WWE News: Women's Battle Royal no longer named after The Fabulous Moolah
What's the story?
Following an uproar from the wrestling community, WWE has dropped "The Fabulous Moolah" from the Women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34.
Stephanie McMahon confirmed the announcement via Twitter and attributed the campaign to change the name to the fans who voiced their concern.
In case you didn't know
WWE's push to improve the standing of women's athletes in the company led to the announcement of the Women's Battle Royal in honor of the late Fabulous Moolah.
The heart of the matter
Moolah has been praised by WWE as a legendary figure in Women's wrestling, but her legacy has also included allegations of abuse and "pimping out" women who trained under her.
WWE attempted to ignore the criticism by disabling the comment section of the YouTube video announcing the Women's Battle Royal, but the outrage only increased and lead to a 10,000 fans signing a petition to rename the battle royal.
Snickers, the sponsor for WrestleMania 34. would give the following statement to Wrestling Inc. regarding the name change.
"We were recently made aware of the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc's (WWE) decision to honor a former wrestler during the upcoming WrestleMania 34 event. As a principle-based business that has long championed creating inclusive environments that encourage and empower everyone to reach their full potential, this is unacceptable. We are engaging with the WWE to express our disappointment."
That disappointment may have lead to the announcement from WWE that the company would be dropping the "The Fabulous Moolah" from the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal. Part of this statement was incorporated into McMahon's tweet confirming the news.
"After further consideration, we believe it’s best to proceed with the name ‘WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.’ What remains most important is that this historic match is part of WWE’s unwavering commitment to the Women’s Division"
What's next?
Honoring the memory of The Fabulous Moolah with the allegations against her was a huge blight on what was otherwise another interesting opportunity for the Women of WWE.
With the situation corrected, the focus can shift from the controversy to the eventual winner.
Author's Take
Hopefully, WWE can think carefully about who they choose to honor going forward to avoid any more negative press.