WWE Celebrating the 4th of July... in the Southern Hemisphere?

I could get used to seeing this every Fourth of July or on a date somewhere near there
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Eighteen years ago yesterday, the then-WWF held one of the most iconic events in the fed's history. Yokozuna held an open challenge to any American to see if they could bodyslam his 500+ lbs. frame on the USS Intrepid, docked in New York City. It was a foreigner looking to shame Americans on a national landmark, no less. While competitor after competitor failed, the final one, Lex Luger, manned up for the Red, White and Blue and slammed that smug sumo right on his ass. It was a special event for a special holiday, and even though Luger never materialized as the megastar Vince McMahon hoped he'd be after that, it still resonates through WWE's history as something special for a company that purports to love America.

In the grand tradition of that event, WWE spent Independence Day yesterday either doing house shows in or being en route to house shows in the Southern Hemisphere... wait, what? Yes, RAW was on tour in Australia, while Smackdown was gearing up to make South Africa their home for the next week. For a company that very much considers itself part of the heritage of this nation (and for better or worse, they definitely are), for them to tape a show to air on the 4th of July a week before and be out of the country on that date is a little disappointing. Granted, I don't think they should be called to the carpet and have Toby Keith feebly attempt to write a scathing song about their lack of patriotism, but I think on any working holiday they have, they should spend it in the States.

I don't know what the reasoning for their touring schedule was. Maybe it was coincidence. Maybe these were the only times that were convenient for them to visit Australia and South Africa. WWE is a global company, and I'm glad that they travel to all corners of the world. The more I have in common with people around the world, the easier it is for me to gain an audience on here or to talk about if/when I travel abroad. Yeah, I'm selfish. Deal with it.

The thing is, the WWE prides itself on being part of the American fabric. They proved it last night, with Sgt. Slaughter and Jack SWAGGAH~! fighting over the right to say the Pledge of Allegiance, or with their emphasis on honoring the military each year. It's baffling why they wouldn't want to celebrate the Fourth with their native fans.

I also want to say that I'm not mad at how things are. I mean, we got a really good show last night, and hey, when you boil it all down a date is a date, I guess. That people in other countries get to enjoy WWE is the important thing. At the same time though, I look back at that date on the Intrepid and think, wow, that was a great way to tie into the spirit of the holiday without looking too obsequious or patronizing to the country and the sense of patriotism we feel on that day. I knwo they won't deliver on that moment every year, but if they try (but not too hard), then maybe they have some kind of tradition that keeps going every year.

I dunno, I guess I have more pride in being an American than I thought. It's great that we share one of our longstanding producers of entertainment with the rest of the world. It really is. However, I can't help but feel a bit wistful when we don't get to have just one day for this country. Maybe it'd be a bit better if a top-line indie fed stepped up to fill that tradition, but either way, pro wrestling is something that we Americans do a certain way, and that tradition has become as American as baseball. I think WWE should step up and take that mantel for themselves.

Kevin Kelly Tries to Go America All Over Everybody's Asses, Fails

Sheamus and Santino prove Kelly wrong
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Former WWE commentator and current ROH/Lucha Libre USA announcer Kevin Kelly raised some eyebrows about the viability of foreign-born/-billed wrestlers as draws in WWE. I guess he has a bug up his ass about Sheamus or Wade Barrett getting main event pushes, or maybe he's just xenophobic. I'm not going to FJM him, because K. Sawyer Paul did it first and probably did it better than I could. Damn these snazzy bloggers with their quick triggers on doing FJM to shitty journalism/opinion writing! I will, however, take another angle with Kelly. He claims that foreign stars will never be big in WWE or in any sport in America:

Hulk Hogan, Rock and Stone Cold are household names. Macho Man is too. John Cena is close but the WWE is not what it was a few years ago and as a result, Cena is not a true household name with the American casual fan. Kids, yes but not adults. Bret Hart is close too but he was on top when the business was in the toilet. Not his fault but while Bret is super-over with hardcore fans, the business climate from his time at the top knocks him down a peg.

Emphasis there is mine. Let's forget for a second that Andre the Giant was perhaps the greatest draw in the regional era of wrestling. Let's forget that Bruno Sammartino, Antonino Rocca, Eduoard Carpentier, Ivan Koloff, Nikita Koloff, the Great Muta, Davey Boy Smith and even Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio (who, even though were born in America, have strong Mexican roots and could almost be considered "foreign" if you stretch the definition enough) all were super over and either drew money here or helped other guys draw money despite either being born in another country or billed from another land. No, Kelly's argument is flawed right from get-go one.

It really doesn't matter what the fuck Americans think about these foreign guys to an extent.

Kelly mentions the WWE's global initiative in the first paragraph, and then ignores that it exists when he rails against the WWE pushing them dirty foreigners here in the States. That's a dangerously ignorant thing to do, especially given how popular the WWE is in other countries (and conversely, how unpopular MMA and UFC are in some of those other countries... given how much UFC cuts into the WWE's PPV market and other demographics here, that's not trivial). If you're a company trying to make inroads into Ireland, wouldn't you want U2 on your side? Yeah? Okay, so then why is the WWE stupid for pushing Sheamus when they're trying to struggle for a market share in Ireland? Same with Wade Barrett in Britain or Alberto del Rio, Rey Mysterio and now Sin Cara in Mexico or even Great Khali in India.

The truth is, the world is turning into a global marketplace. Local business is being drowned out by Internet commerce and the wide reach of companies trying to use new media, new technology and the burgeoning global infrastructure to capture more and more viewers in places they have never reached before. Couple that with human nature of wanting to identify with people who looked, spoke, acted and had the same culture as they do, and it's a no-brainer to try and tap into each lucrative market.

The WWE has been trying, and succeeding, at cultivating a truly international product, for longer than they've had Sheamus, Barrett and the like on their roster. Kelly denigrates Bret Hart's impact on the business in that blockquoted snippet. While it was true that Hart was on top during a downturn in American business, he was super popular to foreign audiences. You could argue that the international money that Hart brought in helped keep the then-WWF with the resources and revenue that kept them in the same ballpark as WCW was with their Turner-backing.

Hell, and if they get over with American audiences too, which if Kelly would take his head out of his xenophobic ass, he'd notice that they are, then it's gravy. Hell, look at the guys who get the loudest face reactions at any WWE show. John Cena is American, Rey Mysterio is a stylized Mexican and Santino Marella is billed from Calabria, Italy. Three superstars, three countries.

If Kevin Kelly has an axe to grind with WWE, he might as well go about doing so with a better argument, because this one is not rooted in fact or honesty. If he wants to spout that kind of jingoism, let him go on Fox News. It's not needed nor is it welcome in a place where we as wrestling fans not only embrace guys like Sheamus, Barrett, Mysterio and the like, but know full well that their place in the business side of things is very important as well, even if in a wholly hypothetical situation, my fellow Americans spend zero percent of their ticket to see anyone not billed as 100% American, something which has been proven to be patently false.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!