Charlotte Hornets center Dwight Howard is one of the most polarizing NBA players in recent memory. Despite the fact that Howard is, in all likelihood, a future Hall of Famer, and one of the top-30 or so centers in NBA history, NBA fans have largely rejected him as a superstar regardless of his impressive list of accolades.
If you’re a WWE fan that is unfamiliar with Howard, you could probably draw up a few interesting parallels between him and WWE Superstar Roman Reigns. Like Howard, Reigns looks like a superstar, Reigns acts like a superstar, Reigns has the talent of a superstar, but for one reason or another, a large portion of WWE fans reject the notion that Reigns is that guy.
WWE SmackDown Live was in Charlotte on Tuesday, and Howard, along with teammates Jeremy Lamb, Julyan Stone and Treveon Graham, was in attendance. As WWE is known to do when celebrity types show up for televised events, WWE put Howard and his Hornets crew on camera, with Dwight soaking up all the spotlight with an over-the-top mean mugging. It was a bit lame in the way Dwight Howard haters perceive him to be lame, despite how inconsequential his actions were and that he seemed to be having fun at a fun event.
The internet poked fun at Howard’s SmackDown antics, because that is the internet’s typical response when Howard does something like this. It goes to show you how easily Howard manages to get under peoples skin, because he barely did anything here and the criticism was rampant.
However, what we didn’t see on Tuesday night’s broadcast of SmackDown was Howard’s awkward backstage promo on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. WWE uploaded it to their YouTube channel on Wednesday, and, well, it’s extremely Dwight Howard and probably worthy of some actual ridicule and jokes.
“We can’t let them win. This is our home. We have to protect this house. And you know, he calls himself The King, but the King has to beat The Evil One tomorrow, and I’m The Evil One.”
Oh boy. On some level, I can appreciate Howard trying to have some fun here. He’s trying to give WWE fans what he believes they want to see, but to say it didn’t work would be an understatement. It’s awkward, it’s forced, and it’s Dwight Howard. Sorry, it’s The Evil One.
