The WWE SummerSlam 2023 from Detroit's Ford Field brought an eight-card fight but also a heap of criticism over the opening feature that was hosted by singer Kid Rock.
The Detroit-based artist had been keeping a low profile on social media after he posted a violent response to the Bud Light controversy with him shooting a machine gun at a crate of the beer.
Kid Rock's actions were in response to the Anheuser-Busch InBev, the parent company of Bud Light, and the personalized can sent to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Bud Light has faced a national backlash and boycotts from consumers, who seemingly disagree with brand's collaboration with trans people.
The appearance of Kid Rock in the opening to the latest WWE was slammed by viewers who believe that the sport's entertainment product was "out of touch" with its consumers and that could have been a better representative of the city than the controversial artist.
There was a huge outcry on X, formerly Twitter, with one user posting: "Nothing indicates how out of touch WWE is like doing a whole major show in Detroit and choosing, as your representative of that whole city's musical and cultural heritage, Kid Rock."
Meanwhile, another kept their thoughts short and sweet, posting: "Hey, @WWE. Kid Rock sucks."
A third thought a better artist should have been chosen, posting: "WWE should be ashamed of themselves for putting Kid Rock of all people on the show. Eminem was right there bro😭"
Among the many dissenters, there were a few who felt Kid Rock had nailed the opening and given SummerSlam the perfect start.
One cheered the artist, posting: "Hey what an opening from @KidRock tbh Really hyped up the show #WWE #WWESummerSlam"
The Bud Light boycott has been in full effect at the musician's Nashville bar a video has revealed, despite it still being listed as an option on the menu.
Kid Rock encouraged the boycott of the beer, so some were surprised to see that Bud Light was still seemingly being sold at his bar, Big Ass Honky Tonk & Rock 'N' Roll Steakhouse in Nashville, Tennessee.
This was disputed by a social media user, who went to the bar and said that the beer was definitely removed from the menu.
They wrote, "I just returned from Nashville, spent my time and money at Kid Rock's bar (highly recommend)...Bud Light is NOT served there," Twitter user @the_Real_shaneg wrote, including a video from inside the bar. The video shows one performer holding up The Star-Spangled Banner onstage while another plays the national anthem on electric guitar.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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