WWE & Their Obsession With the Right

This was a momentous month for pro-wrestling. Going into April was exciting, AEW's Dynasty and WrestleMania week and all the shows that surround it. I planned on returning from my vacation excited to write all about the month. Instead I left April frustrated as a fan of this industry.

WWE's Hard Shift to Right Wing Politics

...has become impossible to ignore. If you've followed wrestling for long enough, its not surprising to see that many of those involved in WWE have a certain political perspective. This has been a discussion that I've been aware of since 2016 when I was 18 and was first involving myself with politics. Linda McMahon was in Donald Trump's Cabinet during his first term, while her husband was running WWE. Trump's connection to WWE is not lost on most viewers for better or worse. Trump's WrestleMania 23 appearance is a moment relived every year during 'Mania season. These conversations grew louder in 2018, when WWE put on "The Greatest Royal Rumble" event in 2018 in Saudi Arabia. Only months after the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, an American journalist by Saudi agents. Unfortunately, this conflict gave way to A LOT of racism towards the Saudi people, especially in wrestling circles. It's important to note, I do not specialize in international politics, and if you want to read more about this incident I highly encourage you to do so.

In 2020, during the #MeToo and #SpeakingOut movements, several names across the global wrestling industry were implicated to be predators. WWE's actions here were critical to this tale. Matt Riddle, Jordan Devlin, Jack Gallagher were all named as predators. WWE's response was to "look into these incidents". Jack Gallagher was quickly released, maybe deemed a name too small to be worth the trouble. Matt Riddle was eventually let go 3 years later, for what seems to be unrelated issues. Yet for some reason, Jordan Devlin is still under contract. In fact, WWE even made the decision to change his name to JD McDonagh, so if someone searched his name, it wouldn't come up that he is a predator. It does not surprise me that WWE chose to protect predators as during this time Vince and MANY other high up names in the company were committing their own sex crimes.

In September of 2023, WWE and UFC merged with Endeavor Group Holdings to form TKO. If you don't know, UFC is very loudly pro-Trump. CEO of UFC Dana White has been long time friends with him, and he's appeared at many many events. When this merger happened many peers who were on the side of watching WWE, were basically counting down the days before this culture would bleed through. When Vince McMahon was finally and rightfully removed from WWE following his sex trafficking scandal. There was an air of hope as his son-in-law Triple H took the reins. Which in hindsight was very naive. The writing has been on the wall for a long time.

The hard part about this conversation is figuring out where to begin. I specified what I did previously as a way to show that these are conversations that come up time and time again. As the 2024 election came and went, it felt like people were emboldened to express their hate. November was the start of the company uprooting any of its openly queer talent. Tegan Nox and Indi Hartwell, both queer women who have been very open throughout their tenure in the company. Now two is merely a coincidence you can say. Yet a few months later Sonya Deville and now Shayna Baszler was also released. I don't think it's strange to acknowledge that all 4 of these women who were openly queer were released all within the same time frame.

2025 as a whole has been strange. February came and went with no attention to Black history month. In fact, this goes back to 2024, when WWE refused to acknowledge Hispanic heritage month and has not addressed a history/heritage month since. Under Triple H's creative direction, A black man has never won a singles PLE match. A black male talent has not won a singles match on a WWE main roster PLE since Bobby Lashley won by DQ in 2023. A black male wrestler hasn't won a match by pinfall or submission since Bobby Lashley at SummerSlam 2022. These conversations build on themselves, sparking questions and looking for patterns, and this one is definitive.

The diversity of WWE's roster has decreased significantly, Of the 64 members of the roster released from January of 2024 to today, 38 were not white or straight. A ratio that was not as damning as I expected it to be. HOWEVER, when that 38 included all of its openly queer talent and of their Indian talent and their Indigenous talent. It reinforces a perspective and angle that WWE has.These releases started in early 2024, however it does feel strange that all of the releases of queer talent began in November following the election. It's apparent that WWE or TKO whoever is making the decisions is desperately trying to pull the company to align with the anti-"DEI" movements. Sean Ross Sapp, stated clearly: "If Triple H wanted to keep talent, they’d still be with WWE."

WWE’s Chad Gable: a man who I previously considered to be an unsung workhorse of the company recently adopted a gimmick where he “recruited” a luchador from Mexico. The luchador in question is “El Grande Americano”, Chad Gable in a mask. In lead up to this reveal WWE aired a video package riddled with AI generated images of him in an orange-sepia toned aesthetic. To top it all off, when this character was introduced, he was billed from “The Gulf of America”. An appalling choice as the divisive executive was announced back in January. As if it couldn’t be more uncomfortable, not only did he defeat Dragon Lee in his debut match, he also defeated the debuting Rey Fenix at WrestleMania, then beat Dragon Lee again, this time for the Speed Title. 

As the press tour for WrestleMania began, the vibe was... different. John Cena reiterated that he still loves Vince McMahon despite the heinous crimes listed in his current lawsuit against him. “I don't care who hears it: I love Vince. I'm not downplaying anything that needs to be decided or allegations, but when I love somebody, I love them wholeheartedly. I know people are going to be angry about that, but they can't put their value on my relationship with somebody I love.” There are definitely ways to word this where he can address the complexities of loving someone who has done bad things. I think back on Sarah Silverman's heartfelt speech about her love and grief over Louis C.K.'s actions. I struggle to imagine John not being aware of what Vince has done. So to loudly proclaim your love for that man, speaks volumes.

During Roman Reigns' press tour leading up to his WrestleMania main event, He came forward and stated he supports trump because he supports the president no matter who it is. During the Vanity Fair interview Reigns stated "...he’s got a vast history and a huge background. He’s been in entertainment. He’s been in big business, politics. At this point, I’m supporting a bright future for our country. Positive and competent leadership." I cannot help but wonder what he thinks of the competent leadership cutting funds to cancer research. Research that he likely benefited from at some point. Roman's Wise Man Paul Heyman has also garnered some attention after an appearance on the Pat Mcafee show where he shouted that an audience member would be deported.

One of the most controversial events of the whole WrestleMania weekend was "The Roast of WrestleMania" hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe. A painfully unfunny comedian who came into my personal radar after he appeared at a Trump Rally and made a joke about Puerto Rico being an island of garbage. The event featured Tony and many WWE talents including Paul Heyman, Braun Strowman, Nia Jax, and even Sami Zayn. The jokes ranged from low bar, "edgy" humor, to outright racism or sexism. The worst part was that these jokes were at the expense of their co-workers, most of which were not even in attendance at the event. Paul Heyman proclaimed the now released Shayna Baszler had a penis. (which was supposed to be the punchline) Heyman also made multiple references to Maryse and her vagina. Important to note that Paul didn't use her name but only referred to her as The Miz's wife, I cannot emphasize enough that Maryse is not even a co-worker of his, and hasn't been for 4 years. A lot of discourse is that those with a problem with this event have never seen a roast before. I think roasts are for those present and who agreed to be there. NOT a woman who you used to work with years ago. Charlotte Flair was also a target of several jokes at the event despite also not being in attendance. She publicly responded by saying simply "IDK. I’m just going to wrestle." In what world other than professional wrestling would this event be allowed. Freddie Prinze Jr. even caught a stray after Paul Heyman said he deserves to get shot in the head, "like his father". If you aren't aware Freddie Prinze took his own life in 1977.

WWE consistently allows its talent to vocalize their support of Donald Trump, with many posting photos or loudly stating support. Yet talent like Sami Zayn, CM Punk or Seth Rollins have to find unique ways to post support for causes they believe in. Now I would love to know the perspectives of those who aren't aligned with the dominating political idea of the company. Do they fear speaking outwardly? Why must Sami Zayn show support by posting a photo next to a mailbox covered in stickers with a specific message, but Logan Paul can comfortably and loudly post a photo with Trump?

It comes across to me especially as Triple H continues to expose himself as an insecure chronically online man. He has insisted since the start of his tenure, to be uncritical as a viewer. Just turn on the TV and clap like a seal because Cody Rhodes did the "whoa" thing but with pyrotechnics this time. Any dedicated fan will tell you that the difference in quality from week to week is drastic. Stories built and dropped are so common it's difficult to feel invested in its talent. As Triple H insists, just watch.

Anti-Intellectualism is a movement focusing on distrust of experts, devaluing learning, and scorn of critical thought. This type of movement we have seen many times throughout history, in fact there is an argument to be made that this movement is intrinsically tied with fascism. Am I arguing that WWE is a part of a fascist movement? No, not really. If you want to come to that conclusion with the information you've read and come in knowing, you're more than welcome to. Every other week, I see a new clip of Triple H saying "I don't care about what the online says. To be a REAL fan, you will just watch and be happy.” This is a clear message of what WWE wants. They want the audience who can afford their rapidly increasing priced tickets, who DO NOT care about the product they are putting out because to them it is just an instagram-able show. They’re not following the program regularly, it’s just cool to show up when it’s in your town and take pictures. They can sing Cody Rhodes’ theme song and drool over Rhea Ripley then go home. 

During WrestleMania week, WWE announced their purchasing of AAA, a Mexican professional wrestling promotion. The location that Stephanie Vaquer had to leave as she had a restraining order from other talent, following an upsetting domestic violence case. As news continues to come out about the details of this acquisition. Several names have allegedly been given WWE contracts. The most notable of names listed was Alberto Del Rio, whose catalogue of debauchery seems longer each time I look at it. His section on Wikipedia for personal life, is solely focused on his domestic abuse cases and claims. Definitely a great personality for your family friendly company.

I’m a firm believer that knowledge is power. I am not presenting this information with the intention of starting some chain reaction to boycott WWE. I personally will probably still watch the PLE’s when they come on. However, I already pay for Peacock and use it to watch content other than WWE. I am aware this is written from the perspective of a frustrated viewer who has watched something they love consistently get louder and louder that people like me do not belong. Professional Wrestling is for everyone, the lines drawn by the company and the politicization of identities and human rights are arbitrarily conjured out of hate.  I am certain I neglected to mention dozens of other instances that would solidify this pattern further.

There will always be people of color in wrestling, there will always be queer people in wrestling. If you like this art form, please look at places other than WWE. Whether it be alternatives like AEW in the US, or promotions that are all women like Stardom or Marigold. I want to make it clear that I don’t think these companies are perfect by any means. They are simply alternatives to the largest wrestling company in the world. AEW Women World Champion Toni Storm very clearly stated on TV “I am here and I am queer!” Go out of your way to support wrestlers that resonate with you. 

With all of this in mind,I made the decision to end my “Wrestling in” series. As my focus for the monthly article was primarily on American Wrestling, and cutting out the largest company in the US, leaves me just reporting on AEW. Although the ending of this 16 month series feels bitter, I am beyond proud of the work I was able to accomplish. Going forward I hope to still write about wrestling, just with a focus on women’s wrestling. I hope to work with other writers, to continue to lay the foundation of people who want wrestling to be better.