Shining a Spotlight 6.11.09: Personal vs Professional

Posted by Michael Weyer on 06.11.2009

Examining why it's not easy to separate the person from the in-ring persona and how they impact each other so often.

　

Well, WWE continues to surprise with "Extreme Rules." I guess it is a blow to Jeff that he wins the title and then immediately loses it to CM Punk but as a Punk fan, I liked the moment and look forward to seeing him as a possible heel champ. The Batista/Orton match was rough and have doubts with Batista on top again but we'll see how it works.

What's important, the performer or the man behind him?
　

"Look at the character, not the performer." That's a common mantra for wrestling fans when things get rough for our favorite performers. You hear it when guys get in trouble for drug issues, ego or more. We've especially heard it in the two years since Chris Benoit's death as we'll still have guys saying that what he did in the last three days of his life shouldn't eclipse the twenty years beforehand while others say it's impossible to separate it. It doesn't help that wrestlers are, by their nature, complicated people who mix reality and fantasy as part of their jobs and too often are unable to turn that off.

Wrestling has always been a mix of sports and entertainment and as such falls prey to the same problems of people in those industries. Egos are commonplace in all three, it seems to come with the ability. But in some cases, it almost seems the greater the athlete/entertainer, the bigger the baggage. Babe Ruth had a history of drinking and womanizing binges the public knew nothing about, Ty Cobb was one of the biggest hateful bigots alive and of course Pete Rose's accomplishments will never gain him the Hall of Fame due to his betting on games. I can't even list the guys whose images have been shaken due to steroid or drug use, which casts a shadow over what legacies they have had. Sure, you'll have fans defending them but you'll also feel unable to appreciate their achievements as well.

It can be that way for actors as well, so many getting in trouble for their behavior and with them, it's harder for the public to put aside reality from fantasy. Sean Penn is a brilliant actor but well known for temper and Mickey Rourke's past is littered with her personal problems. Yes, you should be able to look beyond that for their performances but it can be hard, especially when so many actors talk about how they draw upon themselves for roles.

Since wrestlers mix both these professions, it's no surprise it can be hard figuring out where the character ends and the real person begins. It's always been said that the best personas are merely the real guy taken to the tenth level. Flair, Hart, Austin, Rock, Cena, Orton, they all prove that. But when you mix your real persona in there, it leaves you open to criticisms when you real character gets out more to fans.


Past vs. Present


It was easier in so many ways in the days of kayfabe, where wrestlers would go to the extremes to protect the business. Back then, you'd have guys really going far to keep themselves in character in public, like Tim "Mr. Wrestling" Woods, after being involved in the same plane crash as Ric Flair, wrestling despite his injuries rather than let it get out to fans he was flying with hated rival Johnny Valentine. Even families were kept in the dark about the reality of the business while guys lived their characters in public. The Four Horsemen were a big example of that, living the high life with limos and private planes and big parties, and Flair has stated he was a bit too wrapped up in his persona then to pay attention to his family. There was a downside to this, as with the Von Erichs as Fritz refused to let the public see his sons as anything less than perfect and his turning a blind eye to their drug issues contributed to their sad fates.

It's changed a bit in the days since as the rise of the IWC lets people know more about wrestler's personal lives along with DVDs. But that doesn't mean we know everything. You have to keep in mind that wrestlers, by their very natures, are always working us. Even when it doesn't seem like they are, they are. A lot of guys just can't turn that off, too tied in to their jobs and their way of life. For all the talk of "inside knowledge," there's still a curtain between the wrestlers and the fans and the wrestlers do their best to keep that strong. It's harder today than it used to be but you still have to understand that the image of wrestlers you get through stories isn't the real person.

That's a common refrain I've heard from guys who do wrestling radio shows: So many times, the guys they admire and think will be great interviews are absolute jerks while the guys whose reputations aren't good turn out to be great talkers. Judging someone solely by what you read about them online is really unfair, especially considering how easily the IWC can be incorrect about "facts" on wrestling like how Eric Bischoff was booking the AWA in its last years. It doesn't help how wrestlers will always be spinning things for themselves, even the ones who don't come off that egotistical. Talk to five different guys about the same event, you'll get at least three different versions of what happened, each rather self-serving. The egos can come to play too with more than a few guys (RVD springs easily to mine) complaining about how they've been held back and mismanaged, unable to see that just maybe their own abilities aren't as good as they think they are.

In some ways, they can change how you look at guys but in others, you can still enjoy the work. The new Randy Savage DVD showcases the awesome worker that man was and you can ignore how Savage today has become something of a lunatic. Oddly, Jake Roberts' personal demons seem to put his work in perspective, makes you realize where he called upon the darkness he showed for his character. Billy Graham is still noted for being so ahead of his time in promo work and does seem to use himself as an example of the dangers of steroid use. But with other guys, it's harder to separate that and it shows.


Bret and Shawn


There are a lot of big names when it comes to personal vs. professional lives. Near the top of the list are Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Shawn has gotten trashed quite a bit for his past, his playing politics and drug use and such and how he avoided punishment because of his drawing power. However, Shawn has been up front over what an asshole he was in the ‘90's and while he has shown flashes of the old ego, he does seem to be sincere in changing his attitude since 2002. That he's able to put on fantastic matches ten years after getting a steel pole put in his back deserves some respect and while his ego can be great, it's hard to top Bret's.

I've written about him in the past but Bret Hart has, sadly, become too well known as a man who bought into his own hype. He was a great worker to be sure but too often, Bret seemed to put more emphasis on how a match looked real and great rather than connecting with fans or the story. I've heard that complaint from a lot of wrestlers, that Bret went out of his way to outwrestle guys rather than make them look good. While Vince certainly deserves blame for Montreal, Bret has equal blame for his stubborn refusal to drop the belt in Canada. To this day, Bret writes that losing a wrestling title would be a national tragedy, which is ego to the extreme.

Bret remains a frustrating figure in many ways. You can't help but admire him for his ring work and sympathize with him over his personal tragedies. But Bret undermines his legacy with his bitter attitude and somewhat prima donna antics. I point out the incident last year where he turned a tribute dinner to his father into a public calling-out of Greg Oliver for ranking Bret low on a book of Canadian greats. That ego and pride drove Bret on but it's become his drawback in keeping himself respected by all. He's better than, say, Hulk Hogan, who's become so utterly trapped in his character that it's cost him big time with his personal life. More than anyone in wrestling, Hogan adored the spotlight, loved being the biggest name in the business. He couldn't let go of that which is why he kept trying to keep onto fame, no matter what scale, in his later years and that turned him into a joke without him even realizing it. It's a trap that a lot of guys should keep a watch for.


Mixing Them Too Much


There's also the case of wrestlers whose brilliance in the ring is contrasted by the attitude outside of it big time. The Dynamite Kid, Bret Hart once observed, was the Ty Cobb of wrestling, utterly brilliant in the ring but an absolute brutal bastard who seemed to go out of his way to make others miserable. You can sympathize with his condition today but it's hard to get truly behind him considering how hard-nosed he was with painful ribs on others and hitting hard in the ring. Even worse is how, despite being in a wheelchair and broke, the man still says he wouldn't change a thing, an attitude that sadly passed on to his major disciple.

I won't go too long into Benoit but as noted, when you talk professional vs. personal lives, it's hard to avoid him. The problem with Benoit was that he took wrestling far more real than most others did and treated it like a holy endeavor. This is a man who'd make an almost invisible error in a match and punish himself with 500 squats backstage. Yes, he was great in the ring but those who want to follow his style should be warned that a key reason behind all that brain damage was that Benoit refused to protect himself from chair shots or flying head butts, feeling that the only way to make it look real was to be real. It should also be noted that it's come out how Benoit was no choir boy with his temper and often rough treatment of rookies. Sadly, this didn't come out until after his death as it may have been a warning sign. It is still hard to be clear-headed about Benoit as it's one thing to abuse drugs or get into fights and quite another to kill your family and yourself.

What makes it harder with Benoit was that his in-ring persona was mostly himself. It's harder to separate the person from the character when the two are so tightly similar. Witness Randy Orton who seems to channel his out-of-the ring jerkdom for a great heel character. Mick Foley has gotten a huge following for being such a likeable figure who comes off real funny to people. However, lately, Mick seems to have shown a somewhat more egotistical side as if thinking he can slide due to his past exploits I was watching that "Heatseekers" ep of "Legends of Wrestling" and was stunned at how Foley kept talking about himself, interrupting other people to share stories about his past and even the other panelists were getting annoyed at it. Some guys like Foley and RVD seem to think that because they get such love and respect, it gives them a free pass on ego and that's a dangerous attitude for those who want to keep legacies intact.

It can be frustrating with the likes of Jeff Hardy, who can't seem to let go of his personal demons although that daredevil attitude is what makes him fascinating in the ring. There's Austin known for assault on his wife and yet still revered for changing the entire business. Kevin Nash is always trashed for his actions but comes off as a real funny and likeable guy while Cena, for all the trash thrown his way by fans, truly loves this business. Again, it's hard to seperate them given how ideas can become truth in the IWC, especially in the modern times.

When it comes to mixing personal and professional aspects, Vince McMahon comes in mind. The man has an ego, there's no doubt about it. He runs a company filled with big egos so it makes sense the guy in charge has the biggest of the bunch. I've heard so many differing opinions on Vince. On the one hand are guys who say he's a monster, a greedy bastard and even crazy. William Regal has the great line "If he played Vince McMahon himself, we'd be off the air." But you also hear stories of Vince surprisingly charitable and understanding, paying for funerals of guys like Bam Bam Bigelow and generous to others. It's hard to figure the real Vince but that's because Vince truly enjoys these misconceptions about himself and uses them to keep folks off balance. It's like Kurt Angle once said, you can never write the biography of Vince McMahon because Vince will never let his guard down enough to show his real persona and keep you guessing. For a man blamed for the death of the "old days," Vince keeps to kayfabe pretty damn well.

Another factor to consider in this argument on personal vs. professional lives is how little we fans know of what really goes on behind the scenes. It's easy to form opinions off third-person reports on the Internet and another to be there and know the truth. As noted above in the radio show segments, just because a guy has a reputation of being a jerk doesn't mean he really is while guys known for great skills can be pretty obnoxious. It also needs to be remembered how guys will use the misconceptions about themselves and the personas for their own needs. Like I said, wrestlers are always working the fans and that has to be remembered when you try to consider where the act ends and the person begins as so often it's mixed together.


Summation
We should be able to judge wrestlers by their actions, it's true. But it's hard because they put so much of their real personalities out there in the ring and thus, the person they truly are becomes a great part of the act. But given how by their very nature wrestlers are born to con folks and it's harder to figure out the real person. Some guys are able to keep it separate but too many others get wrapped in their pride and personas to their own detriment. It's hard to keep to your favorites when you know the darker sides of their character. However, some guys may have their in-work enhanced when you know of their real personalities a bit more. Some may still want to judge the matches by what you see on the screen but you can't ignore the ways guys truly are. As with so much else in wrestling, it's a complicated situation but one still worth exploring to enhance how you watch. And with wrestling, that inner passion can lead to an interesting performance in so many ways. You just have to be sure you're seeing the better parts of it.


Also around 411mania:

Chin talks the Importance of RAW

Against the Grain compares TNA to a certain favorite TV show of mine

For the Record argues about the Harts as tag champs

The Shimmy continues the Cena report card

Five-Star also talks tag teams

If I Could Be Serious discusses WWE

Thoughts From the Top Rope compares RAW and Smackdown

Piledriver Report judges the merits of short-term vs. long-term champions

Don't forget Column of Honor, Triple Threat, 4 R's, Ask 411, Fact or Fiction and the rest.


For this week, the spotlight is off….