wrestling / Columns

Is The WWE Be A STAR Campaign Counter Intuitive, Hypocritical, or Both?

September 28, 2014 | Posted by Greg De Marco

In April 2011, the WWE launched their “Be a STAR” campaign along with The Creative Coalition. STAR stands for Show Tolerance And Respect, and the WWE Community site lists the mission of Be a STAR as seen below:

The mission of Be a STAR is to ensure a positive and equitable social environment for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation through grassroots efforts beginning with education and awareness. Be a STAR promotes positive methods of social interaction and encourages people to treat others as equals and with respect because everyone is a star in their own right.

Bullying is a very real problem that exists in our schools and online in the United States and many other countries. According to NoBullying.com, “20 percent of U.S. students in grades 9-12 reportedly have experienced bullying or are feeling bullied, while 28 percent of students in grades 6-12 report the same.” In addition, “70.6 percent of teens have seen bullying occurring in their schools – and approximately 30 percent of young people admit to bullying themselves.” What’s even more surprising is how the bullying occurs: “Most of the students in the study reported name calling as the most prevalent type of bullying, followed by teasing, rumor-spreading, physical incidents, purposeful isolation, threats, belongings being stolen, and sexual harassment. Surprisingly, cyberbullying occurred with the least frequency.”

The WWE Community site has some great resources to aid in their (and other) efforts against bullying, geared towards kids, parents, schools and more.

That’s the good news. Ready for the bad news?

That’s right, the face of the WWE wrestled in a no-disqualification “match” against Michael Cole, including forcing him to praise Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross under duress, hitting him on the head with the microphone, covering him in barbeque sauce, dousing him with a fire extinguisher and more. The worst part of it all is Jerry Lawler cheering Cena on during the match, and the over 15,000 fans in attendance cheering for John Cena as he bullied a man who isn’t a trainer a wrestler, rather a trained journalist. It’s entirely possible that Michael Cole approved this booking—hell, he might have been the man with the idea. That doesn’t matter. What mattered was the message it sends to the fans, the most impressionable of whom are kids that look to John Cena as their hero.

Read that again: What mattered was the message it sends to the fans, the most impressionable of whom are kids that look to John Cena AS THEIR HERO.

John Cena’s match against Michael Cole took place on June 4, 2012, a full 14 months after the WWE launched their Be a STAR campaign.

This is not the only example of bullying on WWE television—far from it! But it’s one of the most extreme examples. One of the biggest bullies in all of professional wrestling it one of the three most popular wrestlers of all-time: The Rock. This is one man’s estimation, but I’d say that 50% or more of his actions and promos featured bullying, and nearly every bit of it was cheered on by the WWE viewing audience.

Now if you go back to the WWE Community site, you’ll notice a page labeled “Take Action – Is your child being bullied?” This page provides zero information about bullying, and instead directs you to one of nine other websites about bullying. None of these sites are maintained by the WWE.

On top of that, the Sheamus character is used on both side-bars, portrayed as the “Celtic Crusader” who is rallying against bullying.

Did I miss something here? Was there a moment when Sheamus became aware of his bullying ways and turned it all around? Because I sure do remember the 1-800-FELLA promos…

The “hiccups” commercial sees Sheamus Brogue kicking an unsuspecting man—small in stature and unable to get rid of his hiccups—in the back. It ends with Sheamus noting that the man is “still not moving” and asking if he has insurance, before sneaking away.

The “hiccups” commercial was published in June 2013, more than two years after the Be a STAR campaign was launched.

Some (or many, but I hope not) of you might be thinking “but Greg, it’s a television show with television characters!” I used to feel the same way. And the WWE thinks that way, too.

Case in point: check out Stephanie McMahon’s Twitter profile to the right. As you can see, the last sentence reads “I believe in the power of community and giving back to those in need, and I play a bad guy on TV.” Stephanie feels the need to make sure her near 1 million followers understand that there’s a distinct difference between the character she plays on television and the real person. Much like people could say about John Cena in his match with Michael Cole and Sheamus in the “1-800-Fella” commercials. Furthermore, she’s referred to as a “Principle Owner of WWE” on television, when her official title is Chief Brand Officer.

If you go to his Executive Bio page of the WWE Corporate site, you’ll notice that Triple H’s official title is “Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative.” But on television, Triple H is the “COO of the WWE.” Once again, distancing himself from the character portrayed on television. If he had a character to be proud of, he wouldn’t need that distance.

It makes me almost want to praise Vince McMahon—almost—for the fact that he doesn’t hide who he is. He’s listed as the Chairman & CEO in his executive bio and he’s also billed as such on television—where he’s often been portrayed as a bully. At least Vince has the grapefruits to own it.

There’s something very important to understand here: I do not have a problem with the portrayal of bullies on WWE television. It’s first and foremost a television show. I also do not have a problem with the WWE’s Be a STAR campaign. It’s an effort to spread awareness of a very real and scary truth about our world today.

The problem I have lies with both of them existing together. Make a decision, WWE! You’re either a bully or you’re not.

But to see Stephanie McMahon and Triple H rip Daniel Bryan for his size and stature on television, yet go on to support efforts against bullying in their corporate roles is 100% hypocrisy. You can’t have it both ways and expect us, the viewing fans, to buy what you’re selling. That’s why Be a STAR is often a punchline for the actions seen from WWE Superstars on television. Because the stars of the show—the ones who get those kids to watch and view them in a heroic role—are the same people who are bullying their counterparts.

And as I’ve already shown, the top face in the company is one of the biggest offenders. John Cena is a bully, and any role he ever plays in the Be a STAR campaign makes him—and his character—a complete hypocrite.

That’s right John, Be a STAR.

It’s a jaded point of view, but I have a hard time believing when an organization like the WWE or the NFL gets behind a cause like anti-bullying or ending violence against women that they’re doing it for the right reasons. They’re not doing it because they want to, they’re doing it because they have to. Just like a financial holding, it’s an investment. These examples represent an investment in public image. But it’s shallow investment. You can’t run an honest and sincere Be a STAR campaign when your “good guys,” the heroes of impressionable young kids watching your product, are bullies themselves.

Because to this father of two, including an 8-year old son who lists John Cena among his heroes, it’s counter intuitive and hypocritical.

For more information about stopping bullying in your area, visit Champions Against Bullying and stopbullying.gov.

Greg DeMarco is a wrestling fan of over 30 years and has also worked on the independent circuit as a promoter, announcer, character and booker. Greg a weekly contributor at 411Mania.com, applying his opinionated style to the world of pro wrestling on Sundays and Thursdays.

He began writing for 411Mania in October 2010 and has been pissing readers off ever since!

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article topics :

Be A STAR, John Cena, WWE, Greg De Marco