Shining a Spotlight 3.06.08: Rejecting Retirement

I knew I was going to get a reaction with my Flair column last week but in no way did I expect so many comments about it. I guess I must have touched some sort of nerve with people. I was also surprised at how many people agreed with my assessment of him and his political ways, guess more people see his faults than I thought.

I want to once more make it clear I wasn’t trying to trash Flair or his legacy. I do respect the man’s work but it’s important to remember that no one is perfect, no matter how great their ring work is. Dynamite Kid is renowned for being one of the best technical and high flying wrestlers of all time, a reputation very well earned. But Dynamite was also an incredibly mean and arrogant man whose “pranks” on fellow workers passed malicious to be truly dangerous. If you’ve read the excellent Pain and Passion book, you’ll see that Kid’s own ego and brutal measures contributed to his life turning out rather horrible. Yes, he had his injuries but his temper cost him the support needed to get through the horrible stuff at the end.

So, the point of the article was to say that Flair isn’t this perfect idol so many treat him as. Yes, I know most every big guy does politics and that’s the point; Flair was really not that different than Hogan or HHH but people ignore that. I just thought it was important to remember him in a more balanced light as he’s ready to hang it up. Of course, I think we all know he’ll be back somehow, some way. Guys like him so often do come back.

That’s something I’ve been wanting to touch on for a while, which is the inability of so many wrestlers to actually stay away from wrestling when they say they’re done. The Royal Rumble was a good example as Mick Foley, Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka all became entrants, despite all being no where near contenders for a title shot. Yeah, it was good for pops from the crowd but you could tell all three guys were hurting a bit, especially Piper. Indeed, Foley is a guy who said he was done seven years ago but keeps coming back time and again.

He’s not the only one as wrestling is filled with guys who really overstay their welcome. TNA has got a few like Kevin Nash and Bob Armstrong, guys who fans really don’t want to see wrestling but are in the ring. WWE has managed to get some mileage out of guys like Ron Simmons, who’s actually gotten more over just saying “DAMN!” then he was in his wrestling prime. And of course, there’s Hulk Hogan, who keeps coming back over and over for appearances and getting monster pops for it. More and more, we see guys who are past their primes still sticking around, even if the fans don’t want it.

The reasons why this happens are varied but a lot of it has to do with the same reason so many guys get into wrestling in the first place: Money. Let’s face it, wrestling has never been a business that provides well for retirees. This goes back all the way to the 1940’s when they were paid in the hundreds of dollars at most, despite all their hard work and traveling. Not that the promoters really cared that much, of course. When the NWA was formed, there was a proposal for a system to provide benefits for workers and retired wrestlers but every member of the board voted it down. That mentality continues today as various promoters from Vince on down only seem to care about their current crop of workers, not the ones who leave the company. Yes, I know it’s their job to care about the ones under contract but ignoring guys who did good work and let them fend for themselves is a bit cold.

It’s important to remember that legitimate sports have the exact same problem. There’s been a lot of debate over how a multi-billion dollar empire like the NFL can’t afford to get a decent pension plan going for retirees and other sports have the same problem going. So wrestling is far from alone in that as the actual shelf life of the average worker isn’t that long and some guys really don’t know how to handle their money well or the fame. It’s a common problem for regular sports stars so it’s not surprising that wrestlers can be hit too.

Some wrestlers are smart about the cash and such. Hogan, for example, has shown he can handle money well from his various endorsements and continues to have success with stuff like his reality show. True, his upcoming divorce will probably hit into that but Hogan is smarter than people give him credit as proven by how he got that hosting deal for American Gladiators to keep himself in the public eye. Another person who’s probably good moneywise is Road Warrior Animal as he and Hawk had the aid of Paul Ellering, a man who truly managed them well. Ellering kept their money invested well and handled their contracts so I’m sure Animal’s returns have less to do with cash and more with pride, which I’ll get to in a minute.

But I do suspect money plays a part in a lot of what guys do. Now, I’ve heard that Flair may not be as high on the hog as he seems. After all, he was a guy who lived his character with fancy suits, cars, $5000 robes, a big house and more. That was great to sell him in his prime but also a lot of money to waste for the future. I also understand his marital problems have cut into it, not to mention various injuries so his constant being on top might be for money as much as his own ego. I suspect it’s a key reason so many other old-time guys have been sticking around like Simmons and others. You can’t totally fault guys for wanting to make a paycheck, no matter how humiliating they might look for it.

But it’s not just money, it’s also the fact that so many guys hate to totally leave the business. There’s something about wrestling so alluring, despite its problems. It’s hard to ditch it as a fan so it must be even harder for guys who have been in it for a long time. Foley is a prime example as he obviously loves the business and despite no longer wrestling regularly, he just can’t stay away, from Rumble to appearing as a judge for “WWE Idol” on RAW, joking about how “I truly will do anything for money.” Of course, it’s hard to really knock Foley as he’s such a likeable guy with a great following.

Of course, with that pride comes some ego and again, Foley is an example. I disagree with TJ Corke a lot but I did like one of his early “What Were They Thinking?” columns where he takes Foley to task on his bit in Hardcore Diaries attacking Vince for vetoing a program with Terry Funk in 2006. Corke was dead on with how Foley acted like fans were dying to see he and Terry Funk elevated to a main event level program over Michaels and HHH. I get that Foley loves Funk and all but to truly believe that fans would want to see two men long past their appeal as hardcore icons in the main scene is a bit much. It’s ironic considering Funk’s own refusal to give up on wrestling which makes he and Foley a great pairing but pushing them this big was a rush of ego that wasn’t believable. Yes, they were pushing an old act of DX at the time but, with respect, HHH and HBK frankly are a hell of a lot more over than Foley and Funk. There are other cases of guys who demand a bit more than they’re then worth like Shane Douglas wanting $100,000 to do the “One Night Stand” card in 2005, which contributes to their rough reputation with fans.

Now, some guys who insist on hanging around are still capable of puling off their weight. We all figured Michaels was done for good after his back injury in 1998 and it’s still stunning that he’s wrestling like a man ten years younger with no sign of having a steel pole in his back. Despite the fact we all know how his ego has run rampant and pushed other down, Hogan still gets treated like a conquering hero every time he shows up. Austin’s the same way and the fact is, both guys could come out and be pushed tomorrow and the fans would eat it up. So in some cases, you can understand them keeping older guys around but others who were nowhere near the fame of a Hogan or Austin, it doesn’t make as much sense and in some cases seems downright desperate. Animal is a good example of that. As I said, I think it was less money and more his own desire to get into the business that led him to come back to WWE in 2005 and team with Hendrich. Okay, he wants a new partner, fine but setting Heindrich up as a new Road Warrior was too much for a lot of fans as it seemed to spit on the legacy of his partner, Hawk. Sometimes, that desire to stay back in can hurt one’s own legacy.

Indeed, that’s a key reason so many stay on in wrestling, they want to be remembered. WWE has helped with their amazing DVDs which allow newer fans to see some great men in their prime. It’s even better as the more recent ones have stayed away from slam jobs to really highlight men fairly like the Pillman and AWA discs. A lot of wrestlers recognize this which is why some guys like Billy Graham, Jake Roberts and Bret Hart have been willing to put their problems with Vince aside in order to get a fair shake. I still hold to the idea that Vince made the “Screwed” DVD knowing Bret would be upset at being slammed and want to participate in a better DVD project. Naturally, they want to help promote said DVDs and leads to stuff like Animal around or other appearances that sometimes come off as less than stellar.

With the short attention spans of some fans, that’s really vital for some older stars to hang in there. When the AWA disc hit, I heard some guys talking about how they never even knew the AWA existed, let alone had been the leader of the business for years and birthing new stars. Ditto for World Class and others. I know some have criticized me for talking of past stuff like the UWF or Magnum T.A./Nikita Kolloff but since so many other people have ignored them, I just wanted to highlight some stuff that made wrestling great. “Out of sight, out of mind” is a very true statement and some major stars are thus ignored for that. Damn, aside from the occasional mention in a magazine or DVD, Bruno Samartino is never talked about despite the fact there probably wouldn’t be a WWF without his long reigns as champion. Ditto for Pedro Morales and others. That’s a nice thing the WWE DVD tapes have done, to highlight all these guys and thus many don’t want to be totally forgotten so stick around. Of course, in doing so, a lot simply seem sad when compared to their brighter days but you can understand that mentality.

It’s not like it’s impossible for a wrestler to break away totally. A lot of guys have managed to retire well off and get successful lives of their own. The Rock is a great example as he’s truly managed to break out as a major Hollywood star and doesn’t really need wrestling anymore. There are guys like Magnum T.A. and Nikita Kolloff who have gotten good careers away from the ring. Sadly, the guys who do seem ready to plan for the future often don’t get to enjoy it. Owen Hart was often into saving money and had been making plans to leave wrestling, perhaps to become a firefighter like he wanted before his tragic accident. For his faults, Bruiser Brody was into saving money to the point he’d eat from tin cans he brought but never got to spend his ultimate rewards. Eddie Guerrero, having messed up his life and then bounced back, was also helping to get his family in good shape before his own sudden death. Far too many guys are too busy living the moment and enjoying their current success to really plan anything for the future. Again, it’s a problem for legitimate sports and entertainment as well so a combination of the two should naturally lead to such problems.

It is difficult to build a life outside of wrestling when it’s all you’ve really known. Let’s face it, a lot of these guys have never really learned any other job skills to carry them over when their time in the ring is done. Some are more successful than others, often due to their experiences. Kevin Von Erich has made it clear he has no intention of letting his sons get into the business that destroyed his brothers and is as happy as he can be with his own business. Then you’ve got the Ultimate Warrior who, amazingly, has managed to get a career as a public speaker. Of course, as the former Jim Helliwig is a certifiable nutcase, his talks have gotten a lot of noriety with stuff like “queering don’t make the world work” and his website commentary is…interesting to say the least. Some others have had their post-wrestling careers go in interesting paths like Randy Savage’s attempt at rap and Joanie Lauer turning into reality TV staple. Then again, Savage was always a few pegs short and Luner isn’t that much further behind.

Trish Stratus is someone I can see making a life for herself beyond wrestling. After all, if it hadn’t been for a teacher’s strike in Canada back in 1999, she would never have gotten into the business in the first place and I don’t think it’s out there that she’d return to medical school. Still, even she was talked back to appear on the RAW 15th anniversary show. Trish has always been interesting as she seems to want to be remembered for her in-ring actions (which is a key reason she’s turned down Playboy so many times) rather than just another pretty face and body. It is a bit rougher for women in the business which is why hopefully some can be smart with their money.

Sadly, money still pulls people in which is why you’ll see so many guys who should have hung it up years ago hanging around independent shows, trying to act young again. It was downright painful to see Andre the Giant in the last four years of his life, still trying to carry on despite his obvious agony and slow movements. Piper is close to that with his bad hip and Foley shows some signs of roughness too. But some of these guys are different in that they truly do think they can keep going as they did and be seen as the great workers they once were. It’s like Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, men who keep clutching to their glory days, unable to accept that time has passed them on and you want to quote William Holden from the movie: “There’s nothing wrong with being 50 unless you still act like you’re twenty-five!” Some guys can still carry the crowd (Hogan, Austin, Foley) but far too many others can’t accept time has passed them by and thus you’ll see these old-timers still out there trying to act young, always a painful sight.

So while this is set up as Flair’s goodbye, I think we all know some how, some way, he will be back. He’s a man who’s seen as an icon to most still, he can’t stay away totally. He loves the spotlight and the pop he gets from crowds, just like so many others and so he can’t just turn his back on it. He’s not alone as so many others are unable to turn away from the business, no matter what. It’s partly money, partly the crowds, partly the need to cling to one’s youth. But it’s also because for all its problems and all its trouble, pro wrestling has a hold on you. It does as a fan so it certainly does as a wrestler. You hate to lose something that means such a massive part of your life, not just as a job but a way to make people happy. So wrestlers are going to continue to keep holding on no matter what. It may not make sense to you or me but I do think we can understand the need to recapture the past as best you can. Maybe we should take it as a good sign that the business can survive because if people feel so passionate about it they can’t stay away, it means there’s an addictive factor to lure in even more.

Also around 411mania:

Seventh Dimension does a terrific piece on the politicians of wrestling.

Truth B Told discusses women in wrestling.

Can They Be Champ looks at the MITB match.

The Shimmy continues its history of the WWE World Championship.

Julian’s back to count down the Top 10 Underappreciated matches.

Viral Dose of Reality tries to revamp TNA and discusses my Flair column.

Don’t forget Column of Honor, Triple Threat, 3 R’s, Fact or Fiction, Ask 411 and the rest.