So, as I mentioned in my "PS3 is cooler than I realized" thread, I am able to watch computer files on my PS3. And what I watched recently is the two Jeff Dunham comedy specials.
For those of you who are unaware of Jeff Dunham, I pity you. The man is hilarious. Jeff Dunham is a ventriloquist. And a good one too. He has several characters that he uses in his shows. Two of his best ones are "Walter", an aged grumpy man with a cynical view on life, and "Peanut" an extremely hyper and crass rabbit looking thing. What makes these two dolls so much better is that when you are watching Dunham perform with them, he really makes them come alive. You almost forget that you're watching an inanimate dummy, and believe that these dolls can actually talk, think and behave. It's incredible. You're not watching a doll, you're actually watching a living character.
So how does this tie into professional wrestling? The last sentence of the last paragraph is how. "You're not watching a doll, you're actually watching a living character". That is so important. It's what professional wrestling SHOULD be.
I read on these forums all the time about who is good, and who is not good. People talk about why someone is good and why someone is not good. People talk about how creative/booking are the reasons people are successful or not. And all this is well and good, but most of these people miss the ESSENTIAL element needed in wrestling. They have tricked themselves. In trying to prove they are a "smarter" fan, they've lost sight of what wrestling is about. It's not about doing top rope moves, or submission holds.
It's about playing a character. It's about watching an actor bring a character to life, performing in front of people, making them believe that the actor is not in the ring, but the character is. I don't pay a ticket to watch Terry Bollea, I pay to watch Hulk Hogan. I don't pay to watch Michael Hickenbottom, I pay to watch Shawn Michaels. The best wrestlers are those that play a character that is so good, the audience doesn't even realize it's a character. There's a reason that the biggest draws are not the guys who jump off the top rope, but are guys who literally are their part, actors who live their role.
One guy that is a great example of this is Jim Hellwig, aka The Ultimate Warrior. So many internet wrestling fans are quick to jump on the "he sucks" bandwagon. Why? Because he doesn't use 15 variations of an arm bar? That's silly. But, answer me this. When the Ultimate Warrior came out to the ring, or when the Ultimate Warrior gave an interview, did you ever feel like it was just Jim Hellwig painted up? Or did you, like me, get completely wrapped up in the character, in the persona, in the sheer excitement, of the Ultimate Warrior? I think the answer is obvious.
In the end, there's one thing you need to take away from this column. And it's that professional wrestling is not about moves. It's not about fancy clothes or telling funny jokes. It's about playing a character, and playing a character well. It's about playing a character that comes to life, so fully that your audience is not even aware anymore that it's an act. It becomes a real actual person in life.
And that's how a ventriloquist and professional wrestling are alike.
For those of you who are unaware of Jeff Dunham, I pity you. The man is hilarious. Jeff Dunham is a ventriloquist. And a good one too. He has several characters that he uses in his shows. Two of his best ones are "Walter", an aged grumpy man with a cynical view on life, and "Peanut" an extremely hyper and crass rabbit looking thing. What makes these two dolls so much better is that when you are watching Dunham perform with them, he really makes them come alive. You almost forget that you're watching an inanimate dummy, and believe that these dolls can actually talk, think and behave. It's incredible. You're not watching a doll, you're actually watching a living character.
So how does this tie into professional wrestling? The last sentence of the last paragraph is how. "You're not watching a doll, you're actually watching a living character". That is so important. It's what professional wrestling SHOULD be.
I read on these forums all the time about who is good, and who is not good. People talk about why someone is good and why someone is not good. People talk about how creative/booking are the reasons people are successful or not. And all this is well and good, but most of these people miss the ESSENTIAL element needed in wrestling. They have tricked themselves. In trying to prove they are a "smarter" fan, they've lost sight of what wrestling is about. It's not about doing top rope moves, or submission holds.
It's about playing a character. It's about watching an actor bring a character to life, performing in front of people, making them believe that the actor is not in the ring, but the character is. I don't pay a ticket to watch Terry Bollea, I pay to watch Hulk Hogan. I don't pay to watch Michael Hickenbottom, I pay to watch Shawn Michaels. The best wrestlers are those that play a character that is so good, the audience doesn't even realize it's a character. There's a reason that the biggest draws are not the guys who jump off the top rope, but are guys who literally are their part, actors who live their role.
One guy that is a great example of this is Jim Hellwig, aka The Ultimate Warrior. So many internet wrestling fans are quick to jump on the "he sucks" bandwagon. Why? Because he doesn't use 15 variations of an arm bar? That's silly. But, answer me this. When the Ultimate Warrior came out to the ring, or when the Ultimate Warrior gave an interview, did you ever feel like it was just Jim Hellwig painted up? Or did you, like me, get completely wrapped up in the character, in the persona, in the sheer excitement, of the Ultimate Warrior? I think the answer is obvious.
In the end, there's one thing you need to take away from this column. And it's that professional wrestling is not about moves. It's not about fancy clothes or telling funny jokes. It's about playing a character, and playing a character well. It's about playing a character that comes to life, so fully that your audience is not even aware anymore that it's an act. It becomes a real actual person in life.
And that's how a ventriloquist and professional wrestling are alike.
