Over the years the WWE Raw ring has played host to numerous promotional appearances that have little to do with wrestling, from Pee-wee Herman building excitement for a Broadway revival of a children’s show to Buzz Aldrin yelling about the moon. But the normally marginally tolerant WWE Raw crowd reached their breaking point with last night’s appearance from the stars of the Farrelly Brothers’ The Three Stooges: Clearly upset that their professional wrestling match had been interrupted by made-up characters engaging in fake violence, the Raw crowd reacted with general apathy and even outright hostility as Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes, and Will Sasso tried their patience with a painfully endless bit of commedia dell’marketing co-starring Italian-a stereotype-a Santino Marella, then finally emerged to an ongoing chorus of impatient boos.
Sasso attempted to connect with the audience with his (pretty decent) Hulk Hogan impression, but the bait-and-switch only seemed to make things worse. And pretty soon the question of whatchu gonna do when the corporate synergy machine rolls over you, brother? was answered by Kane, who emerged to slam Sasso to the canvas and put a merciful end to this whole embarrassing business. Watch the video below for the rare instance of a WWE Raw crowd taking a stand against artifice, and remember: The Three Stooges, in theaters this weekend! [via Entertainment Weekly]