What is "the look"?

[Tastycles]

Somethink we often hear about wrestlers is that they have "the look". However, if we look at the undisputed three biggest draws in WWE history, get The Rock, Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan, they have almost nothing in common. The Rock and Hogan had physical definition, and non-white skin (brown and purple respectively) but they are otherwise completely different. Austin shares almost nothing in common with either. When you throw people like Flair and Bret Hart into the equation, you have almost nothing that you can put a finger on.

Maybe there are a range of looks, but what is it about a guy like Ted DiBiase that makes people say he has the look, when you never hear it about somebody like Shelton Benjamin, who looks both more defined and less generic.

For me, the look is ill defined, but it usually refers to someone with something a bit unique about them, but I don't know why DiBiase is credited with having it in that case. So what do you think "the look" is?

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

Holy Shit Tasty, you stole my thread! I kid you not, I was just about to do a write up like this, but I didn't have the time. So, I guess congratulations, you dirty, dirty thief.

In regards to your/my thread, I would like to point out something interesting I heard in a promo, when Batista was in qthe quest for World Heavyweight Gold, with Rey Mysterio and Taker standing in his way latye last year. In the video package, he says: "Everything about me screams World Heavyweight Champion". And you know what? He is absolutely right. You cannot deny that when you see Batista, you are in awe. But it's not just that. It's the trunks, the boots, the music, the pyro, the walk down the ramp. Everything about him tells you that he is the man who will be World Heavyweight Champion. Batista has the look, and regardless of whether you like him or you don't, Vince McMahon obviously thinks he has the look as well.

But can we quantify "the look" so easily? Do all successful wrestlers have to be 6'6 and 300 pounds? Perhaps if we take a page out of the golden age of wrestling this would seem to be the case. Hogan certainly left his mark on the world of wrestling, and he is no small man. Then he dropped his first Mania loss and the biggest rub possible to the Ultimate Warrior, yet another genetically gifted muscle bound wrestler. Even your favourite Tasty, Randy Savage who was billed 6'2, 237 pounds, didn't look like a slouch at all. I think that this era defined what many people thought and still think is the look. Everyone wishes to attain the near god-like popularity of Hogan, and thus follow him in this vein. NorCal supports this wholeheartedly I guess.

I think then, that the New Generation introduced fans into the new build and look of wrestlers. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels weren't the biggest guys in the business. They were always played as the underdogs, Shawn Michaels against Vader, Bret Hart vs The Undertaker. Their builds fit in perfectly with their gimmicks, and changed our opinions of what we thought was the blueprint for the World Champion. When they tried to push Hulk Hogan v2.0 in Lex Luger, Bret Hart was chosen over him, proving that being muscled didn't always grant you the success you wanted anymore. Of course, you still had big guys who did very well for themselves such as Diesel and Taker, but the smaller guys weren't being relegated all of a sudden to wimps who could never touch the WWF title. Then again, this was the worst period in WWF history numbers wise, so take into consideration.

The Attitude Era was interesting, in that I think the look became less important. Stone Cold and The Rock were megastars, and would have been no matter what they looked like, as their charisma and talent far exceeded simply their builds. People didn't care that Mankind was tubby and was missing some teeth and ear. People willingly enjoyed watching a skinny Kurt Angle as much as they liked seeing a ripped HHH. This era was a true melting pot of perspectives and idea, as peoples opinions changed so much due to the sheer quality of the product.

You still have remnants of wrestlers from all categories around today though. We still have mixing of "looks", and no one can be said to "define" the era. Batista and Triple H exemplify the "Golden Age" look, Chris Jericho and John Morrison could be lumped into "New Generation". Perhaps we're seeing a new category "The Filthy Indy Wrestlers from down the road" in Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, who knows.

But a good thread and an interesting topic that I think ultimately falls down to personal opinion. When were you a kid, when did you watch wrestling and who did you idolize? The look all depends on what you like to see, but the talent of wrestlers will always surpass "the look" in terms of importance. See: Bobby Lashley.

 

[Dagger Dias]

So what do you think "the look" is?

There truly is no real definition of what "the look" is. Most of the biggest names in wrestling history have little in common with each other, let alone when it comes to "the look" that supposedly sets them apart from the rest. People talk about how someone has "the look of a future champion" all the time, it's a common term that has no true definition because everyone has a different idea of what "the look" of a future champion means to them. For me.... I often think that someone has "the look" if they appear to have the potential to make it big, just by looking at them, because they have already impressed me before any promos or matches have happened. Another reason is when someone resembles a legend in appearance and their in-ring abilities. John Morrison and Drew McIntyre are examples of that theory, since they resemble younger versions of Michaels and HHH respectively. Others might disagree with me, but not everyone has the same idea of what "the look" is to them. It's a term where the definition changes with every fan.

 

[Ferbian]

Something makes me think it's just a thing, you know something they put on a wrestler just to put a "title" on him.
You know, since there's so many people you hear the commentators talk about "he has the look" yet there's really nothing special about him, so to me I think the look is just something to put on a guy to make him seem somewhat special above anybody else, and that there is numerous kind of "looks" because they're all in a different situation or different background, for example as someone said "the look of a future world champion" as opposed to those who says "he got the look of a future hall of famer" I believe I actually once heard.
So to me it's just a description, a word for the sake of having a word.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think that there are some commonalities when it comes to having "the look". To some degree, I think it revolves around an overall common idea of what a "real man" is supposed to look like.

One of the most common trends you see in some of the biggest wrestlers in history involve having a great build. If you're physically attractive, more people tend to respond to you overall in a positive way. They air stories and pieces like this on CNN on a regular basis when it comes to the idea of what "looks good". When you see a wrestler that obviously spends a great deal of time working out and you can tell just by looking at it, it generates some sort of response, whether it be a conscious response or not. At one time or another, most guys that have watched wrestling will look at some of these guys and think to themselves "I wish I had that kinda build" or "I wish my arms were that big" or "I wish I had a washboard stomach like him". Seriously guys, it doesn't make you gay or less of a man or anything like that. Women do the same thing with other women all the time. It's perfectly natural to be envious of the looks and/or build of another man. Now, not every single guy that has "the look" has to have a Herculean physique and look as though he's been cut out of stone. Guys like Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, etc. are guys that are built well and would qualify as "handsome" in the minds of most people even if they don't have this near superhuman physique.

I think that height also tends to play a part in it. When you look at guys like Triple H, the Rock, Randy Orton, Sid Vicious, etc. these are all guys that are well over 6 feet in height and are built well at the same time. They're able to generate a type of presence that someone like Rey Mysterio can't even though he's in great shape himself.