Truth B Told 5.31.07: The Devil Made Me Do It
Posted by Bayani Domingo on 05.31.2007
With Monster Heels in vogue these days TBT examines why the “Well Meaning Heel” is so vital to wrestling and wonders why it suddenly went the way of the fanny pack. Before you say it, no, it didn’t end up dangling above a 60 year old Chinese tourist’s crotch while he takes pictures.
History is full of a very polarizing figure that we label as "Disillusioned Psychopaths". Villains who truly believed in their heart of hearts that they were exempt from the laws of government and man somehow because even though their actions would be looked down upon and dismissed as heinous and deplorable, they were doing all this because of a greater good or some divine right bestowed upon t hem. Adolf Hitler believed he was creating a new and better world by instilling "The Third Reich" and Germany as the true world power and weeding out the "inferior races". David Koresh believed himself to be the "final prophet" before the deadly stand off at Waco, Texas that led to 75 deaths including his own. The gunman from Virginia Tech, Cho Seung-hui, thought his actions were justified and compared his own planned suicide as martyrdom when he said in a videotaped rant, ".. I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenseless people." Even Rev. Jim Jones thought he must have been doing some good up until 900 plus bodies were found dead after the biggest mass murder-suicide in recent memory. These are some of the most extreme examples of "Well Meaning Villains" that there may be. At least well meaning in the minds of the people responsible.
Somewhere along the line we became fascinated by these morbid and evil characters. As time went on and we started applying psychology and reason to their motives we began to humanize them more in order to understand them. As a society we began to see things in less "Black and White" terms as we began to realize that not every history figure could be so easily boxed into the "good" or "evil" categories. Movies have followed suit with similar villains and anti-heroes. Hannibal Lecture was a charismatic though clearly evil serial killer and cannibal. Tony Montana was a drug dealer and a coke addict, but it didn't seem to dim his near cult like following even to this day as "Scarface" was released almost 25 years ago. Heck, even the fairy godmother from "Shrek" was convinced she was doing the right thing by doing away with the story's protagonist and saving the princess from a life of abnormality and strife. Even in a cartoon we look at "villains" as almost sympathetic characters if they sing a little ditty, even though the reality of it is that she was an attempted murderer. Real life villains can sometimes translate on film to more humanistic characters on celluloid. But let's take a giant step down to the world of wrestling. The world of "the devil made me do it". The world of "what's mine is mine" and "I'm destined to wear the title around my waist". Wrestling created a term, "The Well Meaning Heel" that encompassed the same characteristics that we saw in the movies, a "bad guy" who believed in his own mind that he was the 'good guy' or at least deserving of being praised as such. The WMH is a phenomenon that has been well documented in wrestling but until recently has faded somewhat from the "squared circle".
If you look around at the major companies in the US you'll notice that the "monster heel" is well in effect now. On RAW you have the Great Khali and Umaga, on Smackdown you have Mark Henry, in ECW you have Snitsky, and even in RoH you have Morishima. TNA has actually managed to dial down the number of "monster heels" after Abyss's face turn. But you can see how the main event scene is lousy with "monster heels". The problem with these guys is that the common fan can't really get behind them or associate with them.
We understand that Khali wants to beat up Cena, but is his motivation winning the title or just beating up Cena? It's hard to understand that when Khali doesn't speak a lick of English and doesn't always have his interpreter with him, as well as only having two facial expressions. One of them seems to be "angry" the other is, "I just made poopy in my pants" if I'm not mistaken. Umaga has the same problem, but at least he had Armando Estrada to speak for him for a while, still their motivation seemed to be more towards pleasing Mr. McMahon rather than having the big shiny spinning belt buckle for themselves. We have no idea what Snitsky really wants, other than his eye brows back and a body suit made out of ‘Stridex'. Mark Henry is the only guy who can talk and all he seems to want to do is hurt people, which is a far cry from being the "old chick thrilla" he was a few years back. Then we come to Morishima who can't speak English and though its easy to understand that his intentions are to just hold on to the belt as long as possible, the lack of oratory ability to emote to the crowd makes him a rather two dimensional character. Like with any of our beloved ‘babyfaces' we also crave heels that are multi-dimensional and living in that area known as "subtle shades of grey". While the "Attitude Era" brought on this affection for ‘depth of character' in our heels I think this is even more cogent when you look at how wrestling has evolved today.
Wrestling has become a very blurred line which separates kayfabe from reality, "shoot" from "work", and escapism from attachment. With the advent of the internet, the rise of the IWC, and the ability to add Scotty 2 Hotty to your "Top 8" we've become more and more personally invested with our favorite wrestlers. We look at wrestling as not only a "play" of sorts that help us escape into a fantasy world, but also a way to play out our own daily dramas in a way that would allow you to imagine bashing "Ken from accounting" over the head with a steel chair the next time he tries cock blocking you when asking the cute new receptionist out for Fro-Yo and a movie. The wrestlers become more human to us because we're able to see a human side of them. The "monster heel" becomes the kind of cartoonish bad guy you remember from your childhood when "Russia was number one and America was… *patooey*". But now we are looking for characters that more mimic our own lives and unless "Ken from accounting" is a 7'4", "English as a No Language" giant with the tendency to strike you with a chop to the top of your dome out of no where, my guess is you're more fascinated and drawn in by the WMH.
In real life it is rare to find a "monster heel". I happen to know for a fact that there are rarely Samoan savages in most colleges waiting to spike you with a thumb after your group study sessions on Monday night. Then again, I'm fairly sure for about $50 I could find you one, but an "around the world" will cost you extra. Also for the most part it is rare to find someone who is truly evil just for the sake of being evil. Finding someone who not only recognizes how evil and unjust they, but also performs such wickedness and bring such doom and sorrow onto others for their own amusement and nothing more is truly a rarity. It's like hitting the lotto or…dating my ex-girlfriend…then again, you could actually come up with a statistic for how many people have ‘hit' the lotto. But I digress. Evil for the sake of evil is uncommon, most times we see people who offend us or do bad things under more mitigating circumstances.
We all have friends, acquaintances, co-workers, people we know who are sometimes less than logical or trust worthy. While you may know someone who almost serially shorts a bill, never seems to fulfill his end of the ‘carpool', or has the most annoying laugh in all of God's green earth and insists on laughing at her own unfunny jokes (which are plentiful) they are more than likely not always aware that their behavior is insidious in nature. Truthfully, some people just forget to add tip, or just wait for you to tell them they have to drive, or realizes how much their laugh makes you want to puncture your own ear drums with a sharpened pencil. Some people just lack a little thing I like to call "Self awareness". We all know them. You might be one of them in fact. Sure someone might not realize how bad their B.O. is or how badly their lunch smells when they're eating in the cubicle next to you, but they may just play if off as you being the only one with a problem with it. "No one else complains", they might say. Sure your cousin might still owe you $50 for the trip to Vegas, but "hey he's good for it, he'll hit you up next week". Maybe your buddy forgot to invite you to a movie everyone else went to, or a road trip, but hell he has a good reason right? "Oh mean, I just totally didn't think you'd want to go to that dick sucking contest those Hooter waitresses were having last week, I didn't think you'd be into that kind of thing even though they were short a judge". Yeah, that kind of stuff is understandable because everyone has a mitigating circumstance for "questionable" actions and misdeeds right? That's what real life is, "Good people who end up doing bad things". Or sometimes the old "ends justify the means".
In real life the "Ends Justify the Means" excuse is what you use to explain to your boss why you had to fake a "sick day" so you wouldn't be so burned out on Monday that you'd have to go all "postal' on your co-workers. It's the reason you tell your buddy that you hooked up with his chick because you could tell she was the ‘cheating kind' and figured you had to prove it to him. In wrestling it's the reason why "heel turns" and pinning your opponent with your feet on the ropes happen so often. Because the "ends" mean your name in the record book as a Champion and the means are just a little skirting of the rules for a match…or 10. Because after all," art imitates life" right? If it's okay for us to expose the "golden boy" at work for being the corporate shill and suck up that he is order for him to get his "comeuppance" then why is it so wrong for Edge to get the title off Cena? If we keep getting cheated out of promotion after promotion at our old job, why is it so horrible to want to keep a hold of our spacious new corner office or TNA title at our new one? Wrestling is more than just ‘Good vs Evil' it's about finding the character and the appeal of the individual struggles that make up the show. But in every show you need the right players.
If you watched Impact! a week ago you will have seen a promo by Scott Steiner that was superb and illustrated a perfect example of a WMH. The basic gist of the promo was that Steiner didn't want or need Team 3D's respect or praise and that he was belittling not only their abilities but their legacy. What differentiated it from the normal "you guys suck and we're better" promo and a great WMH promo was the conviction of Steiner, the way he presented it, and the way it made you almost want to side with him. Steiner basically trashed their reign in WCW because it was the WCW-E title at the time and their ECW "World" titles were no where near "world" status since they wrestled in a bingo hall. It was great, he presented a very realistic and believable argument but in a very heelish and dickhead way. It was a great example of how "conviction", "content", and "delivery" are such critical parts to a WMH.
For a wrestler to go from "heel" to a "Well meaning heel" he has to have a purpose or a vision. He also has to have the "conviction" and dedication to stick to that purpose. He has to truly believe that what he is doing, for better or worse (usually worse), is for either a greater good or somehow he is simply taking what rightfully belongs to him or is owed to him. In order for him to emote and communicate that point during promos or vignettes or interviews he has to have a subject matter and "content" which further illustrates and backs up his point of view. Facts, data, background, past storylines and betrayals, all of this has to further his own purpose. What is difficult to "deliver" this point in a way that makes him believable, but not to the point where he turns the fans completely to his side and he becomes the sympathetic face. To delivery a good promo which gets his point across, while still remaining a heel and show enough evil intent that the crowd still recognizes him as a heel. If he fails to do this, then that is what's known as a ‘face turn', which…is a whole different column.
Another critical part of this equation has to do with the "target" of the WMH. For the Steiners it was Team 3D. While Team 3D are the intended "faces" here, they were able to maintain their ‘face' status by not resorting to name calling or disparaging remarks in response to Big Poppa Pump. The problem here is that the Steiners are a well respected and liked team to wrestling fans and the ‘Impact Zone' has grown tired of the Dudleyz. While this may eventually results in a "double turn", for now they have played up the fact that the Steiners are truly WMHs. They attacked the Dudz, shit on their legacy, and have no respect for a fairly universally respected team like them. But in the same token, they have the conviction that they are 100% right in every thing they say, it also helps that Scotty plays the part of ‘roided up douche bag so awesomely. A good sympathetic ‘face' is something a WMH would like to have in order to reach that level of near sympathy from the fans. Although in the case of the Dudleyz that's not necessarily true, nor is it for another great WMH.
Edge is a great WMH and one of the best if not THE best in the "e". HBK is too much of a "perma-face" to pull it off fully. HHH has never really tried to get the crowd to sympathize or cheer him, but Edge has done an admirable job. Edge was able to use Cena's polarizing support/hate to craft a nice little niche' during his short title reigns. I remember in particular at Survivor Series where he mentioned how sick he was of Cena and even tried to get DX to agree with him. They politely declined to comment and said they'd rather see the two fight. That was a great little moment because DX didn't back Cena, nor did they back the "heel" in this case. But still Edge was able to use the argument that the fans are becoming disenfranchised with Cena as a way of mitigating his tactics of getting the belt off him. What makes Christian such a great WMH is his absolute conviction that he has not only earned the TNA Championship through all his hard work and past accomplishments, but that he is responsible for all the great things happening to TNA and without him as the champion the company will suffer. A very "ends justifies the means" argument if I ever heard one. He even managed to craft a stable around him to ensure he keeps the title, while simultaneously snowing those guys in order to keep them away from the belt. That just reeks of awesomeness. And Aqua Velva.
If you look at RoH they have had several heels in their history which have been more or less "well meaning". Christopher Daniels was one of the first as the leader of the prophecy. While Xavier was the champion at the time, it was Daniels that was the more compelling character as he truly believed in his cause and his actions. Prince Nana was possibly the biggest "Heat Machine" ever in RoH and it had nothing to do with his wrestling ability or dominance in the ring. Just look at how Jimmy Rave is doing without him. CM Punk was at one time one of the most beloved, then hated, then loved again wrestlers in the history of the company because he was able to communicate so much of his motives and reason to the crowd no matter what side he played. Then we come to Morishima, the current champion who seems to be one of the biggest enigmas in the company. Never before has RoH had such a "Monster Heel Champ" and the reviews have been mixed. I guess it goes to prove that just doing it in the ring isn't enough if you don't have the kind of character that can really make a fan put at least a little thought into his assessment of you. For as much as RoH is about wrestling, I think Morishima is proof that RoH is also about a story and drama as well.
The reason that we don't necessarily care about the Monster vs the Face feud is that regardless of the results, we know that 9 times out of 10 the ‘face' will get the win in the end. It's hard to sympathize and empathize with a "savage", a "weapon of mass destruction", or even a "Billionaire Bully" because their motives seem to just be so alien to us. We need the human drama that allows for twists and turns and some room for doubt as to who might truly be the villain in any given situation. I'm sure there are times when you've come out of a movie actually enjoy the villain's performance more than a hero's. But that comes down to some personal attachment or empathy towards that character. It's easy to shrug off a "Leatherface" or "Jason", but when a character like "Jigsaw" comes around you might find yourself question the real story behind the so called "villain". In history we look at past deeds and events and see just how misguided a person's motives and actions truly were in hindsight, but at the time I'm sure there were people who felt they were perfectly justified. Look at slavery, the inquisition, or the Japanese internment camps during the war. I believe that the WMH provides such a fertile ground for questioning one's morals, beliefs, and personal ethics that it lifts a mere choreographed fight on television to something more epic. Remember that a certain "Rattlesnake" didn't exactly start off as the uber-babyface he later became.
I know a lot of people who equate cheering for the heel and booing the face as being ‘smarky', but I think that is dismissing the allegiance out of hand. I for one find that sometimes I enjoy the dastardly and cerebral heel much more than the bland face for a number of reasons. Mostly because I can really relate to a guy who seemingly has no regard for the conventional norms and working within a system that at times can be corrupt and nepotistic upon itself. I simply couldn't get behind Hulk Hogan as a kid, the same goes with John Cena and Bobby Lashley now. While I see guys like Christian, Edge, Alex Shelley, Konnan, and Mr. Kennedy and can completely relate to that mentality because I too feel like I can be a WMH. Hell, I'm blunt, I tend to make off-colored jokes, and can completely call people out in public when they do something out of line, but I don't see a reason to change if I'm in the right for being honest or I'm simply trying to get people to lighten up with a few well placed jabs. I think a lot of people may feel the same way. Why would I root for someone I have no real attachment to as a human being just because the commentators tell me I should? The funny thing is that when you look at such a thin line it is to be a smartass WMH and an out and out arrogant asshole is that when you make a joke at someone else's expense, if people laugh with you you're a smartass, if they don't you're an asshole.
The WMH has been a very important part in the landscape of wrestling for decades. While the similarities between ego-driven asshole and sympathetic heel are evident the WMH is a creature all its own. To truly be a WMH you need to truly believe what you are doing is just, even if no one sees that, you need to almost make it seem that you are in fact the ‘good guy' in the situation or deserving of sympathy, while managing to still get the acknowledged ‘heel heat' and not turn into an actual ‘face'. It's tough and in the world of "smarks" and ‘wrestling geeks' it is very difficult to hone your craft as a WMH and not cross over to that babyface side. But when it all comes together you get the makings of an antagonist that can help create a truly worthwhile and memorable feud. Wrestling has evolved far beyond the ‘good guy' always winning and the virtuous always coming out on top while the ‘bad guy' is simply there as an obstacle. That might have worked for Hulk Hogan, but it doesn't in this day and age. Are you really telling me that the Khali feud is that much more compelling for John Cena than his feud with Edge? As wrestling fans we crave more subtle shades of grey then we care to admit, mainly because we associate that term with a certain booker we all want hung from the gallows of the Impact! Zone, but it's true. We need the drama, we need the uncertainty, and we need the self awareness that a "monster heel" just can't seem to provide. So here's to you Mr. Well Meaning Heel….Cheers!.
The Truth
Not every match can be a title match. Not every wrestler can be the #1 contender or champion. We need something else, we need storylines, we need a reason why guys turn on each other, why they back up one another, why they face off against each other time and time again that elevates both wrestlers in the eyes of the fans. I know it's easy to just go along with the idea that a clear separation of the roles of Heel/Face aren't necessary in all feuds or storylines, but there are often times where it is in fact a critical component of the storytelling. Without having the whole package, including the mic skills and delivery necessary to cut a meaningful promo, a heel is just lacking that top level of believability that creates enough of a rift in reaction to make the whole feud come off as realistic. We need the WMH in wrestling not only to captive us and make us care more about the protagonist/antagonist involved, but also to break out of the mold that wrestling is nothing more than mindless fumbling about in the ring. Sometimes, it's a well placed character that actually brings a level of thought into the product that makes it that much more enjoyable. Yeah, I know, who wants to have to actually think when they watch wrestling right? Yeah, but not every match can be a diva's pudding match. Or can it?
Coming Up Short
There is no reason to call Sunday's PPV: ECW: One Night Stand. You might as well call June's PPV: "We Promise Not to End Early". Because I would actually be more included to believe the later. ECW:ONS was a great concept the first time around, it became less important the second time around, and now it's just a farce. ECW wrestlers are only in 3 matches, the originals are only in 2 and the brand itself doesn't even have enough viable guys to put on more than 5 tops. That's INCLUDING the Major brothers and Lil' Guido. It's really sad. I would rather ECW either beef up their roster and at least be able to put on 4 or 5 matches on it's own PPV or forget letting ECW have a PPV at all. Because nothing could be coming up shorter than trying to pass off this PPV as an ECW brand one. I'm sure Justin Credible's career is spinning in it's grave right now.
6 Degrees of…
Looks like Mark Satrang didn't want to claim his prize this week, probably just old hat for him, so this week I strike out with my choices. Since it's Brock's big week in the world of MMA I figured I would like him up to another Martial Arts master. For the past few days I've been losing a hell of a lot of sleep watching these downloaded "shared" files of my current favorite anime...
NARUTO!! Not sure if anyone can manage this because not everyone is familiar with this Nippon Sensation, but what the hell, go out there and impress me kids.
Whatchu talkin' bout readers?
Ron M.
I must first say that you have some balls to approach this contraversial subject the way you did and again, very well written, so good for you (the negative stuff I had mentioned before wasn't intended to take away from the compliment I gave, just some observations since I hadn't e-mailed you before)
Anyway, content-wise I will go point-by-point so I don't go on too much of a rant about my own social ideology.
-I agree that there are fans who would dislike (or possibly hate) and jeer a wrestler just because they're gay, and that's unfortunate.
-...on the more positive side of it however, I think it's important to differentiate between 'tolerance', 'acceptance' and 'celebration' of differences. For me, I feel a strong obligation to do the first of those to respect each individual, but not the latter two. If I disagree with a lifestlye then I say "You do your thing and I'll do mine", but I still don't have to like or endorse IT (not the same as THEM). Which brings me to the next thing...
-I personally believe it is a choice so comparisons to racial differences and the like are out the window here.
-Also, the spin you put on your column suggests that those who don't have a full acceptance of homosexuals (and therefore agree with your own perspective) aren't socially concious or forward thinking. That along with the quotes that you put around things you deem somehow incorrect displays a condescending attitude and an intolerance of a different sort on your own part.
As far as the wrestlers in particular? Kanyon was awesome back in the day, and his sexual orientation hasn't changed my view on that. I think that standard would hold for all wrestlers.
Again, these are just my opinions and observations, nothing personal. You keep writing great articles so I'm going to keep reading.
-RM
I'm glad you got something out of the column last week. I actually completely understand your classifications of "tolerance", "acceptance", and "celebration". I actually am the same way about certain things. I can tolerate when someone is a "smoker", but I don't necessarily have to "accept" or celebrate it. If we can all get to a point where we are at least "tolerant" of people's differences then I think we'll be okay. Choice vs Birth is one of those topics that will be debated for a very long time so now is probably not the time to tackle it. I didn't mean to say that not accepting homosexuals makes you ‘ignorant' somehow, but I did mention that most people would have difficulty digesting something so surprising immediately. What I did say was that if you enjoy a performer and everything he does IN the ring, then it shouldn't matter what he does out of it. It has no bearing on anything else. While you may not "like" it or even "approve" of one's lifestyle, I think it would be rather uncalled for to judge someone more harshly or flat out stop supporting someone you've enjoyed watching for years. But you know, that's something we'll all deal with when the time is right. To me, everyone has the right to their opinions, views, and beliefs, and that's fine. The only reason to get up in arms is when someone acts upon those beliefs in a way to negatively affects someone else or denies someone of their civil liberties. Oh and Kanyon was great in WCW right before he became "Champagne" Chris Kanyon. His WWE stuff was shits, I don't know what happened to him but he really sucked ass in the ring…you know…I think I'll let that last comment go.
Hey man,
Interestin column this week dude. Wrestling will only get big again I feel if it moves out of the dark ages and starts portraying more realistic characters. That said, your point about society's inherent homophobia still stands, which is why I think it would be awesome to have a CM Punkish kind of guy run a gay heel gimmick. In the same way that The Gangstas got heat in the south cos of playing the race card, how much heat would a gay pride character get? You don't have to camp them up, in fact don't camp them up at all. Have them be guys who're focussed on competition, but use their homosexuality and their oppponents inherent homophobia to play mind games. So long as whoever can work, that would be fucking awesome, I dare even say it would get white heat in this day and age. It's a shame you don't seem to get too many gimmicks these days that really push the boat out and make us question who we are as a society anymore.
Interestin read dude, look forward to checkin out ur column next week.
Keep up the good work. Jza.
Your column posed the question whether the world of wrestling would accept an openly gay wrestler? The answer has been out there for the past 25 years, and the answer is yes.
Whether an openly gay wrestler would receive a pro contract or how much endorsement money could be gotten are entirely different questions, but the fact is that gay wrestling clubs have been in existence for at least 3 decades and been members of USAW since 1982.
USAW and FILA officials have served, and FILA, USAW and BCAA recognized coaches have conducted clinics, for those clubs periodically and every Gay Games that has ever been held. In fact, wrestling is the ONLY sport that has been officially sanctioned throughout the history of the Gay Games.
Although the Gay Games and gay wrestling clubs are open to anyone regardless of sexual orientation, and about 30-40 percent of their participants are straight-identified, FILA and USAA have always been aware of the orientation of the majority of our members and supportive of our mission.
I'll be honest, I thought this letter was a bit confusing but just cool as hell. It's not often that my column actually gets some serious and enlightening feedback but I was mildly surprised that it got a response from a group a legit group like this. Yes, yes, I was a bit befuddled that Roger might have misunderstood my column and had perhaps just gotten this passed along by a buddy, so I wrote him back. He actually responded by saying that the headline was what he was responding to and that yes, gay wrestlers are accepted. Sure it's not exactly the same since Amateur and "Professional" wrestling is a fairly different field, but the man has a point. Sure he isn't really a "Pro Wrestling Fan" so to speak but at least he seemed to respect the hard work and physical demands it placed on the participants. I can respect that…then again he also mentioned he's a Cincinnati Reds fan…I can't respect that. Sorry Roger, but ever since my boyhood hero Ken Griffey Jr. demanded that trade out of Seattle my baseball fandom has never been the same. I am secure enough in my masculinity to openly admit that Ken Griffey Jr. was the first man to ever break my heart. Well maybe one day we'll get Roger to convert to the "pro" side of wrestling. Roger, if a WWOB tournament makes it down to LA any time soon, let me know, I'll trade you for a Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show. Bottomline though is Roger mentioned that the we've come along way in society from where we were 25 years ago and that's very true. But I would hope in another 25 years we'll be talking about how much further we've come then back in ol' 2007.
Really insightful column this week! Different from your usual, humorous stuff, too, but still highly enjoyable!
I will say this, though: I wouldn't put much stock in the idea that 9% of the people in wrestling locker rooms are gay. It might be nice if homosexuality was spread equally across every setting, but it probably doesn't work that way. It'd be like saying that 20%
of people are carjackers, yet I know that 20% of the people in my neighborhood aren't carjackers; meanwhile, 75% of the people in the less desirable neighborhood down the street probably ARE. Another example: I'm reasonably certain that no one at my
mechanic's shop is gay, but have anecdotal proof that half of the people that work at the various Starbuckses I frequent are. Different environments seem to attract different types of people.
Now, what does this mean for wrestling? Could be MORE than 9% of the wrestling population is gay. I wouldn't be surprised one way or another. But, sadly, no matter the number of gay men and women in wrestling, you really get the sense that, aside from
probably the military, sports entertainment will be one of the last places in which homosexuals will feel comfortable coming out. I mean, the hiring and firing practices are so informal to begin with that if a promoter wasn't comfortable with a gay performer,
he/she could simply dismiss them and attribute it to...waaaaait for it..."creative having nothing for them." (Yeah, that old WWE standby.)
Anyway, thanks for the thought-provoking column! It WAS kinda fun trying to guess who the three guys in the TNA locker room would be, though! : )
Sam!
Hey, I'm no statistician and my use of the 9% stat was basically just a starting point. I'ts easier than saying "X%" all the time. I also wouldn't hang my hat on the 20% of people are carjackers stat because that means that if someone was to jack a car 5 times, then at least once you would have car jacked a car jacker. Which would be so damn ironic that maybe you should try. Lemme know how that goes, I think that would be awesome to have a car jacker get home and find out HIS car was jacked. Whatever the number is, I would not believe anyone who said there wasn't at least 1 gay wrestler on each major brand. As far as the "creative having nothing for them" excuse, I'd totally buy that too then again I hear Rene Dupree and Sylvan Grenier are still on the payroll and those fools haven't been on TV since Michelle McCool had real tits. Oh and about the TNA guys, no idea but I did think it was interesting that Kip would change his last name to honor his "partner". He's an "ass man" indeed.
Charles Hays is one ‘e' away from being part of the worst trade I ever made as a kid…I STILL can't believe I gave up my Walt Weiss Rookie card for that bum…
Uh...I don't know where you get your statistics from, but I took a class about sexuality and it more or less stressed that no matter what people have heard, it's somewhere between 2 and 4 percent of the population that's gay. So 9 percent is pushing it a bit...but whatever.
I get the point you're making, but the more that inaccurate statistics are stated, the more they tend to become "reinforced" in other people's arguments...and then they help serve to invalidate those arguments if someone's prone to jumping to conclusions about "one fact that is mistaken equals an entire argument that is mistaken"...although I certainly would not say that is the case...but I know some would.
I agree with most of what you said - but I do think that you should have considered (assuming you didn't) looking into the actual percentages of people who are outright homosexual. Then again, if my book was WAY wrong or whatever, feel free to correct me. Books can only teach you so much.
But yeah...even if I'm just going by life experience...I count the people I know who I've been around at least a moderate amount (and I'm involved in theatre, so as the stereotype may suggest, I know quite a few gay people)...it doesn't even come close to being one out of ten (it's potentially 6% estimating)...so I'm pretty sure that 9% isn't right. I think the whole argument that it is ten percent or whatever was made up by some overzealous people trying to get a point across (that any number of people could be gay and most people wouldn't know) at some point and it's just stuck ever since because people keep repeating it without looking at actual studies.
And by the way, if I found out my favorite wrestler was gay, it might explain a few things...but I'm not expecting it. But I, personally, wouldn't respect him any less if he was. And I don't consider it to be of any consequence, although you indicated that you thought it would cause anyone pause to find that out. Not me...seems sort of like finding out he's a vegetarian or something. Bah...whoopdeedoo (/end sarcasm). But there are
some wrestlers where it would confuse me...such as the guys who constantly brag about the women they've been with or whatever.
Also, did you consider that some of your readers may be gay? I may have overlooked some stuff, but seems almost as though you wrote this article as though you felt you were speaking exclusively to heterosexual IWC males.
Just thought I'd share some thoughts/concerns/questions. Please write back if you have time. Thanks for reading this (if you did).
-Charles
Man, there is no way in hell human sexuality classes should be passing out stats anymore than an IWC numbskull such as myself. I know the class seems more legit, but honestly there is no way we'll ever have a dead on stat for homosexuals in America. The sample size just isn't enough and I doubt even if we went door to door the number of people who wouldn't admitted their orientation or might still be in the closet about it would still leave the stat somewhat lacking. I'll even split you the difference and go with say..6.5%. I know for damn sure it's not as low as 2%, that's just based on the people I know, work with, and interact with on a daily basis. Then again, I live in Los Angeles…eh. I actually wrote Charles…Charlie…Chuck…yeah, I like that better, I wrote Chuck Hizzle back since he politely asked me to and we kind of agreed to disagree. Even wikipedia is kind of on the fence about it, they'll go as low as 1% and as high as 10%. But like I said last week, I don't have a definitive % and that wasn't the whole point of the column. As far as me considering some of my readers might be gay, yes I did. I mentioned that if 9% of the wrestlers might be gay then it would stand to reason that 9% of the fans would probably be as well, hence some of my readers. As far as my focus on my audience goes, I write what I know and how I am, so it's from a hetero IWC male point of view. I think gay or straight you could still get what you want from it.
Hey,
Long time reader, first time writer, but I just felt compelled to e-mail you to say what an absolutely superb article you wrote about gay wrestlers in 'the biz'.
It would have been so easy for any article on the subject to be written in a pretentious 'how dare you not accept the gay community in sports' way, but you managed to explain how hard it is to be out in the World of sports, in a way that (like you quoted) really did 'make you think'. You presented the case in a realistic way with an incredibly mature attitude, saying essentially that its not right that gay individuals would be discriminated against were they to come out during their active careers in any sport (or sports entertainment), but it would happen, so as professionals they have to make the choice between success and being true to themselves. I wouldn't want to have to make that choice, and respect any individual who has the balls to do it, whether or not they choose to 'come out'.
You commented at the start of your article that no professional athlete in the big 4 US sports has ever come out during their active career, and I can see why. I'm from the UK, and about 15 years ago, one of England's rising Soccer (without a doubt Britain's biggest sport) stars, Justin Fashanu, openly admitted he was gay. From there, his career spiraled, and he ended up hanging himself in his early 30's before his career ended. Had he not decided to declare his sexuality to the public, he wouldn't have received the torment of jeers from the crowd, loss of International caps, career opportunities and personal harmony that he suffered. Since his death, no professional athlete in Britain has ever 'come out', and its unlikely they ever will.
Its a sorry state of affairs when people can't be true to themselves because of the feelings of their supporters, but because gay people are seen to be less masculine than their counterparts, and are competing on an incredibly masculine stage, you can see where the problems stem from.
Maybe one day gay people will be accepted in the Wrestling (and Athletic) profession, as much as ethnic minorities and women are, but from where we stand now, I sadly doubt it.
Thanks again for a very interesting read, Rikki
Coming out as a football player in England would be pretty damn harsh. I would say it would be like Tom Brady coming out right before the Superbowl. Being gay in America is tough because as much as we say that we're ‘accepting' of homosexuals, that "acceptance" often varies in degrees depending on where it is. Much like minorities and women, gays will have to overcome a lot to reach that equality in some people's eyes. Even now it's not like minorities and women wrestlers are necessarily on equal ground. Historically you see much less minority multi-time champions than you do Caucasian. Even women's wrestling which SHIMMER and Joshi shows us, can be just as good as men's wrestling, is treated like a side show in the "e". yeah, they've come a long way, but hell, in this day and age we still got hoodlums and "savages" or a dark complexion and it's all under the umbrella known as "parody".
6 Degrees Results
Honorable Mention
Dylan Brennan
I'm new to this so I'm not quite sure if you need to use all 6 degrees
but I got it in 3.
Malcolm McDowell frequently guests on HBO's hit show Entourage, which stars Jeremy Piven.
Jeremy Piven played Ross Giggins in Scary Movie 3 alongside Charlie Sheen.
Charlie Sheen came on Spin City in 2000 which, for six years, starred Micheal J. Fox.
Well, um…you did it in 3, now if you only had 3 more you'd be good.
Bayani-
Yeah, she did have a cute face, but somebody else had to tell me about it...
Anyway, you can really go Michael J. Fox to Malcolm McDowell in 3...
Michael J. Fox was in Spin City with Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear was in TJ Hooker with Mr. Priceline, William Shatner
And William Shattner was in Star Trek: Generations with Malcolm McDowell
And you know, we can cut out the Heather Locklear connection and just go with Shatner, as Fox was on a few episodes of Boston Legal, but I digress...
But since this is 6DO, guess I'll have to bust out a few more...
Michael J. Fox was in Mars Attacks! with Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger was in Poolhall Junkies with Christopher Walken
Christoper Walken was in Suicide Kings with Denis Leary
Denis Leary was in A Bug's Life with Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey was in Pay It Forward with Jesus or James Caviezel if you will
And James Caviezel was in Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius with Malcolm McDowell
Love the column and especially the pic... You should do two just for good measure.
Greg Walden
Sorry Greg, no win this week, how about a consolation semi-pornographic picture instead?
Manu Bumb
I gotta be honest - kinda zoned out a few paragraphs in, so i didnt read it all....but from what I did read, and the results of my search, you neglected to mention the BIGGEST flamboyant straight man in the history of wrestling (no pun intended) - Dusty Rhodes. What is it with the IWC? We'll talk about this gay wrestler, or that gay wrestler, all day long, but dusty NEVER comes up. Go back and watch his old stuff on his dvd - gay as gay can be. the lisp (sorry, but a large portion of america still believes every gay man has a lisp, so we cant ignore it, no matter how much we realize that isnt true), very effeminate in the ring, his robes.....just acting very, VERY flamboyant, and yet the people LOVED him. When he did something "gay" in the ring, the crowd would explode! I really wish I had that dvd set so I could point out specific examples, sorry for being so vague. I do plan on getting it some day, just havent yet.
- Malcolm McDowell, who played Alex, was also in....well, pretty much everything. but to be more specific, he was in tank girl, with with the delictable naomi watts *drool*
- Naomi *drool* was in King Kong with Jack Black
- black was in 'shallow hal' with jason alexander
wait....there's NO wrestlers involved in this....wtf? this is just NORMAL 6DO?
- alexander was on "seinfeld", which featured James Spader for one episode (the apology)
- Spader is in 'boston legal', and last week's episode guest starred Michael Gross
- Gross played father to one Alex P. Keaton on 'family ties'
thats all i got.
m
Dusty Rhodes is not flaming...if you wiiiiiiill. To be honest it never crossed my mind to consider Dusty Rhodes as being a homosexual gimmick. The lisp, the perm, the flamboyant dancing? Eh, then again, what self respecting gay man would let himself go like Dusty did? Naomi Watts eh? Yeah, she's pretty fly, for a white...um...girl?
Wow, it's been a while. I did win one of these a while back; I think I put Chris Masters on the ol' 6DO choopin' block so many months back. But I feel like testing the waters with my toes again, then girlishly shrieking when it's too cold. Is that metaphor logical? I have no idea, but here-a we-a go-a!
1) Malcolm McDowell appears in the tv show "Heroes", along with James Kyson Lee (Ando).
2) James Kyson Lee was recently recognized publibly at a TNA event, the same company who had also featured White Sox catcher AJ Pierzynski.
3) AJ Pierzynksi is currently a teammate on the White Sox with 1B/DH Jim Thome.
4) Jim Thome played the first 12 years of his career with the Cleveland Indians.
5) The Cleveland Indians ball club was the focal point of the movie "Major League" (or "Major League II", if you like that one better), which starred Charlie Sheen.
6) Charlie Sheen was the second deputy mayor on the TV show "Spin City", a role first played by Michael J. Fox, aka Alex Keaton of Family Ties.
Now, I wait patiently, fingers crossed, hoping that last degree shouldn't have been two separate ones. Because if so, I won't get that 15 minutes of life back I spent writing this up.
Salutations!
Gillan Borum
Sorry Gillan, but even the mere mention of Major League II being better than the original was enough to knock you down a few pegs this week. C'mon....MLII??? Even Joe Boo wouldn't have none of that.
#3
Had a great long weekend, thanks for asking. One thing, though...you are complaining about Celine Dion, with good reason of course, but how do you think we in Canada feel? You got that Titanic song, we got that and the rest of her career!
Anyway, re 6DO, I think this is the first time I have seen a 6DO not have a wrestler as a link on either end. So I asked myself, I asked, "Self, do you think you can do this 6DO and include wrestling?" (After all, this is a wrestling column.) Without further ado:
1. Malcolm McDowell played the villain in the 1995 movie "Tank Girl", which also starred Ice-T.
2. Ice-T performed the song "Pimpin' Ain't Easy" on the soundtrack to Wrestlemania 2000, where the main event, a fatal four-way elimination match for the WWF/E Championship, was won by Triple H.
3. Triple H was one of the wrestlers in the first ever Elimination Chamber Match (Survivor Series 2002), a concept brought to us by then Raw GM Eric Bischoff.
4. Eric Bischoff was the one pinned on that famous Monday Nitro on April 24, 2000, by David Arquette, giving Arquette the WCW Championship.
5. David Arquette is married to Courteney Cox.
6. Courteney Cox played Lauren Miller on the TV show "Family Ties", who was the girlfriend of Alex P. Keaton.
Btw, the pic of the week was one of your best. Keep up the good work.
Double C (Corey Cotton)
What do you mean YOU guys have to deal with Celine? She's all over Vegas. The place is literally infested with anorexic divas now a day. I got a second opinion this week on the final 3 and you came dangerously close to the top spot until I realized how similar your entry and the one below you was. Sorry CC. I'll make it up to you with a pair of C's though.
#2.
Interesting article this week. I have wondered before myself how a gay wrestler would be perceived by fans, and if there was any way they could be accepted, and the only theory I could come up with was to have the wrestler as a no-nonsense ass-kicker, who takes no shit from anyone. A new babyface wrestler could debut, walk through a few wrestlers, then have a chickenshit heel say they have a major announcement about the new star. Next week on Raw they have their announcement, telling the crowd the wrestler is gay, and he gets a beatdown for his troubles. Next week the new wrestler teams with
John Cena or some other top star, pretty much saying the crowd should accept him, and that despite his sexuality, he is a credible wrestler.
I like to think I'd be okay with one of my favourite wrestlers coming out as gay, but it's just one of those things you can't know for sure about until it happens. I liked Kanyon in WCW, but by the time he came out he was so far beyond relevance and out of the public eye, and ended up just looking a bit of a fool with his rants.
Anyway, here is my 6DO entry.
1. Alex de Large aka Malcolm McDowell is set to be in Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween.
2. Rob Zombie's song 'Never Gonna Stop' was used as Edge's entrance music from 2001-03.
3. Edge teamed with Randy Orton at WWe Cyber Sunday 2006 in a match refereed
by Eric Bischoff.
4. Eric Bischoff was pinned by David Arquette on an episode of WCW Thunder in April 2000 which meant Arquette won the WCW World Title from DDP.
5. David Arquette is married to Courteney Cox.
6. In 'Family Ties' Courteney Cox's character Lauren Miller dated Alex P. Keaton.
Ian Bryant
I totally see that working for someone. I'd go as far as to say someone like Orton could have totally pulled off the gimmick and made a believable face for the first time ever. Then again the question is whether the first wrestler to play an openly gay wrestling in the WWE should in fact be gay in real life or just kayfabe? Hell, why not throw people a real curve ball and have it be Khali.
#1.
Greg Pryor
Only 2 entries this week B, I hope I make the grade...think maybe its
time for a King of Kings 6DO soon!
1) Malcolm Mcdowell-David Prowse (Clockwork Orange)
2) David Prowse-Harrison Ford(Star Wars)
3)Harrison Ford-Steven Spielberg(Indiana Jones Movies)
4)Steven Speilberg-Christian Bale (Director/Star Empire of the Sun)
5) Christian Bale-Hewy Lewis and The News(Hip To Be Square/American
Physco Soundtrack)
6)Huey Lewis and the News- BTTF Michael J Fox (Power of Love BTTF
Soundtrack)
1) Malcolm Mcdowell-Patrick Stewart (Star Trek Generations)
2) Patrick Stewart-Tyler Mane(X-Men)
3)Big Sky/Vinnie Vegas(Mane/Nash teamed in WCW)
4)Nash/Hogan(nWo)
5)Hogan/Christopher Lloyd (Suburban Commando)
6)Lloyd/Michael J Fox (Back to the future)
I had no intention of letting Greg slide by with another win but...I'll be damned if I didn't listen to some Huey Lewis on the final few miles into Vegas last weekend and won a bit of cash as a result. If this is it, please let me know... that's all money, all night long baby. Okay Greg, your turn again, looks like that King of the 6DO tournament might not be a pipe dream after all.
Left Overs…
If I'm not mistaken, I believe Linda is the next McMahon scheduled to pin Bobby Lashley. Hey, it wouldn't be the first time a crusty old white laid was on top of a big Black wrestler in the WWE, although it might be the first time that she didn't give birth to a plastic hand afterwards.
New complications are arising from the NWA Championship tournament which features at least 3 wrestlers who are probably under contract by RoH. I love how all the other guys in the tournament have names that they seemed to have thought up last second before they came out for their first match. Basically a last name and an adjective with no rhyme or reason: Pepper Parks, Glamour Boy Shane, Roughneck Ryan. Shit, I can do that. Watch: Left Sack McTaint. Now someone book me for the 2nd round.
So I'm confused about this whole RVD thing. Is his contract running out or is he being released? Can he sign with TNA immediately or does he have to wait 90 days? Does he get paid for those 90 days or does he just have to live off welfare and comic book sales? I'd hate to see RVD go through a rough patch and scrounge for money, although I'd love to go to his garage sale. "Hey Rob, I'll give you $20 for the bong signed by Axl Rotten, or $25 if you have one that isn't".
Seeing Striker and the Major brothers together just made me think of Revenge of the Nerds, I could see Striker and the Majors as Alpha Beta, with Snitsky as Ogre. The originals are the Tri-Lams and Balls is Booger. Then I realize...we still have to figure out where the vampire goes...then I just turn the channel back to soft porn. Only without the "soft".
Looks like Brock Lesner will have a new opponent in his first MMA fight on Saturday when Hong Man Choi was denied a fighter's license based on medical problems. Kim Min-Soo will take the place that the Hong Man once held. If Min-Soo can't fight the next guy in line I believe is Sum Ran-Dumgai.
Melina and Candice are meeting in a Pudding match at ONS. I wonder if Bill Cosby is the special guest referee.
John Cena supposedly appeared on Punk'd this week. In the episode apparently someone convinces him that he has to job to Khali. Hilarity ensues when the Ashton comes out to tell him he's been PUNK'D...then Khali eats Ashton whole. I'm TiVo'ing that bitch.
I guess Cena and "The Truth" had a stare down at an airport recently. Cena didn't like the way that Killings was mocking him and making fun of his rap career on youtube and in vignettes. Man, I hate it when fake rappers feud. That can only lead to one thing...yeah...a fake double homicide. Increase the Peace, people!!
Random Asian Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week
Yeah sometimes I like to curl up in bed with a good boob too...I mean book. No, I mean boob.
The definition of "Hypocrisy"? Talkin' smack about 'Lockdown' while ordering ECW: BootyOnCall. Every match is a 'gimmick match' right? Uncanny. I was just waiting for that Diva match to be changed to a 1,000 microwaved Hersey's Kiss match.... to the extreme of course.
John Cena Indian? According to a woman claiming to be his aunt he is. It's all coming together now, Cena must have been outsourcing his moveset for years now.
JR is opening up a BBQ restaurant in Oklahoma soon. I wonder if Kane is going to be working the grill?
So is it just me or did this "Faction War" just go straight to hell? Aries isn't in RoH anymore, Jack Evans is in Japan for the summer. Now it's basically Roderick trying to destroy two guys that have nothing really to do with him. Maybe they can pull in someone else who was in GenNext. Matt Sydal maybe? I dunno, wasn't Jade almost in the group for a day? I mean that is definitely one angle that never got the big "blow off".
"Bowing into Peer Pressure" BONUS Asian Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week
Ass-tounding.
Pimpin' In High Places
411mania is quickly becoming the TNA of the IWC, almost too much talent to showcase at once. So hence forth all columns will be limited to 3 minutes or less and Hidden Highlight, the Triple Threat and new Fink's Payload guys will only get gauntlet matches which end in Bob Backlund interfering. Enjoy:
Ask 411 is manned by the incomparable Steve Cook. Then again, Eugene is incomparable too. I mean, who are you going to compare to Eugene? Russo's booking?
Jules features the Top 10 Latino wrestlers. Guess who he picked as #1. Who said Savio Vega? Who was it? C'mon...fess up.
O'Dog believes the children are the future beat them well and let them lead the way. Oh, treat? How the hell does treating them keep their butts in line?
Extreme Fink-pose tackle ECW: Fuck Buddies and features YOUR booking ideas. I sure hope they don't involve pudding.
Evo Scheme takes on the Draft. Which is gutsy, last time I took on the Draft I runaway to Canada, until I saw the Celine Dion posters...then I just came back and made a pass at my commanding officer.
CoH is gearing up for a ...dead weekend I guess. Nothing much going on, except the 2nd installment of Jimmy love Lacey, the mis-matched couple that simply tugs at your heart strings, then drives you down to Hot Topic for some tight black jeans.
El hijo de Adam previews the Best of the Super Jr's. My favorite Jr? Sammy Davis.
Threat x 3 are a column short of the big 5-0. They better have punch and pie next week.
J-Link shows some love for his fellow writers. It's all plutonic though. Well mostly...look...I don't owe you people an explanation.
Sarnecky feels a draft. Maybe he should close a window.
Berman features a 4 some this week. Sammy loves his RoH but one has to wonder when he'll finally feature WSX in his column. Think about it Sammy, you could squeeze out a match review in 3 minutes tops. I mean, they managed to squeeze out there matches in that much time.
Mi-so-Notti looks at the would be secondary champs in wrestling. RoH doesn't have a second title anymore does it? Oh wait...wait it does. Someone tell Mikey he forgot about Pelle.
D-Dubya announces the final Dance, Dance in his month long series featuring Edge shaggin' Cena rotten. Oh behave.
Oh Ashish should have saved it for PPV but he just loves poppin' those Thursday ‘hit counts', this week is the "payoff" you've all been waiting for as the last true "Dream Match" in the IWC finally comes to fruition. Oh yes the bunion to my right foot, the Milk to my lactose intolerance, the panties to my Britney Spears, oh yes this bitter sweet rivalry is finally getting it's just due. Tune in as I go up against Stevie Ray Cook in the Fact or Fiction you've all been waiting for. Or...at least a dozen of you. Maybe less...6 maybe?
