Pro Wrestling: The Purest Form of Storytelling

As I was working with the trainees at the Blaze Pro Wrestling academy yesterday we got into the discussion of motivations. Of personal and character development. Focusing on the WHYs of action and intention as opposed to "just the moves." 

For sure. The moves are cool. Even essential. That's the sizzle to season the steak, if you'll permit an oft overused metaphor. 

However, without the WHY in that ring nothing else matters.

Again, not a new opinion. Speak to any respected veteran with a podcast and they'll tell you much the same thing.

Here's where I can draw those parallels to movie making and books and other forms of entertainment and get the same point across. Why is the John Wick franchise so captivating in comparison to one of any dozen direct-to-streaming action franchises that also have terrific action? It's because of the WHY. Of the drive and dedication of the performers and craftspeople involved to bring you a multilayered story that also delivers some of the greatest action seen in cinema history.

Side note, for a deeper dive into the layered storytelling and themes of John Wick, please check out the amazing video essays done by Mikey Neuman of "FilmJoy" Fame:

But getting back to my thesis statement, Why do I think Pro Wrestling is the Purest Form of Storytelling?

In Pro Wrestling we as performers - athletes - clowns - bookers - competitors have the broadest canvas possible with which to tell and re-tell some of the greatest stories possible to a wide audience. An audience that ranges from little wee children all the way up to those grandparents in the front row trying to smack the "Bad Guys" with her cane (RIP Gracie, you were amazing).

When we first start out training wrestlers, the emphasis is so heavily focused on the action. About being safe and protecting yourself, which is absolutely how it should be. In process of doing that, we also "protect the business" as it were, ensuring that the performers we put in front of a crowd will be able to lend their creativity and efforts in a way to illicit the response from the paying customer who's more often than not only a few feet away from the action. This is admittedly a longer process for most than you'd think since the best way learn is often times by diving feet first into the ring and making mistakes live in front of said audience.

But the benefit of this is where we can begin to tell the simplest of stories with these wrestlers. In my mind I equate them to the "Little Golden Books" of matches, where a viewer of any age can watch and without to much effort get a grasp of what's going on.

For example: Young up-and-comer is nervous but excited to compete and prove themselves against the wily veteran who knows the craft better and isn't afraid to take advantage of the newbies' inexperience. Will the newcomer have the fortitude to stand strong? Will they be true to themselves? Will the veteran resort to chicanery and foul play? Will they welcome the new wrestler warmly and have a purely competitive bout?

And most importantly, who is going to win?

Every match - exactly like every book, movie, TV show etc - has so many variations on the same theme. Will The Protagonist face the challenge before them and show grit , perseverance and moxie even when The Antagonist lays roadblocks and obstacles in their path to challenge and defeat their ambition.

These stories - these matches - only get more complex and nuanced as time goes on. As performers get enough reps in, if they have the privilege to travel and see the world - to see how other countries and cultures perform their wrestling - they will learn how to layer in so many different variations on this theme. They will learn how to show conflicts within themselves. To show regret for their actions. Show righteous indignation and validations for wrongs done to them that are then repaid onto the dastardly bastards who've earned them.

Saying "Pro Wrestling is like a Morality Play" is obviously accurate. But I don't think it goes far enough to describe the nuances that are possible within different matches on the same card.

I don't think there are any other mediums (especially not LIVE mediums) where during one 2 Hour Event, you can literally have multiple stories that will appeal to all ages. From the "Little Golden Book" style Little Good Guy vs Bad Bully encounters all the way up to a John Wick-Style violent exhibition of a wronged individual fighting for revenge where no quarter will be asked or given. 

Pro wrestling can contain love stories. Stories of individuals overcoming personal adversities. Tales of friendship and betrayal and horror and comedy ... oh God, so much comedy.

But through it all, when done right - Pro Wrestling is Pure.

Because it can be anything, for anyone at any time. 

And that is kinda magical.

Thanks for reading. Please check the links. 

AK

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The Power of Music

There’s a reason why “Music Composers” is a category that get thoroughly study-session by those who compete in the Movie Trivia Schmoedown. Primarily because in any visual medium no matter how good your storytelling is everything just clicks when the right music is played in the proper manner to elicit a greater response from the viewing public.

Often times this can be accused of being a crutch or a manipulation in order to bolster a tale that isn’t quite connecting. And to that I say “So fucking what?” If the goal at the end of any project is to make an emotional connection between your story and your audience you would be an idiot to not collaborate with as many other artists as possible in order to best achieve the desired result.

In fact the biggest challenge I have as a novelist is trying to find the right mood to better enhance the scene I am creating with my characters. Nothing would make me happier than to be able to underlay a soundtrack on all my eBooks or have a note in all the margins suggesting the songs I had on in the background while I crafted this chapter.

One of the most creative releases I have outside of writing and wrestling is video editing, and cutting images to music is one of the most enjoyable practices I engage in and certainly the one I would love to spend more of my time doing. Maybe that’ll be my Xmas present to myself, an updated desktop solely for videos. Hmmm…

Regardless; this topics comes to mind for two recent reasons.

The first came as a question from one of the wrestlers who for some Godforsaken reason has chosen me to mentor him. Among one of the many questions I get fielded on a semi-regular basis came the all important “What do you think of such and such song for my walk out music?” And boy, after 25 years of independent wrestling and seeing all kinds of bonkers trends, musical tastes and more I have witnessed some disastrous examples of dumb-fuckery for those making a key first impression upon their audience.

The first thing to remember in this case, is that the music should reflect not only who you are trying to portray, but who you actually ARE. I mean, I really like listening to the Beastie Boys, but under no circumstances should I have ever walked out to “No Sleep til Brooklyn.” And yet, that mistake I did make. Several times.

Nothing turns an audience off more than someone whose walk out music just doesn’t fit what they end up seeing. Perception truly is everything. So no matter how deeply you might like the hardest of hardcore death metal, if you walk through that curtain and don’t look like a bad ass shit-kicking machine the climb to having your audience respect the match you’re going to provide for them just got a lot steeper.

This isn’t to say “Pick something generic or bland.” Just pick something that suits you. Something that genuinely works with your presentation and mood. Being a “Try Hard” is fine, but people see right through that shit. So don’t get discouraged, play around with a few things until the right one sticks. You’ll know it when it happens.

The second reason I wanted to talk about this came as I was watching Episode 15 of “The Bad Batch” on the Disney-Plus.  This might be slightly spoilery but by this point you’re either in on the show or you’re judging me for watching a Star Wars cartoon on a Friday night. Either way, too bad.

In the penultimate episode of this season we have the pseudo reunion of the team with their estranged member Crosshair who has been ostensibly hunting them down since the pilot episode. After having the kind of dialogue and emotional discussion not normally found in most “cartoons for kids” we find the main characters suddenly surrounded by battle droids, expounding upon the original reason for which the Clones were all created. As the fight begins and things look lost we are treated to not only Crosshair joining in the fight and once again making the Bad Batch whole, we have the swelling of the shows main theme. But this time, composer Kevin Kiner changes the tone perfectly, making it less of an action march and into something triumphant and exultant. An audible cue that finally the team is back together and that all is as it should be. Even if only for a moment.

That moment brought literal chills to me. True story, I ain’t afraid of my emotions. That was a powerful moment in the show and the music helped the audience understand that it was important for us too.

Storytelling is rarely ever one thing. And while some people get bogged down in plot and minutiae, I think it’s important to remember the things that make us feel. And so long as you’re feeling things, the story is working.

 

AK

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