WWE takes swipe at Super Bowl with its own halftime show

The WWE is making an attempt to lure Super Bowl viewers away from the game”™s halftime show for an interlude featuring its wrestling stars in an online show dubbed “Halftime Heat.”

WWE first offered a “Halftime Heat” counterprograming in 1999 with a match between The Rock and Mankind, then followed up in 2000 with a show that included a bikini contest and an interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was recovering from a neck injury. The new incarnation is being promoted with a commercial that shows a photo of Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine and asks, “Why watch this?” ”“ and then switches to WWE athletes including Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream in feats of athletic combat.

This year”™s Super Bowl halftime show has been marred with controversy, with several major performers including Rihanna and Jay-Z turning down the gig in protest of the NFL”™s treatment of Colin Kaepernick. A petition drive on Change.org seeking Maroon 5 to quit the show has gained nearly 50,000 signatures, and the NFL canceled the annual press conference held by the halftime show acts, issuing a statement that “the artists will let the music do their talking.”

WWE will stream its “Halftime Heat” live to the WWE Network and other WWE digital platforms. This poke at the NFL is the latest from Vince McMahon, founder and chairman of Stamford-headquartered WWE, who announced last year that he was preparing to challenge the NFL”™s dominance with a 2020 launch of a new version of his one-time XFL professional football league.