Watch any pro-wrestling interview thesedays and the conversation will at some point get around to the logical progression of wrestling and how it has a finite limit of what is possible, usually along the lines of someone doing a “triple, spinning moonsault through a table covered with thumb tacks that’s been set on fire”. I’m paraphrasing but you get the idea. As a salve to that ill, the interviewee will usually lament the days when Harley Race would win with a suplex or matches would go for an hour with most of that time being taken up with headlocks and grimacing and it all seems slightly antiquated in comparison to the MTV generation we have today. Well it would, if it wasn’t for the fact that the ‘MTV generation’ has been around for twenty-six years now and the rest of the world has moved on. In light of the recent findings regarding concussions and the alarming increase of injuries amongst modern performers, the pressure on the WWE to reduce its schedule whilst providing a level of healthcare only previously available to Saudi Princes and Bond villains has mounted in recent months, seemingly with little change to the situation. But in a wider sense, some of which applies to protecting the talent, the WWE is making efforts to put the cat back in the bag and these efforts are being ignored by critics who are happy to cling on to the dragon’s tail of media revulsion. But then why let details get in the way of a good headline?
The first thing to remember before accusing the WWE of making money recklessly out of the health of its workers is that it is routinely blasted by fans for reducing the risk factor inherent with its ring style. The WWE’s cruiserweight division has come under regular attack for playing it safe, primarily Vince’s decision to limit top rope manoeuvres like the shooting star press, and the blanket application of the ‘sports entertainment’ style regardless of size has been identified as a nullifying factor for those who rely on spots to get over. To the best of my knowledge, no one that deals exclusively in high-spots (Rios, Sasuke, Guerrera) has made a lasting connection with WWE crowds unless they develop an additional characterisation (Michinoku, Funaki), adapt their technique (London, Kendrick, Mysterio) or both (Matt/Jeff Hardy, Edge, Christian). The cruiserweights should take the WWE’s methodology and add that which it can control; elements such as speed and agility, not how likely it is that they’ll die if they botch a move. It’s the same with anything else, though not such a risk to health, obviously. The reason why Ken Shamrock worked as the WWF’s version of an MMA fighter is because he still wrestled in the sports entertainment mould. Unlike Dan Severn who, whilst a great shoot fighter, was completely lost in a WWF ring because he only knew the UFC way (something that was also blistering apparent in his IWA matches with Tarzan Goto). The same can be said for ECW and Vince’s treatment of the hardcore style. While TNA and the dedicated ‘garbage’ promotions devalue extreme content beyond the point of normalcy and into the realms of being passé, Vince’s attempts to reenergize the genre by making it special and shocking again have been met with a lukewarm response by many fans, most of whom know the original ECW by reputation only. RVD’s recent comments that Vince consistently tries to dissuade his workers from taking unprotected chairshots to the head demonstrates that his belief in the WWE style is ongoing and ephemeral booking tactics, whilst effective in small doses, should not replace what has been the main contributing component of the WWE’s success.
Most notably from a content point of view is a renaissance of the ‘morality tale’ storyline and a return to traditional divisions of good and bad. Although I personally never saw it as the destruction of moral values that some people obviously did (mostly Christians), the emergence of Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1996 and the general conclusion that “good guys and bad buys are an insult to the viewer’s intelligence” (Vince McMahon, WWE Raw) changed the way faces and heels were perceived at that time and for years to come. But with Vince’s refusal to return John Cena to his edgier, less inclusive ways and a plethora of babyfaces (HHH, Batista, Kane, HBK, Undertaker) who now need to be aggressively coerced to perform the acts of violence that came so easily to them in previous eras, it seems as though the ‘good guys’ are back. The shame of it is, this has less to do with a shift in the creative process and is more likely a concession to the fact that the ‘bad guys’ in wrestling now appear as items on investigative news shows rather than being booed for attaining a cheap victory or raking someone’s eyes. It is no coincidence that most of the mid-card face gimmicks being pushed right now are overachievers who appear as hapless victims content with life off a losing streak (Matt/Jeff Hardy, Cody Rhodes, London/Kendrick). Even the divas are following suit with the arrogant and dominant heels (Victoria, Phoenix) creating the diametric spot for the plucky greenhorns (McCool, Michelle). Some people might conclude that this is merely resetting the bar to the level prior to the Rattlesnake’s revision of the babyface ethic but it’s more than that. From a confidence perspective, Hogan never once showed a chink in his armour (other than that time he mildly puffed his cheeks upon seeing Zeus, but that could have been from stifling a giggle at Tiny Lister’s ridiculously crossed eyes). And Bret Hart’s “Best there is” line doesn’t really suggest a man riddled with doubt and uncertainty. And yet our modern face only has to be put in a match with proven failures like Snitsky or Big Daddy V and he reacts like he’s getting the chair. It may spare the WWE’s image that the characters chosen to project what is ‘good’ about the company are affable and moral but, in relation to feuding, it would be refreshing to have some bastards back on the side of the righteous. More fun, at least.
As we approach the weekend of WWE Unforgiven, it’ll be interesting to see how far Vince is willing to let the Cena/Orton storyline descend into a concussion angle, in comparison to the angles recently performed with Orton and HBK/RVD, which made the danger of serious head trauma very visually apparent. The WWE has demonstrated almost total belief in the protection that it is afforded by the performance element of sports entertainment (the death of Mr McMahon should have made that clear) but even Vince in his infinite arrogance must question how wise it would be in the current environment to have Cena doe-eyed and expressionless after a trademark Orton kick to the head. Especially as brain damage has overtaken steroids as the number one red flag amongst concerned onlookers and armchair experts alike. I am a big supporter of kayfabe and the umbrella permission that it gives a performer to do anything they want, creatively speaking, and be free from the conclusion that it is too similar to real events. Real is real, performance is performance. Fans and critics have the right to make the connection between real and performance and state their discomfort but an artist (Vince? ... artist?) should have the right to present what they feel is worthy and be judged as a result. It was also pleasing to see over the last few weeks that the WWE has been applying storyline explanations for the wrestlers suspended for contravening the wellness policy. The WWE (specifically wwe.com) offering itself up as a reliable source of news is acceptable in promotional terms (‘heels’ being friendly at public appearances) but to expose the machinery of pro-wrestling just because it gives you a secondary avenue to proffer company propaganda is a gross misuse of the magic of storytelling. I don’t need Vince to tell me the truth because I already know the truth ... that I’m not young anymore and my bank doesn’t value me as a customer. I want Vince to lie to me. I want him to show me brothers (who aren’t related), hated rivals (who just spent the last hour planning who slaps whom) and championship belts (that are given, not won). If I want the truth, and this definitely applies to steroids and/or concussions, I’ll listen to overpaid, under-informed news anchormen who are glorified spokesmen for whichever political party their news channel provides funds. If you want the best bullsh*t, you need to go to the biggest ass.
The pacing of pro-wrestling, and how storylines and feuds develop, is key to the restructuring of the product to allow wrestlers to have longer careers and healthier lives afterwards. For a while now I’ve been hearing a lot of fans addressing the return of the squash match and it’s new cousin, the pseudo-squash (without which Jeff Hardy would rarely make a TV appearance thesedays). While we’re a long way away from the days when the majority of WWF programming (Superstars, Wrestling Challenge, All American Wrestling) was dominated by jobber squashes, it does seem as though Vince has finally realised that the balance of power has to be shifted back in favour of the PPV’s, instead of consistently sacrificing the supercard shows to boost TV ratings. Traditionally, wrestling television is supposed to develop characters and feuds whilst retaining a certain anticipation to the moment when the bell sounds AFTER the audience have paid extra to hear it. But too many times lately matches are given away for free prior to the event and repeated in the weeks afterwards with little change to the direction of the feud. The problem with squashes is that it doesn’t allow for the opposition to get a rub from the match, as it’s so one-sided, but in a period without a unifying face leader it is an unfortunate necessity. The Great Khali being made champion is a short-term solution to an injury-depleted roster on Smackdown but even temporary solutions need to be handled correctly or the impetus will be lost. Khali isn’t going to get himself over with his athleticism or his charisma so the ‘monster’ needs putting over in the most visual way possible, as often as possible, by wrestlers from the mid-card and his fellow main eventers. Wrestlers like Mysterio and Jeff Hardy (who I’ve already mentioned thrives on the underdog spirit) aren’t going to lose any momentum selling Khali’s head vice like it’s crushing what little is left of their brains and can return the following week (or in thirty days) without a blemish on their standing with the fans. In a similar vein, crowds have become impatient and unwilling to invest long term in an idea that would fail if played out only over a few weeks. The reason why CM Punk’s title win over John Morrison on ECW TV recently worked so well is BECAUSE of the ten-minute long PPV matches they’ve had in previous months, that were described as flat and bereft of ideas, not in spite of them. Punk needed to be built as someone that was close to being championship material but was struggling to make that final leap towards a title reign, so it seemed more of a significant victory when it actually happened. Simple ideas and logical progressions should be the cornerstone of wrestling booking, even though a majority of Internet sentiment believes that it is above such trivial things.
To anyone who thinks that some of this is just basic apologist fodder attempting to distract people from more direct concerns, there are some sureties that I haven’t mentioned as yet. The WWE’s wellness policy is holistically insufficient and ineffective, in my opinion. The independence and transparency of the testing process is acceptable but keeping the results and punitive measures ‘in house’ leaves the company open to accusations of manipulation. Not the wisest of public relations strategies from a man that believes “perception is reality”. If Vince wants to bring pro-wrestling out of the shadows and away from the conclusion that it is “lurid and shady” (Geraldo Rivera, Fox news) then he has to make the facade as real and as deep as possible. Not an easy thing to do when the general public, the media and the politicians who make the decisions are as self-motivated and complicit as the WWE has ever been. The WWE benefited greatly from the crash and burn production values of the nineties (that it repackaged as “Attitude”) but it is also doing the most in the wrestling industry to correct the associated problems and for that it should be lauded. It is right that the WWE suffers the most because it has profited the most in recent years but repeating that statement like a mantra eventually becomes as redundant as saying that “wrestling is fake”. Welcome to our world, world ... it’s not so fake now is it?
Lee
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