{"id":123616,"date":"2024-03-28T10:00:30","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T14:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=123616"},"modified":"2024-03-27T22:32:31","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T02:32:31","slug":"wwes-the-bloodline-storyline-displays-toxic-masculinity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/03\/28\/wwes-the-bloodline-storyline-displays-toxic-masculinity\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE\u2019s The Bloodline Storyline Displays Toxic Masculinity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not for the first time, a WWE wrestler\u2019s all-powerful presentation has been a disguise to hide the fact they are insecure, scared, and weak. It reflects a fear many men face daily.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Acknowledge Meme<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Recently a meme has been making its way around social media in the tribalistic war between\u00a0<\/span>WWE<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>AEW<\/span><\/strong>. It\u2019s the usual comparison between a top WWE and AEW star. It displays the creator\u2019s views of why their brand is better than yours.<\/span><\/p>\n

On top,\u00a0<\/span>Roman Reigns<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0poses with his red ula fala necklace and his tongue poking out. Arms back and open as if inviting a challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below him is\u00a0<\/span>Will Ospreay<\/span><\/strong>, a man called by some of the greatest wrestlers in the world. Ospreay, pursing his lips together, looks taken aback, having second thoughts. It implies Roman is the alpha. It\u2019s clear which side of the culture war the creator is backing before the captions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ospreay\u2019s is simple because the creator\u2019s perception is that AEW just does wrestling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Character: is English and wrestles well.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Roman\u2019s caption is two long complex sentences. The implication is WWE creates characters and stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Character: delusion, tyrannical, insecure, egomaniacal, \u201cfamily man\u201d that desperately needs validation from EVERYONE. The reason he is the way he is is because of past betrayals (<\/span><\/em>Seth [Rollins<\/span><\/em><\/strong>]) and rejection (the fans). Roman goes out of his way to push the \u201cfamily is everything\u201d mantra yet is beyond hypocritical because he uses and abuses his family members whenever he can.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

This is not an article where WWE vs. AEW discord will be compared (I did that with\u00a0<\/span>The Undertaker<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Sting<\/span><\/strong><\/a>). It is about how a large part of the success of Roman Reign\u2019s Tribal Chief character and\u00a0<\/span>The Bloodline<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0story arch has been built on WWE\u2019s most recent exploration of toxic masculinity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Toxic Masculinity Defined: Be a Man<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Toxic masculinity is the concept that men must conform to old-fashioned, imperfect, and harmful ideals of \u201cmanliness\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t cry. Don\u2019t show emotion because it\u2019s a weakness. Have no feelings. Don\u2019t complain if you\u2019re hurt. Suck it up and be a man. Be always a strong man. Display power and control always. To do otherwise is to be weak. There are dos as well as don\u2019ts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Men must live up to extreme cultural ideas of masculinity. Be strong and decisive. Display power and control always. Women, children, and men viewed as \u201cbetas\u201d are subordinate. Men should have authority over them. You must be athletic and muscular body type. It\u2019s acceptable for men to use violence. You must be the best. You must be masculine in everything you do. Demand respect and if they do not have it, use their power to attain it.<\/span><\/p>\n

These standards are impossible to achieve, misguided, and cause mental, emotional, and physical harm. The pressure to live up to rigid and unrealistic expectations of manhood kills men.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jack Urwin<\/span><\/strong>\u2019<\/span>s<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>A Stiff Upper Lip is Killing Men<\/span><\/em><\/a>\u00a0details how his father hid a serious heart condition from his family and a refusal to acknowledge chest pain out of a desire to appear strong resulted in his dad\u2019s death. Suicide in the UK and the US is one of the biggest killers of men under fifty.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his book,\u00a0<\/span>Man Up: Surviving Modern Masculinity<\/span><\/em>, Urwin highlights it\u2019s not just men who suffer. Yet family members, directly and indirectly, are exposed to suffering due to men pursuing\/enforcing these toxic traits. As king of his castle and chief of his tribe, men can inadvertently or intentionally hurt the ones closest.<\/span><\/p>\n

On purpose, accidental, or due to\u00a0<\/span>Paul Heyman\u2019s<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0wordsmithery, WWE is exploring this theme in Reign\u2019s manipulation of the\u00a0<\/span>Anoa\u02bbi family.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Toxicity In the Bloodline<\/strong><\/h3>\n