WWE: ESPN’s Michelle Beadle clarifies Triple H tweets, stance on the company

Photo: WWE.com

By Josh Nason, WrestlingObserver.com

Follow @JoshNason

Amid all the drama surrounding this past weekend’s Floyd Mayweather/Manny Pacquaio bout was a story that media personalities previously critical of Mayweather’s checkered past with domestic violence were having their credientials denied. ESPN & HBO personality Michelle Beadle was one of those people.

Beadle addressed the situation in a Twitlonger post Tuesday, also clarifying her issues with WWE and specifically Paul “Triple H” Levesque for supporting Mayweather:

From the post:

“I’m a fan of Triple H.  As a wrestler, he was a big part of many of my memories, even as recently as this year’s Wrestlemania.  As an Executive Vice President, he’s successfully led the charge in building the WWE’s farm system, NXT. WWE proudly lends its name and backing to Susan G. Komen, Make-A-Wish, and Boys and Girls Clubs, to name a few. They’ve been deeply involved in building an Anti-Bullying campaign, Be A Star. And just last year, Stephanie McMahon strengthened the company’s domestic violence policies:  “We have a zero tolerance policy for domestic abuse. Upon arrest for such misconduct, our superstars are immediately suspended and should there be a conviction, that superstar or diva would be terminated.” 

That’s from the Wellness Policy that applies to all WWE talent. Imagine my confusion when, during the maelstrom of the weekend, I noticed a few tweets that may have, at any other time, gone unnoticed. Tweets that caused me to question my support of the WWE and the man who sits near the top of the company’s food chain. “So why now,” some have wondered. Because sometimes it takes a little longer to see the light. Triple H has continued to display his relationship with Floyd Mayweather through social media, the most recent being a hearty congratulations to the boxer following his victory Saturday night.

It’s not my place to say what one should and should not do on Twitter, especially during personal time. However the era in which we’re living is rapidly changing. And the lines between one’s corporate and private personas have blurred. Triple H has over two million followers. He’s one of the faces of a company that depends on a healthy public image. I realize he doesn’t speak for everyone, but does he realize that when he shows support to a convicted batterer, friend or not, it can effectively damage so much goodwill that the company is admittedly doing? It’s hard to sell a message of anti-bullying while slapping the ultimate bully on the back. I was a fan. A big fan. But it’s time to use my voice.”

On Sunday, Beadle tweeted the following:

As of Tuesday afternoon, Levesque has yet to respond publicly.