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Justification: This is an article I wrote for potential publication in the campus newspaper. I'm darn proud of it. It is about professional wrestling. You have been warned. Pictures coming soon.
Monday night World Wrestling Entertainment produced their hit TV show RAW live from St. Louis, and their recent effort to move towards more family-friendly programming was obvious to those in attendance.
World Wrestling Entertainment, or the WWE has been the premiere professional wrestling organization in the United State for 25 years. In the late 1990's stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, known for his colorful language and love of beer, were favorites among audiences. A memorable moment of the era included Austin holding a gun to the head of WWE President Vince McMahon. When the trigger was pulled, however, a flag bearing his slogan. “Austin 3:16” and the word “BANG!” brought roaring laughter from the crowd.
Such antics are from another time. WWE fans no longer rally around the vulgar, violent, and vicious stars of the past. The current World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena, enters the ring with a salute and is consistently involved in Tribute to the Troops, an annual event held for our men and women serving the country across seas. Intercontinental Champion CM Punk is a “Straight Edge” superstar who abstains from both drinking and drugs. While the wrestlers of the WWE are still the rock stars of their sport, the “good guys” of the game no longer bring grimaces to moms' faces.
The night began with a taping of another WWE installment, ECW. Kids across the arena cheered on The Boogeyman, a wrestler whose victories are followed by a large snack of live worms, which he proceeds to forcibly share with his opponents.
During RAW, the in-ring “good guys” were easily distinguishable. Early in the evening a tag-team match took place where Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston faced Kane and Mike Knox. Mysterio, a wrestler in the Mexican Luche Libre style complete with masks and high-energy moves, is a consistent favorite among young fans. Mysterio came out in bright blue pants and mask, and his partner Kingston, who is another high energy wrestler from Jamaica, wore bright green and yellow. Their opponents, the obvious bad guys, came to the ring dressed in black. Kane and Knox won the match through obvious cheating, to much of the crowd's dismay.
A mixed tag-team match featured more colorfully dressed good-guys, with CM Punk, the straight edge Champion wearing red and his partner Mickie James wearing baby-blue. William Regal, the former Intercontinental Champion known for his underhanded moves, and Layla were booed into the ring. Punk, on the other hand, was greeted with cheers from mostly younger fans. Once again, evil triumphed over good and there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The main event of the evening featured John Cena, a St. Louis favorite, against the pretentious Chris Jericho. Jericho, the self-proclaimed “Man of 1,004 Holds,” enjoys taunting not only his opponents, but also the audience. Throughout the match, a chorus of young voices could be heard chanting “Cena! Cena!” A stellar showing of athleticism on both men's parts ended in a victory for Cena, and the roar of the crowd was deafening.
Many groups seemed concerned about the effect the violent world of professional wrestling has on the many kids who are fans. With role-models who are patriotic, drug-free, and care about their fans, it's hard to see where some of these concerns come from.
Brandon, 11, said that his favorite wrestler of the night was, “definitely John Cena.” While his mom doesn't watch wrestling with him, she doesn't worry about him hurting himself.
“He knows it's not real,” she said.
Garrett, a five-year-old fan from Rolla, wore an orange Mysterio mask to the show. His brother Trevor, 9, showed his support for Jeff Hardy by wearing some of the star's armbands. Their mother brought them to the show as a surprise treat.
When asked if she worried about her sons imitating what they see on TV, she simply said “No. They're good kids.”
Labels: Wrestling