Cartoonish Or Realistic Characters

[thewrestleranurag900]

During the 80s and early 90s it was all about cartoonish characters.Time changed and larger than life charaters came with Attitude era like Stone Cold and now pg era realistic characters like edge,matt hardy,etc came.I personally prefer realistic characters more because i can actually relate with them.So what u prefer Cartoonish Or Realistic Characters?

 

[kurtynz]

man cartoonish is the way to go undertaker doink the clown kane boogeyman The Brood the Road Warriors Ultimate Warrior Sting all cartoon type guys all had significant titles at one point and Taker is the most famous Cartoon character of all time u cant say it isnt cartoon cuz hes the reaper of the wwe and that is definetly a cartoon character not a realistic character cuz when he was a biker which was real it blew hard same with kane when he lost his mask he lost that unbeatable image i mean Drew can beat kane remember when vader ahmed johnson and even taker couldnt hold his own with Kane the lights went out stayed red and it was too perfect taker had to beat him cuz kanes image and gimmick was on the verge of being better taker was my fav wrestler til kane came along new kane ehh not so much but when i was 11 the original kane made me fear him more than taker ever did and ive seen taker throw mankind off the cell sitting just 11 rows back but when kane dominates vader who taker beat but never destroyed and kane mowed him down like a cruiserweight they had to kill the image

 

[Lyson Rayne]

Realistic characters. They're easier to relate to and care about. Generally looking back (even though I'm technically too young to remember these characters personally) the cartoonish characters are kind of embarassing. When people are making fun of wrestling 90% of the time it's in the form of Warrior, Hogan, or Savage impersonations. They captured little kids, but to an adult, or teenager, they're pretty lame. Realistic characters are generally easier to live with since they've been introduced, and IMO realism is the better style of character development. Not to say the occasional chartoon-ish character isnt fun, just to me not as appealing.

 

[ITrippedTheShockmaster]

Growing up as a wrestling fan in the 80s and 90s, I enjoyed the old-school, over-the-top characters (hence my ID). But, I also enjoy the new, realistic characters and their development. It's all about the changing times.

Back in the early days of pro wrestling and going through the years all the way up through the early '90s, before the Attitude Era in WWF/E and the nWO revolution in WCW, it was easier to have these over-the-top, cartoonish-type characters for a few reasons. Mainly, it was because there wasn't as much inside knowledge of the wrestling business by the smarts and the Internet fans. There was no way to find out what the wrestlers' real names were, the characters they portrayed before or where they worked prior to hitting the big leagues. It wasn't widespread knowedlge, which allowed for more of a mystique about them. With the advent of the Internet, you can now find anything about pretty much any wrestler out there. When wrestlers would jump ship from WCW to WWF/E, people didn't know back then until they showed up unannounced on television (i.e. Hall and Nash). Now, people know about it before the companies even know. Plus, word is getting out about people in the underground or minor leagues quicker (Bryan Danielson, for example).

Also, a lot of the people who were fans growing up got older. They became teenagers and young adults. The shift in popular culture to a more edgy, realistic view on life brought that same view to the sport. But also remember that there were always wrestlers that portrayed average-Joe types and were pretty much the same in and out of the ring (Bruno Sammartino, Vern Gagne, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, a lot of guys from the southern wrestling promotions, etc.), so it's not like it just happened overnight.

So, the gradual shift turned from the bombastic characters like Hulk Hogan, old-school Taker, "The Million Dollar Man," LOD and the ilk to more realistic characters that fans could relate to better. Perfect examples are guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Bret Hart, DX (as goofy as they were), and some of the WCW guys who I think basically should be credited with saving the wrestling industry in the 90s. In particular, Austin. The common man fan latched onto him and the others, and that made wrestling popular again. More and more wrestlers began making appearances in mainstream media again, like Hulk Hogan did in his prime. However, it was more "real." So, the powers that be latched onto that idea and rode it into what we have today.

Plus, with the more realistic characters, they're easier to flip between heel and face personas. Sometimes, characters would just be so locked into one side, you'd have to repackage the entire character to turn them. Now, it's just as simple as having them attack someone or give the right type of promo.

To sum it up, it's basically a reflection of modern culture as to how wrestling characters are created and pushed.

 

[pessimism101]

My favorite wrestlers of all time include Hulk Hogan, Undertaker and Kane (all were very cartoonish in their primes). While some other favorites of mine, like Bret Hart, Kurt Angle and Mr. Perfect, are realistic characters (though, they had, at one time or another, a cartoonish)

I find most realistic characters too boring, bland and predictable, but I've also seen cartoonish characters that were way too over the top to be entertaining.

But to answer the question, I think the best character is one that combines some cartoonism with realism. Tough to pull off, but if done correctly, it can be one of the most amazing characters ever (Undertaker).

 

[nightmare]

man cartoonish is the way to go undertaker doink the clown kane boogeyman The Brood the Road Warriors Ultimate Warrior Sting all cartoon type guys all had significant titles at one point and Taker is the most famous Cartoon character of all time u cant say it isnt cartoon cuz hes the reaper of the wwe and that is definetly a cartoon character not a realistic character cuz when he was a biker which was real it blew hard same with kane when he lost his mask he lost that unbeatable image i mean Drew can beat kane remember when vader ahmed johnson and even taker couldnt hold his own with Kane the lights went out stayed red and it was too perfect taker had to beat him cuz kanes image and gimmick was on the verge of being better taker was my fav wrestler til kane came along new kane ehh not so much but when i was 11 the original kane made me fear him more than taker ever did and ive seen taker throw mankind off the cell sitting just 11 rows back but when kane dominates vader who taker beat but never destroyed and kane mowed him down like a cruiserweight they had to kill the image

great use of punctuation, did u even take a breath? yes we all know when kane lost his mask it seriously put a new spin on the big red machine. took him a while to get close to the devastation he once had. but if you thought takers' american badass turn wasnt great, ur sadly mistaken. he tried something different and it fit (besides the lame limp bizkit entrance). he became great on the mic and brought energy back into his matches. plus the man incorporated new moves into his set that were fast, hard hitting and looked painful- not somewhat zombie like and lumbering.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Cartoonish characters, and here is why:

Yes, realistic characters give you a deeper connection with them over gimmicks any day, but the cartoonish characters are the ones that put asses in seats because:

1. They are rarely seldom boring.
2. They are "larger than life" meaning in some deep sense you are getting more than just a wrestling match; you're getting a comic-book story come to life.
3. They are the ones that we will be remembered for years to come for their outlandish behavior and catchphrases.

Stone Cold, as real as his character was, was still cartoonish. He had the catchphrases that he repeated almost every time the camera was upon him, he had the signature Steveweisers and bashed them as he chugged them down, and he did MANY MANY over-the-top things in the company that in real life people would have been fired for.

Same can be said about The Rock, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, and John Cena to an extent.

As realistic as the WWE makes their superstars, they will still be in some sense of the word cartoonish. We are watching a show that caters to the fans of old and the young alike; we are getting as much realism as they can dish out in the like of "The Viper" Randy Orton, but still he is a cartoonish approach since he imitates the snake ready to strike.

Without the cartoonish characters, WWE would be a regular, standard wrestling promotion and they will not draw as much, for people pay to see the bizarre and the superheroes.

 

[Davi323]

Cartoonish characters, and here is why:

Yes, realistic characters give you a deeper connection with them over gimmicks any day, but the cartoonish characters are the ones that put asses in seats because:

1. They are rarely seldom boring.
2. They are "larger than life" meaning in some deep sense you are getting more than just a wrestling match; you're getting a comic-book story come to life.
3. They are the ones that we will be remembered for years to come for their outlandish behavior and catchphrases.

Stone Cold, as real as his character was, was still cartoonish. He had the catchphrases that he repeated almost every time the camera was upon him, he had the signature Steveweisers and bashed them as he chugged them down, and he did MANY MANY over-the-top things in the company that in real life people would have been fired for.

Same can be said about The Rock, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, and John Cena to an extent.

As realistic as the WWE makes their superstars, they will still be in some sense of the word cartoonish. We are watching a show that caters to the fans of old and the young alike; we are getting as much realism as they can dish out in the like of "The Viper" Randy Orton, but still he is a cartoonish approach since he imitates the snake ready to strike.

Without the cartoonish characters, WWE would be a regular, standard wrestling promotion and they will not draw as much, for people pay to see the bizarre and the superheroes.

Agreed. In fact, I would argue that the Rock was one of the biggest cartoon characters in the history of the WWE. It wasn't obvious, but he was a completely over-amped caricature of Dwayne Johnson. The Rock, as a character wasn't any more "real" than Doink the Clown was. You know what the difference is between Darth Vader and Edge is? Absolutely nothing. They are both imaginary characters. Neither one really exists. Edge is not Adam Copeland. Adam Copeland is Adam Copeland. Edge is just a character Adam Copeland portrays as part of a television show.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

it's funny I was just thinking about this the other day... I was watching an old cyndi lauper video (the one from the goonies) and saw all the old school WWF characters come out and I realized how much I enjoyed those characters. The problem with the realistic characters is it isn't as fun given that it is a scripted sport. I personally enjoy the outlandish characters and as cultofraven said it feels like a comic book come to life. That's what captured my attention to wrestling to begin with, the larger than life and sometimes out of this world characters. Obviously they are hit or miss, but they are still more fun to see. The psychotic plumber vs the mad russian or whatever crazy thing they can come up with is always more fun to see. You can have a realistic character here and there but too many and then i'd rather just tune in to the UFC

 

[yeerandee]

cartoonish all the way. they are way more memorable. they are fun scary weird dumb. anything that makes it entertaining.

i get too bored of these days of realistic characters. dont get me wrong. i like the realistic characters. but then they get too old too fast sometimes. they need to have a certain sdge to them for me to have an interest.

i grew up during the 90s wrestling and i still remember the big characters like doink old school kane bambam ultimate warrior sting. those are memorable guys and of course. the man the undertaker who ive like ever since even though i hated it when he went "bad ass".

characters like cena get broing. right now im not hating on his wrestling. they need to change him heel turn him to get my attention at a random unexpecting time or at least build a different character about him again to revamp him. the "all for the troops" thing is great for a real life thing but is getting old. even drew mcentyre is super boring. they ended up getting it right with batista switching him back to heel. and they got orton on a good path even tho hes a tweener face with his viper image.

i appreciate the try to connect with us in wrestling, but it should be entertaining. they need to bring back the gimmicks to give some life and fun back to wrestling

 

[hacksawrowdyhogan]

Catoonish all the way. Simon Dean I find entertaining Randy Orton I do not. Bushwhackers are awesome and WGTT just didn't have it. The suspension of belief in pro wrestling and the continuation of characters into cartoony levels makes things more entertaining and appealing. Repo Man and The Mountie were awesome characters that you loved to hate just like The MDM Ted Dibiase.
Ultimate Warrior and John Cena both cartoon super heroes and both much more exciting than edge, kozlov, or Batista.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

Characters are characters. Whether it be cartoon, or realistic. Things always change, Hogan was a major child influenced character. The kids loved him, and his promos really brought in the audience. Well the younger audience anyway. For the time, he was pretty realistic, but still had a cartoonish gimmick. What I mean by that was, he wasn't a super hero, or a firefighter, but he was a real larger then life person. But he was marketed to the kids for funnzies.

The Rock was pretty realistic, but he was more cartoonish, same as Stone Cold. Randy Orton, is realistic, but he as well is cartoonish at times. In fact most characters in the wrestling are cartoonish. It's about good guys vs. bad guys. The heel vs. the Face. This isn't MMA or UFC where you have one guy that people like because he isn't a prick, and 20 other guys who are douche in and out of the ring. All professional wrestlers are characters. Ask Chris Jericho, in the ring, or performing he is Chris Jericho. He may like some people in real life, but his character despises the people, the fans. Etc. It's what his character does. He is realistic, but cartoonish at the same time.

For some reason, the question itself isn't bad, but needs to be more descriptive in my opinion. Such as, what was a better Face, Stone Cold of Hulk Hogan. Because if I recall, even the Attitude era had silly gimmicks. Hell it still had the big boss man and Val Venis.

 

[RicSpade]

I personally prefer realistic storylines and characters, but I always felt that cartoonish characters are needed in order to make you remember the majesty of wrestling. I like when they had the two doinks beat up crush, or the killer bees putting the masks on and pull the ol' switcheroo or the Godwinns and their pig farmer hog pin matches. The only problem is when they have too many stupid gimmicks you can't keep track. Honestly I hated WWF for a while because you had The Beserker, The Goon, Duke The Dumpster, and it seemed like because WWF had no talent for things like the Royal Rumble you had it filled with pointless wrestlers and you knew someone like HBK was going to win the rumble.

If your putting something cartoonish to life don't put it in the major spotlight like Hornswoggle or Curryman, or the gooker if they would've been in title contention actual title contention I would stop watching the product its also why I hate watching CMLL or AAA in mexico because you got guys with three eyed masks and dressed like dragons and it takes away from guys like Juvi, Rey who worked hard to be taken seriously.

just saying its just the way it should be.

 

[Super Geng Boy]

Agreed. In fact, I would argue that the Rock was one of the biggest cartoon characters in the history of the WWE. It wasn't obvious, but he was a completely over-amped caricature of Dwayne Johnson. The Rock, as a character wasn't any more "real" than Doink the Clown was. You know what the difference is between Darth Vader and Edge is? Absolutely nothing. They are both imaginary characters. Neither one really exists. Edge is not Adam Copeland. Adam Copeland is Adam Copeland. Edge is just a character Adam Copeland portrays as part of a television show.

This is a real awesome post. I will say why.

It could not be any nearer to the truth. What we see and who we meet should never have any bearing on what we think, because at the end of the day, these are trained performers or even actors who are at the end of the day sent out to do a job. The Rock was over the top in such a way that I do think he could be considerd cartonish. Hell, even Stone Cold could be considered cartoonish. The greatest example is by a mile Vincent Kennedy McMahon. He plays the character Vince McMahon, would any one still want to work for that crazy s.o.b if that was relay him?

During the 80s and early 90s it was all about cartoonish characters.Time changed and larger than life charaters came with Attitude era like Stone Cold and now pg era realistic characters like edge,matt hardy,etc came.I personally prefer realistic characters more because i can actually relate with them.So what u prefer Cartoonish Or Realistic Characters?

To answer the original question I prefer cartoon characters also. Sometimes life is not good. Sometimes we need that extra bit of ump-ft to help us out, and that is something wrestling doesn't. Why do I want to see Adam and his troubles and affairs, when I could see the cheating manipulative stealing villain that is Edge. I could see why people would say realistic for the relation thing but for me its cartoonist characters and its not even close.

 

[GetsHeat]

How about a good combination of both? Like the attitude era did?

On one hand you had your Ministry, Broods, Mankinds, etc of the landscape with your Stone Colds, Vince's, Rocks... etc.

In a way CM Punk is a perfect in between right now. He has a enough character and ridiculousness to him that makes him extremely memorable.. on the other hand he isn't dressed in some joke ass costume doing ridiculous vignettes.