Well... Vince did it again

[Guest MrRant]

Christopher Lisotta, Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network

 

SUMMARY: The wacky world of pro wrestling got even wackier this week when a "gay wedding" between two WWE partners was called off.

 

 

 

The wacky, flamboyant world of professional wrestling got even wackier this week when the highly-touted Sept. 12 "gay wedding" between two World Wrestling Entertainment partners was called off.

 

The wrestling sideshow has left GLBT media watchdog organization GLAAD furious, after the group publicly supported the wedding as a step forward for the usually homophobic pro wrestling world.

 

Billy (played by Chuck Palumbo) and Chuck (played by Monty Sopp), former pro wrestling champions, have been showing each other more and more affection on UPN's Thursday night "Smackdown" wrestling program over the past few months, with the two wrestlers characters finally announcing last week on the show they were getting hitched.

 

According to the WWE, which scripts all its matches, neither Palumbo nor Sopp are really gay. The WWE has also made it clear that the planned wedding and Billy and Chuck's increasingly affectionate onscreen relationship were both simply part of a storyline.

 

"What we like to do in our genre is bring in issues that are out there in society that are topical," Stephanie McMahon, daughter of World Wrestling chiefs Vince and Linda McMahon, told pagesix.com on Sept. 9.

 

Initially GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ( news - web sites), was supportive of the stunt, saying it was a step forward for the world of professional wrestling and a good message to the impressionable male teens who make up a large portion of the WWE's audience.

 

"Billy and Chuck were a welcomed departure from the stereotypical, often-victimized gay wrestlers of the past," said GLAAD spokesman Scott Seomin.

 

The announcement of the planned gay wedding got the WWE tons of press, including mention in The New York Times, The Washington Post and on the Today Show, which featured the two wrestlers out of character in an interview with host Matt Lauer. The end of the interview featured Lauer giving the two wrestlers a Pottery Barn gravy boat as a wedding gift from GLAAD.

 

On the Sept. 12 show, Billy and Chuck announced they weren't getting married, that they are both really straight, and that the whole storyline was nothing more than a publicity stunt. The wedding ended (predictably) with a brawl involving wrestlers on a rival WWE show that to many looked like a gay bashing. GLAAD responded angrily, saying they had been mislead by McMahon and the WWE.

 

"The WWE lied to us two months ago when they promised that Billy and Chuck would come out and wed on the air," Seomin said "In fact, I was told (lied to) the day after the show was taped in Minneapolis that the wedding took place and all was well."

 

Criticism of both WWE and GLAAD's actions was swift. John McClelland, a columnist at OutSports.com said the WWE's called-off wedding sent the wrong message and was a disaster for GLAAD. "For Seomin to proclaim to the Washington Post that this story line and wedding is 'a hoot' and that it 'reaches a lot of potential bullies and gay bashers out there, and what Billy and Chuck are saying is not only 'We're here,' but they also say 'Don't mess with us,'' is absurd."

 

The WWE is clearly in need of publicity stunts. Its ratings are down by more than 20 percent from last year, and the company has seen its net income drop by 79 percent over the past twelve months.

 

I really don't care though because I really dislike GLAAD and its kinda funny. Not to mention they got the names wrong for Billy and Chuck.

[Guest Trivia247]

geez and Billy and Chuck was sent to Glaad in almost asking permission to do the angle, you would have thought they would have told GLAAD the conclusion of the angle. Probably the Orelly pressure on the Gay Organization from yesturday is making them changing their tune from Accepting it as a angle to some kind of Angry demostration.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

Knowing Vince, I would have waited until *afterwards* before issuing any kind of praise.

[Guest Choken One]

Of course, GLADD misinterprets the beatdown...THEY WEREN'T the Gay Guys...They were beating the morons.

 

And besides, Don't Gladd have some Village People Concert to attend?

[Guest Human Fly]

GLAAD probably wouldn't have been happy unless Billy and Chuck had a make-out session in the middle of the ring.

[Guest AnnieEclectic]

Billy (played by Chuck Palumbo) and Chuck (played by Monty Sopp)

 

uh.... no

 

-Annie

[Guest AnnieEclectic]

See, the GLBT group is a rather cool group, but GLAAD is a media watchdog

 

read: Gay Nazis.

 

 

As a lesbian may I completely announce that personally, when I heard

 

"Did I just say three minutes?"

 

I marked more than anyone.

 

 

GLAAD does good work, but pro wrestling should really only be judged by those that know the buisness. In this one case, I'm tellling GLAAD they can go screw.

 

-Annie

[Guest Choken One]

GLADD are all hypocrites. They bash people for not having respect for Gays and Lesbians but they complain when they don't let G&L beat the stereotypes...while they praise Will and Grace which completlely slaps Gays in the face.

[Guest AnnieEclectic]

W&G doesn't slap gays in the face. Will and Jack show that there are gay men that aren't sterotypical... and those that are. Please, there are gay men like Jack, but they use Will to balance. They can't get angry over that.

 

I'm shocked they were happy with the B&C wedding plans to begin with. From the start I said "This is awful" and Bisch redeemed it by killing it like the shitty thought it was.

 

Actually, I'm starting to be on your side. Fine.

 

Fuck GLAAD.

 

-Annie

[Guest MrRant]

And I got flamed for hating GLAAD lol.

[Guest Choken One]

I was refering to the Jack aspect, he totatlly goes with the Stereotypical role and with them starting to focus the show on the former side characters...it sends the misunderstod viewers wrong ideas.

 

Although, I've met more Jack Gays then Will Gays.

[Guest MrRant]

Odd... I've met more Will gays then Jack gays.

[Guest Trivia247]

Majority of the Gay roles on TV is sterotypical. From Will and Grace to Spin City and others where the characters maybe obviously human beings with feelings there HAS to be something quarky about them. Its kinda silly to take on the WWE and ignore everything else. There is more threat to the Gay Community by Morons to drag Gay people from behind trucks or kill them or Insult them instead of Wrestlers Playing Gay roles.

But I could be wrong...right?

[Guest Choken One]

Must be where we live...However, I have a Gay Uncle and him and his Husband are very Willish...You woulden't even know they were married if you didn't see the rings..but just Roomates...That was what we tell the kids until they understand the idea.

[Guest buffybeast]

Well, if Vince in fact promised to marry the two men, then he lied to GLAAD. I can see their argument and why they are mad. But they should realize that they are dealing with fucking professional wrestling and the Mcmahon family. The lie, cheat and steal to earn money and ratings all the time.

[Guest PlatypusFool]

Is Billy's real name Monty Sopp?

 

Cos that's a pretty stupid name if you ask me...

[Guest The Czech Republic]

I'm gonna take out some books on homosexuality and try to find out what it is about being gay that creates all these oft-proven stereotypes.

[Guest AndrewTS]

"The WWE lied to us two months ago when they promised that Billy and Chuck would come out and wed on the air," Seomin said "In fact, I was told (lied to) the day after the show was taped in Minneapolis that the wedding took place and all was well."

 

Damn this article is full of inaccuracies. TWO MONTHS AGO?! Wha?!

 

And obviously someone got wrong spoilers. BTW, why does his name remind me of "semen?"

[Guest TheArchiteck]

Hmmm, Vince should have told them actual outcome if he was going to tell them at all.

But how can it be gay bashing if no one's character were gay at all?

[Guest AnnieEclectic]

Good point.

 

 

how about we all say, just to be fair to all parties...

 

That Vince sucks, and this angle was horrible any way you look at it.

 

I think we can all agree there.

 

-Annie

[Guest chirs3]

Vince shoulda told them how it would end, yea, but I don't get how anyone who knew the background of what happened could call that gay bashing. And if they didn't know the background, they shouldn't be harping on about it.

 

And screw j00 Annie, because that Bischoff swerve was absolute gold. It made the whole 20 minutes worthwhile.

[Guest TheArchiteck]

Annie, I'm another one who enjoyed the covert ops plan by the Raw crew.

Nicely done.

[Guest AndrewTS]

Nearly all of the "hetero" weddings all had screwed up endings anyway. Test and Steph, Stacey and David, the renewal of vows with HHH and Steph, and probably more. So this is hardly a new thing.

[Guest mister foozel]

did they actually believe WWE were DEFINITELY going ahead with it????

 

GLADD has to be fucking stupid to raise a shit about this

 

get a life

 

go suck a cock GLADD...

[Guest HoffmanHBK]

"The wedding ended (predictably) with a brawl involving wrestlers on a rival WWE show that to many looked like a gay bashing."

 

How was it a gay bashing? They were attacking two superstars from the rival company after they had said they WEREN'T gay... *sigh*

 

Apologies if someone already said this, it's late and I wanted to jot the thought down as soon as I had it.

[Guest El Psycho Diablo]

It's funny.

 

If they knew the least bit about professional wrestling..EVERYTHING ends in a screwjob.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Hey, if PETA can take the time to whine to the Milwaukee Brewers about having a veggie sausage compete in the team's between innings mascot race, then GLAAD can moan about being lied to regarding a MADE UP STORYLINE.

 

It's not like there's anything else worthwhile to be concerned about regarding homosexual and animal rights...

[Guest the 1inch punch]

Is Billy's real name Monty Sopp?

 

Cos that's a pretty stupid name if you ask me...

Its either Monty or Kipp

 

While I'm at it, is anyone else a Kevin Smith fan. He gets untold abuse from GLAAD for sentences in Dogma and J&SB SB. Fuck them

[Guest candie45]

Must be where we live...However, I have a Gay Uncle and him and his Husband are very Willish...You woulden't even know they were married if you didn't see the rings..but just Roomates...That was what we tell the kids until they understand the idea.

Same here. Well, that's what my parents told me. I thought they were just "roomates" for the longest time. They never showed any affection or anything.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Can we just get over it and realize that being gay doesn't mean being having to be a liberal and a supporter of these numerous groups? Yeah. Thanks.

 

We don't really need GLAAD getting on their case anyway. What we need is Quality Control.