The following was issued on WWE.com on Friday evening:
Following his criticism over the portrayal of WWE Superstars Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter, WWE has extended a formal invitation to talk show host and political commentator Glenn Beck to appear on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
WWE’s invitation stems from Beck’s recent segment in which he discussed the ongoing rivalry between World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio, No. 1 contender Swagger and his self-styled mentor Colter. In the segment, Beck specifically directed his comments toward the character of Swagger, recently reinvented as a xenophobic “Real American” who delivers anti-immigration “State of the Union” addresses as the antagonist to the Mexican hero Del Rio. Beck inferred that Swagger’s persona, along with that of Colter as his mentor, would offend WWE’s “conservative” fan base. Beck also referenced WWE as “stupid wrestling people” in the segment, which aired Thursday on The BlazeTV.
WWE is in the entertainment business, creating characters and stories that revolve around our Superstars as well as culturally significant current events. Given Mr. Beck’s comments, WWE is formally extending an invitation to him to address our 14 million weekly viewers and global fan base — as well as the live audience of the WWE Universe — on WWE programming this Monday night. We look forward to Mr. Beck’s reply and the opportunity to have him on Raw.
Source: WWE.com