You Have Every Right To Find That Repulsive
An editorial in response to WWE’s false sincerity on 7/18/22’s edition of Raw.
(photo courtesy of WWE.com)
Think about it.
When a company reiterates their mission statement publicly, who notices? Nobody. Because every company is going to say platitudes like they have an inclusive space by practicing politeness. That’s not going to make any reasonable person flip out and call bullshit. But this past Monday Night, when WWE did this same song and dance on Raw, its fans unleashed a righteous anger towards WWE’s hypocrisy and cynicism that’s worthy of a public flogging.
Titus O’Neil started the show off by braying about the pride he has to be the WWE Global Ambassador. He said the world needs more service, support, and that the WWE locker room does all they can inside and outside the ring to give WWE fans a smile. Hip hip hooray, fine, whatever.
But just when you just fucking can’t with this company any more, they have to take it one step too far and find a new bottom beneath the subterranean lows they normally traffic in when they’re in defense mode.
Titus O’Neil kept going and asked us to Stand Up For WWE. At the end of the O’Neil’s spiel, he actually said, words that will live on in hypocritical infamy, “That’s why you’ll never hear us talk about politics or religion or any subject matter that’s divisive.”
Notice how I don’t need to recite a list of incidents in and out of the ring to make my point clear about how intellectually offensive that was? Find a critical argument that makes its point perfectly without having to provide a single point—you automatically went into your head and recited, oh, maybe, ten things that made you cringe—and there will be ten different things that someone else reading this will cite that offended their sensibilities!
I have a feeling that line is going to be remembered like, “Bret screwed Bret.” A fleet of writers and Vince himself had Titus say that lie. Perhaps they batted around other ideas or turns of phrases but that’s honestly what they felt was good to go with. Any person with even a sliver of scruples would find it divisive to allow a man accused of running a casting couch—amongst other misdeeds—to be allowed to continue working hands-on, day-to-day with the company’s talent that he’s been accused of taking advantage of while an investigation is still in process.
Don’t feel bad for Titus O’Neil. The easy thing to say is Titus is a good guy and you feel bad for him. Not that we have any evidence to the contrary as viewers, but just because someone plays a nice guy on TV, doesn’t mean we can’t ask more of him. Just the fact that he began his speech brandishing his hall of fame ring—the Warrior Award— suggests he doesn’t get it. (You know, the Warrior Award, named after that Warrior, that very well documented, homophobic, hate-mongering lunatic who never at all talked about religion or politics or anything divisive.)
You do know, Titus, you are allowed to say no. You can say that you’re uncomfortable with what you’re being asked to perform. And if they fire you, how much goodwill and good deeds are you truly generating for a company that’ll just as quickly whack you for not properly toadying? Every company does charitable work to momentarily showcase niceties instead of their own greed. A big media company can give you a larger platform to have a message be heard, sure, but how does that messaging really land when it’s transparently used as a shield for public relations misdirection?
You know you’re on the wrong side of history when your own fanbase sees through a simple plea for civility as a sign that there MUST be something goddamn horrific about to come about the affairs of its executives.
This is the same company that suspended you for good-naturedly touching Vince. This is the same company that had you co-host WrestleMania with Hulk Hogan (who’s contrition is coincidentally tied to his bank account) that even hometown fans found too deplorable not to boo. This is the same company that enjoys running the footage back of you falling ass over teakettle like they’re ESPN replaying the buttfumble on SportsCenter. According to them, that was the highlight of your in-ring career. For all the times you took bumps, were sore, had to travel on ill-fitting seats that weren’t conducive to your frame, worked through a legit injury that no other pro athlete would play on, all so they could replay that footage anytime they wanted to, to—oh, what’s the word—bully someone.
You’re not obligated to feel like Titus was put up to this. To say it’s moral superiority and highfalutin of me to demand more of him isn’t a stance, it’s basic, common fucking decency. There will be more wrestlers—and more beloved, seemingly controversy-free wrestlers like Titus—transparently groveling unless we as wrestling fans don’t shame WWE for doing this.
Clearly, in so many ways and so many iterations, what’s worse is yet to come.
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