HBO’s John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, has put WWE in the crosshairs of his show’s signature “main story” a few times in the past: over their relationship with Saudi Arabia, and again for their role in how the wrestling business treats wrestlers.
When he covered how the sports industry is navigating the COVID-19 crisis on the show’s May 17 episode, wrestling was again part of the discussion. WWE and Vince McMahon’s justification to investors for continuing to produce show during the pandemic got mentions, as did fellow WarnerMedia property AEW.
But compared to Oliver’s past skewerings of the business and the biggest company in its history, wrestling got off pretty light last night. He covers Florida making sports “essential” during their shutdown, the whistleblower complaint about WWE to Orange County officials, and generally calls putting on wrestling matches under stay-at-home orders irresponsible. But mostly it’s just a segue into jokes about Dana White & UFC, and a running gag about how horny actor Adam Driver makes the host.
If you’re a fan of the show or interested in an entertaining deep dive into the return of sports in the age of corona, check it out above. If you just want the WWE & AEW mentions, they happen around the 7:30 mark.