One of the most impressive things about the WWE has been its ability to ingrain itself into US popular culture over the years. Considering what wrestling looked like before the days of WrestleMania and weekly shows on cable TV, it’s staggering how such an esoteric sport has permeated the minds of so many people across the world.
Even if you’ve never watched professional wrestling before, you probably know somebody who does and can no doubt quote something you’ve heard a wrestler say just by virtue of being in proximity to it.
Professional Wrestling, and in particular the WWE, has had such an impact on US culture that it often finds itself entangled with the world of politics.
Whether the company is facing accusations of illegal practice or setting a bad example for young people, or if the McMahon family are using their business to promote their own political interests, there’s something quite incestuous about how politicians and wrestling tycoons have conducted themselves over the years. Here are 5 moments in particular where the two worlds have met in weird and wonderful ways:
#1 Linda McMahon questioned by Congress over the John Cena proposal
It’s safe to say Linda McMahon’s political aspirations have not sat well with the WWE Universe over the years. Linda is not the first example of a member of WWE going to into politics, but given she has such a central role within the industry, effectively being the ‘first lady of Wrestling’, her impact has been felt most of all.
Many fans, for example, blame her for being the reason WWE has stuck so closely to the PG rating and why characters aren’t allowed to write their own promo scripts anymore. The more the WWE sparks controversy, the more ammunition Linda’s political opponents will have to throw at her.
Now that Donald Trump is the US President, Linda’s career has taken a much more favourable turn. In late 2016, McMahon was chosen to lead Trump’s small business administration, a minor role in the cabinet but probably more than she could have hoped for under any other president, Democrat or Republican.
In a recent congressional hearing, Linda was taking questions from several congressmen and women about a range of issues, when Republican Rod Blum of Iowa decided to turn the topic of conversation towards the professional wrestling.
Blum asked why it had taken John Cena so long to propose to Nikki Bella. Of course, this was meant to be a lighthearted question which evoked some laughter and funny comments from the room. But Linda herself did not look impressed by it. Perhaps this is a further indication that no matter how hard she tries, being married to a Professional Wrestling Tycoon means she will never be taken 100% seriously as a politician, no matter who her friends are.
#2 Trump’s time in WWE helped him become President?
President Donald Trump’s history with the WWE is well documented, dating back to WrestleMania 4, which took place at Trump Towers. The President has since made several appearances on WWE television, once being involved in a kayfabe takeover of Monday Night Raw, selling it back to Vince at a reduced cost a week later. His most notable appearance was perhaps at WrestleMania 23 in the Battle of the Billionaires match between himself (represented by Bobby Lashley) and McMahon (represented by Umaga).
If we all thought this was just a bit of fun, we were perhaps grossly mistaken. Trump has credited his time with WWE, especially in front of the WWE Universe, as crucial in helping him to hone the persona that he still uses to this day, on the political scene. In a roundabout way, you could say the WWE have helped Donald Trump to become the US President! This kind of makes sense as we live in an age where reality and entertainment have become so intertwined that it’s hard to tell them apart.
Voters claim they want their politicians to come across as ‘real people’, but the problem is we often confuse what we see on reality TV shows with our expectations of how people should be. One of the many reasons Trump was able to beat Hilary last year was his ‘straight-talking’ approach, portraying himself as outside of the elite political bubble and relying mainly on media soundbites. If there’s anywhere that can offer you a qualification in media soundbites, it's the WWE.
#3 Barack Obama imitates the Rock
Back in 2010, the WWE found itself in a strange tug-of-war between the Democrats and Republicans, yet again, after several Democrats utilised Linda McMahon's time with WWE to criticise her political campaign after ousting a sitting Republican Congressman in a primary held that year. In response, Republicans saw it appropriate to remind the Democrats that, back in 2008, both Presidential hopefuls Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama appeared on WWE television to promote their campaign.
True, this was probably in response to Republican John McCain who decided to use WWE as a promo tool first, but the Republicans still had a fair point – if the Democrats think the WWE is such a toxic organisation, why would two of its party members use their platform in their attempts to become President?
Out of the two, it’s probably no surprise that Obama’s video package drew the most attention and is still the more remembered of the two to this day. After claiming US politicians sometimes behave as if they’re competing for King of the Ring, he closed out his message with the line: ‘Do you smell what Barack is cooking?’ – They do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all!
Also read: 5 wrestling promotions purchased by Vince McMahon
#4 The ‘Stand up for WWE’ campaign
Back to the ongoing issues stemming from Linda McMahon’s political career. This time, back when the thought of President Trump still filled us with hysterical laughter and not a crippling sense of cold, hard reality, the WWE decided to respond to a series of newspaper articles attacking pro wrestling with the ‘Stand Up for WWE’ campaign.
It’s not hard to see why Linda’s opponents use her time in WWE to assassinate her character. Try as they might to portray today’s WWE product as PG friendly, they can’t deny the rather questionable story lines we now associate with the Attitude Era. Whether its female wrestlers being made to publically strip and bark like a dog in front of her boss or Linda’s own son-in-law fondling a corpse, there are so many reasons why the WWE product might hinder your chances of running for office.
In an attempt to, in Vince’s words, ‘set the record straight about the WWE’, the Stand-Up campaign was designed to show the lighter, more family friendly side of WWE and fight back against accusations from the press, some of which suggested that WWE is a force for evil in America. The campaign obviously didn’t do much for the product at the time, but something was refreshing about being able to channel your frustration as a wrestling fan towards defending your hobby, rather than always hiding away from it.
The campaign did backfire somewhat when Democratic congresswomen filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, accusing Linda of working together with a corporation to aid her campaign, which is something that violates US election law. Vince, therefore, had to try his best to row back on the campaign, claiming it was all his idea and solely to cement his own corporate image.
#5 WWE’s International Relations blunders
The WWE is, in theory, an apolitical organisation, but it’s very hard to ignore their sometimes overt championing of Neo-Conservative, right-wing American Exceptionalism most associated with the Republicans.
There’s no doubt the WWE are a patriotic organisation, which at times results in good causes like dedicating the episode of Smackdown after the 9/11 attacks to those who lost their lives. They also do a lot of work with the US armed forces, and regardless of your politics, you have to admit these people deserve some recognition for the perilous lives they lead.
The problem with sticking so strongly to this ideal is that you end up upsetting as many people as you please. Large sections of the US population alone are ready to question whether their country really is the ‘greatest nation on earth’ and sole protector of liberty and democracy. Then you consider the global audience WWE has, and you can see why the company will occasionally run into issues with its global PR image.
There are many moments one could list here, but it’s worth going into detail about some of the more memorable ones. Firstly there is the excessive use of foreign wrestlers as anti-American heel personas.
Jinder Mahal and Rusev are modern day examples from a long line of mostly Russian or Asian superstars that come and berate the US for thinking it’s exceptional while often making many valid points. Then whoever the white-meat, all-American babyface is at the time, be it Hogan, The Rock or Cena, will come and force them to eat a fat slice of American apple pie.
The WWE sparked controversy back in 2014 when Lana, the female manager of the ‘Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, utilised a recent plane crash over the skies of Ukraine, which was thought to be caught in the crossfire of a Russian and Ukrainian battle in the Crimea, as a way to get her promo over and get heat on her man. WWE had to issue an apology for taking the angle too far, and the pair soon had to row back their promos to something a little more neutral.
That being said, the WWE also had to issue an apology after the Big Show tore down the Russian flag that usually came down when Rusev and Lana were in the ring together. The angle was entertaining overall but was an excellent example of how the WWE can still put its foot in its own mouth from time to time.
Back in 1991, the US found itself at war with Iraq in what is now known as the first Gulf war. That year’s WrestleMania, WrestleMania 7, was built around a rivalry between the American hero Hulk Hogan and Sgt. Slaughter, a treacherous Iraqi sympathiser that claimed America had gone weak.
While it was fairly strong show overall, the most remarkable thing about the event was the last minute venue change due to poor ticket sales. Whether this was about Americans thinking the Slaughter character had gone too far or a genuine concern that terrorists would target the event, is still debated to this day.
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