Non-fans of World Wrestling entertainment, please don't turn away. I'd appreciate some non-wrestling fan posters to share their opinions here.
Background: John "Bradshaw" Layfield is a 14 year wrestling "veteran" who has recently been promoted to the main event bracket of the Smackdown show, and is currently involved in a heated feud with WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero. The heat behind the storyline is that self-made American "JBL" hates Mexicans, and wants them to get off American soil. Eddie plays the super-over good guy who wants to kick JBL's ass for saying distasteful things about the Mexican public (and for giving his Mother a heart attack). Layfield also has a book on sale, called "Have More Money Now", and is a financial analyst on Fox News and CNBC. He seems to have it made, right? Wrong...
During the beginning of last week, the Smackdown brand of World Wrestling entertainment held some shows in Germany. A WWE Championship match between Guerrero and Layfield was the main event of these shows, and during the show in Munich, JBL decided to take a different approach. Angry that his rubbish act wasn't getting any "heat" (reaction) from the audience, Layfield decided to act like Adolf Hitler by giving the crowd the Nazi Salute throughout the match. This certainly did provoke the crowd, and it angered them greatly.
Personally, I think this is despicable, and it was very foolish of JBL to try and get "Cheap heat" from the crowd, just because his boring and pathetic wrestling skills weren't getting him any sort of a reaction. It's at times like this I feel embarrassed to be a wrestling fan, although I won't stop watching my favourite show because of one man's dumb mistake.
JBL has recently been fired from his television shows as a result of his actions, and he may also lose his radio show. On top of that, he is in hot water with WWE management, and his second championship match against Eddie Guerrero at the Great American Bash (WWE's next major Smackdown Pay Per View event) may be in jeopardy. Also, his Nazi saluting has been reported in many newpapers (both in Germany and abroad), and it looks like he may be facing criminal charges in the near future. When asked why he hailed Hitler, JBL responded by saying "I don't understand why everyone's so angry about it, I'm the bad guy - it's what I'm supposed to do". Other WWE wrestlers have been saying things along the lines of "I'm embarrassed and upset" and "Layfield is a jerk".
What are your thoughts/opinions on this situation? Does JBL deserve to lose his television shows and championship matches for hailing Hitler in Germany last week, or have his actions been blown way out of proportion?