5 Positives & 5 Negatives For WWE From Donald Trump's Election Victory
How will WWE benefit - or suffer - with Trump as POTUS?
Unless you've been living in a coma, under a rock, or on another planet somewhere for the past two weeks, you'll know that in just over two months, the 45th President of the United States will be sworn-in and his name is Donald J. Trump. Yes, that Donald Trump.
Trump has received harsh criticism from government, entertainment, news, sports, and basically all walks of life. Like it or not, the U.S. President-elect has a colorful past, which includes multiple appearances on WWE television.
The host of WrestleManias IV and V was supported by the McMahon family, both verbally and financially, in his presidential campaign, including a large super PAC donation reported to be around $6 million. Obviously, Vince and Linda McMahon were ecstatic with the election results and have probably already calculated how they can cash-in on Trump winning the Presidency.
It's not all rainbows and butterflies for WWE though. In fact, the company could face some backlash from Trump detractors that want to see the next President squirm.
Conversely, the sports-entertainment juggernaut could benefit greatly when the winner of WrestleMania 23's Battle of the Billionaires begins running the country. What are these potential positives and negatives? Let's take a look...
10. Negative: WWE Receives Even More Criticism From Mass Media Outlets
Vince McMahon has always strived for acceptance from the mass media, news, and entertainment world. Whether it was through national news outlets, major sports networks, or just seeking general coverage of their product, WWE has always hoped to catch on with the mainstream media.
Unfortunately for the McMahon family, they've never been able to achieve that goal. Lately, they've seen more coverage by websites and media outlets like ESPN, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, and others, but the company (and genre as a whole) is still scoffed at by the news and entertainment industry. Many outlets realize there's a market for the genre, but, in many cases, still refuse to respect it.
With U.S. President-elect Donald Trump being a target of his own from many of the same outlets, it makes sense that WWE would also be on the receiving end of some of the same criticism.
For Trump detractors, one of the easiest things that is often referenced is his past association with that rasslin' company, WWE. In his quest to become POTUS, Trump's history with WWE was never viewed as a positive unless discussing his elaborate, wrestler-like entrances.
Unfortunately for WWE, they may find themselves taking even more criticism than normal from mainstream media Trump haters simply because of their previous business relationship with "The Donald".