The video montage before John Cena's entrance set new standards for "pass the sick bucket" sentiment. To the tune of intense and inspirational music, WWE played scenes from key US history moments. Punctuated with dialogue from Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan, it also flashed stills of Martin Luther King and other famous US icons. Perhaps most disturbing about the video was footage of US soldiers being brought home in coffins with the American flag draped over. There were also stills from 9 / 11. That was borderline exploitative of real tragedy for the purposes of fictional entertainment. Are we meant to blame Rusev for 9 /11? Are we meant to see Cena as equal to real people who made real sacrifices? It didn't sit quite right and the live audience booed Cena's subsequent entrance. In the buzz of the show, this montage hasn't taken the amount of criticism it probably deserves.
