WWE Trades Ruthless Aggression For PG | Wrestling Timelines

October 19, 2010 | Stand Up For WWE

Stand Up For WWE
WWE.com

WWE’s image clean-up operation was going reasonably well.

While not at the level of genuine sports, the Wellness Policy is not a bare minimum sham. The wave of death has subsided, relative to the mid-point of the 2000s. But really, it is working because the mainstream media doesn’t really care all that much to probe. Wrestling exists, in a paradoxical state, as a huge niche. A lot of people care about wrestling; they are the only ones. That is until a news story develops that people might care about.

Linda McMahon, former WWE Chief Executive Officer and Vince McMahon’s wife at the time, is running for senate as a Republican, and the race is heating up. Political opponents and partisan media outlets are asking inconvenient questions and highlighting WWE’s history of wrongdoing in the expected, mucky battle. Where Umaga’s death did not register, the August 13, 2010 passing of Lance Cade is weaponised. Linda is pressed on her relationship with him and WWE’s culpability in his death. She defends herself by saying that WWE is as blameless as a studio would be in the case of Heath Ledger’s death. The pressure continues to mount; on a near-daily basis, articles are penned lambasting WWE’s less-than-sparkling history of worker’s rights. One is penned by old enemy of the state Phil Mushnick for the New York Post, which is naturally what triggers Vince McMahon into unveiling the widely-mocked ‘Stand Up For WWE’ campaign, launched on October 19, 2010.

Vince, feeling unfairly targeted, wants you, the WWE Universe, to set the record straight. There are 10 ways of achieving this, as set out by WWE in an official communication:

1) Forward ‘Stand Up For WWE’ videos to your friends

2) Upload video testimonials to YouTube and Facebook voicing your support

3) Email your friends and family stating why you are a WWE fan

4) Friend WWE on Facebook

5) Make “I’m Standing Up For WWE” your Facebook status

6) Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper

7) Share your favourite WWE stories on Twitter and Facebook

8) Read a story that is unfair to WWE? Email the reporter

9) Create “I Stand Up For WWE” signs or t-shirts for live events

10) Check back regularly for updates

Most WWE fans laugh at the campaign. Linda loses the election, which was the only way the stories were ever going away. With this doomed exercise in hubris over and done with, WWE escapes the glare once more.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!