Following the conclusion of SummerSlam on Sunday evening, WWE has by no means felt extra like a TKO-owned property. The lasting picture from the primary two-night version of the annual summer time occasion could be Brock Lesnar making a shocking return after the Evening 2 foremost occasion, attacking John Cena moments after Cena misplaced the undisputed WWE championship to Cody Rhodes.
Lesnar’s return was stunning not solely as a result of the 10-time world champion had been away from WWE — practically two years to the day — however particularly on account of why he had been away.
Whereas not a listed defendant, Lesnar was named within the lawsuit filed by Janel Grant against WWE and former chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, alleging sexual abuse and trafficking whereas Grant was McMahon’s girlfriend and a WWE worker. McMahon allegedly advised Grant that Lesnar can be their subsequent “playmate,” per the lawsuit, which claims Grant was used as a device in contract negotiations with the wrestler. Lesnar allegedly demanded degrading movies of a sexual nature from Grant, although he twice did not attend what seemed to be organized sexual encounters.
When information broke of Lesnar being named within the lawsuit, WWE instantly distanced itself from the previous UFC heavyweight champion. On July 15, fellow former UFC heavyweight champ and UFC commentator Daniel Cormier said that Lesnar being named within the lawsuit resulted in him being placed on TKO’s “banned checklist.”
Divorced from the above context, Lesnar’s return Sunday evening might be dismissed as WWE but chasing one other “second,” which its inventive group seems to prioritize out of main occasions.
Cena’s heel flip at Elimination Chamber in February was a “second,” one which succeeded wildly on social media. Nonetheless, the next reserving round a bad-guy Cena fell flat after the inspiring determine in his flip, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, disappeared from WWE programming. That left Cena floundering till a wierd, unprompted babyface flip occurred on “SmackDown,” 48 hours earlier than his match with Rhodes.
The context does matter, although, and WWE added loads of it when it comes to its notion of being an entirely owned TKO product — even past Lesnar’s reappearance on the premium reside occasion Sunday.
“WWE: Unreal,” a behind-the-scenes take a look at the promotion, debuted final Tuesday on Netflix. The truth-adjacent present, billed as WWE’s model of the NFL’s “Arduous Knocks” or “Formulation 1: Drive to Survive,” framed Paul “Triple H” Levesque in the identical mild as UFC CEO Dana White — a genius mastermind who controls the ins and outs of a large, difficult group.
Each WWE and UFC are owned by TKO.
Days after the debut of “Unreal,” Levesque appeared on the White Home the place he stood alongside President Donald Trump, who signed an government order reinstating the Presidential Health Take a look at. Levesque appeared in video posted to White Home social media accounts and gave interviews praising the President whereas claiming his own world “is not political.”
It was a web page straight out of White’s playbook. White has spoken at a number of Republican Nationwide Conventions, and UFC rolls out the purple carpet for Trump at occasions with an entrance extra elaborate than these granted to the promotion’s fighters. Regardless of these clear connections, White maintains he’s apolitical, saying he merely appreciates that Trump was there for him years in the past when UFC was scrambling to seek out venues that may host its occasions. Equally, Levesque identified that Trump is a WWE Corridor of Famer, thus saying, “my hat’s off to him.”
Whereas UFC has lengthy skewed in a extra conservative course, the skilled wrestling panorama has moved towards a much more progressive lean during the last decade. WWE, which payments itself as a household pleasant product with a PG ranking, largely adopted go well with by supporting fan demand for an enhanced ladies’s division and embracing intervals resembling Delight Month and Black Historical past Month whereas leaning into the range of its roster. For the primary time in latest reminiscence, WWE did nothing to acknowledge Black Historical past Month this February.
WWE might wish to declare it is world shouldn’t be political, however lots of its extra devoted followers now not really feel that is the case.
Hulk Hogan, who appeared at the latest RNC as a vocal supporter whose legacy was mired by racism, was practically booed out of the constructing in his closing WWE look on the “Monday Evening Uncooked” debut on Netflix on Jan. 6. Hogan was alleged to make quite a few subsequent appearances with the corporate however by no means returned to tv. WWE ran a non-televised roast occasion throughout WrestleMania 41 weekend that includes hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe, who appeared at a controversial Trump rally. An try to carry an identical occasion SummerSlam weekend was canceled, reportedly on account of low ticket gross sales.
Followers inside MetLife Stadium loudly booed this weekend when promotional video of Levesque’s White Home journey was proven on screens throughout Evening 1 and Evening 2 of SummerSlam. WWE lead play-by-play man Michael Cole spoke alongside the video saying WWE was dedicated to assist “make America match once more.”
In fact, WWE has at all times been political, as all artwork is to some extent. Nonetheless, McMahon shifted the whole tone of the promotion at roughly the identical level his spouse, Linda, ran for a United States Senate seat. The McMahons had been important donors to Trump’s three presidential campaigns, and Linda McMahon now serves the administration as Secretary of Schooling. Her daughter Stephanie, alongside Levesque, have been current for Linda’s largest moments in Washington, D.C.
Throughout Levesque’s latest media tour selling SummerSlam, he addressed the lawsuit towards McMahon wherein Lesnar is called.
Whereas the scandal McMahon’s retirement and eventual ouster from his positions inside WWE and TKO — additional resulting in a federal investigation that was dropped in February, shortly after Trump retook workplace — Levesque addressed the lawsuit in a approach that, on reflection, foreshadowed Lesnar’s return.
“All we are able to do is transfer ahead and allegations are allegations, proper?” Levesque stated. “It is a difficult relationship for anyone in life. No person is ideal.”
Levesque’s statements echoed the best way White has dealt with accusations of abuse which have been levied towards his fighters via the years.
WWE didn’t reply to a CBS Sports activities request for remark about Levesque’s look on the White Home or Lesnar’s return to the corporate.
WWE averted addressing Lesnar’s return by cancelling its normal post-show press conferences following SummerSlam, as an alternative transferring to a format that noticed superstars and Levesque interviewed by on-screen abilities reasonably than third-party media. Whereas correlation might not equal causation on this case — media members who attended prior press conferences had been inconsistent in asking robust questions — the timing of the choice was actually handy.
On the SummerSlam post-show, Levesque laid Lesnar’s return on the toes of Cena’s retirement run.
“For me, that is form of John Cena’s wishlist,” Levesque stated. “It is him writing the final chapter of his e-book, and I feel folks noticed a dialog with us the place he stated we might need to screw it up fairly badly to spoil his profession. Nevertheless it’s not about that for me. It is about John having the ability to exit the best way he desires to exit, to put in writing his chapter. I do know what that is like as a performer. I do know what that is like for everyone to really feel that, and I feel for John to have the ability to do what he desires to do.
“One of many very first issues I stated to him was, ‘Who would you like, and the way?’ And we’re working via that.”
By the point Sunday’s present wrapped, Lesnar’s return capped off a two-night occasion that noticed practically each out there inch of actual property coated in sponsor logos — a TKO transfer that has made WWE broadcasts replicate the look of UFC occasions. All of the sudden, the “TKO-ification” of WWE was accomplished.