5 Ups And 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (Feb 19)

5. An All-Too Common Scene

Monday Night Raw opened with what has become an all-too common scene: the ring announcer asking for a moment of silence for the latest mass shooting in the United States.

This time, it was 17 people – mostly students – killed at a high school in Parkland, Florida. But what was notable was that unlike previous mass shootings – Las Vegas and Orlando, for example – WWE didn’t even bother to have its roster out on the ramp in a show of solidarity.

Maybe it was because there was a 100-minute match that had to get started. Maybe it was because like a lot of the country, WWE has become numb to a new addition to the list of “one of the worst massacres in American history” every few months.

WWE loves to tout its work with Connor’s Cure, Make-A-Wish and other charities helping kids in need, but they were all but silent, aside from the much-maligned “thoughts and prayers” that so many thoughtlessly offer.

(Yeah, WWE is not a social justice organization; it’s a wrestling show. But if you’re going to constantly acknowledge these shootings month after month, shouldn’t you eventually stand for something?)

Off soapbox.