Flair Family Distraught Over Recent Raw Angle

This past Monday’s Raw was the go-home show for this Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. The closing segment was a contract signing between Paige and Charlotte for the Women’s (“Divas”) title. What had promise ended up in shock, as an unneeded line about Charlotte’s real life deceased brother made it into the promo. At about 3:15 into the video below, Paige may have crossed the line.

httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAt1kk-632s

Now, it is pretty known that WWE (or Vince McMahon, if we can be completely honest with ourselves) tends to cross the line a lot to sell the product. We may not agree with it, but like former WCW owner Eric Bischoff has stated, “Controversy creates cash.” As the lead wrestling entity in the United States, WWE will do anything to sell. WWE has had the unfortunate opportunity to be recognized as a continual recipient of the Wrestling News Observer award for Most Disgusting Promotional Tactics. Some examples of what they won for include:

• 2002: The Katie Vick angle with Kane and Triple H. No explanation needed.
• 2005: A terrorist angle on the day of the London bombings (although that was not the intention, they had the whole day to wipe that footage of the Smackdown taping out, which they didn’t.)
• 2012: Mocking Jerry “The King” Lawler’s heart attack on air when he returned to TV.

The problem with these moves is that someone had to sign off on them. Usually if a storyline involved a family member, the family would be consulted first before the live show. The Flair family was not informed until the promo about their late son was aired. On Ric Flair’s podcast, 9 minutes in, a clearly emotional Flair talks about the angle:

https://www1.play.it/audio/wooooo-nation-with-ric-flair/

Something stood out in his speech. While showing admiration for Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, Flair stated in regards to Charlotte going through with the angle, “I would just say that I know that Hunter, and Stephanie, and Michael Hayes have her back…I think if they asked her to do something, that’s pretty much the way things operate up there…If somebody writes it down, one person approves everything.” Who do you suppose that one person is?

What went wrong with the promo, besides the obvious? For starters, the match at the upcoming Survivor Series PPV was already set, and the storyline would be two great female wrestlers battling to be the best. With less than 7 days until the PPV, Charlotte including a line about her passed brother seemed forced and unnecessary. The same goes with Paige. If the buildup to the PPV was initially about Charlotte’s brother Reid, it would still be controversial, but it would make some sense. I was excited for the women’s matchup for the first time in a while, and after Monday’s Raw, I was just disturbed. My mother, a non-wrestling fan, just heard the one line from Paige and was disgusted. The interest is still there, but that’s not what people will be talking about at the water cooler the next day at work. The fact that a death angle is now the pinnacle of this feud just seems wrong.

In the end, Big Vince is the decision maker, whether we like it or not. I truly believe WWE could have done without the angle they provided. Sometimes, a line does not need to be drawn to get ratings, YouTube viewings or create cash. A storyline about two women taking names and making memories was sidelined by the WWE soap opera.

Do you believe the added storyline was bad taste? Follow me on Twitter at Twitter.com/DanYanofsky to share your opinion.