A good PR example here.
This exchange is a good example of not accepting the premise of a question/comment. Swerve does a great job of using a baseless claim to correct and pivot to talking points about how he’s featured. All very respectfully and in a conversational way.
Mark Henry and Bully Ray tried to corner Swerve with leading questions about his championship reign and his usage and he immediately shut them down with facts 😭
.
@deadspin
’s Sam Fels has an article up about WWE’s use of the Rock as a distraction from the allegations of a culture steeped in sexual assault, trafficking, and misappropriation of funds
The rapes “didn’t gain enough momentum as to cause any on-site issues, other than, of course, to the women it happened to.” Jesus, how does John Scher sleep at night?
#Woodstock99
I never wanted Okada in WWE because I was afraid they’d make him a comedy character, especially when they discovered his sense of humor.
I can’t believe it’s happening in AEW instead.
#AEWDynamite
.
@fightful
is reporting that a former WWE talent who has indicated their “weighing their options of whether to tell their story via the media, or whether they want to take legal action” regarding previous treatment. (Screenshot is from the bottom of the article abt Vince/WWE)
Bruce Pritchard - who I believe is currently WWE Executive Director of Raw and Smackdown - says he can’t comment due to the legal proceedings.
That’s ok - I have some questions that don’t directly pertain to the lawsuit!
(1/)
Ishii described having a near-death experience after taking a lariat where he saw his parents (😭) and started walking up
@the
stairs to them until Red Shoes pulled him back and he was rushed to the hospital!
Here is why leaking this letter is so interesting from a PR perspective:
Since the WSJ article came out 68 days ago, WWE has been careful to distance themselves from Vince, but not directly bash him.
Now, Vince just blew up their Wrestlemania week. (1/)
Push the character, hide the executive.
The understanding that their fans DO NOT CARE ABOUT OR WANT answers about allegations of a pervasive work culture that protected sexual assault and trafficking.
Malibu Stacy with a new hat.
“IT DOESN'T MATTER if you don’t like that decision!” Beef between The Rock & Triple H is magic. 100% not leading to a match, instead just adding layers into an already red hot story. 25 years of shared history only serves to make
#WrestleMania
even bigger
So I’m listening to Lanza’s thoughts on WWE and AEW PR and, as a PR person (though my background is gov/political/business), I think I can add some points.
One more video about Atlanta, where their talk radio was telling fans to punch and headbutt Phillies fans. “Game 1 is coming, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”
@680TheFan
@OldTakesExposed
If you think for ONE SECOND that they don’t think they can wait this out, you’re out of your mind.
Triple H’s answers show a level of arrogance here that, as a crisis comms person who’s done national/international crises, I’m floored by
#RoyalRumble
I’ve seen questions regarding why there’s a push against WWE on Twitter and push for more media coverage about the allegations.
The Feds/police are handling it, so why can’t folks just enjoy the product?
It’s a fair question, so I’ll share why I think it’s so important.
We’re going to hear allegations about things that happened in the past with WWF/E, and WWE and TKO try to say that culture was a long time ago.
Remember that Janel Grant’s lawsuit addresses a time period of 2019-2022.
@bluesfan1972
@TrevorDame
Question: Have additional specific steps have been taken to protect employees, independent contractors, and staff from sexual harassment since the Board investigation and first WSJ article last year?
I will say this: if this is what John Laurinaitis is saying publicly, I can only imagine what he’s telling law enforcement.
I really hope the women who can still find peace do, as well as their loved ones.
VERY important to note WWE’s statement does NOT:
- deny that Khan/Bloom knew about a McMahon/Grant relationship
- deny anything about what the lawsuit alleged Khan/Bloom said/did except for the meeting w/Vince where it was asked if Grant “could be trusted”
One quick note on what I said last night: I’m obviously not saying influencers shouldn’t engage with WWE/AEW/whoever.
I’m saying attempting to block actual questions from reporters re: sex harassment allegations so you can ask how much fun Paul’s having is absurd.
Like, imagine journalists saying, “Yeah, what Harvey Weinstein was accused of sounds awful,” and then going to a Miramax event and tweeting about how fun it is a few hours later, or having a Miramax exec at a press conference & asking about upcoming movies.
Anyone who is in a press event with HHH and does not ask him about his role in this coverup given that the he is the only match for WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 should not be able to look themselves in the mirror.
Nick Khan’s 1/23 talk w/
@BillSimmons
“It was always my point of view-always Stephanie’s point of view-at some point he would come back.I think the way that he played it was smart…He went away for 5-6 months,which people,maybe the audience,seems to like when somebody does that”
.
@davemeltzerWON
:“When you look back, all of this happened before the closing of the merger…[Ari Emanuel] knew it was a bad situation…he’s really not taking the heat that he deserves on this one…this wasn’t out of nowhere.”
“Wrestling media is a very unserious media.”
I would generally agree with that, with some notable exceptions. That’s why it’s been so ill-equipped to face major, serious stories such as the Vince McMahon/WWE allegations.
@bluesfan1972
@TrevorDame
Question: You voted Vince off the Boars of Directors, and then voted for his return. As a Board member, what reasonings for the change of heart can you share with the public and shareholders?
After hoping everybody “moves on,” Jim Ross says:
“Well, it’ll affect it (Vince McMahon’s legacy in wrestling) to some degree but, it won’t be earth-shattering…But you’ll never be able to take away from what Vince built and how he’s helped a lot of people.”
Spoiler: Not good!
I would argue that it’s not “not so bright” fans, but fans who don’t want to seriously think about wrestling. They watch wrestling to escape, and in a time when so many institutions have been crumbling, they just want some mental cotton candy.
I think it’s important to reiterate this point:
The WWE allegations-& Qs surrounding them-should NEVER fall into some sort of tribalism. Same with Qs for AEW.
These are major Qs for major companies; one of which is publicly traded. Goal should be transparency/accountability.
Again, I have worked in PR for 15 years in very high-profile situations.
Unless Triple H or TKO overruled them - and I doubt Triple H did because he was so nervous - that PR leadership needs to be reevaluated IMMEDIATELY.
#RoyalRumble
So not only did
@espn
do the absolute bare minimum of posting a wire story about the Vince/WWE/ Janel Grant accusations,
@MikeCoppinger
are now writing glowing pieces about Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority & UFC.
ESPN interviewed Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Alalshikh on UFC and WWE partnerships.
From the article: "Alalshikh said an enhancement to Saudi Arabia's existing agreement with WWE will be announced later this month.
Is this real? “Not sure spending this big weekend’s episode discussing the details of the complaint made sense”?
Just say, “As someone who is regularly paid by WWE,I feel uncomfortable providing unbiased news coverage of the company.”I will delete if it’s not you.
Question: In 2023, WWE President Nick Khan publicly said Vince McMahon wasn’t involved in the creative process.
However
@THR
’s
@alexweprin
reported sources saying even while Vince not on the exec team, he contributed creatively.
What’s the truth?
In the Bill Simmons interview from Jan. 2023, Nick Khan is adamant Vince was not making suggestions.
NK: “And he really did step away…It was total freedom to myself, Stephanie, Triple H on the creative side…”
WWE said they opened an investigation into accusations of sexual harassment against Randy Orton in 2018.
Did they ever announce the findings of that investigation?
“I would not be where I am today without Vince McMahon. But, fuck, I’m reading this shit. What you’ve seen and read, I’ve seen and read.
As far as commenting on that, it fucking hurts my heart. It hurts my heart.”
- Randy Orton
(SI)
TW: child r*pe, adult r*pe, coverup of assault, murder
@irvmuch
has a story up for Salon that details previous WWE sexual assault scandals:
“Either [Ari] Emanuel and his Tinseltown men did no due diligence or they ignored it.”
@bluesfan1972
@TrevorDame
Question: Are there currently any investigations of other corporate or executive staff regarding sexual harassment at the company?
“Rock, as a new member of the TKO board, when were you made aware of the details of the allegations?
“Given these reports, do you have full confidence in Nick Khan, Triple H, and the whole WWE and TKO executive staff?”
So I’ve been doing a media roundup of the Vince/WWE allegations in the media. The New York Times, CNN, and Fox News all wrote about it, wrote about the Triple H press conference.
What name is missing? ESPN
TW: r*pe, coverup, su*cide
A friend of Ashley Massaro, alleges that Vince &Stephanie McMahon knew abt Massaro’s r*pe allegations when they happened, & a WWE Exec CARRIED Ashley from where the attack happened to her room. She then had to take a separate flight back from Kuwait.
Cara Pipia, friend of Ashley Massaro, a former WWE star who accused Vince McMahon of covering up an alleged rape, joined
#Banfield
to discuss the allegations made. MORE:
@THR
@alexweprin
While Vince was “retired,” did he ever reach out to you with suggestions for creative?
Were you ever aware of Vince McMahon reaching out to WWE staff to influence creative or offer ideas while retired?
Ok, so he obviously told his PR team he wasn’t ditching Vince.
Worse parts of the answer - saying he “didn’t put a lot of time and equity into it” sounds dismissive.
Mentioning that it involves “someone” he loves and an “entity” he loves - no mention of the victim.
John Cena spoke to Howard Stern this morning. For about 5 minutes as part of their hour-long conversation, they talked about the allegations of sexual misconduct against Vince McMahon.
@beemorgs
@sandnseaOR
@tressiemcphd
College athletes work from childhood - practices and tournaments every weekend, workouts every DAY since they were a kid - all year long.
To claim that athletes do not deserve spots in college is elitist AT BEST.
Why is The Rock returning now?
How did the deal come together?
How is he training and with whom?
Will he leave WWE again after?
@MikeCoppinger
and I do a deep dive into The Rock’s comeback at
#WrestleMania
with many details that have not been reported until now, as well as
Again, here is what Laurinaitis’ lawyer had previously said:
“I anticipate she will ultimately see that Mr. Lauriniatis is, like her client, a victim in this case, and Judge Callis will do the right thing and dismiss my client from this lawsuit.”
Before today Brennan had asserted in multiple public comments that Laurinaitis was a victim, like Grant.
In a statement to POST Wrestling & Wrestlenomics in early April, Brennan said: “Judge [Ann] Callis [Grant's attorney] was a learned judge and is a skilled litigator. I
New article from
@nypost
’s
@shannonthaler
- a letter Janel Grant wrote/allegedly coerced to write to Vince McMahon.
Some Qs:
1. If this letter “speaks volumes, as Vince’s lawyer states, then why did Vince allegedly misuse company funds for an NDA?
@bluesfan1972
@TrevorDame
Question: What steps will be taken to ensure that this systemic culture of harassment does not happen again, especially after reports of multiple NDAs?
This Wrestlemania will be so interesting to look back on once the Feds finish up their investigations. A lot of people in WWE/TKO leadership were front and center while a lot of questions remain.
More Triple H comments…on Andrade’s return. Coppinger was literally AT the press conference and has not done a single follow-up piece to Vince’s resignation.
No one at ESPN is asking what went wrong at a multi-billion dollar sports entertainment org.? For comparison’s sake:
We’re on the Road to
#WrestleMania
after
@CodyRhodes
won the Royal Rumble on Saturday for the second time in as many years. Will he pick Reigns or Rollins? Plus fallout from CM Punk’s injury and comments from Triple H on Andrade’s return:
Watching some of the presser now. Levesque talking about the WWE people who, over the last year, “endured,” and “hung in there” are certainly pretty strong words that are very interesting to me.
@THR
@alexweprin
Question: Nick Khan has said he always believed Vince would come back even when he said he was retiring from the publicly traded company.
At the time,did you believe Vince McMahon’s retirement was permanent?
Nick Khan’s 1/23 talk w/
@BillSimmons
“It was always my point of view-always Stephanie’s point of view-at some point he would come back.I think the way that he played it was smart…He went away for 5-6 months,which people,maybe the audience,seems to like when somebody does that”
@THR
@alexweprin
Since resigning from the company, has Vince McMahon been in contact with you regarding any creative - or ideas of any kind - for WWE?
Are you aware of Vince reaching out to any executives, staff, or independent contractors regarding WWE creative or business ideas since leaving?
If you don’t have a supportive family and feel traumatized by the
#dcpride
incident, I’m your big/little sister now. Feel free to reach out and I hope you like copious amounts of “text me when you get home” texts and winnie the pooh gifs.
As to why these media personalities lean into WWE, take a look at Google trends.
I will note that, when categorized differently, AEW has spiked above WWE at points (it looks like around All In and the first week of 2024). Nevertheless, WWE is the market leader.
Looks like
@espn
is covering…the Rock/Cody thing.
@marcraimondi
on Rock/Cody: 1692 words
@MikeCoppinger
piece from when the Vince McMahon and WWE allegations came out: 760 words.
Shameless.
@bluesfan1972
@TrevorDame
Question: What steps have been taken since the initial Board investigation to ensure *other* WWE executives cannot also misuse corporate funds, and when were those safeguards put in place?
@bluesfan1972
@TrevorDame
Question: Why did WWE not proactively outline and share steps or a plan to ensure the additional protection of employees, independent contractors and staff?
How does the public/shareholders know anything will change besides a resignation and updated SEC filings?
@bluesfan1972
@TrevorDame
Question: Will the Board’s investigation findings ever be made public (even with redactions)? Why/why not, and who made that decision?