In desperation to get the Divas Revolution off the ground, the WWE showed total disregard for the Flair family.
Paige's controversial promo on reigning Divas Champion Charlotte left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths, including WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair. The Diva with the acid tongue brought up the death of Charlotte's brother, and Ric's son, Reid, and said he didn't have a lot of fight in him.
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To sell a match by using the real life tragic death of Reid, who passed away of a drug overdose in 2013, is crossing the line. Charlotte has never made it a secret that she broke into the business out of respect for her father and her late brother, but to use it in a storyline to sell a match at Survivor Series just shows how desperate the WWE is for compelling storylines.
The company has tried to light a spark under the Divas Revolution, but this was the wrong way to go about it. The move was done to give Charlotte, the babyface, some sympathy from fans and she was aware of the angle and had a say in how the WWE went about it, according to PWInsider.
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While Charlotte was fine with the storyline, it was a hot topic throughout the day and some senior members of WWE creative were against it, the site reports. There was eventually talk of pulling the angle, but Vince McMahon controversially green-lighted it. In doing so, he spurned the Flair family.
"Subject matter this personal is only approved as a result of the strong advocacy of the talent themselves," the WWE said in a statement, according to Wrestlingheadlines.com. "Notwithstanding that, WWE is ultimately responsible for what airs in its programming."
First, Reid and Charlotte's mother, Elizabeth Fliehr, lashed out at McMahon and the WWE creative team on Twitter.
Ric Flair then chimed in during his podcast, saying he wasn't aware of what was coming and that the angle made him cry. The Hall of Famer clearly was upset about the angle, but didn't say anything to compromise his daughter's career.
"Obviously I have an opinion, but I'm afraid to voice it because I don't want anything affecting [Charlotte's] career," he said on his podcast, according to WrestlingInc. "I know that [Triple H], and Stephanie [McMahon] and [agent/producer] Michael Hayes have her back. I don't think she feels comfortable enough to say 'no' to anything yet, she's only been up there three months."
Flair said it's a "sensitive issue" and that just because his daughter is the champion, it doesn't mean she can say no to angles. He also added that "her mom is on fire" about the storyline.
Bottom line, it was a despicable way for the WWE to try and sell a match, though sadly, it isn't unprecedented.
Owen Hart passed away in the ring at Over the Edge in 1999 and the show went on. Eddie Guerrero's death in 2005 was constantly exploited for storyline gain. Paul Bearer passed away in March 2013, and his death was a major angle during CM Punk's feud with The Undertaker that same month at WrestleMania.
With the RAW ratings continuing to plummet each week, the WWE is desperate for fresh angles, but to cross one of the greatest legends that ever lived and his family is a terrible way to go about boosting an angle over the Divas Championship. The match between Charlotte and Paige this Sunday at Survivor Series has taken a backseat to the angle that got them there.
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