Source: Wall Street Journal
News Flash: Pro Wrestling Is Fake
In Staged Limo Explosion, Publicly Traded WWE Gets Away With Murder
At most companies, the execution-style murder of the chairman would be cause for alarm. At World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., it is just another day in the ring.
In a news release put out on Business Wire and fed into the company-research pages on Web sites including Yahoo, TheStreet.com and WSJ.com, wrestling promoter WWE reported that, at the end of “Monday Night RAW” on USA Network, Chairman Vince McMahon’s limousine suddenly exploded after Mr. McMahon got into the vehicle.
The release adds: “Although full details have not been disclosed, initial reports indicate that Mr. McMahon is presumed dead. An official investigation into Monday night’s events is currently underway….Throughout the night, people from Mr. McMahon’s past — from Donald Trump to Snoop Dogg to Bob Costas to Stone Cold Steve Austin — had less than flattering things to say about the WWE chairman, but would any go so far as to actually blow him up?”
Police in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pa., in a statement said the explosion at Wachovia Arena was a staged event overseen by firefighters and that Mr. McMahon wasn’t injured, “contrary to what is being reported on Internet Web sites and other media sources.” The WWE had no public comment beyond what was in the release.
