At WWE Extreme Rules 2014, Alexander Rusev defeated R-Truth and Xavier Woods in a handicap match. However, the bigger story here is that before the match, Rusev's valet Lana - who is billed as "The Ravishing Russian" - decided to dedicate Rusev's match to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
When Lana made her match dedication to Vladimir Putin, she also reminded everyone that Rusev has relocated from Bulgaria to Russia. The reason for the relocation is to make the Lana-Rusev connection tighter while also attempting to generate heat for the heel tandem.
Well, following Extreme Rules and the Vladimir Putin dedication, which also included a huge picture of the Russian President being shown on the WWE Titan Tron to a chorus of boos by the fans in attendance, the WWE got both exactly what they were looking for and some extra coverage they probably wouldn't want.
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A few mainstream news outlets picked up the Putin dedication story thanks to some reported Twitter outrage from people who were angry at WWE for using Russia and Putin in a storyline with everything currently going on between Russia and the Ukraine.
That being said, the Washington Post got it right in their story on the Lana/Rusev Putin dedication, when they noted that this was simply WWE doing "geopolitical trolling" that "makes pro wrestling more than a display of athleticism, but a full theatrical production."
At the end of the day, WWE is not taking a pro-Russia stance, but instead one of their characters is being marketed as an international villain the same way WWE has done in years past (does the Iron Sheik ring a bell?)
I have no problem with the Putin dedication, because it's all just part of the production and not a real point of view.
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