The Auschwitz Memorial is calling out WWE for their use of imagery from the concentration camp in the Wrestlemania match between Dominik and Rey Mysterio.
In a five-minute promotion video introducing the contest between the wrestlers, a shot of the camp was used as b-roll while Dominik’s narration about being a hardened criminal was paired with the imagery. The match which aired Saturday, April 1, has since been edited to exclude the footage with images of barbed wire and an unidentifiable jail cell in its place.
(Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
In a statement posted by the Auschwitz Memorial on April 5, they said, “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.”
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 site in Poland was built by Germans during the occupation in 1940 and quickly became one of the largest extermination centers with more than 1.1 million men, women, and children murdered between its opening and the 1945 liberation. Some WWE fans were quick to notice the footage, wondering why it was used in the first place.
“Hang on, apparently WWE used footage of AUSCHWITZ to depict when Dominik Mysterio went to jail? What the FUCK? #WrestleMania,” wrote @KatyGoesArf on Twitter.
Another viewer commented on the flub, pointing out, “Someone in the WWE tried to find prison footage for Dominik Mysterio’s “hard time” video and ended up using footage of what I’m pretty sure is the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. It ran during the WrestleMania kickoff.”
Below, see the edited version of the footage that no longer includes Auschwitz.
wwe saw the accidental auschwitz and edited it FAST pic.twitter.com/eHnvoj1TqW
— forever botchamania (@Maffewgregg) April 2, 2023
And see more viewer reactions below.
i most certainly didn’t have “wwe accidentally showing auschwitz b-roll stock footage thinking it was a random prison” on my bingo card this year
— ًconner (@godownaslovers) April 1, 2023
WWE used an image of Auschwitz in a video package about Dom Mysterio doing “hard time” pic.twitter.com/9KN6J4h0y5
— Dan Weiner (Parity) (@ReallyDanWeiner) April 1, 2023
Wait…WWE used footage from fucking Auschwitz to hype up something for Wrestlemania?!
Fucking yikes, dude…
— Shawn (44-23-10, 4-2) (@ShawnDraven1) April 2, 2023
Wait, WWE used Auschwitz footage in the Mysterio package?
— TableofJapan (@TableofJapan) April 2, 2023
So for Dominik’s hype package last night, WWE decided to use stock footage of…Auschwitz.
Which OBVIOUSLY was edited for the VOD/Replay. https://t.co/F8FVPaNCMH pic.twitter.com/Dbi6oazPQs— Kevin D. Grüssing (Pronounced Grew-sing) (@KevDGrussing) April 2, 2023
Hey @WWE youve been silent on this pretty huge fk-up of yalls, want to address the mistake? Lots of ppl recognize that you used Auschwitz in your promo, so its time to address it, even if it was just a mistake. pic.twitter.com/H3rWAHc6Jw
— Joe BigIron 🇺🇦 (@grumpylibtxvet) April 3, 2023
