Detroit - Channel 382
Then, to politics...
"World Wrestling Entertainment announced today that it will hold a special Fan Appreciation Day event at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 3:00 p.m. featuring WWE's biggest Superstars. As a way to thank its loyal fans, tickets will be available for only $20 for floor seats and $10 for all other seating.
The event will be a 'WWE Supershow' featuring Superstars from both the Raw and SmackDown brands. Matches will include John Cena vs. Sheamus; Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett for the WWE Championship; a Fatal Four Way Match for the World Heavyweight Championship featuring Undertaker, Kane, Edge and Big Show; and Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio. Other WWE Superstars scheduled to appear include MVP, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, WWE Divas Michelle McCool and Natalya, and many more.
'With its headquarters located in Connecticut since 1983, WWE has a strong history and a large and loyal fan base throughout the state and specifically in the city of Hartford, which hosted WrestleMania XI as well as countless sold-out Raw and SmackDown events," said WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. "We look forward to thanking our fans for their continued support and loyalty on October 30.'
Tickets for WWE's Fan Appreciation Day event go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 5 at noon at the XL Center box office, online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.
Well, whatta know....only days before a United States Senate election where the former CEO of WWE, Linda McMahon, will run as the Republican nominee in a closely contested election against Democrat Richard Blumenthal ... WWE holds a first time-ever event where they show "fan appreciation" to the voter...er...fans of Connecticut. Wouldn't a more accurate phrase for what's happening be a Linda McMahon for Senate campaign rally? Wonder if Mick Foley, one of the few wrestlers who is publicly liberal and Democrat, would been asked to take part if he were still working for the Fed? Or Rob Van Dam?
There's nothing illegal about a rally masquerading as a wrestling show, I imagine. Hell, trying to buy...er, sway voters is almost as American as apple pie. Hell, candidates give away free stuff at campaign rallies. Yup, the party I usually vote for does it too.
It'd just be nice if Vince McMahon would have been upfront and said flat out "My wife is running for Senate, and I'm supporting her, dammit"; instead of operating under the guise of a "Fan Appreciation Day". At least Paul Levesque appeared with his mother-in-law this past Saturday at a campaign rally and made no bones about why he was there.
I imagine WWE will be smart enough to not be as explicit about their connection given that the Federal Election Campaign Act states :
"[T]he provision of any goods or services without charge or at a charge that is less than the usual and normal charge for such goods or services is a contribution... Any expenditure that is "coordinated" is an "in-kind contribution to ... the candidate ... with whom or with which it was coordinated."
A complaint was filed earlier this year by Connecticut Democrats after WWE selectively forced YouTube to remove videos showing the Katie Vick storyline, as well as angles showing Trish Stratus being forced to "bark like a dog", and another with talent engaging in simulated rape...but did nothing about as many as 500,000 other videos posted on the service. The complainants claimed that this assistance by WWE to political candidate Linda Mcmahon violated the above provisions of Federal Elections Campaign Act law.
The other problem is that Linda McMahon has tried to have it both ways...running on her record as a business executive (which she'd be more than entitled to do)... yet when questioned about aspects of WWE programming, acts if such questioning is out of bounds, claiming what goes on the air is a dramatic depiction.
Not to mention that WWE tries to pull the stuff from You Tube...but it likely gets put up somewhere else as fast as it's taken down. Bet anyone reading this can find a Katie Vick clip within five minutes on You Tube.
Until next time...
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