WrestleMania 41 has come and gone. There’s a lot of news still coming out about the event, unfortunately a large swath of it is negative for not only the WWE, but TKO as a whole. One of the bigger issues surrounds the WWE Roast, which turned out to be an embarrassing affair that points toward trends that are impacting the WWE and combat sports/entertainment entirely. This was a glaring mistake by the company, and sadly they will not face any repercussions from the event.
The WWE Roast was on Sunday, April 20, from the BleauLive Theater in Las Vegas. It was hosted by “comedian” Tony Hinchcliffe, the same individual who recently “boomed” on commentary for WWE Raw and was shunned by the Republican party after his comments about Puerto Rico during a Trump campaign event. That should tell you exactly what type of night this was going to be.
The event wasn’t filmed, but since then the full show audio has leaked across several outlets. Some of those postings have been removed, as WWE made copyright claims on the show. One of the main reasons this is happening is that fans and critics are hammering the promotion for the behavior of several of the individuals who took to the microphone.
Guests for the roast included Paul Heyman, R-Truth, Nia Jax, Sami Zayn, Pat McAfee, and others. Jax made jokes about Charlotte Flair’s failed marriages, which caused many fans to respond that she took things too far. Heyman is also facing a harsh response for his jokes about Puerto Rico, child marriage, and more. During the same weekend, he made comments to an individual attending an event about them being deported, which was not taken well by the wrestling fanbase at a time in when the US Government is deporting individuals without due process.
WWE Roast shows a real trend happening in the WWE
WWE and TKO should be embarrassed by the event; however, these are organizations that do not know shame when it comes to these types of situations. One could look at the UFC, which has faced several similar situations and failed to respond to them correctly nearly every time. Take the Bryce Mitchell situation when he made horrible comments in support of Adolf Hitler, and that’s just one example of some of the things he’s said over the years. UFC President Dana White slapped his wife in public and did not face any accountability in regard to his position as the most powerful figure in combat sports today.
Roasts can be a fun event where friends and family take shots at a beloved figure. That’s not what happened here. WWE employees, or independent contractors based on how they are framed, punched down in several different ways, and they should be held responsible for those comments. This shows a growing problem with this type of behavior, specifically in the WWE, which deserves further conversation when reviewing the company’s behavior that corresponds with Endeavor’s purchase and Donald Trump’s second term as US President. It’s not a good look at all.