By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

Linda McMahon has one job on her resume - being a corporate executive with WWE. She cannot claim with any credibility she didn't have the power to influence every facet of WWE since she is married to the man who approves of anything important that makes it onto WWE TV.

As her opponents and the media during her Senate race focus - rightfully - on WWE's business practices and treatment of its performers, some of the criticism gets murky for those who haven't followed this story for the past 25 years in real time. Some examples, though, are easier to grasp.

Some things that are smaller than ignoring the risk of concussions or avoiding "expensive" comprehensive drug testing for years during times of great profits are easier to understand - and they tell a story of WWE's callousness and lack of common sense decency.

Five years ago, I wrote about WWE's tone-deaf inclusion of Hurricane Helms's ring entrance in the midst of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy. The following is my editorial written in response to Jim Ross's blog downplaying and defending what was to me an obvious misstep in judgment on WWE's part.

This is from PWTorch Newsletter #878 cover-dated Sept. 10, 2005. VIP members can read this entire "5 Years Ago Back Issue" in PDF format later today...

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Stand Back: In last week's Ross Report, Jim Ross responded to comments I made in my PWTorch.com Raw report criticizing WWE's decision to air Hurricane's ring introduction just 12 hours after Hurricane Katrina devastating the Gulf Coast of the United States. "Stand back, there's a hurricane coming through!" says Hurricane before his music plays. That line easily could have been edited out that Monday. WWE chose not to. Here's what I wrote in my website Raw Report on Aug. 29:

Leave it to WWE to not even think of maybe skipping that preamble this week. Lawler then said, "Haven't we had enough hurricanes?" I thought of putting at the top of my report a question of whether WWE would try to exploit or tastelessly refer to the Hurricane, but decided it wasn't even worth asking because they had to know better. Not that this was terrible, but it was another example of the Wrestling Bubble the decision-makers live in. It just was unnecessary to even allude to it flippantly like that.

Five days later, Ross wrote the following at WWE.com in his Ross Report:

I read some of what I perceive to be unfair Internet criticism regarding the fact that when Rosey was introduced Monday night on Raw that he came out, as usual, to his tag team partner the Hurricane's music which includes the words, "Look out there's a Hurricane coming through." In no way were we attempting to make light of the tragedy of hurricane Katrina by this entrance music or in commentary. That was unfair criticism (nitpicking) in my opinion.

Sometimes what is intended and what is reality are two different things. While I have no doubt in my mind that most if not all people within WWE had no intent to make light of Hurricane Katrina, the fact is, they did. Playing the music was a relatively minor, yet no less glaring, example of the mixture of obliviousness and callousness that exists among WWE's decision makers. Their bar is set so low that this didn't even come close to registering as offensive, so it really is no surprise in retrospect they didn't decide to edit the intro.

WWE made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. Most will admit to them now and then. Not Vince McMahon. A week later, with estimates of 10,000 dead, a major metropolitan city with a rich history destroyed, millions homeless, network specials dedicated to rescue missions ongoing a week later, and fear of economic ramifications country-wide, WWE Raw on Sept. 5 featured once again Hurricane's full ring introduction.

Credit goes to WWE for having Linda McMahon during Raw encourage viewers to donate to a Hurricane Katrina charity fund. That can make a real difference. Hurricane's music playing ultimately isn't going to affect anyone's life. But it is one more example of how WWE doesn't get it. They don't see how raising their standards of decency and faulting on the side of compassion and good taste in times of national tragedy or war or when it comes to minorities and the afflicted and the weak and the picked on, that they would stand to gain so much. As I wrote a few weeks ago in my "This Week" column, there is a reason advertisers run from WWE, a reason no major automobile or beer companies want to be associated with WWE, and a reason those who do buy ads on WWE programming pay a deeply discounted price compared to other similarly rated programs that draw from the same demographic. It's because WWE reaffirms time after time that it's sleazy and insensitive and embarrassing to be associated with.

WWE can tout all they want how much money they've raised for victims of Hurricane Katrina, but it doesn't wipe out the gasps or eye–rolls or disgusted head shaking from millions of viewers year after year when WWE fails to observe basic tenets of human decency or taste during their shows. What's next? An evil diva named Katrina?

In Vince McMahon's world, there may be no rules, but he can't escape the consequences. He may never back down, but that doesn't mean he's not often beaten up (at the expense of stock holders). He may take pride in his bravado and manhood, but in the end he's writing his legacy as a part time creative genius, part time crass buffoon surrounded by yes-men who either fear for their jobs or breathe the same tainted air in that bubble they all share.

Hurricane's music playing is not in and of itself a huge deal. It is, though, part of a larger trend of social faux pauxs that rival Larry David's character in his HBO series. Just like you can't bring Larry David to a dinner party without him creating a scene, WWE can't put on a TV show without needlessly offending a TV executive, a potential advertiser, or a paying customer. McMahon has enough money to get away with being stubborn and still stay in business. He doesn't, however, have enough money to dictate the way history books will view his and his company's legacy.

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