Powell's Blog: WWE is Born Again, the Stand Up for WWE Campaign, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, Bret Hart rips Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, WWE Bragging Rights

By Jason Powell

Wednesday, October 20 – 2:20 P.M. (CT)

-I've been standing up for WWE ever since I watched Vince McMahon's video on Monday afternoon. Can I sit down now?

-The gist of WWE's defense for most of the media's so-called "malicious attacks" regarding the death count in pro wrestling and past risque programming is that things have changed. WWE has a wellness testing policy now and they made the switch to PG programming. The message I'm hearing from WWE's bizarre campaign is that because they made these changes, they are somehow immune to criticism or even mentions of their past.

Congratulations on those moves and all, but this isn't Christianity. The company doesn't get a "born again" pass. WWE is not absolved of its past sins simply because they made some changes. Call Shawn Michaels and ask him how this works if you really want to take the "born again" approach. Michaels went out of his way to apologize to numerous people for some of the things he did in his past. I don't recall WWE apologizing for much of anything.

-What is WWE really going to gain from the Stand Up For WWE campaign? The video footage of their employees delivering testimonials on behalf of the company might make for a fun video at the company holiday party, but what else is it good for?

It seems like WWE is trying to give its hardcore fans something to hang their hats on. They already have those people. They're not going anywhere. Company officials have to know that while I'm sure many of the sentiments expressed in the video were from the heart, it looks like bush league political propaganda to anyone who doesn't proudly proclaim to be a member of WWE Universe.

-Is anyone else surprised there hasn't been an official announcement regarding the birth of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's third daughter? We've had announcements of some type for Steph and Shane McMahon's children in the past, but no such announcement for the latest Little Levesque? Hey, it's certainly their right to keep the details to themselves, I'm just surprised that they have.

-Was it hypocritical of Bret Hart to complain in his Fanhouse.com interview about "old dinosaurs" Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff taking up so much television time on TNA Impact? A case could be made since Bret was featured in a big WrestleMania match, but it's not like he has remained in the spotlight on WWE Raw. Hell, they didn't even bother to televise his Calgary homecoming on Monday.

-WWE Bragging Rights takes place on Sunday at Target Center in Minneapolis. There's about as much buzz for the show locally as there is for Great Khali's appearance on "The Bigg Boss" reality show that most Minnesotans don't even know exists.

Sure, there are some diehard pro wrestling fans who won't miss seeing the pay-per-view in person, but trust me when I say it's going to be a tough sell for WWE locally and nationally due to the Brock Lesnar fight on Saturday night, and the Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers game that runs head-to-head with Bragging Rights.

The only thing I seem to hear about the show is that radio stations are holding an extraordinary number of ticket giveaway contests. Oh, and Target Center is selling $20 tickets for the show in honor of the building's birthday. Call me crazy, but I don't think Target Center would be so festive and generous if ticket sales were strong.