived he would have been given diminished responsibility, just as Verne Gagne was when he killed his roommate.. but the Ray Rice case and the others do add more credence to them pre-emptively trying to stop issues rather than react to them all the time. To be fair it's more likely the War Machine/Christy Mack situation that has led to this... Ray Rice knocking his woman out in a lift is one thing a "trained" figher, as wrestlers would be deemed to be would be a totally different scenario in law... War Machine is going down for a LOOONG time, he nearly killed her... ironically 31 years ago Snuka similar... and a judge says he killed someone.

As for Jericho, that was a different situation, no charges were filed and it was deemed "self defence" by the Police... not Y2J's finest or smartest moment, but his gimmick at the time was such that even if it had gone to court he could have wheeled out the old school "heels can get stabbed" line and it would have worked...also it's kind of irrelevant as it's not his wife he hit...

But we don't know if they actually have started to investigate it. They said they would reopen the case a year ago, have they actually done that? And all a grand jury would say is that there is enough evidence to go to trial. Just because they say that however, not every case does go to trial. The state has to decide whether it's worth the time and money on a 30 year old case if there is little chance of a conviction.

And why didn't those Vince haters come out right after it happened and tell the truth. Snuke was named a person of interest, but never charged, so that tells me they didn't have much to go on. 30 years later they will have even less. Evidence get's destroyed, there will be no body left for them to take samples from, so unless he confesses that the murdered her, nothing will happen. At this point in time it's all smoke and mirrors, and I don't think this case is the reason that the policy was put into place. More than likely they're doing a preemptive strike so they will be ready if any of the shit happening in the NFL ever makes it's way into the WWE.

 

[chuckmdubya]

Professional sports has been under siege from the liberal media. The WWE has long been a favorite target, going back to the steroid business in the early 90's. This is probably just to have a more PC face and to give her and Vince something to say to reporters when such questions are asked.
Or, who knows, maybe Linda is gonna run for Senate or something again. They really went after her about the attitude era when she ran last time.