Down the Rabbit Hole: Corbin, White Rabbit Records enjoying a temporary spotlight thanks to the WWE

Are you following the White Rabbit?

People all across the globe have been speculating for weeks now about the meaning behind a series of cryptic videos being produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Often times, viewers of WWE programming will see random QR codes appear somewhere on the screen that will lead them to the videos, all of which are vague in nature, and could be teasing the arrival of a new major talent.

The content of the videos varies, with different images, pictures, video clips and voice overs, but one feature has remained constant… the referencing of a “white rabbit,” typically accompanied by a white rabbit logo.

Speculation on the meaning of these cryptic, and sometimes creepy, viral messages has run rampant, but the most popular theory seems to be that they are laying the groundwork for the return of former WWE Champion Bray Wyatt, who also portrays the in-ring character known as “the Fiend.”

On Monday, during the WWE’s weekly broadcast of their flagship Monday Night RAW program on the USA Network, another QR code was spotted that led to the latest online teaser video featuring the “white rabbit.” The video featured several WWE superstars, both past and present, and included the messages “Who killed the world? You did,” and “Feed your head.”

Then, just before the video ended, it happened.

For the briefest of moments, the numbers “40701” appeared on the screen, leading people far and wide to run to their keyboards and search for what that particular combination of digits could mean. They were, of course, directed to Corbin, KY, which is located in the zip code 40701.

Immediately, Corbin began trending online as fans and speculators wondered what the connection could be. This was, ironically, the exact same question that Terianne and Zach Hensley were asking themselves as the owners of White Rabbit Records, located on Main Street in downtown.

“On Monday night we started getting flooded with messages,” said Terianne Hensely. “We had no idea what was happening, though. We are not affiliated in any way with the WWE, and we received no forewarning that this would be happening. It was just as much of a surprise to us as it was to everyone else.”

Hensley said that, while she and her husband would consider themselves fans of WWE, they do not follow the product closely, and they were not aware of the details of the recent viral video campaign that the company has been engaged in recently. They have since gotten caught up to speed, however.

“We have had messages from people showing us where our store has been featured on Youtube videos and social media, discussing how we might tie into all of the other clues,” Hensley said. “Our phones have been going crazy, but we have been searching for information the same as everyone else.”

Hensley said that she did attempt to reach out to the WWE about the matter, but she has not yet received a response. The News Journal has also left messages for WWE personnel, but have also not been successful in receiving a response.

The craziest thing about this whole story may not be that it happened, but when it happened, as Terianne Hensley was celebrating a birthday on Monday when all of the excitement started. As for how things have gone since the video was released, she said, “We have gained a whole bunch of new followers, and have sold a lot of t-shirts.”

In fact, Hensley and her husband decided to play along with the whole QR code idea, making their own and posting it to their social media feeds. Those who scan it are re-directed to an online store selling White Rabbit Records t-shirts.

While the Hensleys will take credit for that bit of marketing genius, they do want folks to know that they do not currently maintain a presence on YouTube. This is important to mention, because a YouTube page under the name of White Rabbit Records recently became active again after 15 years of dormancy.

If you visit the page, you will see that a single video was posted 15 years ago showing the band Jefferson Airplane presenting a live television performance of their hit song “White Rabbit.” As of Wednesday, one other video now appears, simply showing the digits “04062” as white characters in front of a completely black background. A noise of some type can be heard in the background, but at just three seconds long, it is hard to determine what the meaning of the video could be.

A quick online search does show 04062 as the zip code for a town in Maine called Windham. This has further fueled theories about the videos teasing the return of former champion Bray Wyatt, as his real name is actually Windham Rotunda.

Regardless of who is ultimately behind this ongoing viral video campaign, the town of Corbin, and White Rabbit Records in particular, has certainly benefitted from it in recent days. What will happen next? Fans will be tuning into WWE SmackDown! this Friday night in hopes of finding out more.