5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (April 14)
Blood, bullying and bigotry.
The fact (and it’s quickly becoming apparent that is indeed the correct word) that WWE has long since excused and enabled a toxic bullying culture should not come as a particular surprise - especially when one considers that they are as oblivious to their awfulness as much as they ravel in it.
When Carlito was first introduced to Vince McMahon he cut a promo, as per his request. It allegedly failed to move McMahon, who didn’t think it was quite on-the-nose enough to connect with his thick as bricks audience. He had a suggestion to improve it. “Could you sp*c it up some?” he asked with a straight face.
This is a company so synonymous with treating its employees terribly that they don’t even formally classify them as employees; WWE wrestlers are classified as Independent Contractors - even though they aren’t allowed to work elsewhere - because it allows the company to circumvent boring old ethical sh*t. WWE doesn’t even bother maintaining any pretence that it isn’t a terrible place in which to work, aside from that rather crucial, PR face-saving relationship with Be A Star.
WWE justified its association with that organisation by claiming that it presents bullying on television in order to give bullies their comeuppance and convey that evil never prospers.
When is Mick Foley back on television? Oh...
5. Katsuyori Shibata Is Absolutely Nuts
At Sunday's New Japan Pro Wrestling show, Sakura Genesis, Kazuchika Okada defended his IWGP Heavyweight Title against Katsuyori Shibata in the closest spiritual successor to Bret Hart Vs. Steve Austin ever promoted.
It was a sensational and inconceivably stiff affair in which Okada adopted a heel role in the face of a superior and more vicious opponent. Shibata absolutely bludgeoned Okada throughout, leading to one of the sickest sights seen in wrestling this year. Okada's shoulder had been shattered so thoroughly that he was unable to connect with his Rainmaker lariat. This allowed Shibata to nail him with a trademark full-on headbutt.
The classic match was even distilled into the same indelible image: blood pouring down the face of the valiant but unsuccessful babyface challenger. Only, no blade was involved; Shibata, the lunatic, struck Okada with such force that he split his own head open and incurred a potentially career-ending subdural haematoma.
Perhaps even crazier still, Dave Meltzer has reported that the whole thing might have been an elaborate and dangerous work. There is apparently some evidence to suggest that the tale of Shibata collapsing and undergoing emergency surgery is a tall one.
It's insane whichever way you slice it; either Shibata is silly enough to have failed to grasp the essence of wrestling, or a ridiculous precedent has been set regarding just how far NJPW is willing to go to establish Shibata as heroic in defeat.
What happens when someone does suffer a career-threatening injury?