Money In The Bank

[Loss]

This likely isn't perfect, but I do think it's worth reading and discussing.

 

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/08/money-in-the-bank/

[Guest Eduardo James]

Honestly, I don't care anymore. It's been clear that the industry is dire need of reformation for decades, but no one is willing to do anything. The wrestlers are too afraid/too secure, the government only intervenes when the tragedy of the week like Benoit or steroid abuse coverage occurs, the fans say they're concerned yet continue to go to events and buy merchandise/shows, reporters like Meltzer threw up their hands years ago and are content to get their monthly $10.99 peddling dirt to their subscribers and so on. Articles like this try to shine a light, but after it's published, the author will disappear back into the ether, never to be heard from again. It's a nice read, but it didn't say anything that hasn't been said ad nauseam and will either be dismissed by the general public and waved about by wrestling fans before throwing it aside and plunking down $9.99 for the network or $15 for an NJPW iPPV.

[BigBadMick]

I knew Kubrick started as a photographer and made a short about a boxer but - wow! - cool photos.

 

Imagine if he'd turned his cool hard stare towards wrestling sometime..... Oh well.

[funkdoc]

eduardo, i think there's value in keeping the issues "out there" so to speak. change tends to come awfully slowly on these matters.

 

example: i did a little bit of work for an organization that specializes in LGBT stuff, and part of their work is going into public places and asking for donations to help keep a new law helping transgender people in place. they told me that even more than the money, they see mentioning the word "transgender" in public as the most important aspect - it's not something most people are exposed to in their daily lives, and this kind of work could make the whole idea seem less alien to people in the long run.

 

anything like this is going to involve a lot of banging one's head against a wall over and over...

[Cross Face Chicken Wing]

A socialist publication opining about pro wrestling. Thank you, internet.

[fakeplastictrees]

I honestly believe that if Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit died while WWE wasn't a publicly traded company -- much wouldn't have changed. As cynical as it sounds and as much as WWE would like for us to believe that sanctions became tighter due to the love and lessons of these two tragedies, its all bullshit really. It comes down to the dollar. The next major change in WWE will come due to the next major lawsuit, death, public shaming, etc. Something BIG will have to happen before WWE (and pro wrestling in general) cuts some of the shit. Imagine if Mark Henry sued WWE after Michael Hayes called him the N word. What is Patterson snapped one day and decided to expose WWE and all of its discriminatory practices against homosexuals? What if one of the women came out tomorrow and stated that WWE forced her to take drugs?