WWE Extreme Rules has come and gone in which the overall WWE pay-per-view was met with decent reviews. However, the biggest surprise happened when the ambassador for Alexander Rusef, Lana, honored the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.
It is probably true that many people watching were surprised WWE would even go with this angle.
Anyways, The Inquisitr observed WWE Extreme Rules last night and reported the live results as they were happening , which now has detailed articles on each WWE match. During the initiation of the 2-on-1 handicap match between R-Truth and Xavier Woods versus Alexander Rusev, Lana came out prior to the Bulgarian Brute to address the WWE Universe. During her promo, she talked about dedicating the match to Vladimir Putin. The exact words in her promo were the following:
“Tonight, we dedicate this match to the most powerful man in the world. Tonight, we dedicate this match to the man that makes fools out of all you Americans. Tonight, we dedicate this match to the man that I respect more than any other man; he is my role model; he is my idol – the president of Russia! Vladimir Putin!”
Then Vladimir Putin’s emotionless face appears on the large WWE screen in the background, all for the viewing of all in attendance at the WWE event as well as hundred thousands watching with the WWE Network.
This was a move that made me lift an eyebrow “Rock-style” just because I never thought the WWE would actually do something like that, kayfabe or not. Only reason for my view is because of the current state Russia is in the news. Earlier on The Inquisitr , we reported how Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine . We even reported who Vladimir Putin appointed as the new attorney general . However, it should also be reported that the WWE has been adopting more political angles in their storylines. Vladimir Putin so happens to be trending these days since becoming the president of Russia back in 2012. There are even trending articles on Vladimir Putin’s single life, since he is considered “the most interesting man in the world”.
The Washington Post actually finds this WWE promo to be very entertaining. They said the next-level geopolitical trolling to the much-maligned Vladimir Putin, along with the melodramatic language makes WWE pro wrestling more than a display of athleticism, but a full theatrical production.
Still, the WWE Universe, or some if them at least, have said that WWE has gone too far promoting Vladimir Putin just for a heel pop. Mostly, a lot of it has to do with Vladimir Putin’s military aggression and his stance toward’s Russia’s gay community. Let’s not forget that Lana is played by CJ Perry, who is a Florida native and is known for being one of the “Florida State Cowgirls”, which may “turn off” certain people who don’t understand that WWE is a man’s soap opera.
In the end, the WWE did benefit from this. It helped establish Rusev and Lana as prominent heels, something the WWE needs more of. As for Vladimir Putin, it is best to say that any form of promotion is good promotion if used correctly. I mean, Vladimir Putin already has a ton of negative news on him already. Another form of promotion won’t hurt.
And if you wanted to know, Alexander Rusev went on to decimate R-Truth and Xavier Woods during his WWE Extreme Rules match.
[Image via WWE Extreme Rules 2014 Screen Cap]