WWE Image Concerns

News

In keeping with WWE’s current change of direction, the Smackdown vs Raw 2009 video-game has been cleaned up a great deal when compared to previous incarnations. The storyline mode is based upon a storyline that was once dismissed by Vince McMahon in a booking meeting for being too far-fetched. It sees The Undertaker possessing men’s souls and making them into his minions, with the other characters involved being Triple H, C.M. Punk, Chris Jericho and a tag team of Batista and Rey Mysterio. Overall, the theme is that it is a cartoon geared towards children rather than hardcore wrestling fans.

WWE is also losing patience with certain wrestlers who repeatedly fail marijuana tests. The current punishment is a $1,000 fine, which for many was seen as a sort of ‘pot tax’ they were willing to pay because marijuana helped them wind down after performing without turning to more harmful drugs or alcohol. WWE started testing for it when under great public scrutiny in the fall-out from the Benoit deaths and there remains concern about having several guys still employed who have numerous test failures because of it. As with the video game, the company is very keen to improve their image and a couple of wrestlers were told recently to stop using marijuana altogether because punishments for it are going to get worse. One of them has failed the test a dozen times and had a recent push stopped, whilst the other has also had his push stalled. For what it’s worth, Dave Meltzer notes that neither of these guys are MVP, for whom other disciplinary reasons cost him his push.

Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 10 November 2008 (subscribe here)