The Wrestling Bard 07.18.09: Wrestling With Wellness

Sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them to. I am STILL having problems with the computers in my house, and I can’t seem to get the document that I wrote two weeks ago to transfer to a computer that has internet connection. It’s a bit annoying, but hey, I’ll live.

Now, this is 411 Wrestling, so let’s start out with some wrestling. Obviously I can’t top last week’s match, since it is one of the all time classics. So instead, here’s a beauty of a wrestling match (in more ways than one). Those of you looking for a drama in the style of Savage vs. Warrior might want to skip this, but if you are into wrestling for the sake of wrestling and love submissions, this match is for you. Props to DoubleMiz/Ringmistress for posting Joshi. If you have freetime, check out her stuff, you will not be dissapointed.

There is one storyline that seems to have captivated the entire IWC. It is the “slow turn” of Smackdown!’s World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk. The slow, calculated, and rational changes in Punk’s character are an absolute thing of beauty, and reminiscent of the subtle character changes of 1997 or 2000. Punk has slowly but surely turned from a fan favorite and a role model to a “holier than thou” character, who preaches his Straight-Edge beliefs as if it makes him superior to everyone else.

For the fans who have followed Punk since before he came to WWE, this storyline is a God-send. In 2003-2004, people were buzzing about CM Punk and his amazing heel promos. Punk was brilliant in turning his legitimate Straight-Edge lifestyle into a wrestling gimmick. He could play the role model or he can play his much more compelling “Better Than You” character, which turned many well-known addicts into sympathetic babyfaces. His feud and promos with Raven were some of the most compelling in the business. It now seems that we will be getting similar promos directed at Jeff Hardy. Hardy is arguably the most popular star in WWE, and his personal demons have been made very public. While some take Punk’s view that Hardy should not be considered a hero because of his sins, others cheer for him, hoping that he WILL win his battle.

It is strange to think that the most interesting story in wrestling is based on a drug addict and a man who refuses to take drugs of any kind. It is even stranger when one realizes that this isn’t just a “read between the lines” symbolism. The difference between the two men is an integral part of the story, and both Punk and Hardy will be better for it. When one realizes that a large part of WWE’s target audience is young children, who are very impressionable, one must almost smile. This is a classic morality tale, but done so in shades of gray. Both men have good traits (abstinence, recovery) and bad traits (preachiness, addiction), and both sides of the story are being presented. That drugs can be talked about so candidly and in such a mature fashion on a program with broad appeal is very exciting.

Fifteen years ago, drugs were also the top story in wrestling, but it wasn’t prescription pills, it wasn’t a storyline and it was NOT something WWE wanted to let kids know about. In 1994, the then-World Wrestling Federation and Vince McMahon were being taken to task by the U.S. government. The reason? Many top superstars of the past decade had used steroids to improve their physical appearance. From Ultimate Warrior to Davey Boy Smith, steroid use was “rampant” in the wrestling business. Most importantly, Hulk Hogan admitted to twelve years of steroid abuse so that he could “get big” for the WWF. Wrestling reached new levels of popularity in the ’80’s due to the marketing machine that was Hulkamania, but it was now obvious that Hogan wasn’t just “taking his vitamins”. To this day, wrestling still has the stigma of being “two roided-up men in tights rolling around on a mat pretending to fight”.

This is not meant to incriminate anyone. I do not begrudge anyone for taking drugs or steroids. Everyone has the right to make their own decisions. Hulk Hogan is the biggest star in Wrestling History regardless of the fact that he used steroids. Eddie Guerrero, my all-time favorite wrestler, was an amazing talent and an inspiration to many people regardless of his drug issues. And Jeff Hardy is still talented and should still be allowed to play a hero despite his personal demons. I do not think it is a big deal, especially in this business. There’s no way to “cheat’ in wrestling, because it’s not a sport. Would they take away the Academy Awards that Gladiator won if it was revealed that Russell Crowe took steroids to bulk up for the role? No, and people deserve the accolades regardless of their choices to put harmful substances in their bodies. Especially in an entertainment based business like professional wrestling. I’m not advocating drug use of any kind, but the use of steroids or drugs does not lower my opinion of someone.

However, I do think that wrestling’s steroid scandal’s have ultimately been a good thing, both in and out of the ring. Imagine what wrestling would be like if Hogan had never been outed? While Hogan still has legions of fans, his steroid use has definately hurt his credibility and his marketability as a hero. The backlash from that eventually caused Hogan to turn heel. Can you imagine what wrestling would look like today if not for the formation of the New World Order? That influential stable owes a lot of it’s existence to Hogan’s steroid use and the change in public opinion of Hogan. Many feel that without the n.W.o. and WCW’s willingness to push the envelope creatively, that a character like Stone Cold Steve Austin would never have been created. Without the n.W.o., would the highly controversial material provided by ECW or the Attitude Era have been allowed to exist?

What about the change in in-ring style? Would men like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels been allowed to get over if it weren’t for the fact that Hogan admitted to steroid use? Think about it: up to that point, the top WWF’s stars had always been larger than life characters. Ultimate Warrior and Lex Luger, two very muscalar men who were popular but somewhat limited (in Luger’s case) or very limited (in Warrior’s case) in the ring, were both supposed to be the “next” Hulk Hogan. However, after the steroid scandal, neither Vince nor the fans wanted a new Hogan. Bret and Shawn did not take steroids: they were smaller, more athletic, and could have a **** match with a broomstick. Bret and Shawn became main eventers despite being everything that Hulk Hogan was not. And I think that most of us are VERY thankful for that.

CM Punk is definately in same vein as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. He’s an amazing worker. Want proof? The guy had his entire in-ring style changed because somebody decided he shoul have a Muay-Thai background. Despite basically reinventing his entire arsenal, Punk continues to put on good to excellent matches. They took a man who worked an incredible hybrid style of technical wrestling, brawling, and high flying and made him into a striker that does submissions on occasion. He’s also never done steroids and probably never will. Punk is now openly preaching the same message that Shawn and Bret preached silently when they got to the top: you don’t have to take steroids to be a top star in wrestling. If you work hard and have an interesting, entertaining character, people will buy into you.

Fifteen years ago, when the WWF was having it’s steroid scandals, they were marketing to kids. In addition to Bret and Shawn, cartoonish characters like Doink the Clown were also in vogue. Naturally, they didn’t want to discuss steroids if they could avoid it. It was a black mark on business, something that was taboo. You just didn’t talk about drugs on WWF programming. Now, WWE is again marketing to kids, but drugs are no longer a taboo subject. Rather, WWE is using two very popular superstars and two talented wrestlers to tell a story that sheds light on drug use. CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy presents two people from two walks of life, struggling over the World Title, the top prize on their brand. Listen to how Jim Ross talks about the real-life issues that this feud deals with each week on Smackdown! Jeff Hardy is being held accountable for his decisions, but is also being praised for his successes in that area. Punk is being villianized for being a prick, but they are also acknowledging his points. This may in fact be the most open-minded and honest look at a controversial subject in wrestling history.

Sometimes, it’s very easy to be cynical and point out that wrestling hasn’t come very far in the last fifteen years. Monsters like Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley have been pushed to the moon. Batista looks like a steroid with legs. Two years ago, the wrestling world was shocked when Chris Benoit murdered his family, the end result of a lifetime living on the edge, both with his in-ring style and his decisions in his personal life. Things like these can be very humbling, and they serve as a reminder that we still have a long way to go.

But look at CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy. This story is proof that we really have come a long way. The first step to fixing a problem is acknowledging it, and the second is being open about it. WWE has come clean about the drug problems in the industry in a very clear way. Nobody can say they are hiding it anymore. It is not a dirty little secret. It is the subject of one of the top rivalries in the company. It seems that a new part of WWE’s “Wellness Policy” is being open about it through a storyline. And that is something that all wrestling fans should be proud of.