SmackDown Has Money in the Bank Fallout and Then Some...

How Are You Doing, Enthusiasts?

 

So, this is an odd day. I know most aren’t concerned but I lived for a short time in Japan so I feel I should speak a little on former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s assassination. I was in Japan before he took office but hearing about this is nothing short of shocking. I’m not sure what the shooter’s politics are but Abe was generally known as an “honest politician”. Some may question his openness to Donald Trump during his presidency but to me, that was more indication of his inherent diplomacy.

 

It’s a tragedy mainly because the former prime minister was shot. Japan is known for its strict gun laws, so this shooter was determined to do this. Word is the gun was homemade. From what I read, reports say that the shooter believes Abe was affiliated with some group but they did not indicate which. This comes off like mental illness and that’s what makes the act such a tragedy. You get the feeling it could have and probably should have been prevented. It’s too bad. My condolences to the country.

 

Well, let’s turn to the WWE Universe which continues to witness skeletons falling out of Vince McMahon’s proverbial closet. More allegations of hush money payments have come out and it’s hard to say how this will go over. Many social media commenters are saying it’s the beginning of the end for Mr. McMahon but again, I’m not so sure. What’s spilling out is no surprise to the savvy. Some are likening him to Harvey Weinstein but that’s not quite a correct comparison. Weinstein didn’t pay anyone off. He basically said get naked or never get a job in this town again. That’s what happened to Mira Sorvino. She was doing well for herself at the end of the 90s and the start of the 2000s and then *poof* gone. Didn’t see her anymore. I always wondered what happened to her and then the news broke and it explained everything.

 

Mr. McMahon’s skeletons were compensated. Not to say that makes it okay but he technically didn’t leave people feeling “not whole”. Weinstein left his victims somewhat “broken” and in many cases in need of a new career. I think that fact keeps Mr. McMahon in play whether people like it or not.

 

No one expects Mr. McMahon to be the most upstanding citizen. He’s done a smart job of painting himself as a cold, exacting overseer concerned with profit so to have this sort of thing in his past wouldn’t be a surprise and for those aware of the old days, it simply isn’t. So, if you’re finding yourself conflicted, I think the real question to ask yourself is whether it matters.

 

All this stuff happened and those who endured the encounters received payouts for their trouble. We’re receiving all this information after the fact. So, if you’ve enjoyed WWE’s product for the most part, all this information was true while you did so, I don’t think it should really affect your enjoyment of the product or be a moral conflict should you enjoy it. As They say, should the family or in this case the company be responsible for the sins of the father/CEO?

 

Also, keep in mind that much of this isn’t all that recent. Sounds like the last of it wrapped up in 2005 though compensation did take a while for some. That’s how settlements can go sometimes. I think people should be more up in arms if this is still going on. A true canceling of Mr. McMahon would probably only occur under a whistleblower type scenario. If something came out that damned him in real time, then he may have to pack it up. Skeletons that most already knew were there, falling out isn’t quite the scandal people would hope it to be.

 

Bill Cosby was a shock because he was America’s Best Dad for decades. Harvey Weinstein was a bit of an open secret in the Entertainment Industry. I heard about him more due to his temper though, but the “casting couch” abuse goes with the territory. It wasn’t that much of a surprise but seeing how he liked to leave “examples” behind of what it is to defy him, his day of comeuppance was only a matter of time.

 

We all know Mr. McMahon is no angel so proof of it goes over like, “What else is new?...”. No one is shocked and no one is really calling for his removal. I don’t think anyone is outside of Dickies Arena tonight protesting. Those who suffered by Mr. McMahon’s indiscretions were eventually paid off so though morally objectionable, we can more or less presume the offended parties were “made whole” and the matter should be for all intents and purposes settled. Those hoping for Mr. McMahon’s demise have to hope for a bigger skeleton to fall out.

 

All right, that’s enough of that. There is more news but I’ll only touch on it. Word going around is that Sasha Banks and Naomi have been removed from the internal WWE roster. Not sure what that officially means because the company has not officially issued a statement on their departure. That’s when you tend to know that it’s all real. I’m hoping it’s a work and that they just don’t know the best way to bring them back yet. If that’s so, let them marinate on it. Given how it’s gotten people’s attention, it would be completely lame to bring them back on some half-assed angle. Let them make it interesting if they can.

 

So, that brings us to tonight’s SmackDown. It’s technically Money in the Bank Fallout so, Roman Reigns gets welcomed back amidst a questionable backdrop anyway. We’ll see how his return goes over. Max Dupri and his gorgeous models will be working on their versions of “Blue Steel” and “Le Tigre”. And Ronda Rousey will take some time to lament losing the Women’s SmackDown Title. WWE better rethink a rematch with Liv Morgan. I know it’s the general go-to but the fans like the title on her. It’s hard to say that Morgan can actually go toe-to-toe with a healthy Rousey. They may want to keep the title on her a while and then maybe have Rousey go, “I think you’ve got something of mine…” around Survivor Series. By then, we would have seen whether Morgan’s reign matches her appeal and she would have held it a fair amount of time, more or less. Putting it on her to take it off would just piss fans off and not in the good way. She could win but I don’t know how believable that would be. Her fans wouldn’t care but everyone else might roll their eyes and for once WWE may get flak for placating fans. It’s never easy pleasing the people 😉 Funny tweets and Likes get retweeted. We’ll see if Mr. McMahon still “assures” us that all is fine as we have just another Friday in the WWE Universe.

 

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)