The wrestling entertainment giant WWE, known for its manufactured storylines, is facing real controversy after fans noticed it used an image of the Auschwitz concentration camp to promote a match on Saturday.
The image appeared in a five-minute video introducing a WrestleMania 39 contest between stars Dominik and Rey Mysterio. The shot, which appeared in the pre-show ahead of the live broadcast, was used as b-roll accompanying Dominik's comments about being a hardened criminal.
The Auschwitz Memorial called the WWE "shameless" in a statement on Twitter.
The fact that Auschwitz image was used to promote a WWE match is hard to call "an editing mistake". Exploiting the site that became a symbol of enormous human tragedy is shameless and insults the memory of all victims of Auschwitz.https://t.co/b4bbYgWPwj https://t.co/Xud4rbhEUS pic.twitter.com/tuJrzmK6mQ
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) April 5, 2023
"The fact that [an] Auschwitz image was used to promote a WWE match is hard to call 'an editing mistake,' " the museum wrote. "Exploiting the site that became a symbol of enormous human tragedy is shameless and insults the memory of all victims of Auschwitz."
WWE did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment.
The shot of the Polish museum appeared to have been removed from an otherwise identical version during the official broadcast, according to WWE blogs and fans. It does not appear in replays of WrestleMania Night 1, replaced by generic footage of barbed wire and an empty, unidentifiable jail cell.
The storyline goes that Dominik turned against his father, the WWE Hall-of-Famer Rey, after being influenced by Judgement Day, a villainous stable of wrestlers.
After a failed attempt to entice his father to a fight, Dominik landed in jail, which only added to the tough-guy persona he uses to mask his true spoiled-brat essence. (Dominik arrived at the mat on Saturday in a cop van. His father was chauffeured by Snoop Dogg in a lowrider.)
The storyline was one of several hits for WrestleMania fans. The show delivered its exclusive streamer, NBC's Peacock, most hours watched of any live event except the Superbowl.
The in-person event also made history, setting an attendance record at SoFi Stadium. WWE sold over 161,000 tickets for two nights of matches.
Fans took to social media during the broadcast to confirm their suspicions about the Auschwitz stock footage.
"100% Auschwitz. Went there last year. Can never forget it," one Reddit user wrote. "Hoo boy, to be a fly on the wall in the next production meeting," came another reply.
WWE showing Auschwitz footage to build for Dominik vs Rey is certainly a choice #WrestleMania39 #Wrestlemania pic.twitter.com/te740ZuM1Q
— Upcoming Wrestling (@UpcomingWrestl1) April 2, 2023
The Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was built by Germans in occupied Poland in 1940 and quickly became one of WWII's largest extermination centers. More than 1.1 million men, women and children were murdered at Auschwitz before the camp was liberated in 1945.
