In a recent interview on The Masked Man Show, host David Shoemaker asked National Wrestling Alliance owner (and Smashing Pumpkins front man) Billy Corgan about the history of the NWA and the legacy tied to it. Corgan went on about how one company, the WWE has been able to rewrite (or omit) wrestling history to their benefit. Through sheer will power and the desire to crush his opponents both in the boardroom and in the ring, Vincent Kennedy McMahon has been able to elevate the wrestling promotion he inherited from his father and grandfather into an extremely influential and highly desirable billion dollar brand. The value of that WWE brand that has been so carefully curated through partnerships with organizations like Susan G. Komen, Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics and GLAAAD. The company does a lot of good, and they should be recognized for those efforts.
Right now, the WWE is in a position where they are set to have their second live propaganda event, Crown Jewel, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where their host and benefactor Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman more than likely had direct knowledge of the presumed torture and murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This is not a good look for anyone involved, and fans have already taken exception to the corporate line of “monitoring the situation” by loudly booing the Crown Jewel logo anytime it showed up on screen during this week’s landmark Smackdown 1000 live taping in Washington, D.C..
There will be continue to be fan backlash in the build up to Crown Jewel. There is even a very good chance that viewership on the WWE Network may tank here in the United States simply for the fact that it starts at 12:00PM on a Friday afternoon, I mean I’m not using a vacation day to watch a show that exists only so Micheal Cole can extol the virtures of the Crown Prince and his vision for a progressive KSA.
In the end, the WWE will be able to rewrite the the history of how Crown Jewel came to be, and rationalize their continued involvement with Saudi Arabia. Because there’s no chance, no chance in hell that Vince McMahon will allow his recessive carney genes to let that money get away from him.
