Nov

3

Wrestlers are now “Entertainers”?

Posted by WWECQ

November 3, 2008 |

It is mind boggling how much the face of Professional Wrestling has changed in recent years.  The WWE is now promoting a PG-13 product and forgetting about the fans that made the company what is today.  Now the brass is expecting the announcers to no longer refer as the in-ring talent as “wrestlers”. 

World Wrestling Entertainment informed all of their announcers this week to refer to their talent as “entertainers” as opposed to wrestlers or even Superstars, effective immediately.

According to numerous sources, the decision is part of a organized plan of attack towards getting WWE as a company re-classified as an entertainment touring event, as posed to a legitimate sporting event.

The internal hope within WWE management is that by doing this, they will take power away from the Athletic Commissions in certain States and keep the company from having to pay taxes on their events.

Obviously, this would also have the company benefit of preventing WWE from being held to the letter of the law in States like Georgia, who’s Athletic Commission is looking at putting stricter restrictions on the professional wrestling industry following the Chris Benoit incident.

We’ll have to see what comes of this and whether the strategy could even work, but that’s why the change was made.

Source: PWInsider

When I read this I got a picture in my head of when I was a kid. 

“You boys quit wrestling in the living-room.  If you want to pretend you’re wrestlers go in the backyard!”

NOW is it?

“You boys quit entertaining in the living-room.  If you want to pretend you’re entertainers go in the backyard!”

It just doesn’t have the same ring to it out of my mom’s mouth or Jerry Lawler’s.

I understand their objective of lowering taxes and becoming a “touring entertainment event”.  The problem is everyone has an opinion on Pro Wresting or “Sports Entertainment” as it is now being force fed to us.  The minds of the commission members will not be changed because Good Ol’ JR calls Y2J a entertainer rather than a wrestler.  Unless the physical contact stops, the company will always be seen as a wrestling company full of wrestlers.


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  1. WWE Wrestlers Now Known As Entertainers - Page 3 - Wrestling Forums : WWE, TNA, ECW, E-Fed, Wrestlemania, Live Wrestling Streams on November 3, 2008 2:41 pm

    [...] WWE Wrestlers Now Known As Entertainers From CQ [...]

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