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WWE Censorship And Dictatorship Or Good Business Decisions?

Dan Power
Jul 5, 2010

I read the following on Wrestling-Radio.com:

''It is being reported thatย WWEย Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon has hereby banned any Ric Flair-style chest chops during matches. Word is thatย WWEย is worried about fans making the "Woooo!" sound whenever the move is done, and the company doesn't want Flair's name mentioned or people thinking about him duringย WWEย shows since Flair is currently withย TNA. '' (1)

That made me wonder if such a move was good business decision or some kind of censorship and dictatorship. It's not wrong to do aggressive business to earn more money. But is it necessary to erase a part of pro wrestling history just because an employee is in an other company?

Theย WWE's action won't erase Ric Flair and others from the fans' memories. In fact, it might turn out to have the opposite effect because of the negative reaction all over the web.

It's not the first time the WWE has acted like this regarding former wrestlers. It's a known fact they have always done all they they could do to make sure no one who moved toย TNAย or other organizations gets any form of exposure in WWEย media.

The most famous case regardingย WWEย censorship is Chris Benoit. No one will defend what he did to his family, but why do they absolutely want to erase what he did in the ring? He has left his mark in the business inside the ring so why the stubborn denial?

Randy "Macho Man" Savage is a similar case. His case is understandable after the allegations regarding him and what he may have done to Stephanie McMahon when she was a minor. All this is speculation still blocks his Hall of Fame induction.

Hulk Hogan's case is completely different and not a very big deal. His case shows how far theย WWEย censorship policy can go. In the video introduction before anyย WWE TV show, they presentย footage from past legends and current wrestlers. Hogan was featured in that video until he signed withย TNA.

They do the same with the alumni section onย wwe.com, on which we can no longer see Jeff Hardy or Ric Flair. The WWEย alumni section makes no sense with the absence of Hulk Hogan, Rick Rude and Kurt Angle.

There are numerous other examples I could give, but I think you get my point. Sometimes they act like cry-babies. Sometimes, they act like real dictators and they hate to see their employees working on a sideline or to prepare their post-wrestling career.

While I can understand the importance of protecting a market, it's beyond my understanding to see an almost monopolistic company acting likeย WWEย about its past. What are the benefits of denying major parts of pro wrestling history?

Will anyone start to watchย TNAย because a crowd chants Flair's trademark ''Woooo!'' during a match?

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(1) source :ย http://www.wrestling-radio.com/feed_news-16099-Report%3A_Vince_McMahon_Bans_Ric_FlairType_Chest_Cho.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wrestling-radio%2FkjyE+%28Wrestling-Radio.Com+News%2C+Results%2C+Spoilers%2C+Video+and+More%29