I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

Any WWE fans here?

Last night DH was watching wrestling and he runs in and tells me Vince McMahon died. When a wrestler dies they ring bells and have a moment of silence. People were crying and all upset. Evidently WWE's office has a memorial for him w/ flowers and stuff. I hadn't heard anything about this and saw nothing on the internet. I went on wwe.com and the way they presented it was that his limo blew up and his body must have been incinerated (sp?).

We went on you tube and saw the last few minutes of Raw were his limo blew up. Honestly, I think it was completely fake. I just wonder what WWE fan thought? If it is, isn't that sinking to a new low?

Vince McMahon dies

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

An explosion of publicity for McMahon?
WWE chief’s limo bomb all for show

RORY SWEENEY

Vince McMahon

Times Leader Photo Store
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WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Did Vince McMahon, who’s bluffed and blustered his way into the ringmaster’s role of the testosterone-fueled soap opera that is professional wrestling, really fall for the old bomb-in-the-limo trick?

Though World Wrestling Entertainment would have you believe otherwise, the answer is no.

“No one was in any danger,” said Steve Poremba, a Wachovia Arena spokesman, of Monday night’s WWE RAW spectacle at the arena, though he would not elaborate.

A WWE spokesman echoed that, but also wouldn’t elaborate, instead pointing to a news release from the company and “reports” on its Web site. The release inferred that celebrities who have “less than flattering things to say about” McMahon, including real estate mogul Donald Trump, sportscaster Bob Costas, rapper Snoop Dogg and wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, might be behind a plot to bump him off.

Despite articles on the Web site that firefighters and federal agents are investigating, workers at the Luzerne County 911 Center confirmed that it was “a stunt” and that no emergency vehicles were called to the arena on Monday night.

“The ‘federal agent’ (referenced on the Web site) is definitely not the FBI,” said Jerri Williams, a special agent spokeswoman with the FBI’s Philadelphia office. “We have not been made aware of any car bombings. … We would definitely have been informed.”

But fans from across the country have been contacting local media to find out if McMahon, the chairman of the board of WWE, was actually blown up in a fiery limo-bombing on his so-called “Mr. McMahon Appreciation Night,” which was televised on USA Network. McMahon had walked out of the building to the waiting vehicle, so fans inside the arena saw the same televised live scene.

Only it was wasn’t live. Supervised by Zenith Pyrotechnology, based in Deer Park, N.Y., the explosion was actually filmed at the arena late Saturday night, the footage of the burning hulk taped Sunday night and the whole mess spliced together, said Andy Kratz, the township’s zoning officer.

“They did it, I believe, at 11 o’clock at night until 3 a.m., so no one would be around,” he said, adding that it was done in a section generally blocked from public view by the building and surrounding land features.

The pyrotechnics company had to get permits, which Kratz said it did about a week ago. “We have pyrotechnics shows in the arena all the time” for wrestling and ice skating, among other things, he said. “They say they do this quite a bit,” but usually not outside.

Representatives of the pyrotechnics company have not returned calls for comment.

Based on reaction from fans, who expressed indignation with the stunt, the story hook could instead hook itself.

“It’s messed up. A death is a serious matter,” said Kenny Noe, of Lakewood, Wash. “Wrestling is not about death. It’s about beating people up, maybe getting hurt.”

He referenced the actual deaths of several wrestling personalities in the past and said this incident casts a shadow over their memories. “What if Eddie Guerrero isn’t dead?”

“For (McMahon) to do something like this is ridiculous, if it’s a hoax,” Chris Dent of New Freedom, Pa., said, “… because the American public’s gonna wind up not watching his shows and it’s going to go down hill,” he said.

Still, they also agreed that the stunt will cause a buzz. “It’s just kind of weird, and my friends are probably going to be talking to me all day,” Dent said.

Rory Sweeney, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7418.

Message edited 6/16/2007 12:17:12 PM.

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

I think the whole thing is a fake too. He can't be dead. When a billionaire REALLY dies, it is all over the news. He is simply worth too much and is too much of a public figure for it not to be all over the place. That and it was reported that the blast was filmed in Wikes-Barre, PA the day before the "event" actually happened.

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

its enterainment...he's not died

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

I know it was fake. DH knows it's fake too. The sad thing is that there are people who do believe it. There are people driving from all over the country to mourn in front of the WWE headquarters. When DH and I looked at it on youtube.com, I said that is such a bad publicity stunt and it going to blow up in their faces, no pun intended.

I just think this just a new low, even for them.

Message edited 6/16/2007 12:41:04 PM.

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

See what I mean:

Surprise vigil and memorial for the Chairman
By Bryan Robinson
Written: June 14, 2007
STAMFORD, Conn. – Whether he was looking down on ordinary 9 to 5ers from his corporate office at the Titan Tower or berating onlookers from “his” ring on Raw, SmackDown or ECW on Sci Fi, Mr. McMahon often held our fans in great contempt. The Chairman probably would have never believed that these same fans would drive hundreds of miles to honor him with mountains of flowers, cards and pictures after seeing his apparent fiery demise on Raw this past Monday.

Hundreds of baskets of carnations, sympathy cards, teddy bears, daisies and orchids lined the entrance to the Titan Tower as countless fans made a makeshift memorial to Mr. McMahon, who is presumed dead after the limousine he entered exploded at the end of Raw. Some preferred to leave pictures of the Chairman, while others placed toy replica belts of the ECW World Title he held briefly. But everyone WWE.com interviewed said that while they didn’t love Mr. McMahon, they respected him as a pioneer in the world of sports-entertainment and wanted to thank him for entertaining them all these years.

“I hated the arrogant b******, but I had to come,” said a tearful Peter Frager, who said he drove all the way from Borger, Texas. “I’ve watched wrestling for so many years – I grew up watching him, even during the days when he was just an announcer. It’s going to be weird watching WWE without him.”

One fan, dressed in a retro powder blue sports jacket with the old World Wrestling Federation logo that was once the Chairman’s trademark, was too overcome with grief to talk. His shoulders shook and lips quivered before he buried his face in his hands. He had to be held by his two friends that were at his side.

“He used to practice the Chairman’s strut and swagger,” one friend said. “He’s barely eaten since seeing the explosion. But he insisted on coming here and paying his respects.”

Do’ rags, candles and signs that read “Vince: The Real Icon,” “Long Live the Chairman,” and “The Immortal McMahon” were scattered among the throng of well-wishers gathered outside the Tower. The eyes of some WWE employees widened and some jaws dropped at the outpouring of love for Mr. McMahon.

“I have never seen anything like this,” said a receptionist at the headquarters. “It’s just amazing. … I could barely maneuver past the flower baskets when I returned from lunch.”

The McMahon family remained heavily on the minds of our fans. Harold Laurel, of Bayonne, N.J., said the Chairman’s tragedy hit him especially hard. Looking up at his 3-year-old – who was sitting on his shoulders and was preoccupied with sucking on a Jolly Rancher – Laurel said that McMahon’s presumed death reminded him that life can be too random and too short to be taken for granted.

“The fact that this happened just before Father’s Day – it’s just terrible, terrible,” he said. “I know how Shane and Stephanie must feel – my Dad passed away around this time last year. I just hope they can get through this and help their mother get through this.”

Laurel then gently knelt down as he enabled his son to come down from his shoulders. The boy continued eating his Jolly Rancher as his father enveloped his small fingers in his hands.

“Entertainment aside, this whole thing just reminds me that we have to cherish each other every day,” Laurel continued. “I’ll miss seeing Mr. McMahon. He was evil, but he still had a family. I hope he has found some peace.”

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

I've been watching professional wrestling for over 20 years - it's my main vice

He's definitely not dead. Unfortunately, there are people out there that believe that it's real, as you saw by the article of memorial up in CT. All the stuff that the company did - from flying their headquarter flag at half-mast, to doing the 10-bell salute was part of the storyline.

I do think this whole angle is rather distasteful, especially since wrestling has seen plenty of tragedy in the last decade, from Owen Hart falling from the cielling, to Eddie Guerrero dying in 2005. I think it's disrespectful to them.

But nothing they do surprises me anymore. They put the belt on an "Iraqi sympathizer" when we were at war with Iraq. The had a muslim character applaud 9-11 and denounce the troops in Iraq. Anything for ratings. When you turn them on, you have to check sensitivity at the door, or you just don't watch.

For me, I'm more p*zzed at the fact that they can't rely on actual wrestling anymore to sell a story. Creating this **** and bull story of death shows me they've forgotten about the actual story telling that goes on with a well plotted match.

Message edited 6/16/2007 1:34:28 PM.

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

It's crap like this that made me stop watching it. Vince McMahon is a nut job IMO. For the most part it's been crazy story lines & of course T!ts & arse.
It used to be considered family entertainment. It hasn't been that way in a long time. And truthfully after the death of Owen Hart stunts like this should be stopped.

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

I have been watching wrestling as the default program on TV because DH does. It took me a while to warm up to the whole thing, but I see its entertainment value. I even enjoy the mini-dramas in the matches and behind the scenes. But for some reason, death for ratings, to me, is very much unsettling and not entertaining. Especially when there are people in this world who cannot separate fantasy from reality and believe the stories to be true.

I had been listeing to the "back and forths" on O and A about this whole thing and they had been talking about the WWE flag being flown at half mast. They mentioned that the American Flag was not for obvious reasons, but I think to fly a flag at mast represents a loss and there is none - its a sign of disrespect - especially to the losses in the wrestling world so I agree with Don.

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

It was kinda silly. But it is all for entertainment purposes.

Gosh the things they think of at the wwe.

Message edited 6/16/2007 3:17:09 PM.

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

bump for pumpkin

Re: I'm not a wwe fan, but I wonder if they have taken it to a new low re: Vince McMahon

thanks for bumping this thread

Vince is not really dead it is just their attempt at keeping the ratings up building more drama and now even have the billlonaire princess and the Shane fight for control