Lords Of The Ring
By Kevin Snow from the June 3th 2000 issue of TV Guide Canadian edition
With its recipe for success the WWF has become one of TV's toughest champions
Ever television show needs a special ingredient to be successful. As demonstrated by this year's poor crop of newcomers, it takes more than a few characters with semi-interesting storylines to survive. Whether it's a unique character (like Seinfeld's Kramer), familiar setting (Friends' Central Perk coffee house) or a story people relate to (Frasier's search for romance), viewers need a reason to watch every week. While the major U.S. networks struggle to find the next big hit, the creative minds at the World Wrestling Federation continue to improve on TV's most cutting-edge programming.
Love it or hate it, there's no stopping the WWF juggernaut. They've taken "sports entertainment" and turned it into four hours a week of prime-time excitement, 52 weeks a year. Raw is War airs Mondays on TSN in Canada, originating as a live broadcast on the USA Network. Week-in and week-out, Raw tops the U.S cable ratings, and its Canadian numbers amaze. On May 1, Raw drew more than 697,000 viewers - for the midnight showing. (TSN's weekly average is around 550, 000, but has even surpassed 800,000 a couple of times.) That same night in the U.S., Raw peaked at more than seven million households, or the equivalent of a 9.1 rating. Meanwhile, the Thursday-night WWF Smackdown! Show may have single-handedly saved the struggling UPN network. Smackdown! is UPN's most-watched program and has given it a stranglehold on the coveted 18-34 male demographic - which is even more remarkable when you consider that UPN isn't available in all areas of Canada and the U.S.
What exactly sets the WWF apart from the rest of the entertainment industry? It's difficult to pin the success down to one or two things, but that's probably what the WWF wants. Unpredictability and improvisation are two of its strong suits, but not the only two. Recently TV Guide sat down with four WWF superstars to discuss some of the ingredients that make their product so popular.
PHYSICALITY
Some people will never get over the fact that the outcome of the matches is known before the wrestlers get in the ring. But as "fake" as wrestling is supposed to be, the physical confrontation in the ring is definitely real. Just ask Chris Benoit. Known as "The Crippler," Benoit is one of the WWF's most physical wrestlers. "Part of my character is my aggressiveness and tenacity in the ring," explains the Edmonton native. "But a lot of people don't realize what goes on outside the arena." For Benoit, that means working out, keeping a healthy diet and getting proper sleep, all within the WWF's tough travel schedule, which consists of more than 200 live shows a year. "Unlike most sports, we don't get an off-season with three of four months of recuperation time. It's a demanding, year-round, 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week schedule." Benoit has suffered numerous injuries during his 14-year career (broken ankle, torn elbow ligaments), but being knocked unconscious in the ring is something he'll never forget - kind of. "It's the worst feeling. You wake up staring at the lights on the ceiling, hearing people screaming, and you don't know where you are or what you're doing." Wouldn't he prefer to be doing something else? "This is my childhood dream," says Benoit, who learned his trade under Calgary's legendary Stu Hart. "We get our bodies thrown around a lot, and it beats the heck out of our joints. I even have a hard time getting out of bed some mornings, but this is all I've ever wanted to do."
STRONG FEMALE PRESENCE
There are some beautiful women in the WWF, and they definitely don't like to be pushed around. "It's not just about sex, " says Tori, a member of the infamous D-Generation X crew (made up of evildoers Triple H, X-Pac, Road Dogg and Stephanie McMahon). "Any sexual aspect is good and desired by the viewers, but it's about being physical as well. The women are continuing to step up to the plate, and that was really head up by Chyna, aka the "Ninth Wonder of the World," and her ability to tackle all obstacles head-on. She became the first women to compete in the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring, and she even held the Intercontinental Title for a while, It's opportunities like this that appeal to the other women. "It's nice to know that here in the WWF, you can actually do it all," explains Tori. But doing it all has often drawn criticism from fans who felt that the women were being treated unfairly. Not so, says Tori. "I can see [the critics] tripping on the boy-girl thing. You know, boys ought not to be hitting girls. But this is entertainment. It's suspension of disbelief." Is there anything Tori wouldn't do? "I've been in a pudding match," she says with a smile. "I always thought I'd refuse that. Basically, if it's in the context of the storyline, I don't think anybody would have a problem."
PERSONALITY & CHARISMA
If you need to know about the importance of a wrestler's personality, there's no better guy to ask than Winnipeg's own Chris Jericho. "Y2J" is known for his humorous ramblings, smart-alec remarks and his patented finishing move - The Walls of Jericho. We asked Chris one question, and as usual, he took over the conversation. How important is it for a wrestler to have charisma and personality? "In the year 2000, I believe that one of the most, it not the most, important thing is to have charisma, a charismatic character, and to have a persona that entertains people. A good character is someone that people can identify with, attach to and care about. We are sports entertainment. It's very important to be a great athlete who can wrestle a tremendous match. But I think the most important thing is to entertain the people and to have the interview skills and the charisma that people can see. Ever time I step in the ring, I look at it like one big party, and I'm the party host. It's up to me to make sure that people have a good time. I'll always do my best to always make sure that happens, and I'll do whatever it takes to get a reaction from the people. I have to make sure that they leave the arena thinking, 'I had a good time, and Chris Jericho was tremendous tonight." Thanks Chris it was nice talking to you.
STAR POWER
One of the most unique aspects of the WWF's success is that it doesn't rely on a select number of superstars. Sure, the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin have become larger than life, but they are just two of the organization's numerous stars. You just have to watch a telecast or attend an event to see how the crowd reacts when Too Cool starts dancing, or when the entrance music is played for Toronto boys Edge and Christian. "Unquestionably, nobody builds a star better than the WWF," states Dwayne Johnson. He definitely knows a bit about this. Over the last few years, his character, know to millions as the Rock, has become one of the most popular ever. He hosted Saturday Night Live in March, his book The Rock Says went to No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list, and he recently finished shooting a role as Scorpion King in The Mummy 2. But, while stars like Rock, Austin and Triple H reap the rewards of being on top, they haven't forgotten about the other stars around them. Johnson explains: "I'm surrounded by phenomenally gifted athletes and extremely creative writers. The WWF is a team effort. We all work together in terms of helping each other and complementing each other's styles. There's a lot of ingredients in our recipe for success."
Ever television show needs a special ingredient to be successful. As demonstrated by this year's poor crop of newcomers, it takes more than a few characters with semi-interesting storylines to survive. Whether it's a unique character (like Seinfeld's Kramer), familiar setting (Friends' Central Perk coffee house) or a story people relate to (Frasier's search for romance), viewers need a reason to watch every week. While the major U.S. networks struggle to find the next big hit, the creative minds at the World Wrestling Federation continue to improve on TV's most cutting-edge programming.
Love it or hate it, there's no stopping the WWF juggernaut. They've taken "sports entertainment" and turned it into four hours a week of prime-time excitement, 52 weeks a year. Raw is War airs Mondays on TSN in Canada, originating as a live broadcast on the USA Network. Week-in and week-out, Raw tops the U.S cable ratings, and its Canadian numbers amaze. On May 1, Raw drew more than 697,000 viewers - for the midnight showing. (TSN's weekly average is around 550, 000, but has even surpassed 800,000 a couple of times.) That same night in the U.S., Raw peaked at more than seven million households, or the equivalent of a 9.1 rating. Meanwhile, the Thursday-night WWF Smackdown! Show may have single-handedly saved the struggling UPN network. Smackdown! is UPN's most-watched program and has given it a stranglehold on the coveted 18-34 male demographic - which is even more remarkable when you consider that UPN isn't available in all areas of Canada and the U.S.
What exactly sets the WWF apart from the rest of the entertainment industry? It's difficult to pin the success down to one or two things, but that's probably what the WWF wants. Unpredictability and improvisation are two of its strong suits, but not the only two. Recently TV Guide sat down with four WWF superstars to discuss some of the ingredients that make their product so popular.
PHYSICALITY
Some people will never get over the fact that the outcome of the matches is known before the wrestlers get in the ring. But as "fake" as wrestling is supposed to be, the physical confrontation in the ring is definitely real. Just ask Chris Benoit. Known as "The Crippler," Benoit is one of the WWF's most physical wrestlers. "Part of my character is my aggressiveness and tenacity in the ring," explains the Edmonton native. "But a lot of people don't realize what goes on outside the arena." For Benoit, that means working out, keeping a healthy diet and getting proper sleep, all within the WWF's tough travel schedule, which consists of more than 200 live shows a year. "Unlike most sports, we don't get an off-season with three of four months of recuperation time. It's a demanding, year-round, 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week schedule." Benoit has suffered numerous injuries during his 14-year career (broken ankle, torn elbow ligaments), but being knocked unconscious in the ring is something he'll never forget - kind of. "It's the worst feeling. You wake up staring at the lights on the ceiling, hearing people screaming, and you don't know where you are or what you're doing." Wouldn't he prefer to be doing something else? "This is my childhood dream," says Benoit, who learned his trade under Calgary's legendary Stu Hart. "We get our bodies thrown around a lot, and it beats the heck out of our joints. I even have a hard time getting out of bed some mornings, but this is all I've ever wanted to do."
STRONG FEMALE PRESENCE
There are some beautiful women in the WWF, and they definitely don't like to be pushed around. "It's not just about sex, " says Tori, a member of the infamous D-Generation X crew (made up of evildoers Triple H, X-Pac, Road Dogg and Stephanie McMahon). "Any sexual aspect is good and desired by the viewers, but it's about being physical as well. The women are continuing to step up to the plate, and that was really head up by Chyna, aka the "Ninth Wonder of the World," and her ability to tackle all obstacles head-on. She became the first women to compete in the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring, and she even held the Intercontinental Title for a while, It's opportunities like this that appeal to the other women. "It's nice to know that here in the WWF, you can actually do it all," explains Tori. But doing it all has often drawn criticism from fans who felt that the women were being treated unfairly. Not so, says Tori. "I can see [the critics] tripping on the boy-girl thing. You know, boys ought not to be hitting girls. But this is entertainment. It's suspension of disbelief." Is there anything Tori wouldn't do? "I've been in a pudding match," she says with a smile. "I always thought I'd refuse that. Basically, if it's in the context of the storyline, I don't think anybody would have a problem."
PERSONALITY & CHARISMA
If you need to know about the importance of a wrestler's personality, there's no better guy to ask than Winnipeg's own Chris Jericho. "Y2J" is known for his humorous ramblings, smart-alec remarks and his patented finishing move - The Walls of Jericho. We asked Chris one question, and as usual, he took over the conversation. How important is it for a wrestler to have charisma and personality? "In the year 2000, I believe that one of the most, it not the most, important thing is to have charisma, a charismatic character, and to have a persona that entertains people. A good character is someone that people can identify with, attach to and care about. We are sports entertainment. It's very important to be a great athlete who can wrestle a tremendous match. But I think the most important thing is to entertain the people and to have the interview skills and the charisma that people can see. Ever time I step in the ring, I look at it like one big party, and I'm the party host. It's up to me to make sure that people have a good time. I'll always do my best to always make sure that happens, and I'll do whatever it takes to get a reaction from the people. I have to make sure that they leave the arena thinking, 'I had a good time, and Chris Jericho was tremendous tonight." Thanks Chris it was nice talking to you.
STAR POWER
One of the most unique aspects of the WWF's success is that it doesn't rely on a select number of superstars. Sure, the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin have become larger than life, but they are just two of the organization's numerous stars. You just have to watch a telecast or attend an event to see how the crowd reacts when Too Cool starts dancing, or when the entrance music is played for Toronto boys Edge and Christian. "Unquestionably, nobody builds a star better than the WWF," states Dwayne Johnson. He definitely knows a bit about this. Over the last few years, his character, know to millions as the Rock, has become one of the most popular ever. He hosted Saturday Night Live in March, his book The Rock Says went to No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list, and he recently finished shooting a role as Scorpion King in The Mummy 2. But, while stars like Rock, Austin and Triple H reap the rewards of being on top, they haven't forgotten about the other stars around them. Johnson explains: "I'm surrounded by phenomenally gifted athletes and extremely creative writers. The WWF is a team effort. We all work together in terms of helping each other and complementing each other's styles. There's a lot of ingredients in our recipe for success."