WWE News: Indonesia trying to ban SmackDown, John Cena films Subway commercial Submitted by Jason Brown on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 at 9:28 AM EST
WWE is receiving a lot of heat in Indonesia for airing SmackDown. Apparently a nine year old boy in Bandung died after mimicking wrestlers he saw on the show. The official cause of death has not yet been determined, but it should be noted that he died a month after suffering severe blows to his body. His death has become a major story in the country where violence on television is strongly opposed.
The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission has called for a ban on the show throughout the entire country. Commission member Ade Armando stated, "We have SmackDown posters, shirts, cards, and other things. It has become some kind of specific culture with its own community. If there is no television show, we assume those other things will lose audience. So our conclusion is stopping the show altogether. We will not tolerate its showing anytime."
The private broadcaster, Lativi, has moved SmackDown from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. and has not indicated that they will drop the program. WWE is popular in the underground video market in Indonesia.
WWE Champion John Cena recently shot a 30-second commercial for Subway with spokesperson, Jared Fogle. Cena commented on meeting Fogle by saying, “He turned his life around in the healthy aspect, but in the process became a household name and a celebrity. So that’s always cool – I get to meet somebody famous.” You can read the full article at WWE.com.
