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I owe a debt of gratitude to now-retired UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal.
Ever since last week’s announcement of a proposed merger that would unite Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Wrestling Entertainment under one company, I’ve been plotting how to share my concern that this merger could have political ramifications.
My reasoning stems from my belief that UFC and WWE are two of the most popular yet decidedly right-wing entertainment companies in the world, and bringing them together to form a mega-company is — in my view — likely to have a broad impact on worker rights and political discourse.
So it was helpful to me that Masvidal saw fit to name-check former President Donald Trump in his send-off speech, praising him as the “greatest president in the history of the world.” The fighter also praised Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the “greatest governor of all time” and led the crowd in an anti-Biden chant.
Look, far be it from me to tell anyone how to spend their waning moments on the national stage. Perhaps Masvidal, who suffered his fourth straight defeat Saturday, sees a kindred spirit in Trump, who also knows the sting of losing — decisively, repeatedly and publicly, for all the world to see.
But let’s look at this moment in its full context.
Here was a Trump-supporting fighter praising Trump, while being interviewed by a conspiracy theorist who has supported Trump, and then leading a pro-Trump chant while working for a company whose figurehead — Dana White — is a vocal Trump supporter. All while the former president watched from ringside.
Pretty clear political messaging coming out of UFC, as far as I’m concerned.
But historically (and even recently), WWE’s messaging hasn’t been much better.
I grew up a wrestling fanatic. Even today, nostalgia drags me down YouTube rabbit holes that let me reminisce about hitting moonsaults on my cousins in our makeshift wrestling ring.
I grew up a wrestling fanatic. Even today, nostalgia drags me down YouTube rabbit holes that let me reminisce about hitting moonsaults on my cousins in our makeshift wrestling ring. But one thing that’s clearer to me now than ever before is that WWE has long engaged in political messaging — messaging about race, gender and power.
Remember, for example, that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was once part of a stable of villains known as the Nation of Domination, which was a play on the Nation of Islam and other pro-Black activist groups. Or, perhaps, remember the time that wrestler Kane pretended to sexually assault a corpse. Or the many times The Mexicools rode to the ring on lawn mowers. Or the time Vince McMahon, WWE’s executive chairman, approved a stable of villains called Right to Censor, modeled after the conservative Parents Television Council.
More recently, many WWE viewers noted that a faction known as The Retribution, which was known to vandalize and destroy the ring setup, was based on right-wing claims about liberal anti-fascists, or antifa. (Read about that and McMahon’s history of using politics in wrestling here.)
Then there’s the fact that McMahon’s wife, Linda, actually worked in the Trump White House as head of the Small Business Administration. (Trump, of course, has appeared on WWE programming several times.) And WWE executives, much like UFC officials, have been accused of discouraging talent from unionizing.
The issue of WWE and UFC entertainers needing to be unionized is among the few things on which Andrew Yang and I agree.
But that just illustrates how overt the politics of WWE and UFC have been, whether we’re talking about the content on the screen or the business behind the scenes.
So, again, let’s thank Jorge Masvidal for reminding us that sports entertainment and politics frequently intertwine — especially when we’re talking about UFC but also its potential partner company, WWE.
And with the companies looking to merge, potentially strengthening themselves in the long run, there’s clear cause for concern.