The Dark Knight, for those who don’t know, was a movie that changed the film industry forever. The character-driven plot surrounding Batman and Joker was unlike anything fans had ever seen in such a mainstream setting. Gone was the campy dancing Batman who was virtually unstoppable, much like heroes of prior years like WWE‘s Hulk Hogan or fellow DC Superhero Superman, and in his place was an imperfect character who was psychologically scarred and questions himself and shows that he is human underneath the mask. Much like Batman redefined heroes, Heath Ledger redefined what it meant to be a villain. This Joker was not over the top evil, he was just a sick, twisted individual who just wanted to watch the world burn around him. With every box office record broken, it soon became clear that people no longer wanted perfect heroes and black and white characters, what they wanted now was real characters and dark stories that tackled the issues around them instead of pretending a masked superhero will suddenly save you.
What does this have to do with the WWE? Well, for years the company had been based on one thing. The heroic baby face that kisses babies and never does wrong, overcoming the evildoer. Time and time again we saw Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino defeat evildoers like Andre The Giant, The Iron Shiek, Yokozuna and many, many more. And while this worked for decades creating a mainstream star like John Cena, it will no longer cut it. Just look at Roman Reigns and compare him to Star-Lord, Reigns has never done anything to be likable, he is handsome, charismatic and so clearly better than all of us. Yet we are meant to cheer him because he oooaaaaaa’s? Star-Lord/Peter Quill never knew his father, making him become very close to his mother. He often lied about his father’s whereabouts as would many children in a similar position. He would then lose his mother at a young age and continues to carry a mix-tape she made for him to this day. Does every character need a tragic backstory? No, of course not. But in this case, Quill is worth rooting for and will connect with so many people who have either lost parents or never knew their father. Compare that to Reigns, the golden child whose family legacy is one of the greatest in the business.
This problem also applies to the heels in the WWE. With the popularity of Joker and demand for movies like Suicide Squad, people now more than ever love evil, darker characters because they are often more interesting and sometimes the most relatable. People now almost look up to cheaters and people who take shortcuts because they wish they could be like that. They relate to a Bray Wyatt, who in prior decades would have been a psychotic madman that fans feared, but now has his “fireflies” who can believe in his message and who often agree with his negative perception of the world around him. The real issue here is that WWE being PG doesn’t allow them to portray villains in a way that actually makes people feel hatred anymore, A real villain must now be so heinous and vile that nobody could ever think to cheer them, much like how the Joker was too psychotic for people to truly cheer him and his acts of villainy hurt a character they actually cared about. The WWE could never have a Joker without them turning into Bray Wyatt, they cannot add enough layers within the PG confines and at the end of the day, the fact they fail to build likable characters hurts their chances too.
With many franchises following the Dark Knight’s method to huge mainstream success, it would be in WWE’s best interest to follow in the footsteps of Marvel, DC and even New Japan Pro Wrestling. Arguably NJPW’s biggest star right now is the perfect representation of the Dark Knight and its imperfect, shades of grey characters. That man is the one an only, the ungovernable one himself, Tetsuya Naito. Just a few short years ago, Naito was Roman Reigns. No good traits, no real personality, oodles of talent and a very apparent golden spoon. He shed this image and traded it in for his ways of Tranquilo. He stopped trying to please others, no longer cared what others thought of him and found strength in accepting the most unique faction members in New Japan history. Being yourself and accepting those around you is a very “in” thing in 2018 and the fact that Naito accepted his faults and improved himself and learned to accept BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, and EVIL and SANADA to create a group with an unmatched aesthetic as outsiders has caught in with fans all over the world. Naito saw that he wasn’t perfect, he changed, he calmed down, he learned to accept the right help from the right people and that is why fans have come to love the group so much. We are all Naito at some point, left reflecting on why things aren’t working and having to look inside ourselves to improve and change and eventually no longer caring for the bright lights and cool friends. The only problem, like Naito, you never really leave that behind. Naito was cost the title at WrestleKingdom 12 by showboating to the fans and caring what people thought again and seeing his name in lights. Naito screwed Naito. And because of that, he is like any of us, not perfect, layered, complex but always ready to get up again with our faction/friends by our side.
Very recent developments do show WWE leaning into more shade of gray characters like Ronda Rousey, who is attempting to be a modern day PG “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The overall character of Steve Austin could not exist today with the bird flipping, F-bombing and beer drinking being as anti-PG as possible. Where his character WOULD still work though is the common man taking on his boss. And that is the aspect the WWE needs to emphasize for Rousey to work as a modern day Austin. She can’t drink beer and flip off Stephanie McMahon but she can kick ass and respond to situations in a human way. Austin would go to the ring and Stunner his boss and escape prison on a daily basis. We could never do that, what we get is what Rousey got a suspension for responding to being poked and prodded by the golden girl and it is in that reaction that Rousey could work. Rousey isn’t a smiley baby kisser nor is she a drunken madman. She is a badass who will take out her anger on all those who cross her. Morality goes out the window with Rousey if you cross her and THAT is the most human reaction of all. How many times has someone angered you but fearing the consequences you say nothing? on the flip side, how many times have you said f**k the consequences and reacted? that is the beauty of Rousey her reactions are human and she fights for what she sees is right she fights for herself just as we all do. It’s in that complex character who while not pure and good is still a hero because she fights evil and it is because she is not supposed to be pure that fans have reacted so well to everything she does. PG isn’t to blame for WWE’s failure to create stars, the basics of every character can be told in a PG way and not everyone needs to swear and be too cool or too meta it’s all about creating more characters like Rousey and allowing them to interact that will help the WWE finally create their new John Cena.
In conclusion, WWE right now has a better in-ring product than ever but continues to lose fan interest because they have failed to move with the times. Entertainment is now no longer black and white one-note characters, it’s complex individuals like those we encounter every day. If NJPW can incorporate this into wrestling seamlessly to create stars like Hiroshi Tanahashi (the fallen Ace) Kazuchika Okada (awe-inspiring legend), Naito and Kenny Omega (gaijin following his far-fetched dream) then it would be in the WWE’s best interest to redefine their product and introduce this grittier, more realistic approach.
