How Wrestling Has Changed Since 9/11
3. Tribute To The Troops
One of the nobler examples on our list is Tribute to the Troops: an annual show that sees WWE team up with the United States' Armed Forces Entertainment in honour of the men and women who have dedicated their life to protecting the country, while also paying tribute to those who'd lost theirs while serving (and, indeed, the 9/11 victims).
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield is thought to be the performer behind it all, having suggested Tribute to the Troops to Vince McMahon prior to the first event in 2003. That show went down before an audience of servicemen and women at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq that December, and his continued ever since, with WWE visiting sites ranging from overseas military camps, domestic bases, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and Bethesda Naval Hospital.
Though the shows mean little in canon or kayfabe, they likely mean the world to those they're aimed at. Understandably, WWE have scooped up countless plaudits and awards for holding them over the years, with presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both recording grateful pre-recorded clips to air during the broadcast, and the United Services Organisation awarding WWE with their first Legacy of Hope award in 2004.