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/wrestling /guests /Pitbull3 |
| Guest Columns | Pitbull 3 |
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FOR ALL THINGS AMERICAN In my tenure as a wrestling fan, two men have risen above the ashes ascending to true superstardom in this great sport we call wrestling. Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin are those two top guys. **A few premises here. I am a big fan of many of the other names in wrestling. Randy Savage was my favorite wrestler in the late 80's. There were times when I hated (as any mark should have) Flair more than I loved Hogan. I am a fan of HBK, Rock, Foley, Sting, and countless others who have been on top of a promotion at any one time. When people think of wrestling, many think the name of Hogan. Or, they think of the image of Hogan. Everyone knows what I mean by that. In the last few years, among younger people, that image of wrestling has changed. Young people are starting to think of Austin. At the peaks of these two men's careers, wrestling was at a peak. Why? Is it luck, or something greater than that? Its been said before, and I'll say it now - Vince McMahon has his finger on the pulse of America. He may miss and he may hit, but when he hits big, well, those two times have been huge. Most know the history, and those who don't can ask me about it or look it up somewhere, but wrestling's two great booms have coincided with the rises of Hogan and Austin. I have heard a lot of complaints about Austin's alleged problems with working with some people. People (myself included) complain about Hogan's unwillingness to pass the torch and hang up the boots. Maybe Austin is facing those criticisms right now. It occurred to me, though, that it really is impossible to pass the torch in wrestling. And, if you try to pass the torch to someone who is not a true superstar, then things do not go well. There is an attitude in wrestling, and a face that people put onto it. There is one man at any given time that personifies the image of wrestling. Over time, say a decade at a time, there is probably one face that overshadows all the rest. We, as wrestling fans, do not, and cannot choose that face. It is chosen for us by the majority of non-watchers. We bring our favorites to the forefront, and casual watchers decide if they are the new face of wrestling. Hogan TRIED to pass the torch to The Ultimate Warrior. It failed. Hogan was the embodiment of the 1980's America. He was all for God, Country, mom, and apple pie. He was about believing in yourself, looking up to real heroes, and doing the right thing. He was a gritty fighter who stood up to the biggest of challengers. And when he was down, he used that American fighting spirit to make one more go at it to fight his way to victory. Looking at the wrestling landscape between 1989 and 1991, there weren't any guys who could really take on that role for Hulk as the American Hero with the kind of drawing power of Hogan. Even if there was, the American public had moved away from that kind of belief system anyway. When Hogan lost cleanly to Warrior, he shifted the balance of the top guy from himself to Warrior. Hogan took a step back, but it didn't last long because the Warrior wasn't cutting it. With Warrior floundering, and America on the brink of war with Iraq, America needed a hero, they needed a savior, they needed Hulk Hogan. The only problem with that was that America did not WANT Hulk Hogan. America was not the place it was in the 80's, and as a result Hogan's same old song and dance did not go over like it had in the past. The light of pro-wrestling had faded, almost burning out completely. Others, such as Savage, Yokozuna, Hart, Nash, HBK, and others tried to run with it, but could never set it ablaze again. At least not like Hogan. Finally, a hero was found. A man worthy of holding the torch with enough heat to get that flame going even brighter than before. Stone Cold Steve Austin stepped into the forefront and wrestling was set ablaze once again. None can deny the popularity of wrestling, or that of Austin. There are those who have become restless with Austin. Austin's common-man appeal is something unmatched right now, and still a driving force in America. Maybe, in a few years or so, Austin will put someone over big time. He will meet a great beloved face in an epic matchup. It might be the Rock, but I doubt it. Remember, Warrior was a nobody until SummerSlam 1988 when he beat the Honkey Tonk Man. That was a good 5 years (or so) after Hogan's rise to popularity. Austin has been at the top of the game for roughly 2 and a half years (if you count his WM 13 match against Bret Hart as his rise to popularity). This means that we could have a relatively unknown guy wrestling in indies or the undercard as the next massively over face who is destined to have that big match and have the torch handed to him. Who knows? It is human nature to want to get to and stay on top of whatever it is you set your goals to. People want to be the best at what they do, and if they are the best, to stay that way. I don't fault Hogan or Austin for wanting to stay on top. As with the illusion of wrestling compared to other sports, it is generally accepted that the best of the group is the one with the titles. In sports, the best team wins the league titles. Under the illusion of wresting (and in a clean fight), the best man wins the titles (and the best are usually the faces). And no matter how much kayfabe is broken, to the vast majority of fans, there isn't even such a thing as kayfabe. So, the illusion holds true in their minds. People look for the next superstar. They look for the next Flair or the next HBK. I say that those searches will only prove to be futile. People like Flair and HBK are gods among wrestling fans, but to the average guy, they are nobodies. I'm sure you all have non-wrestling fans. Go to one and ask them what they think of Ric Flair or HBK and watch as they ask, "WHO?!?" Then, ask them about Hogan or Austin, and I'm willing to bet they can identify at least Hogan. Five years from now, non-fans will look back and see Austin as they see Hogan now. There are WRESTLING stars, and TRUE stars. We think of Jericho or Rock or Edge as the next big stars, but on the grand scale of reaching out to everyone the way a Hogan or an Austin did/does, can we predict a next star? Can we say that Americans will act a certain way or have a certain mindset five years from now? In 1993, if someone described to me the type of character Austin is, I would not have guessed he would be the most over man in wrestling history. The next true superstar will not be decided by in-ring ability or the adoration of the smarts, or even the love of the smarts. No, the next great superstar will be someone who reflects society and reaches out to society. It will be a character that society identifies with, embraces, and cherishes as one who stands for all things American. Pitbull 3 [slash] wrestling Mail the Author |
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