They Throw Everything At Him

A friend once asked me for some advice on a script she was developing about a professional wrestler. She wasn't interested in the "hows" of professional wrestling, such as "how does one become a wrestler" or "what is the thought process when creating the unusual art that is professional wrestling?" Her line of questioning focused more on "who becomes a wrestler" and more importantly "why does a person become a wrestler?"

Clearly that answer is unique to each individual involved and as you can imagine everyone in our industry is a bit of an odd bird. I sometimes joke that the people in wrestling range from the unique to the mentally ill. Though involvement may sometimes be for the wrong reasons almost all of us do it because we simply feel like we have to.

There is a unique experience that comes from professional wrestling that is found in no other art form that I know. There is the ballet-like expression of human emotion through physical movement, there is improvisation interwoven through conspired melodies like jazz. But to combine them into one form with a beautiful, sometimes malevolent, intention of manipulating people into states of cathartic fury is unlike any other I've seen.

Though she had seen the film already I advised her to watch Darren Aranofsky's The Wrestler. Though it does illustrate a darker side of professional wrestling, the side of drugs and damaged relationships, it also shows the kind of personality that thrives in that business. Due to it's numerous allusions to the Jesus story I sometimes call the film "The Passion of the Ram." Randy "The Ram's" side is pierced in his match against Necro Butcher, he has a messianic pathology that leads him to sacrifice everything for the enjoyment of his fans, and eschewed by society and scourged in the ring. A direct comparison is even made by the character Cassidy who quotes the Bible by way of the film The Passion of the Christ:

                    "He was pierced for our
                    transgressions, He was crushed for
                    our iniquities. The punishment that
                    brought us peace was upon Him, and
                    by His wounds we were healed."

It is as if the sacrificial lamb has reached full adulthood and has become The Ram. I know that my involvement in wrestling makes me predisposed to enjoying this film but I'd advise you to look up Penn Jillette's "Penn Points" in which he reviews this movie. He is an artist with whom I have great admiration and I think his time as a performer gives him a special understanding of the picture.

I've heard many criticisms of our "sport" and consider myself an ambassador for our business. My character, my "gimmick" if you will, is "The Voice of Reason" because it is a reflection of who I am in real life. I do not believe in supernatural powers and am an advocate for science and skepticism. I do not use drugs or alcohol because, as a human, I am already driven by enough irrational thinking and I feel that as person of some minor influence (particularly to children) that I should demonstrate that toughness is more than just physical.

The Grunt and Groan Game

Endeavoring to write about professional wrestling has proven to be far more difficult than I expected. Not because I don't have much to say about it but because I have TOO MUCH to say about it. Think about that for a second. Look at the length of my previous blog posts (and read them if you haven't because I can be quite clever at times). I actually am having trouble writing about wrestling because I just have too much to say about it. But just as I try to tell younger performers trying to get an understanding of our art: in wrestling less really is more.

Very simply, fans go to wrestling events for the cathartic experience of living vicariously through someone they love defeating someone they hate in physical combat. It is a business in that promoters are investing time and money into getting patrons to come and exchange capital for their product. It's an art because it is based on reaching into a real, fantastic world and seeking to invoke real, heightened emotions. 

I love professional wrestling. As a fan, as a participant, as an ambassador of the sport, I love professional wrestling. The physicality, the drama, the brutality, the pageantry. The empathy, the manipulation, the danger, the surprise. When wrestling is great it provides an interactive experience that no other athletic endeavor or entertainment field can duplicate.

A number of possible blog entries came to mind. I could write about the reality of wrestling. I could write about the appeal of wrestling. I could write about the "violent" nature of wrestling. What makes a good wrestling show? Why do I call it an art form? Perhaps if people comment on this post I will reply with specific posts.

One thing I will not do: tell you HOW we do what we do. In my opinion too much of the wrestling business has been exposed already and I feel an almost sacred responsibility to protect some of our secrets. Penn & Teller do the Cups and Balls trick not to show you how to be a magician but to show you how hard their job is and just to offer a little insight into their art. Similarly I am willing to share "why" we do some of the things we do but if you want to know the "how" I suggest you do what I did and go to wrestling school.