The WWE announced a new match for WrestleMania on Monday Night Raw, a Battle Royal for the women’s division to rival the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The name? The Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal.
After the match was revealed, many fans took to Twitter, upset that the WWE would honor someone with such a checkered past. Moolah had been accused of pimping out younger wrestlers and taking their pay back in the day. The backlash of the fans even reached the sponsors of WrestleMania 34, causing Snickers to release a statement.
We were recently made aware of the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc’s decision to honor a former wrestler during the upcoming WrestleMania 34 event. As a principle-based business that has long championed creating inclusive environments that encourage and empower everyone to reach their full potential, this is unnaceptable. We are engaging with the WWE to express our disappointment.
Snickers’ disapproval seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, as WWE eventually released a statement regarding a name change for the Women’s Battle Royal. WrestlingInc reported earlier today that the WWE has officially decided to take the Fabulous Moolah’s name off of the match.
After further consideration, we believe it’s best to proceed with the name ‘WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.’ What remains most important is that this historic match is part of WWE’s unwavering commitment to the Women’s Division.
Aside from Snickers’ strong stance, multiple petitions were made to try to persuade the WWE to change the name, garnering more than 10,000 signature. However, it seems that the most effective way to force the WWE’s hand, obviously, is to hit their pockets.
Thank you @WWEUniverse for using your voice. What remains most important is that the “@WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal” will be a historic match and is part of @WWE’s unwavering commitment to our Women’s Division. #WomensEvolution #ChangeTheName
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) March 15, 2018
Stephanie McMahon tweeted about the name change today, proud of the WWE Universe for using their voice. McMahon also used the hashtag #ChangeTheName to show her support for WWE’s move.
