A.G. Gancarski
Florida has been synonymous with professional wrestling for decades, from the glory days of Gordon Solie to the latter-day location of the WWE NXT training center in Orlando.
Nowadays, World Wrestling Entertainment is the only show in town. That’s especially true in Jacksonville, where WWE will hold its annual Tribute to the Troops, with special guest Gov. Rick Scott, who will be stylin’ and profilin’ with the superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment.
Tribute to the Troops has been around since 2003, and many of the early episodes were recorded in foreign lands as the war on terror surged during the past decade. This year’s episode, made in Jacksonville, is an exception to that rule, and a nod to Jacksonville’s military presence and heritage, as well as that of the surrounding area.
Though it’s expected Governor Scott will make brief remarks celebrating America’s fighting women and men, there’s precedent for national-level politicians to be involved in WWE angles. Consider the always entertaining antics of GOP frontrunner Donald Trump on the program a few years back. Or those of former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In 2007, Trump dropped money into the arena famously, but he didn’t stop there. In 2009, he “bought” WWE Raw from Vince McMahon, then “sold it back” to the WWE impresario a week later.
WWE, of course, isn’t the only show in town Tuesday night. At City Hall, there is the 19-person battle royale known as City Council, where a little matter of a $45 million city share of a capital improvement project for EverBank Field will commence. Of course, just like WWE, that outcome is not in doubt.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry won’t be in attendance. His schedule shows him having dinner with Jaguars’ quarterback Blake Bortles, who seems like a reasonable bet for a Pro Bowl berth this year.
Curry, along with the rest of us, can watch the program later: It airs 8 p.m. Dec. 23 on the USA Network, the flagship network for WWE programming going back to the pre-Hulk Hogan days.
