Sports are something people all over the world love to follow and combat sports are certainly among
those that many gravitate to. Boxing is a classic example and always delivers exciting fights,
awesome in-ring action and dramatic out-of-ring moments. It is not just the fighters and fights
themselves that make sports like this popular, though.
Betting on boxing, for example, is a great way to add even more fun to watching bouts, and has
helped bring more people to it over time. If you plan to place bets on the next big fight, just remember
to find the latest boxing picks for 2022 before parting with any cash. Of course, wrestling is also a
great sport to bet on and interesting to follow.
Wrestling was highlighted recently with news that new Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan had
previously worked for the WWE as marketing manager. But what else is there for wrestling fans to
know about this story?
Former WWE marketing guru Donelan bags top cabinet position
The recent shake-up seen in UK politics since the departure of Boris Johnson and arrival of Liz Truss
has also extended to the PM’s cabinet. Among a whole raft of changes, new PM Truss saw previous
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries resign and this meant Michelle Donelan came in.
With an official title of Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Donelan certainly has a
large brief to fulfil. But just who is Michelle Donelan and what could her appointment mean for
wrestling in the UK?
In terms of her political career, Donelan has been the MP for Chippenham in Wiltshire since 2015. In
addition to this, she served as Minister of State for Further and Higher Education from 2020 to
September 2022 ’“ and held the title of Secretary of State for Education for two days in July 2022! Due
to the experience she has picked up in these roles, new Prime Minister Liz Truss obviously felt she
was a safe pair of hands as Culture Secretary when Dorries resigned.
What was Donelan’s background before political life?
For wrestling fans who follow the latest WWE news, the most interesting part of Michelle Donelan’s
appointment as Culture Secretary lies in her career before politics. Although it seems hard to believe
of a politician, she was actually WWE’s international communications marketing manager at one time.
This saw her helping the WWE expand its brand internationally and make inroads into new global
markets. Prior to this, Donelan worked in other media roles that included BSkyB’s History Channel in
the UK and Pacific Magazines in Australia.
Although this might seem irrelevant to her new role, the new Culture Secretary’s experience in the
world of wrestling and media could stand her in good stead. She will, after all, be used to how the
media works, what parts of it might benefit from reform, and how to deal with it. In terms of her WWE
experience, this should prove invaluable in fulfilling the sport part of her brief, and means she has
inside knowledge not only of how top-level sports work but also how important they are to the country.
Can the Michelle Donelan appointment give UK wrestling a boost?
There seems little doubt that having a former WWE marketing manager as new Culture Secretary can
only be good for wrestling. If nothing else, it brings wrestling to the back pages of the UK media and
sees the WWE getting even more exposure. This could in turn help people take more of an interest in
wrestling generally and maybe spark a wider interest within the UK around local wrestling.
As someone who obviously has the sport close to her heart from working with the WWE, you would
also think that Donelan would be committed to helping wrestling in the UK grow while in office. Her
experience of international marketing with the WWE could be handy here and enable her to pass on
marketing tips gleaned from US wrestling to UK wrestling chiefs.
What next for mixing UK politics with wrestling?
The arrival of former WWE exec Michelle Donelan into top-level UK politics might have wrestling fans
in the country wondering what could happen next. Will we see The Rock step in as next PM if Liz
Truss fails? That would certainly make PM’s Questions in parliament a lot more entertaining! Or might
we see Charlotte Flair taking over from Keir Starmer as Labour leader?! While this is all very, very
unlikely to happen, it is good fun to speculate and have a laugh about just how wrestling could mix
with politics moving forward.
