To say the LaVar Ball segment on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW was strange would be a huge understatement.
The second it was revealed he would feature on the show, fans ensured they tuned in and the ratings speak for themselves – as the YouTube video already has millions of views.
MIZTV
LaVar brought his youngest son LaMelo and new Los Angeles Laker Lonzo along for the ride, with WWE taking advantage of the fact that the Lakers faithful would want to see the new face of the franchise make his first appearance inside of the Staples Center.
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As always, it was LaVar who stole the show for all the wrong reasons.
He hogged the microphone throughout the segment; which says a lot considering he was sharing the ring with arguably the greatest star on the microphone today in The Miz, and he seemed to go off-script and crazy from out of nowhere.
He decided to take off his own shirt and it looked as if they were about to throw down but thankfully, Dean Ambrose interrupted to save the segment from going further downhill.
However, there are dangers of live television as WWE found out when 15-year-old LaMelo found himself speaking into the microphone and twice dropped a racial slur which has angered many, ranging from Baron Corbin to Curtis Axel.
TRAINWRECK
Now, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has revealed what the backstage reaction was when he dropped the n-bomb for all to hear and as you can imagine, he wasn’t happy.
Fans would have loved to be a fly on the wall backstage, and Meltzer was revealed that Vince McMahon wasn't a happy man.
Writing on F4WOnline, Meltzer posted: “As you can imagine, backstage was chaos.
“WWE immediately responded to the Los Angeles Times saying, 'The inappropriate language used by a guest during the Miz TV segment was not scripted, nor reflects WWE’s values.’
“According to one person backstage, the key people, notably Kevin Dunn and Vince McMahon were very unhappy when the word was audible to the crowd.”
The slur has been used in the past – by Vince himself on one occasion – but WWE wasn’t as child-friendly as it is now, and the networks don’t need that sort of controversy when WWE would be trying to negotiate new TV deals.
In fact, it's totally unacceptable.
It’s an unnecessary headache to have, especially when any appearance featuring the Ball family was going to get mainstream media attention, and now WWE’s coverage is under the microscope in a negative light rather than a positive one.
It’s a learning experience, though, and LaMelo probably won’t find himself working with the company anytime soon.
What do you make of the Ball family segment on Monday Night RAW this week? Have YOUR say in the comments section below and the fourth episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here! Check it out via this link: https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-money-in-the-bank-fallout
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