Cup of coffee in the big time: Tampons breaking Twitter and racists returning

Wrestling is weird in so many ways. That the “sport” can be profoundly dumb does not take away from how much we enjoy it or even how great it can be at its best.

But I’m sitting here, cup of coffee in hand on this Monday morning thinking about used tampon spots, the return of Hulk Hogan to WWE TV and the fact I watched my friend wrestle on pay-per-view (PPV) last night and it’s another day in the bizarre world of being a wrestling fan.

The Priscilla Kelly “used” tampon spot was gross. It was designed to be gross, though. Just like so many spots done by men for decades in wrestling. But, society still clings to all kinds of weird stuff, like the age-old joke of just how embarrassing it would be for a man to buy feminine hygiene products for their significant others. So, of course the thing many haven’t come to terms with, even if fake, was shocking for so many.

I can’t argue the point people should like the spot, taste being subjective and all. It wasn’t my cup of tea, just as with so many other “gross out” angles.

But I will argue with those who suggest this is some new low point in wrestling. Mr. Socko is a sock covered in crotch sweat jammed into a man’s mouth, the Stink Face was explicitly sold as being effective because of Rikishi’s large, smelly butt, Joey Ryan’s lollipop bit is a candy-flavored Mr. Socko with fan interaction.

And I’d argue dropping a giant load of fake crap on people is far more disgusting than a bit using a fake used tampon. And if we go to the implied health concerns of fake bodily fluids/waste, feces is a much bigger threat.

Then there’s Hulk Hogan’s return to Raw tonight with WWE normalizing his involvement post-racist outburst by using “Mean” Gene Okerlund’s death.

Hogan and Okerlund were tied together professionally and in friendship. I’d like to think Hogan was as affected as anyone would be by the death of a friend, but his involvement in Raw is entirely unnecessary.

We’ve all had to make our peace with this titan of our childhoods becoming a sad, racist old man. It bothers some of us far more than others, but reality is the time for Hogan on TV is behind us. It was behind us the moment we heard those words come out of his mouth.

Exploiting a death to bring Hogan back feels gross, but it also feels like seeing “The Hulkster” squeeze out a couple tears will humanize him enough to not hide future appearances like they did with Crown Jewel.

It’s another Monday in the world of pro wrestling and things are as weird as ever.

• Get in on the preview of tonight’s edition of Monday Night Raw.
• Are you caught up on what went down at Impact Wrestling: Homecoming?
• There are more wrestlers set to take part in the Royal Rumble.
• Women are getting a lot more time on PPV these days.
• Ric Flair gave some thoughts on the passing of Gene Okerlund.
• “Behind the scenes” is a concept WWE doesn’t seem to grasp.
• New Day will never break up if the guys have their way.

Oh, and check out my podcast co-host in last night’s Ultimate X match.