wrestling / Columns

Why Wrestling is Art: The Babyface

September 15, 2014 | Posted by Len Archibald

I want to thank all who contributed to my little (only) bit of public fantasy booking. As I stated last week, it is always a good debate figuring out what moves the WWE will make on the Road to WrestleMania. In lieu of that, I wanted to share a little feedback on some of the comments:

*In my world, WrestleMania would definitely be a 4 ½ hour show, and would be void of several skits and vignettes. I suppose I have an old school mentality: America the Beautiful, backstage interviews and video packages highlighting the main feuds would be the only moments that would take away time from inside the ring. I admit 14 matches is still a packed show, though, and it would be hard to give some matches sufficient time.

*In a strange bit of foresight, I never would have realized that Paige, AJ and Nikki Bella would cross paths so early. To rectify this, I would have Paige defend the Divas title against Charlotte and the main divas match (I know) would pit AJ against Stephanie McMahon, as I feel that is the money feud with the WWE divas.

*Having CM Punk enter the Royal Rumble at 30 to be ousted by Roman Reigns would probably draw some backlash by fans. The more I thought about this, the more I feel a better way to go would be for Punk and Daniel Bryan to eliminate each other, leaving Reigns vs. Cena to battle it out, with Reigns winning. It would be a good tease to a confrontation I would see between the two a year later. I would move the CM Punk/Daniel Bryan match 3rd from the card after Reigns/Lesnar and Cena/Angle.

*I am of the firm belief that WrestleMania needs two things to be successful: matches with a big-fight feel and spectacle. Even if The Undertaker vs. Sting could end up as a stinker, this match would deliver on both.

Now, onto more serious business (as serious as an article on professional wrestling can be anyway…)

So I’ve made it known that I am heavily involved in film. I am a movie reviewer (watch my reviews!) I went to the University of Toledo for my B.A. in film production. I ran a film festival for three years and have had my fair share of involvement on several sets. I have written treatments for television shows, reality shows and even wrote and directed my own (admittedly crappy) independent movie. I am deeply immersed in the language of cinema. But here I am, and here you are – reading my words on a professional wrestling website. I appreciate the sounds of Bach and Beethoven as much as I appreciate the sounds of Rakim and Led Zepplin. I have studied the works of Picasso and Ansel Adams – and yet I find myself continually pulled into the world of scripted fighting. If the stereotypes are true, and wrestling – and its fans accommodate the lowest common denominator, I must truthfully consider myself an anomaly.

Because I consider professional wrestling – as much as I view cinema, music, dance, photography, painting and sculpture as an art form. And at this point in my life I am willing to take to my grave the staunch belief that professional wrestling is perhaps the most visceral and engrossing form of art to emerge in the last 30 years.

Where is this all stemming from? Last week, a story emerged where former Fear Factor host, DMT enthusiast and MMA junkie, Joe Rogan made some pointed remarks about professional wrestling – and specifically its fans in comparison to MMA on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, stating the following:

“One of them is real. One of them is people battling for their lives in the most difficult content in all of sports. The other is some weird, ****** jerk-off thing where strange guys sit in front of the TV and pretend they don’t know its fake. You don’t want to know. You shut that part of your brain off.”

At the time of this writing, 140 comments from those in the IWC have emerged, with opinions differing from calling Rogan a hack to alluding he would get destroyed by some of the professional wrestlers they felt he was insulting. Throughout those comments, one common thread permeated – Rogan, for all his machismo and defense of the sport of MMA and degradation of professional wrestling’s “fakeness” – and our pretending to not know it’s fake, seemed to miss the one underlying reason for why we are obsessed with pro wrestling: like any form of art, it is not about the willing suspension of disbelief. The magic – the art of professional wrestling lies in its inherent ability to uncover a very real understanding of human nature and pathos through symbolism, archetypes, beats and the perception of the culture around us at any given time when we experience a professional wrestling match. In other words, professional wrestling is more than a carnie sideshow: we are witnessing a living, breathing mythology unfold before our eyes.

One of the things I want to accomplish as a writer on 411 is to dispel the ignorant notion that we wrestling fans are rednecks, Neanderthals, brain-dead jocks, and 40 year old geeks and virgins who live in their parents’ basement willfully unaware that the form of entertainment we love is “fake”. Every once in a while, I will divulge from the weekly newsbits, click-baits and rumors to not only entertain those who are fans of this crazy world, but to educate those who are not as to why professional wrestling boasts millions (billions?) of fans worldwide and why professional wrestling is art. This is the first of those weeks.

It is an interesting time to be a fan of professional wrestling. What was at one time considered a “legitimate” sporting contest between two men has evolved into a mix of athletics, soap opera and morality play. Insider terms that were known only to the performers have made their way into the lexicon of their fans. At times we the fans have become more invested in the backstage inner workings and politics behind the curtain than the action in the ring. The explosion of the internet and how we have received insight into how events are staged, what talent is “pushed” and other creative decisions has created a culture where debates have evolved into more than “who is the best grappler”. Wrestlers are more cheered for their actual in-ring performance and overall entertainment value than any face/heel alignments. We are able to pick apart storylines and pick up on tropes. As much as some may want to turn their nose up at the fact, these tropes prove that Wrestling is in fact a form of performance art; one that has gripped its fans into a frenzy – especially now in the general infancy of the Information Age.

Instead of focusing on drama – in and out of the ring – I have instead decided to focus the attention on the various archetypes that we as fans recognize and connect to. Some of them are silly. Some are outright insulting. Others are tried and true concepts that have captured the imagination of fans for over sixty years since the advent of television.

Even though I was already a hardcore fan of professional wrestling at a young age, witnessing Starcade ’83 and the very first WrestleMania, it was WrestleMania III from the Pontiac Silverdome that pretty much ensured that I would be a fool debating the merits of this art form until I die. While I cheered like a mad-child over the spectacle that was Hulk vs. Andre, it was – as it was for most – the bout between Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and Randy “Macho Man” Savage that displayed everything I wanted to see in this form of entertainment. More than the 20+ nearfalls in the match, though – what hooked me in was the story of Steamboat getting his revenge against the man who nearly ended his career outright. The final small package on Savage that won Steamboat the Intercontinental Title was a cathartic moment for me, not only because I needed a breather after witnessing greatness, but because in my naïve mind, I believed Steamboat deserved it. He was a good guy. He fought hard. He needed his revenge. It was the story of good over evil.

Fast forward months later to one of the few moments where fiction made me sob uncontrollably – when Steamboat was cheated out of his newly won title from the Honky Tonk Man. It was unfair, and as a child, seeing the villain overcome the hero (my personal hero) was beyond heartbreaking. It also gave me perspective as I learned that sometimes, the good guy does not always win.

What was it about Ricky Steamboat that made me cheer for him so vehemently? It was more than his high-flying antics or his chiseled body. It was more than his technical prowess or his deep arm drags. Steamboat represented something intangible. In all his battles, whether against Savage, Honky, Ric Flair, Steve Austin or even Chris Jericho – The Dragon displayed through his demeanor and his values onscreen, the ultimate hero.

The “Babyface” in professional wrestling is defined simply as a heroic character booked by the promotion to be cheered by the fans. Traditionally, Faces do not break the rules, follow instructions of those in authority such as the referee, are polite and well-mannered towards the fans, and often overcome the rule-breaking actions of their heel opponents to cleanly win matches. Of course, these actions changed in the 1990’s with the rise of ECW and the overwhelming popularity of Stone Cold Steve Austin, but even as an anti-hero, Austin still played positively to the crowd and embodied an “everyman” feel that was relatable. His feud with Mr. McMahon that helped usher in a new “Golden Era” in wrestling’s popularity was based on the dichotomy between the blue-collar worker that has paid his dues and the evil corporation that wants to assimilate the employee into its faceless culture. As much as Austin “raised hell” and used colorful language, at the end of the day, he was a man with values. During the “Higher Power” storyline where Stephanie McMahon was kidnapped by the Satanic Undertaker and forced into a dark wedding, it was Austin – against all odds, and his own pride – that saved her. Despite being the daughter of his most hated rival, Austin’s actions showed that he had values, and would put aside personal feelings in order to do the right thing and save an innocent victim. It was one of the best two hour episodic arcs in Monday Night Raw’s history – one that evolved Austin into a full-fledged three-dimensional character. Even though the fans had already cheered him like a hero, it was this specific action that ensured his “faceness” to the crowd and endeared him even more towards his fans.

Leading up to Starcade ’85, the battle for supremacy between Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes reached a fever pitch. Flair, a man who could talk the walk, openly flaunted the riches that came with being champion. Women, expensive automobiles, wild parties, fancy clothing and excess was a clear cut representation of the culture of greed that permeated in the 1980’s. Flair’s lack of perspective born out of his excess, along with a violent attack that broke Dusty’s ankle fired up “The American Dream”. The son of a plumber was Flair’s antithesis, and with a scathing promo – in some circles considered the best ever, Dusty explained in plain terms what “Hard Times” was. While some interview segments are meant primarily to sell tickets to an event, there was something extraordinarily different about Rhodes’. By contrasting the difference – and similarities – between the “hard times” Dusty went through in recovery and “the textile workers”, “auto workers” and the man who lost his job because a “computer took [his] place” and was rewarded for his thirty years of service with a watch, Dusty was not only selling a match – it was a call to action. The most effective faces do more than convince their fans why they should win a match – they allow those fans to relate to something authentic within themselves that represents everything good about human existence.

Hulk Hogan may still be the most recognizable face to come out of professional wrestling (with the exception of The Rock). One of those reasons is that he was a catalyst for TWO major moneymaking eras in the industry. The second time Hogan stood at the forefront of a shift in the industry – his heel turn and joining of the New World Order in WCW – was such a stunner because his first foray into superstardom was based in the reality that Hogan was in fact, the ultimate comic book hero come to life. Touting the “largest arms in the world”, Hogan was a larger than life demigod to his legions of fans, most of them children. As a role model, he stood for Truth, Justice and the American Way, waving the American Flag whenever there was a foreign threat, coming to the aid of his friends and keeping his fans on the straight and narrow with the “Three Demandments” – training, saying your prayers and taking your vitamins. A symbol of Hogan’s face qualities was a crucifix he commonly wore to the ring. At the end of a victory, Hogan would fall to his knees and point to the sky. In an era where Reganomics, “Just Say No” and Conservative culture reigned supreme in the United States, Hogan was the go-to guy as a beacon of traditional values.

In the lead up to WrestleMania III, the simple actions of Andre the Giant exposed how much that symbol meant. When Andre showed up at Roddy Piper’s “Piper’s Pit” talk show to challenge Hogan for his heavyweight title, it was shocking. Aligning himself with uber bad-guy manager Bobby Heenan made it all the more. But it was Andre’s ripping of Hulk’s shirt, along with his tiny golden cross to the floor that truly sealed the deal. The visual of Hogan on his knees questioning the reality of what had just occurred as he holds up his busted chain is just as memorable as the end result of him slamming Andre because it was a moment that highlighted two other traits of a great babyface – emotional vulnerability and the symbol of hope. Andre literally ripped the hopes of him and Hogan ever being friends again away. As Hogan’s voice shook in disbelief at the situation, unsure of what he should do as Piper demanded a response on whether or not he would defend his title against the most powerful foe he would ever face; it wasn’t until Hogan looked up – to the heavens with a resounding “YEEEEEESSSS!” that gave the fans catharsis. Hogan still had hope. Even if at that time he may not have believed in himself, he believed in a higher power than himself, whether it was God, the power of Hulkamania or his legion of Hulkamaniacs that would propel him to overcome the odds and become victorious.

Overcoming the odds has become the ultimate, insider running joke when it comes to John Cena. The fifteen time WWE/World champion has made a fortune from it. While his early face run was based on the mantra of “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect” it is in fact his current mantra of “Never Give Up” that has drawn the praise – and ire – of the current fanbase. In my opinion, John Cena is the most interesting babyface to ever grace the world of sports entertainment as his in ring actions and inspirational promos are reminiscent of a traditional babyface, but it is those same tropes that have split the fanbase. But make no mistake about it (and I understand this will spark a debate), Cena is a pure babyface through and through.

Cena’s true coming out party – his WWE title defense against Triple H at WrestleMania 22 is a brilliant case study of how fan perception has reshaped how babyfaces are portrayed. Before Cena, fan reaction usually dictated how a performer would fall in the face/heel alignment, usually with the face succumbing to the darkside and blaming the fans for “turning on” them. Cena has done something amazingly different. Taking a page out of Rocky IV, where Rocky Balboa walked into a hostile Soviet nation as a foreigner and faced a national hero who by all accounts should have eaten him for lunch, Cena turned the tables and used fan reaction to create a new layer to the “Never Give Up” mantra. In Chicago, where Triple H was given a hero’s welcome, John Cena showcased a brand new trope for babyfaces: in an environment that is against him, and in an arena that attacks his individuality, Cena will not allow those that jeer him – even if it is thousands – to define who he is. It is in fact, a very inspiring message that speaks to those who embrace the idea of that age old adage of “Know Thyself”.

Beyond that, John Cena’s babyface characteristics embrace the notion that even in defeat, he will not back down or change his course. And why should it? He has won more WWE world titles than anyone else in history. John Cena’s awareness of who he is, and more importantly, who he is NOT, tells his fans that no one person, or no number of people should dictate how he should react to a given situation. John Cena could have turned after seeing how the crowd treated him with venom at One Night Stand 2006. He could have turned after losing to CM Punk at Money in the Bank 2011. He could have turned (and would have been justified) after his loss to the Rock at WrestleMania 28, or even could have turned after the beatdown from Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam this year – but he did not. Cena instead took a page out of the teachings of Jesus Christ and turned the other cheek.

Cena overcoming the odds is much more than a physical manifestation. On a deeper level, overcoming the odds is akin to being the underdog in a schoolyard fight where the kids all cheer for the more dominant opponent. What is it that really matters? That he wins, loses, or decides not to lose himself in the situation and let those wishing for his ass to be kicked to affect him in such a way that it compromises his own personal beliefs regardless of either? Never Give Up…on yourself. John Cena’s characterization preaches that even if the entire world is against you, it is the belief in and staying true to yourself that judges who you are. This past Monday on RAW, Cena was confronted by Paul Heyman in one of the best moments in WWE television this year when Cena was informed that the only way he can beat Lesnar in his rematch this Sunday at Night of Champions is to embrace that dark side everyone has inside of them. Cena responded the way John Cena only responds and touched on a very true reality: at the end of the day, we will have to look in the mirror and judge ourselves for our actions. Cena’s insular, humanist take on the babyface is the polar opposite to Hogan’s external, otherworldly point of view – but for his fans, it is just as potent. Eat, Sleep, Be John Cena, Repeat, indeed.

So what makes a babyface? The fans cheering for a performer? Whipping the people into a frenzy with inspirational speeches? Doing the right thing against all odds? Being able to relate? Staying true to yourself and/or your personal belief system? I always go back to one of my favorite matches of all time, the 2 out of 3 falls match in 1989 between Steamboat and Flair:

At the onset of the match, Flair and Steamboat assault each other with chops. Flair lands a chop so hard to Steamboat in the corner, he crumples, tensing his body to try and prevent anymore damage. Flair aggressively rips Steamboats arms away and lands a chop to the chest so hard that Steamboat literally buckles and – reminiscent of a meek kitten, weakly attempts to push Flair away as if the pain is just too much to bear. At that moment, I always feel one of the most human of all emotions – empathy. I feel bad for Steamboat. I want him to suck it up and fight. I want to hop the guardrail and jump on Flair’s back to prevent any more pain. Steamboat represents everything good in this world. He has a wife and child and is only performing to provide for his family. He does not deserve to feel this much pain, because he is a good person and good people should not have to fight so hard for their dreams.

But the reality is just that. He DOES have to fight hard. So the only way I can let him know he stands a chance and find what those who love Puro call “fighting spirit” – is to cheer for him.

Len Archibald is the former Executive Director of the Northwest Ohio Independent Film Festival, and is a current movie reviewer for WLIO in Lima, Ohio.