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Dead McMahon in Bad Taste?

Posted Jun 20th 2007 4:46PM by TMZ Staff

Death struck twice for the WWE this week, and the real fatality is making the WWE wonder whether the staged one should stay in the script.

WWE fem-fighter "Sensational Sherri" Martel was found dead at her mother's home June 15, and just three days before, chief butt-head Vince McMahon was "killed" in a limo explosion on the "Monday Night RAW" broadcast. Foul play wasn't suspected in Martel's death, but cops have said in reports that the cause wasn't natural.

In light of Martel's real death, we're told there were discussions inside the WWE about abandoning their current "McMahon is Presumed Dead" storyline, with many WWE folks feeling that it was in poor taste.

But c'mon, folks, this is the WWE we're talking about! Not only is McMahon staying dead, the WWE, according to reports, plans to push the storyline even further with the discovery of DNA evidence linking McMahon, his limo driver and a "mysterious third party" to the fictional attack ... all for consumption this Friday on "WWE Smackdown."

That sound you hear is Owen Hart, spinning in his grave.

The WWE had no comment on the situation.

Tags: Sherri Martel, SherriMartel, Vince McMahon, VinceMcmahon, Wrestling, WWE

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(Page 1 of 7) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

1. WHAT IS HULK HOGAN GOING TO THINK!!!! OH MY!!

Posted at 5:24PM on Jun 20th 2007 by SO SAD

2. My husband and 7 yr old son watch this crap. My son is totally scarred for life. Sorry but even before the death of Sensational Sherri was found dead I thought the "staged" death was stupid. Come on. That sound you hear is also my grandmother rolling over in her grave. She lived to be 93 yrs old and when she died 10 yrs ago she was still a die hard wrestling fan. What in the world would she think now?!?!?!

Posted at 5:25PM on Jun 20th 2007 by Scnb

3. Its all hocus pocus anyways. Whoever follows the WWE is a loser anyway. Its so fake its just incredible how popular the WWE is. Sign Paris to replace the dead girl!

Posted at 5:25PM on Jun 20th 2007 by Bigstan

4. This is in bad taste at this point

Posted at 5:28PM on Jun 20th 2007 by in bad taste

5. who cares? we're talking about wrassling here! surely TMZ has something better to talk about than crappy stage combat set to explosions.

Posted at 5:27PM on Jun 20th 2007 by ggggggg

6. Not defending the level of class continually shown by Vince McMahon (he has none, I agree), but you need to get your facts straight.

Sherri Martel died AFTER Vince McMahon was "killed". McMahon was "done in" on Monday, June 11, NOT the 18th as your report. Sherri died a few days later. In addition, the Smackdown show, shown last Friday after Martel died, was actually taped three days prior, on June 12.

Once the WWE ran with the angle, they had no choice but to follow up with it even after Sherri's untimely death.

Posted at 5:27PM on Jun 20th 2007 by Mike

7. What a load of CRAP

Posted at 5:30PM on Jun 20th 2007 by who the hell cares, really?

8. I don't know about the death of the lady wrestler, but Mike is 100% correct on the date of the 'death' of Vince McMahon. It happened at the end of a 3 hour RAW on June 11th.

Posted at 5:37PM on Jun 20th 2007 by trinity

9. I don't see the problem here. Sherri should get whatever tribute she would have gotten had this angle not occurred. I mean, she probably wouldn't get a ten-bell salute, which is usually done for active competitors or special occasions only. She would probably get her picture at the beginning of one of the weekly shows. If they feel it's in poor taste to do that directly followed by continuing coverage of the McMahon car bombing, then at some point during the program, following a break, the commentators can respectfully and quietly mention "And in more unfortunate news..." while her picture is shown on the Titantron.

It shouldn't matter that McMahon's not really dead. The point is, he could be, and that's the entire basis of the angle. If the intention of the angle is to generate heel heat for McMahon when he returns, mission accomplished. If the intention of the angle is to generate a face reaction for McMahon when he returns, all he has to do is be irate with somebody the crowd doesn't like (i.e. Coach) for allowing his so-called death to dominate the airwaves when there wasn't a shred of proof and only non-evidence supported speculation. Mission accomplished.

WWE is a fictional entertainment program, and in the course of that, conflicts between what's fake and what's real can and often do arise. Consider the show "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter". When John Ritter passed away, did they end the show because it would have been too sad, too tragic to continue? No, they turned Ritter's real death into the fake death of the character he played, brought in new characters and started calling the show "8 Simple Rules", which didn't even make sense because the guy who made the 8 Rules was DEAD! Why should WWE be held to a higher standard?

If WWE decides to wimp out now, shame on them. If WWE hotshotted this angle onto TV without first considering what would happen to the angle's progression if somebody in the wrestling industry actually passed away, shame on them. For that matter, forget everyone else—what would happen if Vince's health suddenly started to fail him or he really passed away in a freak accident when he's already supposed to be dead?

The WWE should have made backup plans for an angle of such importance, and if they didn't... shame on them.

Posted at 5:39PM on Jun 20th 2007 by mike

10. No wonder this goof is tight with Trump...they're both a couple of scam artists believing and proving PT Barnums famous creed "There's a sucker born every minute"...both are classless, border line sociopaths in not feeling anything towards anothers suffering from their business deals or false promises.

The audience that follows them both is the segment of the World that is populous enough to keep these types in power and rich. i.e, a lot of dumbasses out there.

Maybe the lesson should be, cant beat join em...there's lots of money to be made out there

Posted at 5:39PM on Jun 20th 2007 by McTrump

11. This was a very confusing article IMO. I don't understand what happened and why it seems like something not all that important (two people died?). It's mind boggling.

http://enlightenedangel.bravehost.com

Posted at 5:44PM on Jun 20th 2007 by jProud American Author

12. This was a very confusing article IMO. I don't understand what happened and why it seems like something not all that important (two people died?). It's mind boggling.

http://enlightenedangel.bravehost.com

Posted at 5:44PM on Jun 20th 2007 by jProud American Author

13. There are folks at WWE who actually care about whether an event is in poor taste!?!?!

Posted at 5:43PM on Jun 20th 2007 by snarksnarksnark

14. Hey, I know a great new storyline!! Why doesn't Vincey-boy write up something that would involve the Permanent Death of the Butcher of Brentwood??? Let people Paypal a buck each for their fav wrestler to perform a signature move on Simpson!$!$! Then have Jake the Snake stuff his bloated carcass into a big sack full of snakes and leave it in the desert!! (with a webcam?)

C'mon, Vince, you'll make millions!! Hell, I'll send in a BIG donation!! Please??Then maybe he can write a book from the grave... "Damn, I think they did it!!!"

Posted at 7:22PM on Jun 20th 2007 by guesswho

15. The whole "Vince is Dead" storyline is ridiculous, and if it wasn't for the actual talent in the ring most of my friends and I would have stopped watching. The depths they will go to for ratings is deplorable.

Posted at 5:44PM on Jun 20th 2007 by Roo

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