Denver Nuggets, WWE Hit a Rocky Mountain Low

Vince McMahon couldn’t have scripted this if he tried.

World Wrestling Entertainment’s colorful owner issued an unusual challenge today. He has offered to “go toe-to-toe” with Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke.

Considering that Kroenke made his fortune (an estimated at $3.5 billion) in real estate, it’s unfathomable why McMahon would want to challenge Kroenke to such a façade. That is, until you look at the schedule for the Pepsi Arena on May 25.

On this day, there is a scheduled WWE Raw event that has already sold out, as most WWE events tend to do. However, despite the fact that the event has been scheduled since August 2008, there is a minor conflict of interest here.

The Denver Nuggets are scheduled to play the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals at the Pepsi Center on the same date.

Now, this raises several questions within itself, but one that stands out in my mind is this: How in the world does Stan Kroenke schedule use of the arena to the WWE when there is a good chance his Nuggets could be playing a home playoff game at this time.

One of two answers is plausible:

1. Kroenke had little faith in his team’s ability to make it this far into the playoffs despite the presence of such starts as Chauncey Billups, Kenyon Martin, and Carmelo Anthony, among others.
2. Vince McMahon is correct when he says Kroenke should be arrested for being a “bad businessman”, because in my personal view, this is felony stupid.

Neither scenario looks good for Kroenke.

If I was Vince McMahon, I would make the Nuggets honor the contract. It would be refreshing to see the big, bad NBA turned on its ear for once.

It would border on hilarity to see it done by a man who runs what is paramount to men’s soap opera.

Good luck, Nuggets fans. Here’s to hoping that your team can perform without the circus sideshow. That, and the WWE event thing, too.