WWE Executive Brags About Company's Response To The Global Health Crisis
"The health and safety of our superstars is paramount," apparently.
A WWE executive has made perhaps the most disingenuous statement to come out of any wrestling promotion since the global health crisis kicked into gear back in March.
John Brody, WWE's Executive Vice President and Global Head of Sales and Partnerships, said the following on how the promotion was handling the situation while speaking to Sport Hiatus (h/t Fightful):-
“The health and safety of our superstars is first and foremost paramount. It comes down to leadership in many ways. Our leader [Vince McMahon] believes we have a social responsibility to put fans first and to help them get a break from what was coming and what we’re in the midst of. We have a responsibility to take them away for a few hours and give them a smile and a chance to feel something other than what they’re watching, which is also important, on the news. We leaned in to say ‘we’re going to put fans first’ and do everything we can, working with state, local, and federal officials to make sure it’s safe for our most important resource, the WWE superstars, and we’re going to do whatever we can to deliver content for our partners and our fans. We wouldn’t have made the decision we made if we didn’t think we could do it safely for our internal (staff) and for all those affected, but we felt America needed it and needed the ‘pick me up.’”
These words should be extremely transparent to anyone who has been following the news cycle. While there's no perfect or ideal way to navigate the current environment, WWE has been widely criticised for their ineffectual handling of the situation, with the promotion refusing to conduct full tests until just last week. They have since switched gears with company-wide testing, though this doesn't excuse the past three months.
WWE also recently banned mask-wearing performers to appear on camera, citing aesthetic reasons.
This week has been particularly damning of the company's measures, with recently tests yielding a reported two dozen positive results. Not included in this number is Renee Young, who tested positive after going through the process outside the company, though producer Adam Pearce and host Kayla Braxton have both confirmed they are suffering.