McMahon Feminism and the Hypocrisies of Its Invocation in WWE

Steph can change the atmosphere, but she won't, and that's a problem
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Last night, Stephanie McMahon came the closest to outright reading Judith Butler on the air that WWE has had in a long time. She talked about the ideas of reprimanding those who degrade women and the harsh punishment therein. The only problem? She wasn't telling this to the men who have actually done it. When Stephanie McMahon accused AJ Lee of her recent actions being degrading to women, it is immediately hollowed by reality. Stephanie, by leading the creative department, is guilty for placing women in this stage to begin with. But let's avoid the obvious parts for why simply saying feminist things is not even close to being feminist.

In 2005, the book Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy was published. In it, Levy posits the idea that women in leadership positions can be just as guilty of extending and strengthening patriarchy as their male counterparts simply by how they view women. Levy's arguments fit more of a second-wave model, at points becoming almost too finger-wagging at female sexuality, but her arguments that a raunch culture enabled by women saying "these women are empowered!" when referring to a Paris Hilton are exactly parallels to Stephanie's product (even if it is ultimately Vince's baby).

Setting Fashion Trends? THAT'S WHAT HE DO

Photo Credit: WWE.com

Mark Henry had even me fooled last night with his "retirement" ceremony. If he didn't do WHAT HE DO last night, he still would've left people talking with that salmon sport coat. Honestly, he won the show as soon as he showed up with it on. If you see more people rocking the salmon in their business attire, you know whom to thank.

Instant Feedback: The Whirlwind

Tonight was one of those RAWs where everything happened. It opened with Alberto del Rio confirming that what happened at Payback was indeed a double turn, and it closed with Brock Lesnar officially stripping CM Punk of his "Paul Heyman Guy" status. It included Christian's return, more McMahon family quibbles, Daniel Bryan being victim of an injury angle, Stephanie McMahon waxing hypocritical about AJ Lee acting degrading towards women, and a growing spectre of the Wyatt Family, a group that inches closer and closer to their debut. The show was loaded, and it was in motion, non-stop. I would say this was the episode of RAW Vince Russo had in mind when he first ideated Crash TV, but I don't know what goes on in his head, nor do I ever want to. It seems like a scary place up there.

But it takes a special segment to stand out on a show like tonight's, an all-timer. I didn't know if Mark Henry was really going to retire going into his interruption of John Cena's "rah rah never give up" speech set towards the eventual Money in the Bank winner. All I knew before he got into the ring was that he had on one of the raddest, even if just ironically, suit jackets. Then the tears started coming, and the old anecdotes of his kids rushed from his mouth to our ears. I got this sense of dread, that Henry was really about to hang 'em up. It felt like Edge's retirement segment, where I know I thought it was going to be one big ruse, but instead, it turned out to be him blindsiding everyone with his medical announcement.

The Wrestling Blog's OFFICIAL Best in the World Rankings, June 17th

Stock photo, yeah, but C'MON
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Welcome to a feature I like to call "Best in the World" rankings. They're not traditional power rankings per se, but they're rankings to see who is really the best in the world, a term bandied about like it's bottled water or something else really common. They're rankings decided by me, and don't you dare call them arbitrary lest I smack the taste out of your mouth. Without further ado, here's this week's list:

1. Daniel Bryan (Last Week: 1) - He's been so good lately that he's been reminding people of the long defunct Bryan Danielson.

2. Mark Henry (Last Week: 2) - Mark Henry don't retire. Mark Henry lets wrestling know when he's done with it.

3. Rachel Summerlyn (Last Week: 3) - Seriously, I can't take how adorable her bromance with Jessicka Havok is. Here are two wrestlers who could legit kill me, and they're all bubbly 'n shit with each other. I CAN'T.

It's Time to Unify

Pictured above, left: A wholly sabotaged IC Champ
Photo Credit: WWE.com

The idea of a title belt has become almost like a dinosaur in WWE's creative offices. This isn't a claim based on sources or quotes; I wouldn't trust anyone who says they work for WWE anyway (thanks carny nature of the business!). I think it's pretty evident in the booking patterns of guys whom they choose to strap titles on. The overall modus operandi of those crafting the narrative is that they want guys to get over, but they want them to do it almost in spite of what comes from the writers, agents, and ultimately, the executives within House McMahon. There are people who win - Randy Orton, Sheamus, and especially John Cena. There are people who lose - Zack Ryder, Santino Marella, and the Prime Time Players. Everyone else is stuck in a certain limbo where they get streaky either way, but ultimately end up victims of what my friend Dylan Hales has so eloquently and tersely called, "bullshit parity booking."

It doesn't matter whether you hold a bauble that the cacophonous sounds from the broadcast booth will say emptily is prestigious. Look at every wrestler who has held the United States or Intercontinental Championship for the last, I don't know, forever. Most recently, the meme has been that RED BELLY was the worst wrestler on the roster because he had been the poster child for the guy who'd lose a non-title match to set up a defense later on. The funniest thing was that there were instances where he'd take the loss and then not have it followed up on. Sin Cara actually holds non-title wins over recently deposed Champs from both secondary titles - Barrett and Antonio Cesaro - without ever getting his owed-to shot. The narrative is so murky and nebulous that any belt that isn't the WWE Championship might be considered cursed, squeezing the waist until it has sucked all life and talent from you like some booby-prize of an item from 8-bit JRPG lore.

From the Archives: The Throwbacks vs. the Washington Bullets from Beyond's Burst the Bubble

Beyond Wrestling's We Care a Lot happened Friday night, and I'm sure that they'll be getting out video content, whether it be previews, clips, or even full matches, sooner rather than later. When they do start with the release, well, what gets released will be must-see, like this match below between the Throwbacks and the Washington Bullets. Most of you may be more familiar with the former team than the latter. Some of you Southern aficionados may have the vice versa be true. Others may not know either or know both. Either way, the match is a stunning display of what the Brothers Williams can do in the ring, and it's also got a little story of dissension within the ranks of the two-sport superstars here. Give it a watch.

Anyone but Rob van Dam, Please

The worst
Photo Credit: WWE.com, Manipulation: TH in MS Paint

Rob van Dam sucks.

Sorry for putting the lede bluntly out in front here, but there are scant few people in wrestling I want to see on my television screen less than RVD. One of them is going to be wrestling new Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel tonight, unless Stephanie McMahon is able to convince him he's too good to deign himself to perform in front of unwashed cretins like she's been trying to do. The thought of both of them being a part of the build to Money in the Bank or a part of said show just gives me unnecessary worry for what has become one of the surest things on the WWE pay-per-view calendar. I know, I know, the show can still be good even if there are a few obviously awful components to the proceedings. I highly doubt that Trips will even wrestle on that show, because what's he going to do, ugh, win the Intercontinental Championship? That belt was beneath him over a decade ago.

However, RVD will be putting his exquisite brand of bullshittery on display for everyone to see. I don't care if it's most likely going to be in one of the actual ladder matches. He'd be taking up a spot reserved for someone more entertaining, like, the Great Khali for instance. I don't care if he's just in one of those matches to be a crash test dummy. Sin Cara actually does it way better (probably because he legitimately gets hurt, but that's besides the point). At this point, I would rather see them bring up one of the non-indie star NXT guys and run with them, even if I don't know how to tell a Jason Jordan from a Colin Cassady.

Happy Father's Day, Curtis

Photo Credit: WWE.com

In case you haven't heard yet, Curtis Axel is the first ever progeny of an Intercontinental Champion to win the same belt. Stats in wrestling like that feel hollow to me, but there was a certain amount of what the kids like to call nowadays "The Feels" involved here. Axel won the title on Fathers' Day, a fitting tribute to his late dad, Mr. Perfect. Regardless of how one feels about the way Papa Hennig went out, the idea still makes me feel a bit dusty-eyed. Hopefully now, the era of the Wade Barrett Champion is over, one because it's annoying to see a great story McGuffin like the Intercontinental Championship look dorky, and two, because it's getting tiring reading everyone react to the Intercontinental Champion losing in non-title matches all the time. It's not even that I'm sick of the bitching; they're valid complaints. I'm just sick of it being a thing.

This Week in Off-Topic: The Best (And Worst) TV Fathers

And his fashion sense was impeccable too!

Today is Fathers' Day, which means a celebration for all the guys out there who sired offspring and weren't chickenshit enough to run out on those children. Dads in entertainment are a mixed bag, especially on television. There have been some good dads, and there have been some really awful patriarchs as well. Here are the five best and worst fathers in television, at least from my estimation.

BEST

1. Clifford Heathcliff Huxtable, MD, The Cosby Show: The most cliched answer is so because it is the easiest and best. Dr. Huxtable was a dad elemental, dispensing wisdom and showing unconditional love to all his kids, even the bratty Olivia who came into play in the later seasons. There's a reason why when you think "TV Dad," The Hux is the first who comes to mind.

The Past is Prologue: Survivor Series 1992 and Seeing the Light

Da Bad Guy was canvas for Mr. Perfect "seeing the light"
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Here we go again. // Playing the fool again. // Here we go again // Acting hard again. // Well I'm beginning to see the light.

-- The Velvet Underground, "Beginning to See the Light"

Mere moments into the Coliseum Video version of Survivor Series 1992, we are greeted by the rambling preaching of the Reverend Slick, who tells us of the idea of seeing the light. Obviously, this is a metaphor for Christianity, but it should be noted that Slick never says the word "God" or "Jesus Christ." He merely speaks of the light. This all sounds like hokum until Vince McMahon refers to "the light" as well in the actual broadcast. If a motif is discussed more than once, it is not merely a coincidence. Survivor Series 1992 is a show about us seeing the light.

The Velvet Underground song "Beginning to See the Light," reads as pretty sarcastic simply because Lou Reed isn't known for his positive upbeat vibes. And perhaps that is how we can read Survivor Series 1992, a show where the most prominent event is the team-up of Mr. Perfect and Randy Savage to battle Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. This is where McMahon drops the comment about Perfect "seeing the light." This is the closest to just saying "cheer Mr. Perfect," yet Perfect's mindset doesn't really change. If anything, he is reluctant to see the light, but knows his conflicts are with the forces of darkness.

Instant Feedback: Get Out of Your Own Damn Way for Once

A winning streak in sports doesn't always end on a night when the nation is watching. It's part of the charm of athletic contests. Usain Bolt loses a race not at the Olympics, but in some random meet in Rome. The Miami Heat don't get deposed of their winning streak in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Spurs. It comes in a regular season game against a Bulls team missing its best player and with the rest of its roster looking like a MASH unit. It's a boon for the guy who wins the race or for the fans of the team who wins and ends that streak, but in terms of overall story, well, it could have ended more dramatically.

Wrestling is not a sport. Wrestling may be an athletic endeavor, but it is just as much creatively-licensed story as it is bones, skin, and sinew being pushed to their limits. Winning streaks in wrestling aren't happenstance. They are deliberate, and they have meaning. A company should not engage a winning streak for a wrestler, a tag team, or a stable unless they're willing to make sure its end comes on a big stage, against a big opponent, with a big story.

There was a big deal made about The Shield, as a three-person entity, not losing a match. This was mentioned and mentioned and mentioned some more. One might think that it would have been a pot of gold at the end of a long, arduous rainbow. Think Rainbow Road in the various Mario Kart games-arduous. Endgames happen at landmark episodes of Monday Night RAW. They happen at pay-per-views.

An Accidental Build to Revenge: WWE Payback Preview

The embodiment of Payback
Photo Credit: WWE.com

As with most concepts and ideas borne from corporate board rooms by yes men under the control of a megalomaniacal chairman, the thrust behind Payback was ill-thought-out at the very least. The show was supposed to feature resolutions to "long-simmering grudges," which might point to a slate of matches tempered by months if not years of animosity. Of course, WWE would put the cart before the horse. This is a company that thinks "Show, don't tell" is a fallacious statement, or at least it does through its narrative.

If you look at the top three matches on the card, we get an event where the longest-simmering grudge was left with the heat off it for an entire run on the calendar. Arguably, the beef between Chris Jericho and CM Punk isn't even the impetus for this match. It may turn out that both men, by the end of the night, will more be pissed off at Paul Heyman, the huckster with the demeanor of a weasel. Muscular, trained wrestlers wanting to take their aggressions out on a non-competing punching bag? Well, that's fodder for a whole other commentary.

Early WWE Character Sketches Are Kinda Cool

Art scanned via WWE.com

Via WWE.com

It's always fascinating to see the early stages of character design, especially when they turn out as differently as they actually manifested themselves. WWE released early conceptual designs for a whole bunch of characters: two of the three faces of Mick Foley, Goldust, Rocky Maivia, Adam Bomb, Doink the Clown, IRS, Razor Ramon, Papa Shango, Shawn Michaels, and Max Moon. Some of them were similar to what they turned out as. Others? Well, look above at the IRS sketch. It doesn't seem too different until you look at his pose and the shirt-and-tie look stylized as a tank top. He's less a bureaucrat and more a male stripper, which I admit, would have been a fantastic way of playing the character.

Any Shows This Weekend? An Iron Man Farewell to a Legendary Feud

Cole. Callihan. One last time, this one out West.
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

So, the weekend again is upon us, and what do you know, there's a crapload of wrestling going on around the country. While the most notable show is happening on pay-per-view (one that I'll have a preview up for later on today), it's far from the only one, and odds are, it might not be the best one. I already previewed Beyond Wrestling's We Care a Lot, which happens tonight. If you're in New England, be sure to check that one out. However, as is the case with every weekend in the world, there's probably a cool wrestling show happening near you. IF you don't see one in your area below, then hey, check out Pro Wrestling Events for the skinny. Even if it's just a listing with no description, it's a start at least. Sometimes, you just need to make a leap of faith.

But because a little information is always helpful and handy, here are some of the highlight shows of the next three nights. First off, the spiritual forefather promotion of the entire independent scene will be running a show tonight at the Colgate Gymnasium in Clarksville, IN. IWA Mid-South, Ian Rotten's on-again, off-again house of gore and glory, will be presenting Old Scars and Bad Blood, with a bell time of 7:30 PM local. The main event of the show will pit Sabu against BJ Whitmer. Also scheduled will be a match for the IWA-MS Light Heavyweight Championship as Jimmy Jacobs battles Devon Moore. Other wrestlers scheduled to appear are Jonathan Gresham, Zach Gowen, the Hooligans, Reed Bentley, Chris Hamrick, Scotty Vortekz, and of course, the Rotten Bros. of Axl and Ian.

Impactful Feedback: BFG Series Selection Show

WRESTLING! YAY!
Photo Credit: ImpactWrestling.com

Well, I got my complaining about the Bound for Glory Series out of the way last week, so this week, I might as well suck it up and get a positive post out there, because all feedback doesn’t have to be negative.

With that being said, there was one thing that I thought Impact did really well tonight: THEY WRESTLED. Sure, there were a few backstage segments, but they were used simply as hype material for the matches that followed the break. Even the asinine Rampage/Angle segment that killed all the heat they built last week was a hype segment. Unfortunately, they did kill the action with an in-ring segment between Velvet Sky and Mickie James, who are terrible on the microphone, but I’m not going to dump on that either.

What we saw tonight was a night full of actual rasslin', and even though the majority of them ended with flash pins or confusing over the top eliminations, it was so very refreshing to see a night totally devoted to the art that these men were trained to perform.