WWE Raw: Company Defends Controversial Charlotte, Paige Angle In Official Statement

The WWE Raw angle involving Charlotte, Paige, and Charlotte’s deceased brother Reid has caused quite the stir online.

Many pundits and fans alike have criticized the company for “going there” in having Paige make fun of Reid, who died in 2013 from an accidental overdose of heroin and prescription drugs.

The Inquisitr published criticisms of the angle Wednesday, particularly after it was revealed that Ric Flair and Elizabeth Fliehr — Charlotte and Reid’s father and mother — said they knew nothing of the angle until it premiered.

“I never heard a word about it,” said Ric, the 16-time World Heavyweight Champion, on his podcast the day after the segment aired. “I started crying while I was watching it.”

Flair continued,

“I obviously have an opinion but I’m afraid to voice it. Because I don’t want anything to affect Ashley’s [Charlotte’s] career…. I do know that she would never be comfortable rocking the boat right now. She’s in a very unique and great position with them and she’ll be there as long as she wants to be because they think that much of her, not only because of who she is but because of her skill set, her workrate, her work ethic; there are a thousand reasons why she’ll be there forever. But I don’t think she feels comfortable saying no to anybody about anything.”

This was the section of Flair’s interview that fueled the original piece from Inquisitr posing the question of how an anti-bullying company could foster such an intimidating backstage presence for its talent.

This depiction was something WWE took issue with when graciously providing the Inquisitr with an official statement on Thursday afternoon.

“The notion that WWE would bully its talent into using a sensitive subject of this nature is reprehensible. Subject matter this personal is only approved as a result of the strong advocacy of the talent themselves. Notwithstanding that, WWE is ultimately responsible for what airs in its programming.”

Fair enough. Charlotte could have walked out on this particular aspect of the storyline, so the fact that fans were subjected to it Monday night is as much on her as it is on the WWE Raw creative staff.

Also, this is hardly the first time that the company has pushed the boundaries of good taste for the sake of storytelling, so there is some precedent here for this sort of thing.

That said, Inquisitr was far from alone in criticizing the segment.

Cageside Seats was a particularly hostile territory toward whichever WWE Raw writers were responsible, with many calling for an apology.

One called it a “s****y segment to draw cheap heat,” adding “the whole thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

It’s hard to disagree with that. Even so, WWE’s official statement presents absolution of sorts.

If Charlotte really was uncomfortable with the material — as her dad seems to think in the audio clip below — she should have spoken up. After all, Ric does indicate she has advocates in Triple H and Stephanie McMahon — not exactly low-rung management.

https://youtu.be/pp-23GxoHIE

It’s also reasonable to assume that, given her family lineage and deep connections to the industry, she should have at least felt comfortable voicing concerns, particularly if the idea was presented to and didn’t actually originate with her.

Just try to imagine Charlotte’s situation in your own world. Let’s say your brother or sister or spouse died, and then you go into work and your boss asks you to exploit their death for financial gain.

Most of you would probably take all of 10 seconds to tell your employer where to stick it. You would at least feel comfortable enough to say, “I’m not okay with that.”

While WWE Raw writers would have been better served here giving Flair a heads-up about the segment, it’s not fair to lay all of this at their door. After all, Charlotte could have prepared her parents for the angle as well.

But what do you think, readers? Was the segment in bad taste? Do you think Charlotte is as responsible for the material as the WWE Raw creative team? Sound off in the comments section, and don’t forget to check out Survivor Series this Sunday for the Paige vs. Charlotte grudge match.

[Image via YouTube screen grab]