Bill Simmons did his best to avoid becoming a meme during 'WWE Raw.' Screen grab: Netflix
By Ben Axelrod on

The debut episode of WWE Raw on Netflix produced several highlights. Outside of Hulk Hogan getting booed out of the building, however, none seemed to gain as much traction as Bill Simmons’ viral moment.

For the uninitiated, the Sports Guy was sitting ringside — and directly behind rival Pat McAfee — at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles for the monumental episode. And he also happened to be sitting next to the seats that WWE used throughout the show to highlight various celebrities and pro wrestling legends who were also in attendance for the Netflix debut.

That included just prior to the show’s main event, when the camera cut to WWE legend Nikki Bella. The longest reigning WWE Divas Champion in company history proceeded to perform her signature entrance dance, which could be best described as a slow spinning booty shake.

Sitting just a few inches away, Simmons briefly glanced at Bella mid-dance, only to realize the conundrum he had been presented with. He could either keep staring and look like a total creep or unnaturally stare straight ahead in an effort to avoid looking like a total creep.

Fortunately, Simmons — clearly aware he was also on camera — opted for the latter. And while he did become a meme as a result of his efforts to avoid an even more embarrassing moment, it was clearly better than the alternative.

Due to the Los Angeles are wildfires, Simmons didn’t post a new podcast following his appearance at Raw until this week’s two-part “guess the lines” episodes following the NFL Wild Card round. And after initially avoiding addressing the Bella moment with “Cousin” Sal Iacono on Monday, he finally relented after the NFL Network’s Peter Schrager briefly teased him about it during Tuesday’s Part 2.

“Everyone in my life felt I handled it perfectly,” Simmons said.

Schrager, for his part, agreed.

To be clear, Simmons did nothing wrong here and clearly chose the better of two options, either of which he surely would have received attention for.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

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