For those of you outside the wrestling world, this title just sounds like, “Just another celebrity will appear at a wrestling event for free,” but this is more than that. In previous years WrestleMania has played host to all kinds of celebrity appearances, such as Aretha Franklin singing the anthem, the incumbent president of the United States put his hair on the line in a match, and we’ve seen a man painted in gold dressed up like someone in a sex dungeon. Wrestling is weird, and wrestling is wrestling.

However, last week the HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, or as Oliver joking renamed the show while it was taping, “Unfortunately, Not a Guy Exploding Though A Table with John Oliver.” Oliver’s show featured its usual long and thoroughly investigated op-eds about specific topics.

Previous episodes include vaccines, prison reform, the NRA, Brexit, and countless other pieces that are funny and well covered. However, this past week Oliver and his team covered WWE, or more specifically, the issues with the WWE and their owner Vince McMahon. It was a very well written piece about the unfortunately high mortality rate within WWE and wrestling as a whole.

Oliver went as far as calling Vince, “While the character Vince is an ar**hole, it’s important to know that the real Vince is also an ar**hole.”. To then continue the show with moments of Vince using a racial slur “for comedic purposes,” forcing his female employees to strip in live TV, and hit his fictional illegitimate son, Hornswoggle. The point of this was to show Vince is the one in control of the company, even at 73, the companies founder, chairman of the board, and CEO still has a stranglehold over the company. McMahon and his family still call the shots, are still the center of the shows; and have the controlling power over the industry as a whole, and not just their own fiefdom.

With this, Oliver then continued to speak about the high mortality rate, the response Vince has had to questions over this issue, and showed the in-ring punishment Vince has taken over the years. Undoubtedly, Vince is the driving force for why wrestling is so large today, why it has grown to a huge $930.2 million sum last year alone.

However, from many accounts of wrestlers themselves, there are major issues with the company. These issues range from medical, financial, and domestic problems, some seen also in the likes of the NFL. When the then owner and current CEO was questioned on many of these issues in the past; his response has been either violent or generally confrontational, including an attempt to hit the notes out of a reporter’s hands (as seen in Oliver’s show).

In its statement to PWinside.com WWE said the following, “John Oliver is clearly a clever and humorous entertainer, however[,] the subject matter covered in his WWE segment is no laughing matter.” continuing with, “Prior to airing, WWE responded to his producers refuting every point in his one-sided presentation. John Oliver simple ignored the facts. The health and wellness of our performers is the single most important aspect of our business, and we have a comprehensive, longstanding Talent Wellness program. We invite John Oliver to attend WrestleMania this Sunday to learn more about our company.”

With my personal knowledge of WWE and its history, there is no denying WWE’s checkered past. The deaths of several wrestlers under the company’s watch is one of the largest issues within the company to date. WWE cannot change or deny these facts and to run away from these claims, as they have in this statement, is not going to lend them any favors with fans.

. @LastWeekTonight piece shined a light on just how little power wrestlers have had over their terms of ‘employment’ in an industry with little to no competition or regulation. Sobering reminder that you can be our biggest advocates with how you spend your money and time.

— HANGMAN PAGE (@theAdamPage) April 1, 2019

Since the piece aired Sunday night, many wrestlers of former WWE employment (and otherwise) have praised Oliver for the piece. Independent wrestler, Colt Cabana, spoke about ESPN’s attempt to get him for a piece years prior. Former WWE “Divas” champion, Gail Kim said that this piece came from the perfect source to speak about the topic.

Chavo Guerrero Jr. simply wrote, “Thank you, John Oliver!! #keepingupthefight #notindependentcontractors #union,” after his uncle was featured in the section of premature deaths. Finally, the least likely to return to WWE is CM Punk, who left under less than agreeable circumstances simply tweeted, “I s**t my britches, please RT @LastWeekTonight (I love you!) @iamjohnoliver.”

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