WWE has announced that journalist and breast cancer survivor Joan Lunden is the winner of the second annual Warrior Award, which will be presented at Saturday’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. “It is truly humbling to be honored by WWE and receive this year’s Warrior Award at the 2016 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony,” Lunden said in a press release. “After being diagnosed with cancer, my first thought was to survive, but soon after, I changed my focus from my cancer to the fight against cancer and my life took on a whole new purpose. WWE has welcomed me into their family, offering me warmth and support, as have so many of the WWE fans from around the world. It is a privilege to receive this honor.”
Dana Warrior praised the move in the press release. “On behalf of my family, we are proud to present this year’s Warrior Award to Joan Lunden,” said Dana Warrior. “Joan embodies all that this award was meant to capture. She is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the quintessential Warrior woman. It will be an honor to recognize her at this year’s WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.” Read the full story at WWE.com.
Powell’s POV: The Warrior Award was spawned in part by Ultimate Warrior stating in his Hall of Fame speech that he would like there to be an award given to people who work behind the scenes in WWE. The company took it in a different direction when Warrior died, as the first recipient of the award was the late Connor Mickalek, who fought cancer until he died at age eight.
Powell’s POV is the real story here: Warrior envisioned a very selfless act the WWE could engage in to reward the hardest working members of their company… instead WWE uses it as a PR stunt to improve their own horribly tainted self-image.