2008 Election candidates’ face-off in the professional wrestling ring at WWE’s Monday Night Raw in April 21, 2008. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain all tried a new tactic to gain votes with their pre-taped appearances on the famous professional wrestling show.
The WWE Company had given all presidential hopefuls an invitation to appear live on the show as well as play a match on the ring. Instead all of them opted to send in pre-taped appearances that pandered to the sensibilities of wrestling fans.
Clinton’s video was shown first. It featured the former first lady giving herself the wrestling name “Hill-Rod”, Clinton also likened the primaries and the upcoming election to the “King of the Ring”, one of WWE’s major activities which showed several wrestlers fighting on the ring until only one wrestler was left standing.
After Clinton’s pre-taped appearance, Barack Obama’s video was shown, He, on the other hand, likened himself to WWE Superstar Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson. Obama even used The Rock’s trademark spiel and paraphrased it saying, “Do you smell what Barack is cooking?”
John McCain’s video featured the Republican candidate calling his followers McCainiacs and declaring himself the sure winner in the November elections.
After the videos were shown, the WWE made do without an actual candidate wrestling match by making one up. They had previously asked Democrat candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton if they wanted to do a live face-off on the ring to settle their differences before the end of the Democratic primaries. Both candidates declined, but that didn’t stop the show from having a fake Obama and fake Clinton battle it out on the ring. WWE featured its latest video game, which showed a simulation of a Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tiff, even throwing in a digital Bill Clinton for additional effect.
John McCain remains the last standing Republican candidate after Mike Huckabee dropped out of the Republican primaries. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are still battling it out in the ongoing Democratic primaries where they both stand neck to neck in terms of votes.
This is just the latest appearance of the candidates in popular TV. Other previous appearances include appearances on the Late Night with David Letterman, the View, Saturday Night Live and others. Several actors and celebrities have also voiced their preference amongst the presidential hopefuls. The 2008 elections will be held in November and the primaries will decide whom the presidential candidates for both political parties will be.