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Exclusive: Beck’s Blunt Response to Invitation From WWE to Appear on ‘Raw’

Feb. 22, 2013 11:46pm Christopher Santarelli

Glenn Beck Responds to WWE Raw Invitation

Glenn Beck addressed the WWE on his radio show this week (TheBlaze)

Glenn Beck has given TheBlaze his response to an invitation from World Wrestling Entertainment to appear on Monday Night Raw live in Dallas next week: “Unfortunately, I am currently booked doing anything else.”

Beck and the WWE have directed comments at each other over the past week after the wrestling organization introduced two Tea Party-inspired characters, “Jack Swagger” and “Zeb Colter.”

The WWE first extended an invitation to Beck through a statement Friday after the radio host criticized the new characters on his show Wednesday for depicting tea partiers as racially insensitive villains, in turn “demonizing the Tea Party.” Beck went on to question the WWE’s motives when portraying the Tea Party this way, noting his belief that most wrestling fans are likely not progressives.

“Maybe that’s the way WWE people view the Tea Party. And maybe they love to hate the Tea Party. But I have to tell you, I expect that from Hollywood, but I don’t expect ‑‑ if I’m getting my entertainment from somebody that I think is on my side ‑‑ and I’m sorry, I just don’t see a bunch of progressives going and buying their tickets to the WWE. Do you?” Beck posited Wednesday.

“I mean, and maybe there are. I tend to notice that the progressives are not as popular in the South unless they’ve moved from the North. So I’m just trying to figure out exactly who they’re trying to appeal here, who they’re appealing to.”

WWE Performers Address Glenn Beck in New Video (YouTube)

In a video released on the official WWE YouTube page Friday evening, the wrestlers broke character to address Beck and his comments. After first calling out Swagger’s upcoming WrestleMania opponent in a cartoonish minute-and-a-half promo, performers Wayne Keown (Colter) and Jake Hager (Swagger) address Beck directly to clarify that they are not political commentators, rather entertainers.

“We aren’t in the political business, or the immigration business. We are in the entertainment business,” Keown says. He goes on to list the size and demographics of the WWE audience, and the reasoning behind the storylines of characters like Colter and Swagger.

“We have about 60 characters on our show — a lot more than say NCIS or Glee — but we’re not that much different. Some of our characters are really likable and some are detestable — good guys and bad guys,” Keown says. “We don’t use guns, and we don’t depict murder or rape, typically seen on primetime dramas. Our program is PG.”

“Many of your followers are WWE fans and they understand the difference between reality and entertainment,” Keown adds.

“Are you out of touch with your audience Glenn? Or are you just a ‘stupid political commentator?’”

At the end of the video, Keown invites Beck once again to appear on Raw in Dallas Monday, and after Friday’s video, says the radio host can deliver a five-minute, unedited rebuttal to their global television audience and a sold-out crowd.

Watch the video message from Keown/Colter and Hager/Swagger to Glenn Beck below:

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (238)

cardonaivando
Posted on February 24, 2013 at 3:51pm
There is no need for Beck to lower himself to appear on a fake but entertaining program to explain himself. they obviously were dissing the tea party which is typical of the liberal establishment today. Let these clowns go on with the show and leave Glenn alone-no further explanation is necessary!

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Tigress1
Posted on February 24, 2013 at 12:22pm
Ten years ago, WWE (WWF) used to be ENTERTAINMENT. They used to have interesting and funny story lines. It’s been a lonnnnng time since WWE could be considered entertainment. Now they are just plain booorrrrring! Someone needs to fire their writers. Glenn would make it more entertaining, but he would just be USED by them. He’s wise to tell them no.

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tothepoint
Posted on February 24, 2013 at 11:17am
Notice they don’t have any drunken-spending, pro killing of unborn humans, Lefty Socialist characters on their show.
Wait for it – their next character will ridicule Jesus Christ.
That is the way these so-called entertainers are headed.

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kscottie
Posted on February 24, 2013 at 9:49am
LOL…Karma is a a biter HUH Glenn?

Remeber when GLENN threw the Tea Party under the bus?

I do. He went on THE JUDGE’s Fox show and , because his hate for Newt Gingrinch, Claimed the only way the Tea party could be for Newt, is if they were against Obama SOLEY on race.

Hey Glenn, how did Mitt do in the debates again? Still wanna tell me how Newt would be AS bad as Obama?

I don’t like what the WWE is doing with the tea party, but Glenn –pot meet kettle.

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viper316
Posted on February 24, 2013 at 4:34am
I cannot believe some of the crap people are saying on here. The WWE is an entertainment company, hence the “E” in the name. I have been a lifelong fan and in the nearly 30 years of watching the show, I can tell you this is not the first time the WWE has done something controversial. They have had characters who you didn’t know if they were gay or not (Billy & Chuck with Rico). They have pushed the envelope with religion (Undertaker). They had Sgt. Slaughter play an Iraqi supporter during the Gulf War. They had a character named Muhammad Hassan who talked down about American not too long after 9/11. What Vince McMahon is doing is for money and ratings. He is a very smart businessman. He knows the right buttons to push to get the attention for his company. You people who are bashing the WWE for this angle are ridiculous. The WWE supports our military with the annual Tribute to the Troops show. They have the BE A Star campaign against bullying. They have reading programs where kids can go to WrestleMania and other events. I highly suggest you educate yourself before you talk negatively about the entertainment company, WWE. I can almost guarantee you the WWE will use comments from this article during RAW and Smackdown over the next few weeks with the storyline of Jack Swagger, Zeb Colter and Alberto Del Rio. And Vince loves this because it’s big media attention as the WWE heads to WrestleMania in April.

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