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WWE News
WWE News: Death of two-year-old child being linked to watching WWE Smackdown Apr 3, 2008 - 12:00:35 PM
Local news outlets in St. Louis are reporting that a two-year-old boy was allegedly killed by his four-year-old brother after imitating action he saw on Friday Night Smackdown.
The four-year-old told his mother and police that he was "pretending to be (a) WWE professional wrestler who he watches dominate opponents on the Friday night show."
The incident occurred on Friday night while the mother said she was in the shower. The two-year-old was found unresponsive and flown to a medical facility where he was placed in intensive care until he died on Tuesday.
According to the local stories, the mother said she's convinced exposure to pro wrestling "played a part in the tragic murder."
Caldwell Analysis: This is a very tough story for anyone who has small children or is around children on a regular basis. You never want to read about something like this happening, so pray for the mother in this situation.
As for WWE, this is not the press they needed right before their new kids magazine launches in two weeks. However, it brings to light the important question of whether WWE should be marketing heavily toward kids. You could say it's an anomaly or use WWE's line on Larry King about Benoit that it could have happened to anyone, but it poses a very real question on WWE marketing to kids.
WWE needs to be more proactive in giving the parents information on what their kids are watching on TV because WWE programming is not like Sesame Street or Blues Clues. WWE's corporate website has a link for parents, but that needs to be promoted on every single TV show they air. The "Don't Try This at Home" promos are a band-aid on a serious issue.
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