WWE Superstars Battle Bullies with Help of the Boys & Girls Club of America

Every week, millions of kids around the world tune in to WWE programming to watch behemoths and beauties do battle in the kind of morality play that has helped professional wrestling captivate audiences across cultures and continents. And, each week, those kids see behavior that falls more than a little short of admirable. 

It's a conundrum that leads to problems when the company pitches their anti-bullying campaign "Be a Star" to fans from Saudi Arabia to Australia. 

"They'll look at us funny. Like, 'You're telling us not to bully, but you're a bad guy on TV,'" WWE star Kofi Kingston told Bleacher Report. "We emphasize that we're entertainment. That's what the "E" in WWE stands for.

"They realize we're just playing characters and that's an important point we make with kids. We talk about entertainment versus reality. We discourage people from doing what we do at home. That includes the theatrics and the bullying."  

On Monday, WWE announced a partnership to bring this message directly to the target audience—millions of kids at 4,500 Boys & Girls Clubs of America nationwide. There, the stars of the WWE will share their anti-bullying message and distribute materials to keep the message fresh throughout the year.

Credit: WWE.com

It's a partnership that means a lot to WWE performer Titus O'Neil. Like Kingston, O'Neil knows firsthand exactly what the Boys & Girls Club can offer. He spent his childhood in one learning to be the man he'd become.

"I'm a man of faith, and there's a scripture that says 'God will make room for your gifts.' And it was at an early age, at The Boys & Girls Club, that people told me there were gifts inside of me," O'Neil said. "Because those people saw something in me, now I get a chance to pay if forward. And to be able to do it with the platform of the WWE, is one of the greatest honors of my life.  

"One of the reasons I can do what I do today is because people invested in me. When they had nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, to gain in return. Just showing me love and teaching me about respect and having character. And being a man of your word. Those things were instilled in me at the Boys & Girls Club."

Credit: WWE.com

For Kingston, even the bitter memories of his time at the Boys & Girls Club are sweet.

"You're able to go there and participate in all these activities you wouldn't normally have access to. For me, it was photography, he said. "I remember having some one take a picture of me with my arms folded. I was smiling and I was really, really proud of it. I developed it myself. But on the way home, I dropped it on the ground and stepped on it. And there was a scratch right over my eye. I remember tearing up and actually crying because I had worked so hard on it.  

"I grew up in the Boys & Girls Club. It had a really big impact on my life. It sets you up with a certain mentality about how to attack life. You don't think about mentors at that age, but looking back at it now, I realize I was so fortunate to have all these adults who provided such a positive environment."

Like most of the WWE's many philanthropic ventures, including Connor's Cure and Make-A-Wish, it's a relationship that starts at the very top.

"As a proud Boys & Girls Club Alumnus, I know the difference this organization makes in the lives of our youth," WWE Chairman Vince McMahon said in a statement. 

"We are pleased to partner with Vince McMahon, a Boys & Girls Club alumni, and the WWE organization to educate Club youth around bullying prevention," Boys & Girls Club of America president Jim Clark said in a statement. "Each day, Club professionals work to create a safe environment that empowers the nearly four million kids and teens who attend our Clubs. Thanks to partners like WWE, we can elevate important issues like bullying and equip our youth with the skills they need to navigate successfully to a great future."

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.