Triple H’s firing of Kevin Nash, the Miz, and R-Truth make this strategy a very timely one to introduce.
STRATEGY #26

ZHI SANG MA HUAI – Point at the Mulberry But Curse the Locust Tree

Interpretation #1: Make an example of somebody to instill fear or obedience in others.

Interpretation #2: Campaign against / Punish someone for doing the exact thing you have done in the past.

(Most of these strategies only have one interpretation. This one happens to have two.) In everyday life, bosses are constantly trying to make examples of the few in order to motivate or control the many. Chinese history is littered with examples of generals beheading unruly lieutenants in order to control the everyday troops. Also, we do not have to look too far or think too hard to find real-life examples of people championing a cause in order to hide their own faults or to mask their own history of misdeeds.

WWE storylines are no different. There are several examples of both interpretations of “pointing at the Mulberry but cursing the Locust tree.”

Interpretation #1:

HHH fired Kevin Nash for being dishonest with him about the text messages he received, the faked car accident, and subsequent involvement in CM Punk’s matches. This sent a message to the entire WWE locker room. HHH fired The Miz and R-Truth, but he could arguably be trying to send a message to John Laurenaitis not to interfere with his running of WWE operations.

In the past, Vince McMahon has fired people in order to make a point. When wrestlers have thought themselves too big for their britches, McMahon has let them go. Sgt. Slaughter once said that he had demanded special treatment in the early 1990s, but McMahon responded by telling him that he didn’t need to show up at the next event and that his services were no longer needed. In storylines in the past decade, McMahon has become famous for both the “Kiss-my-Ass Club” and for his firings.

After Alundra Blaze brought the WWE Womens’ Championship to WCW and dropped it into the garbage during the height of the Monday Night Wars, Vince McMahon became afraid that other champions would do the same thing if they signed contracts with WCW. Bret Hart was the next person to fall into a similar situation…a WWE Champion who signed a contract with WCW. In order to prevent the possibility of Bret Hart bringing the WWE Championship to WCW, McMahon prematurely ended Hart’s title reign at Survivor Series in November, 1997 by calling for the referee to end the match. McMahon had the referee claim that Hart tapped out to a Shawn Michaels’ Sharpshooter, even though he had not done so. The end result was that McMahon made an example of Hart; no one else ever brought a WWE Championship to another promotion; and this event planted the seed of the Attitude Era that would ultimately overtake the WCW and lead to the establishment of the WWE as the primary promotion in professional wrestling.

Interpretation #2:

Back to Triple H’s firing of the Miz and R-Truth, his reasoning was that the Miz and R-Truth had put their hands on an official. However, Triple H’s history is littered with examples of abusing referees. Miz on Twitter noted three specific examples. At No Mercy 1999 versus Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H pushed a referee. In April 2000 (probably at the RAW when HHH denied that his match to Y2J took place), Triple H pedigreed the referee. At Judgement Day 2003 versus Kevin Nash, Triple H used his favorite weapon of choice…the sledgehammer…against the referee. Triple H succeeded, at least for now, in firing the Miz and R-Truth for doing exactly the kind of thing that he had done while transitioning from a young main-eventer to the perennial main-eventer. The Miz, however, is calling out Triple H for his hypocrisy, and this may facilitate a return later on…or even facilitate a face turn if HHH the C.O.O. turns heel.

This is not Triple H’s first time punishing someone for doing the exact same thing that he has done. On Smackdown on April 28,2000, Triple H threatened to strip Edge and Christian of the WWE Tag Team Championships for the reason that they were interfering in other peoples’ matches. The irony of this was that Triple H and Degeneration X were constantly interfering in matches during this time period.

On RAW on August 28,2000, Kurt Angle tried to convince Eddie Guerrero to challenge Triple H. One of the arguments that he made to Guerrero was that HHH had weaseled his way into another man’s relationship, claiming that weaseling into another man’s relationship is the absolute worst thing a man can do. Kurt Angle, however, had done the same thing; so using this argument was hypocritical and a perfect case of “pointing at the Mulberry and cursing the Locust Tree.”

A bit more mundane but equally hypocritical, on a recent episode of Smackdown, Christian ranted as he descended the entrance ramp about how there is nothing that he hates more than a whiner. The hypocrisy of this statement is comical because this was during Christian’s Summer of Rematches against Randy Orton. All Christian did was whine to Teddy Long after every match he lost to Randy Orton. Christian also whined about the WWE Universe for goading Teddy Long into forcing Christian to defend his newly-won World Championship against Orton only “five days” after winning it. Christian kept losing to Orton, and every time Christian lost to Orton, he demanded one more match because he knew he could beat Orton.

The superstars who use this strategy are by-and-large successful when they are in a position of power. When not in a position of power, the results are mixed. It is often easy to see through the hypocrisy of Interpretation #2, but there is not always anything that can be done about it. Perhaps the Miz has found a way to neutralize this strategy by meeting it head-on…but that remains to be seen.

Can you guys and ladies think of any other important examples of this strategy? Let me know what you guys think.

Source: wrestlingtruth.com