Stereotypes in 2012 Wrestling aka Lazy Booking 101

 "I won't be ignored, Dan!"

I already wrote about my problem with the AJ Lee/Bryan Danielson story line. I made sure to mention last week about CM Punk's "I kinda dig crazy chicks" line as well. This week, cue WWE Shop's newest addition: a CM Punk shirt proudly proclaiming, "I Dig Crazy Chicks."

Three cheers for WWE continuing the stereotype of the crazy ex-girlfriend. Someone on twitter asked what AJ did exactly to be deemed crazy. Obviously according to WWE logic, any woman who reacts to a humiliating breakup other than "calmly accept it and move on" is crazy. Wrestling is full of stereotypes and the "crazy chick" is one of them. This is one of my core frustrations with wrestling itself - lazy booking that falls back into stereotypes instead of trying something different. If you're black, you get to be a savage, an angry militant, or a dancer (thanks to Demond aka OVW's Mo Green aka WWE's Lamont for pointing that one out!). If you're Mexican, you get to be a gang member or a lazy worker (such as the "Mexicools" driving their riding lawn mowers to the ring). If you're Asian, you get to be the superior foreigner who knows no English and is supposedly too good to learn it. If you're a woman, you get to have no personality (just another face/heel) or be a slut ("hoeski"), a bitch, power-hungry, or crazy.

Is it really asking so much for promotions to think outside the box when it comes to wrestlers outside of the white, straight male persuasion? Plenty of promotions have already, so why can't all of them? I'm speaking specifically of WWE here, obviously, but in 2012 no promotion anywhere should be falling back on such lazy, narrow minded and quite frankly stupid booking of their talent.

But on the flip side, if WWE is going to go the stereotype route with merchandise, lets go all the way. How about the following for shirts?


For Eve Torres, a silhouette of her when she had collapsed in the ring crying after Cena had publicly called her a hoeski. The words underneath would read something along the lines of "#HoeskiProblems" or "I Dig Hoeskis" or "Yay for Slut Shaming!"

For AJ, one that says, "I Hate Manipulative Douchebag Men." Comes with or without a picture of her holding a bunny in a pot.

For John Cena, "Minorities in Trouble? What, Me Worry?" or "Hustle. Loyalty. Respect.* (*Does not apply to homosexuals or minorities)"

For Vince McMahon, "Stand Up for Perpetuating Stereotypes!"


I wonder how many of those would sell? Maybe as many as the new CM Punk shirt.

*Edit, thanks to ACrimsonMask on Twitter for pointing this out. WWE really wants to get the point across that AJ is crazy. Take a look at her entrance video: