It is rumoured that WWE is planning to book some of their superstars, including Becky Lynch in LGBT roles in the near future.
Last week, Stephanie McMahon made some comments about WWE integrating LGBT characters into their programming. She said, “Throughout my life, I have grown up knowing gay WWE superstars and executives. It's always been accepted, but now it's about getting that message out there."
The WWE has also partnered with GLAAD.
"We've had GLAAD come in and speak to our entire writing team and give a whole tutorial on sensitivities, the right words, the wrong word and why those words matter. I think that with their guidance and support, we will be able to portray that LGBT storyline appropriately", Stephanie said.
The Chief Brand Officer of the WWE also spoke about wrestling icon Pat Patterson’s book “Accepted,” which chronicles his experiences being gay in the wrestling world. It was on the WWE Network show “Legends” that Patterson publicly came out.
These comments have a lot of people asking about what this would look like and how these gimmicks would be incorporated into the current program. Another important issue is the fact that WWE has gone PG, and whether Vince thinks it would be a good decision to venture into that territory. That’s not to say they’re not going to do it.
But the WWE has a history of playing into bad stereotypes. There is a fear amongst fans that introducing LGBT characters would tempt the creative to insinuate storylines to the point where they become convoluted and simply ridiculous. However, it could be effective and entertaining if done correctly, but that would be too good to be true given the current direction WWE creative is headed.
However, WWE has an excellent performer in Becky Lynch, and it seems unlikely that they would do anything that could make her a bad stereotype. She is an excellent worker in the ring and not too shabby on the mic either. So she could strike a chord with this gimmick. The SmackDown women’s roster already lacks experience with only Becky and Natalya being the pillars on which the division is based. Thus, the biggest decision would be whether experimenting with her gimmick would be a good idea given that she is a top babyface.
One can see that WWE is trying to spread a message of equality, but whether incorporating it into WWE storylines are an adequate way to portray that very important message is another question altogether. Thus we can only wait and watch if WWE are able to do justice to this excellent idea, or does it all come crashing down.
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