...or you end up with a bunch of headlines like F4WOnline's 'Triple H on Vince McMahon allegations: I just want to focus on the positives,' Indy 100's 'Triple H calls week Vince McMahon was accused of sex trafficking amazing,' or CageSide Seats' less snarky 'Triple H dodges, deflects questions on Vince McMahon sex trafficking lawsuit.' Plus, it probably doesn't make Netflix too happy to have their new deal mentioned in response to a question about a sexual misconduct scandal."
"As Triple H himself pointed out, it's not unexpected that he would not make a substantial comment on an ongoing legal matter, nor that he would try to redirect the conversation to other areas. But you have to at least acknowledge the "dark cloud," as one reporter put it earlier in the night...
Nonetheless, the #RoyalRumble was a solid show, and a refreshing change from the schoolyard dramas and petty politicking of the AEW product and culture. Nice logical booking. And the roster depth and women's division in particular is incredible, while the production values are second to none.
A good question would've been: "Is there not a conflict of interest in your handling of this scandal given you are Vince's son-in-law?" Of course, Levesque still could have provided the basic PR answer: "I must try to carry out my duties to the best of my ability and the board of directors will be the judges of that." But at least ask it. This is a huge scandal, and the fact Levesque can use his privilege to "prefer to focus on positives" is utterly inappropriate at this time.
Great to witness Brandon Thurston and Jon Alba join Hausman in fearless journalism at WWE's post-Royal Rumble press scrum last night, too. But it has to be said, Levesque's answers to their questions on the Vince McMahon allegations were poor, and there were so many follow-ups even more softball questioners could have chosen: "This lawsuit implicates your company, so do you not have a professional obligation to familiarise yourself with it?" or "Do you think Vince will ever be back in WWE?" etc.
@tutwilly Yes! And with stone-faced conviction: "Why would you say that? Of course it's real - it's as real as MMA. Piledrivers are real. The matches are real. The Rock is really tough, he must be, because he genuinely beat up a bunch of people to become a world champion multiple times."
"As a fan of pro wrestling, there’s nothing in the world that’s funnier to me than when somebody tries to explain that wrestling is fake. It’s not even the sentiment, necessarily – usually, it’s the delivery that seals the deal for me. They always do it with an air of wisdom, like they’re revealing to me some immense hidden truth. 'It’s just men pretending to fight in their underwear', they tell me. That isn’t true, I usually respond. Sometimes they let women do it too." https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/wwe-wrestling-vince-mcmahon-rock-royal-rumble-b2485541.html