WWE TV 06/01 - 06/07 Hiding in my bunker to avoid the collapse of civilization

[Johnny Sorrow]

27 minutes ago, Pterois said:

I thought it was pro wrestling only.

Yeah. A Pro Wrestler Obviously has outed himself as a giant piece of racist shit. I think we're ok here.  We pass the acronym test.

[sek69]

Yeah, I don't want to speak for the admins but the intent of the PWO Rule was always to avoid hot button topic that only drag things down (religion/abortion/guns, etc), and it's hard to avoid Real World Topics when the US is on fire and wrestlers are making public statements on it. 

LIke KO said, Gunner fought for his right to have wrong opinions so no argument from me there, but his co-workers also have the right to call him on it. 

[C.S.]

Even his own partner is distancing himself now:

And now Batista:

Blake wants nothing to do with his talentless loser partner either:

 

[El-P]

In any other era, you KNOW Vince would have a heel-team named the Antifas. You know it would happen and most of the audience would have no issue about it.

Interesting period from pro-wrestling as staying PWO seem to be quite complicated even in the locker-room these days. (I wonder what the reaction would have been if, say, Taker had twitted the same shit though)

[MoS]

Haven't watched the spot, but Meltzer was harsh on Nia after saying we should wait and watch last week. She threw Kairi into the steps too hard from too short a distance apparently. They are going to kill Kairi one day. 

[El-P]

Nia is a liability. Always has been. She's totally careless, as showed by the clip. Gotta love that "no one is blaming Nia" in the company (which is why Meltz first said wait and watch). No shit. For whatever reason (wink wink) she gets a free pass despite her terrible track record.

[Loss]

"Pro Wrestling Only" doesn't mean the same thing that it meant a few years ago. It was always there at least on a subtle level but now it's more overt. There is no escaping politics in any aspect of life anymore. It is what it is. I think we're still figuring out where that line is here, because obviously it is possible to be gratuitous and cross one. However, when we talk about things wrestlers are saying, I don't think we have. But we aren't going back to 2007 when the board started and there was a very clear line. I can't say with a straight face at this point that debates about racism, sexism, transphobia, body shaming, corrupt authoritarian regimes, police brutality or the gig economy have no relevance when discussing pro wrestling.

[El-P]

I agree completely.

Someone mentioned the mental gymnastics earlier, it's gonna get really crazy for some of those guys who work for a billionaire who was one of the biggest donator to Trump's campaign and who's wife is running the super Pac for his re-election too. I know that basically every big company donates to pretty much everyone because that's how it works (and why it actually *doesn't work*, but that's another issue), but there's a difference between Shad Khan who donated to Trump's campaign too (as Meltz mentioned on his last podcast BTW), as any super rich guy would, and working for one of his biggest active supporter. Unless you're David Starr (and from the little I know of him, more power to the guy), you're gonna work for some not-so-good people anyway if you're in the entertainment industry, but it reaches the point where maybe you should have to take a stance... 

[NintendoLogic]

The good news with Ryker is that guys who have no respect in the locker room tend to flame out sooner rather than later. When he does something that pisses off management, he'll have no one to back him up.

[KawadaSmile]

5 hours ago, El-P said:

(I wonder what the reaction would have been if, say, Taker had twitted the same shit though)

I was thinking the same, but at the same time Taker doesn't really use social media and based on all things can read a room better than Ryker. I guess some of the more outspoken wrestlers like Sami would say something, but I doubt someone like Ziggler's brother would be piling on.

[DMJ]

Well, in two weeks, when the next Last Ride episode airs and Undertaker's still wearing that Blue Lives Matter garbage, we will likely see some upset responses from fans.

Of course, in his defense, police brutality - while undoubtedly an issue - wasn't the number one issue in the country when they filmed those interviews. Its not even clear if they filmed the interview during the pandemic (I'm thinking it was before). I think Undertaker or another producer would probably have the sense to have had him wear something less controversial if they had the benefit of hindsight, though I don't think they'll go back and blur his shirt or anything. Or maybe they will?

To be clear, I think Taker wearing that shit sucks and I thought so before George Floyd's murder, but 6 months ago, I probably would've considered "ACAB" to be a really radical notion too, that it was just a "couple bad apples" and that there were more "good cops" than bad. I think most people held that view. Now, though? "ACAB" doesn't seem as extreme.

[El-P]

15 minutes ago, DMJ said:

Of course, in his defense, police brutality - while undoubtedly an issue - wasn't the number one issue in the country when they filmed those interviews. 

Depending for whom... 

15 minutes ago, DMJ said:

I think Undertaker or another producer would probably have the sense to have had him wear something less controversial if they had the benefit of hindsight, though I don't think they'll go back and blur his shirt or anything. Or maybe they will?

What good would that do anyway ? He's wearing the shit and everyone watching the doc can see it now. People are bitching when someone doesn't make the right # on Twitter or doesn't say exactly "the right thing", but really now, isn't this a whole lot worse ?

[Afro Steel]

I've been amused how some people elsewhere are criticizing the wrestlers who have spoken out against the tweet because a week ago they were speaking out against bullying and now they themselves are bullying a colleague. Never mind that the tweet in "best of times" was defending a man so void of human compassion and a true bully himself.

[DMJ]

5 minutes ago, El-P said:

Depending for whom... 

That's fair. I definitely was speaking from privilege there. 


I don't think they'll cover up or blur his shirt - nor should they. It was bullshit then, its bullshit now. And you're also right, the issue isn't that the Undertaker is wearing the shirt - its that he owns the shirt at all and supports what it stands for. 

I think what I was trying to point out (and fumbled it and will likely fumble it again now) is that what was maybe "problematic" 4 weeks ago when The Last Ride premiered is now impossible to "unsee"/ignore/defend. I know, for me personally, for example, my neighbor's Blue Lives Matter flag made me roll my eyes when he put it up 3 months ago - now, when I see it, it makes my blood boil and I really, really wanna steal it from his porch and burn it on his lawn. I absolutely should've been infuriated the first time I saw it, but I'm not going to lie and virtue signal when I didn't feel that rage initially. I'm willing to admit my eyes have been opened up a bit over the past few weeks. I'm hopeful that I'm not the only one. 

[SirEdger]

7 hours ago, El-P said:

Nia is a liability. Always has been. She's totally careless, as showed by the clip. Gotta love that "no one is blaming Nia" in the company (which is why Meltz first said wait and watch). No shit. For whatever reason (wink wink) she gets a free pass despite her terrible track record.

Bryan Alvarez said he received a text from an anonymous WWE wrestler who was backstage when that happened and said that Nia needs to be "f***ing fired" and "there's nobody to go before she cripples or kills someone".

[C.S.]

Nia was called up from NXT way too soon and is still too green and sloppy.

But she has a look and presence that separates her from the Dana Brookes and Ruby Riotts of the world, and likely separates her from whoever the "anonymous" WWE wrestler was (probably a said Brooke or Ruby type who thinks that should be their spot). 

That, along with the Rock/Samoan connection, is why Nia will get a million more chances that a Sarah Logan type ever did.

[El-P]

1 hour ago, DMJ said:

I don't think they'll cover up or blur his shirt - nor should they. It was bullshit then, its bullshit now. And you're also right, the issue isn't that the Undertaker is wearing the shirt - its that he owns the shirt at all and supports what it stands for. 

I think what I was trying to point out (and fumbled it and will likely fumble it again now) is that what was maybe "problematic" 4 weeks ago when The Last Ride premiered is now impossible to "unsee"/ignore/defend. 

Yeah, pretty much, in the current context, what could be seen as purely an disappointing anecdote will flash on the screen as telling a whole other story. I wonder if there will be more reactions now like you say.

25 minutes ago, C.S. said:

But she has a look and presence that separates her from the Dana Brookes and Ruby Riotts of the world, and likely separates her from whoever the "anonymous" WWE wrestler was (probably a said Brooke or Ruby type who thinks that should be their spot). 

She's big and tall. And samoan. That's it. She has exactly jackshit in term of aura and presence. She was never able to convey any sense of dangerosity, which is pretty ironic. And really, I don't remember people reacting to her very much when I was following the product. I remember I was coming off watching the Amazing Kong run in TNA, and even without talking about her actual work, which was subpar for a monster character anyway, she always came off completely pathetic and empty to me in term of aura and presence. Like, Crusher Maedomari suckitude level. And really, it's one thing to be green and sloppy when you're one or two years in the biz (although that tells a lot of how "good" the Performance Center is), but she's 6 years in and apparently unable to work properly still.

If I'm Kairi, I get the fuck out of there when my contract runs up.

[sek69]

Looking back at Taker's reactions to people upset at what he's wearing, I think we have to consider the possibility he legit thinks it's just run of the mill rah-rah "support the troops, MURICA" stuff with no other context. 

[El-P]

Yeah, and his boys the Harris Twins are big KiSS fans.

[tallmike]

20 hours ago, jiraffejustin said:

This doesn't seem like a big deal, nor should it be. He didn't say anything hateful. Feel free to disagree with him, but it doesn't seem like a "holy shit" moment to me. If he starts sharing photos with people putting their knee on his neck like that former wrestler dude did... then yeah, holy shit. 

You realize that was a complete and total dog whistle, right?

Here's him without the veneer of deniability.

[tallmike]

10 hours ago, El-P said:

Shad Khan who donated to Trump's campaign too (as Meltz mentioned on his last podcast BTW), as any super rich guy would

You can justify it however you want, but it's still shitty. (and no, that's not a defense of the Vince or his awful shit because this isn't an A or B comparison).

[El-P]

6 minutes ago, tallmike said:

You can justify it however you want, but it's still shitty. (and no, that's not a defense of the Vince or his awful shit because this isn't an A or B comparison).

Where do i "justify" it ? I point this out because Meltz is often accused by AEW haterz of this or that but him mentioning this fact was pretty interesting to me. Of course it's shitty that billionaires are founding other shithead billionaires political campaigns. Only, in this case, Vince works on a whole other level.

[sek69]

Tammy Sytch out here showing her entire ass on Twitter, and not in an OnlyFans way.

[NintendoLogic]

Of all the entities to observe Blackout Tuesday...

 

[El-P]

Mental gymnastics indeed...