Pro wrestling will never leave the carnival.
Despite the fact that if you live in North America, pro wrestling has not been attached as a circus attraction in close to 80 years, it hasn’t quite left it all behind. Wrestling promoters are still negatively called “carnies”, it’s still known as the three ring circus, freaks and strong men are easy to find and theatrics are still an important part of the show.
It’s this sort of reminder that gives pause to the Hell in a Cell main event on Sunday night, where Bray Wyatt interfered in the match between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. What began with the lights out and bizarre chanting moved to the ring illuminated by Bray Wyatt’s lantern and the hologram of what many believe to be Sister Abigail. Wyatt soon rushed the ring through the hologram into Dean Ambrose, helping Rollins steal a victory from the clutches of Ambrose.
It wasn’t difficult to see that with the loss of the Undertaker and the “Corporate” turn of Kane, World Wrestling Entertainment has been lacking on their parlour tricks. It’s no surprise they turn to their Bayou cultist in Bray Wyatt to bring the theatrics. The glowing lantern was an obvious nod to the old large urn that Paul Bearer would carry for The Undertaker, his source of power (which used to have a big bright light inside whenever someone opened) for comebacks. The hologram was a nice modern touch, despite seeming like it would be Princess Leia telling Ambrose he’s her only hope.
Is there a place for the gimmicks? It seems pro wrestling fans are split. For some folks like myself, I enjoy the gimmicks. The Undertaker was what originally attracted me to the WWF as an undead wight sitting up from beatings, floating weightless in the air and tightrope walking to victory. It wasn’t until later I started appreciating the actual wrestling in the ring. I’ve watched lightning bolts strike the stage, a man open a casket to see himself and even saw the Undertaker fight himself. The silly magic was just a part of the show for me, and has been a part of the show for anyone alive during the Undertaker years of the WWE (with exception to those who only watched when he was the American Badass). Yet other fans were angered by the great main event of two young men at the top of their game (Ambrose and Rollins wrestled only the third main event in WWE history to feature only workers under 30) have a clean finish ripped away from them by silly Bray Wyatt gimmicks. They wanted a final conclusion and it was taken away for a cheap trick. I can say personally that I know long time, hardcore wrestling fans who felt this way as well as casual fans who might not watch again because of it. There isn’t any clean split for the audience that liked or disliked it.
The way some people look the gimmicks is the same way a lot of people looked at hardcore wrestling once upon a time: it breaks immersion. Ambrose and Rollins certainly had a match befitting the days of ECW and nobody really has a problem seeing them survive cinder blocks, repeated chair shots, going through tables and falling off cells. None of that is really a stretch of their belief in the art of pro wrestling because you’re almost trained to accept they can take the punishment. But bring out a lantern with a hologram set up and suddenly the immersion is broken. Back in the day, people hated Mick Foley and Terry Funk cutting themselves with barbwire and repeatedly chair shotting each other because it didn’t make sense for them to survive. Today it’s just a part of the show, but people question the gimmick doing the same. Even if these gimmicks have been with us forever.
It should be said that there are those fine with the supernatural gimmicks but still hated the finish because it wasn’t clean. I don’t really know why it’s such an issue for a heel to survive Hell in a Cell in a dirty way (the first Hell in a Cell was Shawn Michaels getting saved by a debuting Kane deciding to attack his brother). Rollins and Ambrose is far from over; it’s just being delayed. It only makes sense for Ambrose to be temporarily distracted for a few months before getting his shot to go after Seth Rollins again. WWE has been building up the idea of a babyface turn for Randy Orton with his personal disdain for Rollins. Ambrose couldn’t still be going after him if Orton was getting into the picture. Having Ambrose and Wyatt cut promos on each other will be fun. A decisive finish on Sunday would not have ruined either wrestler but it also wasn’t necessary.
In the end, it’s hard to see which direction is better for the business. It seems WWE fans can all accept Triple H using a sledgehammer or Seth Rollins crushing cinderblocks with a stomp to a guys head. They can accept men being Irish whipped and continuing to run until they hit ropes and bounce back. Yet some still can’t accept a little theatre in their sports entertainment. If that number is enough fans to actually lose some progress and money, WWE might have to bring Bray Wyatt back to reality and have his character better fit a show like True Detective than American Horror Story. But if Wyatt can get some momentum, he could very well become the next Undertaker for the WWE. He could be the source of myth and mystique that allows the WWE to step outside the confines of a sport and into a wealth of imaginative experiences. Maybe it’s hard to accept or believe, but we don’t watch pro wrestling for reality. We watch it to tell a great story beyond reality.
The question isn’t whether theatrics belong in pro wrestling. The question is if the WWE can tell a good enough story that you accept it. The next few weeks should tell us that.
Photo by WWE.com
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