Shining a Spotlight 7.02.09: Icons

Posted by Michael Weyer on 07.02.2009

In the wake of the loss of a major pop icon, an examination of what wrestlers may fit that label.



Like most everyone else, the death of Michael Jackson was a major shock to me. I grew up in this guy's prime, his music huge with everyone of my generation. It's hard to convey to people today how huge a star this man truly was. We've been so used to treating Jackson as a figure of ridicule and derision that's it's quite easy to forget that from 1984 to 1989, no one on this planet was a bigger star than he was. The biggest selling album of all time, sold out tours of wild fans, he even had his own Disneyland attraction. Yes, he'd fallen on harder times with the legal allegations and troubles, the behavior with his own kids, the freakish changes in his appearance and more. But the fact is, the man did blaze a trail with his music and left behind a status that secures him forever as a pop icon.

That has gotten me thinking a bit. There's always a tendency when someone so huge dies to look back at the positive things in his life, not the negative. That's happened here as some in the media have been able to take the high road and examine his career and impact rather than the salacious parts of his life. The term "icon" has been tossed about a lot and does fit Jackson. That has brought up to me that age old question among wrestling fans which is what stars of wrestling can be considered icons?
　

　
　
What makes an Icon

I should get it straight now that icons are not saints. Oh, some were decent guys like Jackie Robinson who should always be remembered as being not just the first black major league baseball player but a great one as well. On the other hand, Babe Ruth is certainly an icon, as even non-baseball fans know exactly who he is. But Ruth was also a womanizing, hard-drinking, gambling lout who held himself above all others. It's that way in a lot of fields of sports and entertainment, men and women who left behind amazing legacies but their personalities left quite a bit wanting as well.

Wrestling is filled with such people. I wrote a few weeks ago on how we rarely see the true person behind the persona since wrestlers mix it up so much. A recurring theme I've heard from wrestling radio show guys is how the workers they admire turn out to be jerks when on the show while the ones with bad reputations are polite guests. Wrestlers use their public images so much for working fans that it's hard to tell what's real and what's not. But you can still put some things aside to see the legacy men leave. It can be tricky to figure out. I remember in 1997 Jim Cornette did a terrific commentary on a RAW episode, trashing a lot of big guys over the entire "icon" mentality but the fact is, some guys do seem to belong on that level.

For icons in wrestling, you have to see men who established themselves as being almost bigger than the business itself. Men whose fame is so great everyone knows it and in most cases respects it as well. It can be tricky as the IWC has so many fanbases that are ready to champion personal guys as being bigger than they are. Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, Samoa Joe, all great wrestlers but icons? Not really. John Cena is a major guy for WWE, deserving of more respect than he gets but a long time before he can hit icon status. HHH seems to want to make himself an icon to be sure but I don't think he's there and not sure he'd get it because of the politics and bad blood many feel toward him. But there are some wrestlers who have managed to achieve that level, some to a bigger degree than others.

I will say I'm sticking to major wrestlers here. I know Terry Funk and Mick Foley are considered hardcore icons but that celebrates that style a bit more than it deserves. I enjoy Mick a lot and his fame has grown with his books but it's a bit much calling him an icon as Mick himself would admit he was no technical master in the ring. Funk deserves respect for his longevity but a bit annoying he's regarded more for brutalizing himself in the ring. In terms of fame on various fronts, the following men have cause to lay claim to the icon label.

　
　
　
The First Ones
　
The icon mentality didn't form with the modern era of course. Lou Thesz is a name still well known and respected by wrestlers today. The man helped shape modern wrestling with his technical styles and shooting and mentioning his name today conjures images of old-style wrestling at its finest. Gorgeous George was the first to be more a character than a wrestler with his outrageous style that set a new tone for televised wrestling and personas. Buddy Rogers was the first truly awesome heel, able to work it with a wild style not only in the ring with his strutting but also on the mic, the first guy to work a crowd both ways like that. Bruno Sammartino may have been a bit flat by today's standards but helped put WWF on the map as champion while Pedro Morales broke out as a major ethnic star. Superstar Billy Graham can also be considered an icon as he was a man truly ahead of his time with his muscular build, wild outfits and amazing promo work that would be emulated by scores of wrestlers afterward.

These guys really paved the way for others who followed and made strides in the business that rose above the territory boundaries of the time. That's something to recall, that a lot of guys could be considered iconic but to their local markets. Jerry Lawler in Memphis, the Von Erichs in Texas and more. But the fact was, they were local stars most of the time and really not known on a national level. Those that follow, the men who really can be considered icons, are the ones whose fame is on equal level with their impact on the business.
　
　

　
Flair and Hogan
　
As far as icons go, harder to top these two. They were wrestling in the ‘80's and ‘90's, two men who were just on such a higher plateau than others and that remains today. Flair in his prime was a master working the crowds with his promos and great style in the ring, keeping Jim Crockett Promotions going as NWA champion. Hogan, of course, made WWF world famous and while he was no great shakes in the ring, his sheer charisma with the crowds made him and his bouts seem bigger than they already were.

Both men had flaws with their egos. Hogan's is famous while Flair has also rubbed some folks the wrong way with some of his moves, which can be seen as self-serving at times. I have read interesting pieces on how some guys give Hogan a lot of credit for making them look good in the ring, that you came off a bigger star just facing him. Flair had that talent too as both of them helped wrestling achieve its peak in popularity in the ‘80's. But the fact is that when it comes to being the bigger icon for fans, I think Hogan has the edge. Even today, you put on "Real American" at an arena and it'll erupt as fans will still go crazy for him. Flair himself has been forced to acknowledge on DVD that while most non-wrestling fans won't know who he is, they will know Hogan. Mention wrestling to the mainstream and Hogan is the first to pop into mind and that's a legacy that deserves respect no matter what else the man has done.



　

Bret and Shawn

Neither of them will want to admit it but Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels have always been a lot alike. Both rising in the ranks on their achievements, both amazing in the ring and both possessing two incredibly complex egos. To Canadians, Bret is a massive hero although that source of pride did contribute to his most infamous moment. Shawn's fame has been boosted by his own ego a bit although fans always respond. In the '90's, both men were able to keep WWF going with their terrific matches and great abilities and earned the respect of fans the world over.

Both legacies have been hurt a bit, Shawn by his personal problems and being out of the business for a while. But Shawn has gotten some respect for turning in terrific matches a decade after everyone thought he was done and being up front over what an asshole he was in the '90's. Bret, however, has hurt his own standing with fans with his bitterness over things. Even some Canadian fans have been turned off by stuff like turning a tribute dinner to his father into a public tirade against an author for not ranking him higher in a book. Both men did help keep WWF hot at a time when things were bad and cemented themselves as true legends in the process. Their status as icons may not be as great as Flair and Hogan but hard to argue with their status at the time.



　
Stone Cold and the Rock

I admit calling the Rock an icon may be a bit much. Yes, he was huge with stardom and multiple title reigns but he didn‘t have quite the same massive status as some of the others on this list with fans. His matches were good and all but not quite a technical master or a good seller. There's the possibility he might have been able to really cement a true legacy if he hadn't left for Hollywood. So mega star, yes but icon? Not so much.

Austin on the other hand…This was a man everyone knew was going to be a star from his first match. He did do well in WCW but when he coined "Austin 3:16," he achieved a new level of fame. He had his difficulties from marriage troubles to walking out on WWF in 2002. But Steve Austin nevertheless shot wrestling to a level unheard of before. He had crowds going and rewrote what a face could be, acting the heel but still loved by the crowds. His feud with Vince began a new wave of "evil owner" characters in wrestling and his in-your-face style has been replicated time and again but never to the same success. He enjoyed great respect for his work and helping the entire company reach new heights. Stone Cold never gave much of a damn what other people thought of him and never considered himself an icon. Which may just help cement his status as one even more.

　


Sting

TNA has a rep for overblowing things but calling Sting an icon isn't one of them. Through all the ups and downs of WCW in the '90's, Sting was always there, something even Flair can't say. The man was incredibly hot in the early part of the decade, getting crowds fired up by his sheer presence and charisma, his own energy infectious and helped make him a star worth basing the company around. His transformation into "the Crow" look silent warrior actually made him hotter and while the end result wasn't good, his showdown with Hogan at Starrcade '97 was a huge affair thanks to that heat. That he never worked for WWF may have kept him from the great DVD set he deserves but his TNA work has still been good, reminding fans of his huge star status. Even better is how Sting has been hailed for his professionalism outside the ring, not getting in ego troubles or anything like that, a down to earth guy in so many ways which has earned him the respect of most everyone he's ever worked with. It's rare to find a guy as nice outside the ring as in it and Steve Borden has been recognized for that. He may not be as great as he once was but this man was second only to Flair (and in some cases even bigger) in being the soul of the good side of WCW and that's a status that can't be taken away.



　
The Undertaker

It takes a special performer to maintain main event status for almost twenty years. The Undertaker has always managed to keep going thanks to his amazing gimmick that somehow has managed to win fans over. Undertaker has managed to shift the gimmick now and then to keep himself fresh but still keeps to the supernatural trappings that make him stand out. He also surprises by still being able to pull off some amazing matches despite his age and injuries, such as against Michaels at Mania. That he's never gone to another company has also won him admiration, the man is automatically associated with WWE and he also gets respect for being a top dog in the locker room and able to keep order among the egos there. That he gets the win so much is just a show of respect for his standing with fans, not the politics of others and the response of fans proves how over he still is. His Mania streak just adds a new layer to things and solidifies him as a true original in a business filled with copycats.


Summation

Choosing an icon in wrestling can be a tricky thing as this is a business that rests on guys making themselves look different than they really are. Too many times, fans will bring their personal views of men in and alter the picture of how they do and don't deserve the standing they have. Some guys on this list do deserve the icon name not just for ring achievements but for how their fame goes to a higher plateau than most other wrestlers. In some cases, you can argue about how that might be overblown (Bret, Rock and maybe Shawn) but in most, it can be agreed that while not saints, Hogan, Flair, Austin and Undertaker are men who helped the entire business around them and redefined what it meant to be a fan. Their names will live on for a long time to come and in leaving a true legacy behind, they truly deserve the icon name.



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