Pressure Mounting for WWE to Oust Donald Trump from Hall of Fame

It may be hard to hear it over the cacophony of controversy surrounding Donald Trump, but there's a growing rumbling as to whether he still belongs in the WWE Hall of Fame.

The real-estate mogul and presidential candidate's proclamations during his campaign have generated a stockpile of headlines, have become talking points and have some fans pushing to get him ousted from the WWE institution. The louder that contingent becomes, the more WWE will be forced to listen.

Seeing his brash, over-the-top personality on display, it's not surprising to learn that he has history with WWE, including being a key part of WrestleMania 23 in The Battle of The Billionaires. 

He hosted two of the earliest WrestleManias, has appeared on WWE TV and, in one storyline, bought out Raw. All that added up to a spot in the celebrity wing of WWE's Hall of Fame.

As he continues to deliver polemical statements on the campaign trail, though, whether he should remain in the Hall of Fame is becoming a bigger question mark. 

The sports entertainment giant has proved willing to distance itself from individuals poised to bring the company bad press. WWE cut ties with two of its biggest names just this year.

A leak of Hulk Hogan's racially charged rant got him fired and essentially erased from WWE history. Mike Cole of NESN noted, "Hogan's name has been removed from the website, he’s no longer listed as a host for WWE's Tough Enough TV show and all of his merchandise has been pulled from the WWE's online store. Furthermore, Hogan's name has been removed from the WWE's Hall of Fame website, too.

And as NBC Philadelphia reported, WWE took a similar approach with Jimmy Snuka, the Hall of Famer who faces murder charges.

Some want Trump to be next on the list of banned Hall of Famers. An online petition on Change.org calls for his removal. It now has nearly 10,000 signatures as of this writing.

Mark A. Wallenfang/Getty Images

In part, the petition reads, "WWE not only employs Muslim and Middle Eastern talent but has also recently launched the Network in the Middle East. The WWE must realize how many of its fans are Muslim. What message does it send to them to honor Donald Trump on the WWE's Hall of Fame?"

This is in response to Trump "calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States," as stated in a campaign press release via CNN. 

It's easy to argue that Trump's statement was as inflammatory as Hogan's repeated use of the n-word was. But WWE has not followed the same pattern as it did with The Hulkster. It has made no move against Trump and apparently doesn't plan to.

Chris Villani of the Boston Herald tweeted that WWE issued the following statement on the issue:

Keeping Trump in the Hall while pushing out Hogan isn't sitting well with some, though. Former WWE writer Kevin Eck asked on his blog if he's the only one who thinks this situation is "incredibly hypocritical."

Radio host (and vocal WWE fan) Peter Rosenberg tweeted that he believes WWE should distance itself from Trump:

Even John Cena, WWE's golden boy, pushed back against Trump's anti-Muslim stance. As Mark Shanahan of the Boston Globe noted, "During an appearance on Today, the WWE star took issue with Donald Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States.

Cena said on Today, "The last time we did anything like this is in World War II, and that was one of the more reprehensible acts by the United States of America." He added, "That does not go along with our DNA."

Of the fans petitioning against Trump, political reporter Dave Levinthal wrote that "a movement is afoot." 

And this is not a case of uproar about a singular instance or opinion. Trump is no stranger to offending people.

On Vox, Dara Lind outlined Trump's long history with race-related controversy, including negative comments about the St. Regis Mohawk tribe and a housing discrimination lawsuit in 1973. More recently, he angered many with his view on Mexican immigrants.

In June, Trump said at his presidential announcement speech (h/t Washington Post): 

"

When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

"

That was enough to send a flurry of businesses flying away from him.

NBC Universal announced, "Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBC Universal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump." A host of other companies, as compiled by Hudson Hongo for Gawker, didn't want to associate with Trump any longer, either.

Univision, Macy's and NASCAR made the move to cut ties with him.

WWE has not followed suit. It will take a growing amount of high-profile bad press to sway officials.

The more voices that join the conversation, and the more media outlets call into question WWE's relationship with Trump, the more Vince McMahon will feel compelled to have the Hall of Fame shrink by one.

As Trump's campaign rolls on, we will soon found out whether there is an actual movement in progress or a group of detractors WWE can just shut out.