Dylan Hales

June 08, 2009

When people ask me why I like pro wrestling, I don’t try and explain it. In the words of Stuart Chase, “For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.”

Having said that, one nice thing about the admittedly low brow entertainment medium is its almost universal contempt for the mandates of our politically correct society. As a lifelong fan I can never remember any wrestling promoter shying away from stereotypes or “insensitive” language to appease the various identity politics cults that litter the American scene. This is part of the reason why wrestling remains associated with rednecks and hillbillies (I plead guilty to both counts). It is also a large part of the reason that even a watered down version of the traditional pro wrestling format is vastly superior to ninety percent of the original programming pedaled by the geniuses that program American television.

But now that mainstream pro wrestling is most prominently represented in the form of a publicly traded monolith – the globalists appear to have it by the throat. After years of spitting in the face of the multiculturalists (despite maintaining a heavily integrated roster), WWE chairman Vince McMahon has decided to issue a preemptive strike and remove the preface “Great American” from his pay-per-view show that airs later this month. Now the show will be known simply as “The Bash” – a name that conjures up images of freshman keg parties – though its intention apparently is to showcase the “global” nature of the WWE product.

Why anyone would be offended by the name “Great American Bash” is beyond me. Why the normally defiant Vince McMahon would care is even more puzzling. But even non-fans should be disturbed when the black sheep of our culture feels compelled to absorb internationalist norms into its uniquely American universe.