WWE Takes A More Aggressive Approach to Protecting Its Brand

WWE appears to be taking a much more aggressive stance against critics this campaign cycle than it did in 2010.

First, the entertainment company hit back against Chris Shays for his suggestion, as reported by the Associated Press' Susan Haigh, that WWE's content is akin to "soft porn." Shays is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, as is former WWE CEO Linda McMahon.

Now it is responding to Journal Inquirer Managing Editor Chris Powell, in response to an opinion piece published last week. "Maybe in time Connecticut will consider the pornography and mock violence of the wrestling business from which McMahon draws her fortune to be as legitimate as any other business,'' Powell wrote.

WWE spokesman Robert Zimmerman dashed off a letter to Powell -- and cc-ed it to most of the state's political reporters. "Although this was an opinion piece, your position as managing edior of the Journal Inquirer would ethically require you to report the fact accurately and not distort the truth,'' Zimmerman wrote.

"For future editorials and news stories that may pertain to WWE, we want to reiterate the facts to you so you clearly understand our programming content and the type of entertainment we provide to our more than 300,000 fans in the State of Connecticut," Zimmerman wrote.

The letter, as well as the similar response to Shays, seems to indicate that the company will be reacting more quickly to attacks this time around. Asked if this signifies an effort by WWE to correct what it seems as falsehoods about its brand, Zimmerman said "yes."

source: courant.com