Where's the Bright Side?

Several weeks ago, my hopes were high as professional wrestling (I dare not call it Sports Entertainment) seemed to be headed for an upswing. There was a massive amount of excitement focused around the WWE draft, there was hope that TNA could maybe turn around (Isn't there always?), and there was the excitement of the upcoming Ring of Honor Pay Per View, Respect is Earned. Sadly, the tragedy (Is there any other appropriate word) of the Benoit family has now placed us in a valley when we were hoping for a peak.

There are people in all forms of media calling for the head of Vince McMahon. They say McMahon encourages steroid use, steroid abuse, and drug abuse among other things. They want Congress to intervene and create a way for the government to regulate drug abuse and steroid use/abuse at wrestling shows. Everyone, from internet bloggers like myself to wrestlers, radio hosts and "wrestling reporters" blame the schedule and lifestyle of WWE for what has happened. It looks as if a dark day has come for Vince McMahon, one he hasn't seen since Hulk Hogan stepped into court so many years ago.

There's a part of me that wants to defend WWE. I mean, wrestling now is SO much better than it used to be, right? Guys like Harley Race and Dory Funk can look at the schedule WWE works and laugh. They wrestled 7 days a week, sometimes twice a day for most of their career. None of them committed an act anything close to what Benoit did. The Ultimate Warrior, of all people, made a point about the use and/or abuse of steroids on FOX News, listing bodybuilders of the late 70's that used steroids and never had problems. Heck, one he listed is the current "Governator" of California. None of them committed an atrocious act like Benoit.

There is one thing I can't defend in this whole debacle, and that is Vince McMahon. For over 23 years, Vince McMahon's company has represented the industry as a whole. Much like MLB, the NFL, the NBA or the NHL, WWE has become synonymous with Professional Wrestling. Even more so than some of those groups. If you think of any major sport, you think of your favorite team in the league. If you ask most anyone outside of the Wrestling bubble about wrestling, they automatically assume you mean WWE. My little brother said it best when asked if he liked wrestling: "Yeah, I like WWE." All this brings one question to mind: What's different about WWE than all of those major corporate entities/legalized monopolies?

The biggest answer, and the one given most often, isn't that wrestling isn't a "real" sport. But I dismiss that. I dismiss it because those guys spend more tim on the road performing than any other sport. Hell, even Broadway shows get a break. What makes the difference to me is the fact that WWE, in spite of the fact that it works with charities like the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the USO, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, and the Starlight Foundation among others, never shows it's positive side. I bet you had no idea that WWE was involved with so many charities, huh? Well, neither did I. I'm sure the non wrestling world doesn't know. To them WWE is the bird flipping, Mr. McMahon butt-kissing, nearly naked women loving predecessor to the retarded reality TV we're so overwhelmed with. But why don't we, the wrestling fans, even know about it? I mean, we spend hours every week with our eyes on the TV screen with not one mention of any of this, barring Mick Foley making a kid GM for a day.
Where are the WWE sponsored Public Service Announcements encouraging people to pay more attention to some of these interests? I'm sure the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation wouldn't mind having a PSA during RAW featuring WWE Champion and fan favorite John Cena encouraging people to donate money or time to help fight a form of cancer that attacks Plasma in your blood. (Don't feel bad, I didn't know what it was either.) I understand that major sports do charitable things all the time without gaining publicity, but pro wrestling NEEDS the positive "karma" of showing that they're more than a way for kids to absorb violence through television. Not just WWE, but professional wrestling as an industry. So what gives?

The honest truth is, only Vince and Linda know why they don't do more. I do know, however, that when wrestling is looked down on by talking heads (and mustaches. I'm looking your way Geraldo) on cable news like the bastard stepchild of American past-times, that there is now only one place to lay the blame. It's not TNA or ROH, both of which are still in their infancy. It's not the now defunct WCW or ECW, as both were absorbed into Vince's empire. In my opinion, it's solely at the feet of Vincent K. McMahon, who built a worldwide conglomerate out of a small company by using the marketing knowledge and skills that would actually save him if he used them for something other than the "almighty dollar."