In a media call promoting WWE Elimination Chamber, Sami Zayn discussed professional wrestling’s history of referencing past controversial storylines like Sergeant Slaughter’s Iraq angle in the ‘90s, The Iron Shiek, Muhammad Hassan, and other stereotypical foreign villains. He pointed out that modern WWE avoids political content.
“I like to discuss wrestling at length, and I see it as a reflective art form, mirroring society’s history and sociology. Wrestling has always had a political representation at the time. For example, in the ’90s, during the Persian Gulf War, we had Sergeant Slaughter’s Iraq storyline. Even before that, in the ’50s, we had Nazi villains….Now, I think we’re doing a sort of anti-reflection, where we simply don’t touch politics. As a company, nothing about the political climate is reflected in the product anymore. In some ways, that’s also a reflection of our current society and its sensitivity to these things. But I also think WWE is meant to be an escape from that….So, I think people want to go somewhere where they can forget about that stuff altogether, and I think that’s what WWE provides.
Politics has become so mainstream that it’s almost entertainment in its own right, which I have a lot to say about, but I won’t get into that. All this to say, WWE is a place to take that hat off and just enjoy it for what it is. I think everyone who purchased tickets to Elimination Chamber is there for a great show. They’re not there to think about these issues, or to boo Americans or cheer Canadians. They’re there for the show, and we’re going to give them a great show.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Fightful with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
