Opinion

Simplicity is Success in Music and Wrestling

Published

5 years ago

June 28, 2018

This article talks about understanding pro wrestling from a musician’s perspective. I have been a wrestling fan since the age of 9, and at an earlier age; I was blessed with a gift of playing the piano by ear. A certain feature attraction that I enjoyed about wrestling were the different musical themes that played while the wrestlers walked to the ring. I thought I was the man for being able to hear these wrestling tunes and then play them on the piano to myself, I remember ringing up a friend from school just to play Macho Man Randy Savage’s theme, “Pomp and Circumstance’. I was 11 when during a school assembly, my neighbour made me get up in front of the school to play an impromptu piece on the piano, the first song that came to mind was the Macho Man’s song followed by the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers’ “All American Boys” theme. My confidence in performing in public came partly from playing these themes. Music and wrestling went hand in hand so much that when I moved away to study music, I took with me my collection of wrestling tapes; in between my studies, I would watch a tape or five as a way to de-stress. The qualification I worked towards was the first of its kind for a university in New Zealand, the focus of the curriculum was contemporary rock and the outline included lectures that discussed how Eminem’s lyrics and American accent were cleverly crafted to music. In addition to lectures; students were put into bands and taught to work together. This was a valuable tool for the reasons that we were at the start of networking with other musicians, each of our skills developed from playing with other band members and listening skills were honed from hearing the other members playing their instruments. This exercise ensured that we complemented each other and the overall sound. Being in a band was similar as being in a family unit or a very small community where each member had a certain skill set that was necessary for the community to function and as an out of town student, the band also served as a support system.

A few years ago, I came across this Facebook status that was posted by a pro wrestling veteran:
“Watching some Hulk Hogan matches before bed. Selling makes matches. Hogan was good at selling. I hate when I see guys on the Indies think they’re “too big” to sell. André the Giant sold for people … stop being marks”.

This post was a response to the internet wrestling fans’ criticism about Hulk Hogan’s wrestling skills being limited – according to their definition of limited skills; Hogan would only use a selection of simple (yet memorable) moves and his matches had the same order of format. This wrestler defended Hogan’s skills by eluding to examples of when Hogan would take a thrashing from his opponents, Hogan reciprocated the beatings by showing such believability as if he was on the verge of defeat. People within the wrestling profession refer to it as ‘selling’, and a ‘mark’ is a term used to describe a fan that overly regards a wrestler, wrestling company or wrestling style to be superior. This simple sells formula which Hulk Hogan mastered for many years was instrumental in the WWE’s success with attracting and maintaining new fans. Hogan’s detractors would explain his ‘lack of skill’ by comparing him to Kurt Angle or Daniel Bryan, wrestlers that were built to display a scientific style that comes with an unlimited move set. This certain style is what the internet fans believe to be the superior craft. Those judgments made against Hogan are unjustified as he was not equipped to perform that technique. Hogan also wrestled two different styles between the United States mainstream and the highly respected leagues in Japan; where in Japan, Hogan had the freedom to demonstrate more of his abilities that was suitable to his 6 foot, 8 inches, 300-pound build; that part of the argument is rarely acknowledged by those fans. Their ideology is that the most purist scientific wrestlers should be at the top of the card.

I played in several bands during and following my studies, the experience of being in a band helped me to identify with the wrestler’s Facebook status and subscribe to this ‘simple sells’ logic. I recognised the similarities in the way pro wrestlers and musicians worked their craft; this revelation is not too surprising as the two professions share the objective of performing to their audience. As a ‘band’, Hulk Hogan was the frontman of 1980s WWE, the wrestlers of that era were the band members, and the opponents served as part the songs. Like a great front person, Hulk Hogan’s role was to gain the trust of the fans so that they see themselves in their hero and invest emotion into Hogan’s matches and safety. In reality, Hulk Hogan’s gift of connecting with people was a vehicle for the WWE to generate revenue by encouraging the consumer to attend the matches, watch their television shows and buy merchandise. The WWE roster of that time was stacked with talent that wrestled a variety of different styles; the internet fans viewed wrestlers such as Ted Dibiase and Curt Hennig as the ‘uncrowned world champions’; technical greats that should have been in Hogan’s place – just because they ‘did more in the ring’. As great as some of these wrestlers were (and it applies to the current WWE), there is a definite place in the band for these ‘uncrowned world champions’; in most cases that place is not situated at the front. You will find these incredible workhorses supporting the frontman from the side where their instruments are of greater use.

The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase was a notable foe of Hogans. The Million Dollar Man was aggressive in his pursuit to attack Hogan’s values of integrity and justice with greed and selfishness, their conflicts brought about many matches/songs that are remembered with great fondness. Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig embodied an unattainable quality on the surface and was unreasonable in his disputes against Hulk Hogan’s message of inclusiveness. A lot of great songs speak about the main character facing conflicts and vulnerability, and the listener can relate to those stories through their own experience. The front person singing the part of the main character connects with the listener; this method applies to pro wrestling when the fans see themselves vicariously through their hero. Mainstream wrestling relies on stories of conflict and the empathetic hero that the fans pay to see to resolve those challenges. The Million Dollar Man and Mr. Perfect are examples of where Ted Dibiase and Curt Hennig were of most value to the WWE.

I look at WrestleMania 3 as an illustration of Hulk Hogan’s drawing power, how Hogan’s appeal helped to enhance the WWE’s visibility and the careers of those who were involved in the company. WrestleMania 3 (29 March 1987) is regarded as the event that established the WWE as the top definitive wrestling promotion in the United States. The event brought in the largest wrestling crowd in the US (93,173), and this record was sustained for almost 30 years. The advertising leading up to WrestleMania 3 was hyped around the Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant main event. Hogan and Andre generated much attention that when it came time for the event, the matches on the undercard, in particular; the Ricky Steamboat/Randy Savage classic had gained massive exposure. Steamboat vs. Savage was of a higher quality to Hogan vs Andre, however, the level of publicity that was achieved by Hogan and Andre helped give Steamboat/Savage the attention to be remembered and appreciated by a new generation of fans.

Since its beginnings, the WWE has stayed close to the ‘simple sells’ practice; requiring the wrestlers to slow their pace during their matches. This method was vital for their top stars such as Bruno Sammartino, Hogan, Steve Austin, the Rock and John Cena. The reason for this is that the wrestlers could tell better stories that would be received by diverse audiences; it also conserves their bodies to keep up with the travel and demand of wrestling several nights a week. This, of course, applies to a sensible front person that looks after their vocals and lifestyle.

Although Hulk Hogan was nicknamed the ‘Real American’, he was able to appeal to an international audience; other American based characters like Sgt Slaughter and “the American Dream” Dusty Rhodes had certain barriers to their characters which limited their appeal to southern Americans. A fruitful band and wrestling roster can depend upon the maturity of a great frontman and the members whose skills are used for a specific purpose; for the WWE, their purpose has been to reach a broader audience by having the right person in the front.

https://twitter.com/Ite_Lemalu

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Up Next

Snapped: Bayley’s Surprise Ambush Rekindles Historic Rivalry

Don't Miss

What’s forgivable and what isn’t?

Coverage

Greg DeMarco’s 2023 WWE SummerSlam Review

The biggest party of the summer comes to Detroit, when WWE SummerSlam 2023 delivers an action packed event that easily exceeds expectations.

Published

2 months ago

August 7, 2023

Greg DeMarco

The biggest party of the summer comes to Detroit, when WWE SummerSlam 2023 delivers an action packed event that easily exceeds expectations.

WWE presents SummerSlam 2023 live from ford field in Detroit in front of over 59k fans–who provided an electric atmosphere. Overall the card featured either matches, many of them delivering at or above expectations.

Read on for my thoughts, and even some ratings!

How I am rating segments:

I am using “The Line of DeMarco-cation,” which is for entertainment. the line is if I was entertained. You can have three main results:

ABOVE the Line of DeMarco-cation
AT the Line of DeMarco-cation
BELOW the Line of DeMarco-cation

If necessary, i reserve the right to go WAY ABOVE or WAY BELOW. Significant segments can be rated. individual and overall ratings are totally subjective.

It’s simple: ENTERTAIN ME!

Logan Paul vs. Ricochet

Welcome to the biggest match of Ricochet’s career.
Samantha Irvin’s outfit matches Logan Paul, not Ricochet — SWERVE, BRO!
Ricochet is a star, and I love seeing him treated like one.
Rocket Mortgage is donating $5k for every move off the top rope? This match alone might accumulate half a million.
I know Logan Paul needs to catch a private jet to Dallas and that’s why this is on first, but this is the perfect opener.
If you didn’t know who Logan Paul was, you’d think he was just another member of the roster–and that’s the biggest compliment you can give to him. He’s a damn good heel, too.
Paul using Braun Strowman’s powerslam–will we get Logan vs Braun?
LOGAN MUST POSE!
SPANISH FLY STICK THE LANDING.
This might be the best match either have had in a LONG time.
Logan Paul just hit a Buckshot Lariat over the top rope and to the floor. Sorry Hangman.
I love that refs continue to have names – like former Greg DeMarco Show guest Eddie Orengo (as El Bandido Jr).
I’d love to know Ricochet’s powerlifting numbers. Dude is deceptively strong.
Logan Paul flew two-thirds of the way across the ring on the Springboard Froggy Splash
This match is spotty–yes–but watch and learn Young Bucks. They are strung together by psychology and it all makes sense,
LOVE that finish. Logan Paul wins (as expected), but Ricochet is protected.
Think about that – RICOCHET IS PROTECTED.
Hell of a match.

Winner: Logan Paul (pinfall brass knucks shot)

WAY ABOVE The Line Of DeMarco-cation.

Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes

That video package–amazing. It likely telegraphed Cody’s win, but I don’t think many expect Cody to lose.
I love when people question Brock’s presence. Did you hear that pop?
Cody got a hell of a pop, too.
You can tell how much Brock Lesnar respects Cody Rhodes, as he opens up the arsenal for him.
I love that Brock simply stands center ring as the ref counts Cody out. Brock wants to win–doesn’t care how. That’s a little detail that shows how brilliant of a character Brock Lesnar is.
This is the fifth time Brock has gone for the count-out–and I love the psychology.
Now Brock does care how he wins–he wants to break Cody’s will.
Wait, is this Cody Rhodes’ mystery twin brother Cory Rhodes?
That top rope Cody Cutter was fantastic.
Not sure when Brock’s shorts got ripped, but it adds to this fight.
That’s what this is, a fight. And that is Brock Lesnar at his finest.
It might have been a happy accident, but Cody’s hand bouncing off the bottom rope before he finally grabs it to break the Kimura is another amazing little thing.
Brock is so slow and methodical, but snatches people up for the F5 in a flash. So good.
Cody Rhodes wins, after THREE Cross Rhodes. Good shit.
Interesting that the show of respect from Brock to Cody is considered Cody’s arrival.
Or maybe it’s just the arrival of “The American Nightmare.”
I will be very interested–as will all of you–to see what’s next for both men.

Winner: Cody Rhodes (pinfall, three Cross Rhodes)

WAY ABOVE The Line Of DeMarco-cation.

NOTE: Very interesting that Roman Reigns was featured in the PayBack promo, as well as Logan Paul. I wouldn’t expect either to be on that card.

Slim Jim SummerSlam Battle Royal

I have to admit, it just feels right to have Slim Jim back in my wrestling.
This better be good since it cost us Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus.
I hope Sheamus got a full entrance for the crowd.
Oh look, Omos still works here!
Chad Gable is so damn good.
Austin Theory is in this match? And didn’t get an entrance?
At WrestleMania 30, Big E was in the Andre The Royal Giant Memorial Battle Rumble, didn’t get an entrance, and didn’t even get to carry his Intercontinental Champion. And I don’t even think his elimination was mentioned by commentary (I’d have to go back and check).
Santos Escobar eliminating Austin Theory at least makes sense.
LA Knight barely breathes and the crowd gets ELECTRIC.
I haven’t made as many bullet points because this has actually been a really good battle royal!
I’d love to know who the agent was–fantastically done.

Winner: LA Knight (last eliminates Sheamus)

AT The Line Of DeMarco-cation.

MMA Rules Match – Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler

Some of the shots during the entrance make me want WWE to get rid of stages altogether, and stick with this type of entrance.
Also, it’s a reminder that I hate major wrestling events in daylight.
This being an MMA Rules Match seems to be a missed opportunity at having a special guest referee.
The fans DO NOT CARE About this match, and I see why.
I am all for Ronda being able to go out how she wants to go out, and the talent pushing their own idea forward. But sometimes, you gotta say no.
Some matches also play much better in an arena instead of a stadium (Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair from WrestleMania comes to mind). This is one of those matches.
Whenever NXT had an “unsanctioned match,” the ref wore all black. That’s what we should have done here.
Now we have doctors checking on Shayna? Really? I know we want to put over how tough she is, but…..
The crowd pops out of relief when it’s over.
Do this on Raw, not here. Give Becky and Trish this spot.

Winner: Shayna Baszler (technical submission, Kirifuda Clutch)

BELOW The Line Of DeMarco-cation.

Intercontinental Championship: Drew McIntyre vs. GUNTHER (c)

My Peacock membership doesn’t let me see the video package here, and I am fine with that–it’s been a while since I’ve seen that AFLAC Duck, though.
Ludwig Kaiser must love doing the entrance, but honestly the act might be getting stale?
Corey Graves very poetic in pointing out that “records are meant to be broken.” That’s one of the core values of WWE at this point.
It does appear GUNTHER will be going it alone tonight as Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci are headed to the back. Let’s see if they stay there.
Interesting placement for this match, right after the ill-received MMA Rules Match.
Didn’t the internet tell us Seth Rollins vs Finn Balor was going on fourth?
Btw, this match is brought to you by Rocket Mortgage. Money talks, BAYBAY!
GUNTHER truly lives the “Ring General” gimmick.
As the match progresses, I honestly can’t see Drew winning here.
The simplicity of the finishing sequence really adds to GUNTHER: top rope slap fest, McIntyre crotched on the ropes, splash, lariat, powerbomb. Nothing fancy–trademark GUNTHER.

Winner, #ANDSTILL the Intercontinental Champion: GUNTHER (pinfall, powerbomb)

ABOVE The Line Of DeMarco-cation.

World Heavyweight Championship: Finn Balor vs. Seth “Freakin'” Rollins (c)

I presume we will get a bunch of Judgment Day shenanigans here, but I really needed Seth to go on last to further establish his championship. Instead, we are smack in the middle of the event (according to the Peacock slider, anyways)
Seth Rollins’ entrance + 58k people = a beautiful sight
The worst thing about this, to me, will be when Balor and Rollins are partners after Balor turns babyface.
Love Rollins tossing the vest at Balor.
Love the more unique start to the match.
Interesting that Rollins, with a win, moves to 5th all time for SummerSlam wins? I had no clue! Mr. SummerSlam anyone?
We keep naming refs, and I love it,
If you want an “inside look” at a match, start paying really close attention for a few minutes starting with the triplicate of dives from Seth Rollins. You’ll see a few things that the cameras picked up.
LOVE LOVE LOVE the Buckle Bomb into the barrier from Balor to Rollins. Should have known they’d do that, but it never crossed my mind. Brilliant.
Decent amount of overlap in the offense of this match and the one prior–in hindsight, they may have wanted to put GUNTHER/McIntyre on before Rousey/Baszler.
Fans boo’d the crap out of Damian Priest when he came down–but popped like hell for Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley.
I really enjoyed the story told with the Judgment Day. When Priest called for the briefcase to be used, it would have worked. When Balor called for it, it wasn’t going to work, and Damian Priest knew it. But he let Finn Balor sink himself anyway. That will definitely play again later when they fully implode.

Winner AND STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Seth Freakin’ Rollins (pinfall, Stomp on the Money In The Bank Briefcase)

WAY ABOVE The Line Of DeMarco-cation.

WWE Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka (c) Bianca Belair

Very odd having Asuka enter second.
Charlotte Flair with the ode to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 35 (IYKYK)
Did I miss the C4 ad read? I saw that Bianca Belair entered with some, which made me thing THAT was why she came in last, and now the C4 branding is around the ring, but no real mention? Or did I miss it? Was it only for Peacock Premium subscribers?
Very choppy match so far–and Charlotte has to basically stop the match to have Jessika Carr fix her outfit, leaving Belair and Asuka in the corner waiting until Asuka realized what was happening and tried to cover. The Double Natural Selection that followed was quite clunky.
Bianca nowhere near Charlotte Flair when the moonsault hit–is Bianca really that good? I seem to ask myself this during every big time Bianca match, dating back to WrestleMania 37 when I felt like Sasha Banks had to carry her.
I find myself wanting to fast forward to the finish, here. I’m not, but I kinda want to.
ANOTHER REF NAMED! Thank you, Michael Cole.
If IYO SKY cashes in here (which is easy to expect), I really hope it’s not right after Charlotte wins, getting her to #15. Granted, she could cash in DURING the match and make it a 4-way. But of everyone, I think Charlotte needs to eat the pin tonight.
We have now had medical personnel tending to one of the participants in the middle of each women’s match tonight–first Shayna Baszler, now Bianca Belair. Seems like a misstep on someone’s part.
Bianca with the heroic comeback, and a beautiful 450 Splash on Charlotte during the Figure Eight.
Charlotte gets misted but Bianca gets the pin???
Makes sense if we do the cash in here. as Bianca is hurt.

Winner, AND NEW WWE Women’s Champion: Bianca Belair (pinfall, small package)

Aaaaaaaand here comes IYO SKY.
I love Corey Graves telling Bianca to get the hell out of dodge.
IYO and Bayley take out everyone, and she is indeed cashing in.
Over The Moonsault, new champion, and the crowd goes nuts. Women’s Money In The Bank briefcase is still undefeated.
Nice World Of Stardom reference by Michael Cole, too.

Winner, AND NEW WWE Women’s Champion: IYO SKY (CMITB cash-in, pinfall, Over The Moonsault)

AT The Line Of DeMarco-cation.

There were some rough spots, but the cash in saved it for me.

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match: Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns (c) with Paul Heyman

I am timing this from the second Jey Uso’s theme hits through the end.
Man, Mike Rome is on one, and I am not sure if that’s a good thing. He doesn’t sound as fantastic as he usually does.
12:34 from Jey’s music hitting to the bell ringing.
Roman is so slow and methodical, I don’t know if he realized Jey was going to dive so soon. Jey connected with Roman’s back, but that could have been really really bad.
I know this is Tribal Combat, but given the use of stairs earlier tonight, we might as well consider the stairs legal.
You know it’s an important match when Roman Reigns hits The Drive By, as he did on Jey Uso.
Table, Kendo Stick, and more early.
Jey clotheslining Roman over the top rope (with the Kendo Stick) and hitting the dive makes me think Jey got slightly lost earlier when he did the dive to a kneeling Roman’s back.
That was a MASSIVE powerbomb onto the chairs!
35 minutes in (remember, since the start of Jey’s entrance, so 23 minutes into the match) and this is definitely just a touch slow. The story is amazing, so that’s my only complaint so far.
I have to wonder if Roman knew he was bleeding when he hopped the barricade to go into the crowd.
Aaaaaaaaaaaand here’s Solo Sikoa. That should surprise no one. We gotta get the whole family involved, right? At least the whole Bloodline.
Solo declining to help Roman up might be starting Solo’s arc in the story, but it wasn’t apparent enough and commentary had to fill in the blanks.
50:22 since Jey’s entrance is the point where Jimmy shows up (pulling Jey out of the ring).
Jimmy hits the Superkick and leaves.
Spear through the table that was set-up about a week ago and Roman Reigns pins Jey Uso at 52:09 (from th estart of Jey’s entrance).

Winner AND STILL Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Roman Reigns (pinfall, spear through the table)

AT The Line Of DeMarco-cation.

“At” might surprise you, but this was WAY too slow. Bell-to-bell it was roughly 40 minutes, and that was about 10 minutes too long. But the story is worth it in the end.

WWE SummerSlam 2023

Total Matches: 8

ABOVE the Line of DeMarco-cation – 4 matches (3 WAY ABOVE)
AT the Line of DeMarco-cation – 3 matches
BELOW the Line of DeMarco-cation – 1 match

One “bad” match and seven “good ones, four of those I’d call “great.” Three of the great ones I labeled as “WAY ABOVE” the line, which easily makes up for one match that was lacking. Hell, when even the Battle Royal is good, you know you watched a damn good show.

Overall Rating for WWE SummerSlam 2023: 9/10

Let me know your thoughts! Drop a comment and tell me your ratings, and what you think of the Line Of DeMarco-cation.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

King’s WrestleMania Rewind: Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka from WrestleMania 34

Chris king is back with one of the most underrated matches in WrestleMania history–Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka!

Published

6 months ago

April 2, 2023

Chris King

WWE WrestleMania 34 Charlotte Flair Asuka

Chris king is back with one of the most underrated matches in WrestleMania history–Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka!

We look back at Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka at WWE WrestleMania 34. ‘The Empress of Tomorrow’ put her unprecedented and historic undefeated streak of 914 days on the line against ‘The Queen’s’ SmackDown Women’s Championship.

For years, this was considered a dream match while Asuka dominated the roster in NXT, while Flair won numerous championships on the main roster on both Raw and SmackDown. The Empress made her long-awaited debut on the September 11th episode of Raw and began to tear through the competition.

Asuka outlasted all twenty-nine other women in the historic first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match to challenge for the title of her choosing. At Fastlane, she made her choice.

The WWE Universe was so excited for this match myself included. Both superstars delivered a fantastic performance on the Grandest Stage of Them All executing counter after counter. Asuka showed off some nasty-looking kicks to her opponent, and Flair hit a thunderous Spanish Fly off the top rope. Flair was seconds away from defeat at the hands of The Empress but she locked in Figure Eight and Asuka was forced to tap out.

I can’t even begin to explain how shocked I was at this outcome, as nearly everyone expected The Empress to continue her undefeated streak and walk away with the women’s title. This controversial decision was the downfall of Asuka’s momentum. She would ultimately win the SmackDown Women’s Championship at the 2018 TLC pay-per-view in the triple-threat ladder match.

Fast forward to this year when Asuka has recently returned with her Japanese-inspired persona Kana. Kana is dangerous and ruthless and is heading into a championship with Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39. The Empress has regained all her momentum and is highly favored to walk away with the Raw Women’s Championship. Let’s hope that Asuka and Belair can tear the house down and deliver an A+ grade match both women are fully capable of.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!