WWE has been catching some heat this week for bringing Reid Flair into a WWE storyline, and rightfully so. For starters, the company didnt bother asking either of Reids parents if it was okay to use their dead son to push a wrestling angle, and both were quite upset about it. Couldn't Hunter have manned up for once to let his friend know this was coming? Bringing up Reid in the non-kayfabe era for an angle was a questionable decision, and the execution of it was made things double bizarre. On air, Reid had never been mentioned. Id venture to guess 90% of the people in the audience had never heard of him before. And Paige saying really nasty things to Charlotte was never part of the storyline in the first place, it all just came out of nowhere. A desperate, last minute attempt to try to get some heat on a mediocre angle. Had WWE not made Charlotte look like an idiot by having Paige turn on her multiple times, and had they not made her lose so often on TV, they wouldnt have had to resort this. The new, unstoppable face of the Divas' division facing off against her jealous former friend would have been a story in itself. However, that would have required competent booking. So they went for shock to make up for their lack of planning. WWE tried to cover their own ass by making it seem like Charlotte was totally cool with the angle:
"Subject matter this personal is only approved as a result of the strong advocacy of the talent themselves. Notwithstanding that, WWE is ultimately responsible for what airs in its programming."
What they should be more concerned with is Ric Flairs comment on his podcast:
Heres the problem. Obviously I have an opinion, but Im afraid to voice it.
Basically, Flair doesnt like the angle (he cried when he saw it), but is afraid to say anything as it may damage his daughters career. Who puts one of their employees in the position to ask if its okay to use their dead little brother in a storyline? If she says no, she doesnt look like a team player. Its a culture of fear that McMahon has produced. To just look at this from a storyline perspective again, by the time SmackDown came around, Paige went from mocking Charlotte's dead brother, to promoting the family friendly film Santas Little Helper. The previews they showed saw her kicking Miz in the butt, and causing him to land on his crotch. An evil heel who makes fun of dead people, to partaking in crotch jokes. How did this company win the Monday Night War? Time to kick out.