������ So there I was, watching RAW is WAR on TSN on April 9th, enjoying the program, but not realising how important an episode it was to become. Linda McMahon was to deliver her message to Vince, which we all knew would be her demand for a divorce. No big deal. Then, as Linda is about to leave the arena, my one, true love Lita stops her to tell her how inspired she was by Linda's actions.
������ This alone was enough to make me happy. Lita got some air-time, which always makes me happy (seriously, I squeal with delight any time she pops on screen). Plus, she was given some time to speak, which is a big plus. I didn't think much else would come of it, though. Earlier in the episode the APA and Chyna had all voiced their support for Linda back-stage, so I figured this was just a way to give Lita some face-time without giving her or the Hardys a match. Boy, was I in for a surprise.
������ When Vince came chasing after Linda's limo, I was begging for Lita to still be there. The previous week on Smackdown!, Commissioner Regal had punished the Hardys for speaking with Shane McMahon by giving Jeff a match against the Big Show, so I was hoping similar punishment would be given to Lita for her voicing her support for Linda. In any case, being in Vince's cross-hairs is always a good thing for someone looking for TV time. Sure enough, Lita remained on screen (looking ravishing, as always) and sure enough, she was in Vince's crosshairs. Her punishment? A match with Stephanie (no big deal, Lita actually liked that idea), with the Hardys joining her to face Stephanie, Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
������ I'm sure most of us remember this, I'm just reviewing. However, I can't tell you how excited this announcement made me. I've been hollering for the WWF to increase Lita's visibility for months. It doesn't get much more visible than pissing off Vince then stepping in the ring with two of the biggest names in wrestling (plus Stephanie, who is one of the biggest storyline players in the Federation). Team Extreme was going to main event RAW, with Lita at the centre of the maelstrom. This was huge.
������ The anticipation grew with a look into Team Extreme's dressing room, as Matt and Lita fretted over their predicament. When Jeff piped in with his opinion, about how he relished this opportunity, he not only said more than his combined history in the WWF, but also echoed my feelings on the night. It didn't matter if Team Extreme won or lost. For one night, they would headline an event, and I knew they'd put on a show (the Hardys never fail to put on a show).
������ So the match hits, one of the biggest in the Hardys career, and it follows your basic face vs. heel format- with the Hardys dominating but often overpowered by the superior tandem of Austin and Helmsley. Once it hit the outside of the ring, it was time for Lita to shine, to the delight of the crowd chanting her name. She nails Stephanie with the Twist of Fate. She follows up with the Moonsault. She scores the pin. Team Extreme wins! This is huge. In a WWF in desperate need for Faces, the Hardys and Lita seem to be jumping in to fill that void.
������ Then Triple H enters the ring. He confronts Lita, who is quickly surrounded by he and Austin. What are they going to do? They wouldn't attack a woman, would they? The Hardys interrupt, but are soon disposed of. Triple H then nails Lita with the Pedigree, just the type of action one would expect from one as despicable as he. Austin then turns his attentions towards Matt, working him over with a chair as he did the Rock at Wrestlemania. Lita somehow fights off the effects of the Pedigree to crawl over to her boyfriend Matt, placing her body in harm's way, believing Austin would lay off Matt with her body thrown over his. But he doesn't. Instead Austin attacks her as he attacked good ol' J.R. on Smackdown! He hits with the chair. He hits her again. Austin and Triple H lift her unconscious body, and Austin delivers the Stone Cold Stunner. Austin, Triple H and Stephanie stand over their prey victorious as the crows boos. Or so I've read.
������ By the time Austin was ready to strike Lita with a second chair-shot, TSN pulled away from the visuals to show stock footage of crowd signs. Why? Because a man was hitting a woman. In a show based on violence, this action crossed the line. Men attack each other all the time on WWF programming; that's fine. Women attack each other; that's fine. Women can even attack men; no problem there. But a man striking a woman? Time to cut the show short.
������ What do I think of this decision? I think it stinks. Don't get me wrong, I am completely against violence against women. But this is a TV show. Why is it that other shows are given creative license to portray violence, but wrestling, an industry based on violence, is held to a different standard? This was one of the biggest moments in Lita's career: she has trained to become a legitimate wrestler, not just some bimbo valet, and has worked hard to be seen as such. As a wrestler, she is placed in the same dangerous situations as the male wrestlers. Obviously, she is at a disadvantage against most men, and the WWF was playing up the angle that she had no chance against the likes of Triple H or Steve Austin. Their treatment of Lita was deplorable, and that's how it was portrayed. The fans booed, J.R. begged them to stop. This wasn't a glorification of violence against women, this was bad men doing bad things.
������ That's why the WWF chose Lita as the victim. Some fans still might have been on Austin's side, even after his assaults on the Rock and Jim Ross and his alliance with Vince McMahon and Triple H. But after he brutally assaulted the most popular woman in the WWF, no one would cheer him. This was about more than Austin being a bad guy, it was a recognition of Lita's status. I'm sure she was very proud of her work in the ring that night, and excited about the opportunity it had afforded her. I'm sure she was not impressed to learn that some of her performance was edited.
������ What about the argument that violence against women sends the wrong message to kids? That argument is crap. Kids that can not tell the difference between right and wrong (especially when it is as clearly spelled out as Austin's actions against Lita were) should not be watching RAW is WAR. Simply put, it is not a show for kids and does not pretend to be. If it was, I don't think I'd be watching. Why is it that shows like Law and Order and the Practice can show women being held at gunpoint, or women being raped, but the WWF can't show a women WRESTLER being attacked by a steel chair? Buffy the Vampire Slayer is attacked by men all the time, yet YTV has no problem showing that show. It is hypocrisy, plain and simple, and I, for one, am sick of it.
������ In their own defense, TSN showed a disclaimer stated that by showing violence they violated codes in their broadcasting license. If this is the case, I suggest they allow TNN to broadcast RAW is WAR episodes in Canada, so we won't be forced to deal with their editing. In fact, maybe they should dump the WWF altogether, although somehow I doubt they will, what with it being their highest rated program and all.
