Wrestling With Fortune
By Kevin Snow from the Feb. 6th 1999 issue of TV Guide Canadian edition
At any World Wrestling Federation event, fans bring homemade signs to support their heroes. Recently, one young fan had a sign that said it all. As two grapplers tossed each other about, a teen at could be seen frantically waving his creation. It read: "The Best Damn Soap Opera on TV" So true.
At present, pro wrestling - a combination of pure athleticism and high theatrics - is enjoying its highest television profile ever. TSN averages 500,000 viewers weekly for their WWF Raw is War broadcasts. (TSN normally airs Raw three times a week.) Add in telecasts on local stations across the country, and the WWF is seen by three million Canadian viewers each week. South of the border, Raw is one of the highest - rated shows on U.S cable television, and their ratings have taken a major bite out of Monday Night Football.
"Wrestling is the ultimate sport for TV and the '90s," says WWF Canadian president Carl DeMarco. "People laughed at us 10 years ago; now we're one of the hottest sports on TV." A live event is a true rock 'n' roll spectacular, complete with deafening music and blinding pyrotechnics. The fans can't get enough. In addition to their Raw shows, the WWF plays to sold-out crowds across North America, and makes annual trips to Britain, Dubai, and Kuwait. This week's Raw takes place at Toronto's SkyDome for the first time. "It will be the most-attended and highest-grossing Raw in history," says DeMarco. It may even surpass the SkyDome attendance record of 67,678 set at Wrestlemania VI in 1990.
The WWF's biggest box office draws are superstars like the Rock, the Undertaker and a pair a badass Canadians, Edge and Val Venis. But the biggest of them all is Stone Cold Steve Austin. His presence in the arena sends fans into an absolute frenzy. Scan the crowd and you'll notice that most people are wearing Austin shirts. He's become the American hero of the '90s: He refuses to listen to his boss, and shows his displeasure with upturned middle fingers and a loud "Hell, yeah!" (echoed by the thousands in attendance). To many, he stands for everything they want to be: someone who defies authority and still ends up on top. On a nightly basis, Austin's merchandise represents a major chunk of the sales. Currently, licensing and merchandising - everything from videos to T-shirts to posters to cologne - is selling at an all-time high, grossing a reported $500 million US in 1998. It's big business, but pro wrestling has been around for 40 years. Why the sudden explosion? To answer that question, TV Guide recently went behind the scenes at a live Raw event in Albany, N.Y. - and lived to tell about it.
THE PLAYERS
A boisterous sold-out crowd of 15,000 fills the arena. The demographics range from young kids to rowdy seniors. For the next three hours, they'll escape into a world of controlled chaos. They'll cheer the faces, and heckle the heels. What keeps them entertained each and every night is the spectrum of characters the WWF has created.
Anyone who's watched wrestling knows that the characters are human cartoons: Although he's a good guy, Mankind wears leather mask; Goldust is a butt-kicking drag queen in gold lame'; Gangrel enters the arena through a ring of fire; Val Venis shows up wearing a bath towel, alluding to his alleged past in adult films. They're all larger than life. In the real world, Venis is actually Shawn Morley, a kid from Markham, Ont., who joined the WWF about a year ago. "Pro Wrestling is the single greatest form of entertainment on the planet," he says proudly. "[WWF president] Vince McMahon is a genius. He's packaged and marketed out sport superbly.
The WWF's true action character, Mick Foley, aka Mankind, agrees wholeheartedly with the Big Valbowski. But, he says, McMahon allows creative input from the wrestlers when it comes to character development. " McMahon admitted two years ago that he wasn't completely in touch with what people wanted to see," says Foley. "If our characters are to be successful, they have to be more about what we are, not what the WWF office wants us to be. We take a part of ourselves and amplify it in front of the audience." Foley's amplified it further than anyone. His willingness to do anything, like plummeting through a steel cage, is why he's the most-loved wrestler among fans - much as any wrestler can be loved.
The WWF's characters play a major role in its success, but it's the ability to develop new talent that keeps storylines fresh. One new superstar comes from small Orangeville, Ont. Twenty-four-year-old Adam Copeland, as the brooding Edge, is one of the brightest young stars in the wrestling sky. Copeland's road was unique. He always wanted to be a wrestler, but the exorbitant training costs were out of his league. "When I was 18, I entered an essay contest in the Toronto Star, explaining why I wanted to become a wrestler," he explains. "I won, and spent a year training with Sweet Daddy Siki at Sully's Gym in Parkdale." From there, Copeland's career included stops in Japan, Canada, and a forgettable stayed in the southern U.S. "It was horrible. We (he and his tag-team partner, Christian) stay in this beat-up old house and we had no money. We basically ate a can of tuna each day, that's it." Perseverance eventually paid off. After returning to college, he got the call from the WWF to do a house show in Hamilton, Ont., and he's been with them ever since. Just like his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs, Copeland keeps going up.
THE BIG QUESTION
After 40 years, wrestling is still the Rodney Dangerfield of sports and entertainment. Regardless of the medium, the most-asked question of those in the wrestling world remains: Is it fake? "Every interview I do starts the same way," sighs the Rock really Dwayne Johnson. " Are you guys faking it? Are things choreographed? Absolutely. That's the business. We as workers and a company don't go out there and try and pull the wool over the public's eyes." The Rock considers himself "the most electrifying performer in and out of the ring," and his talent has made him one of the marquee personalities. Win or lose, the Rock knows his role. "We're not trying to kill each other, we're trying to entertain the fans."
THE NEXT WAVE
There doesn't seem to be much that can derail the WWF. They're planning a themed hotel-casino in Las Vegas, and the Wrestlemania Café will debut in Manhattan this fall. For his part, the Rock thinks success will lie in public perception. "Storyline-wise, we're second to none. But I still think a dark cloud hovers over wrestling. In time, I want people to mention the WWF and say, 'Man that stuff is entertaining. I watch it every week.'"
At present, pro wrestling - a combination of pure athleticism and high theatrics - is enjoying its highest television profile ever. TSN averages 500,000 viewers weekly for their WWF Raw is War broadcasts. (TSN normally airs Raw three times a week.) Add in telecasts on local stations across the country, and the WWF is seen by three million Canadian viewers each week. South of the border, Raw is one of the highest - rated shows on U.S cable television, and their ratings have taken a major bite out of Monday Night Football.
"Wrestling is the ultimate sport for TV and the '90s," says WWF Canadian president Carl DeMarco. "People laughed at us 10 years ago; now we're one of the hottest sports on TV." A live event is a true rock 'n' roll spectacular, complete with deafening music and blinding pyrotechnics. The fans can't get enough. In addition to their Raw shows, the WWF plays to sold-out crowds across North America, and makes annual trips to Britain, Dubai, and Kuwait. This week's Raw takes place at Toronto's SkyDome for the first time. "It will be the most-attended and highest-grossing Raw in history," says DeMarco. It may even surpass the SkyDome attendance record of 67,678 set at Wrestlemania VI in 1990.
The WWF's biggest box office draws are superstars like the Rock, the Undertaker and a pair a badass Canadians, Edge and Val Venis. But the biggest of them all is Stone Cold Steve Austin. His presence in the arena sends fans into an absolute frenzy. Scan the crowd and you'll notice that most people are wearing Austin shirts. He's become the American hero of the '90s: He refuses to listen to his boss, and shows his displeasure with upturned middle fingers and a loud "Hell, yeah!" (echoed by the thousands in attendance). To many, he stands for everything they want to be: someone who defies authority and still ends up on top. On a nightly basis, Austin's merchandise represents a major chunk of the sales. Currently, licensing and merchandising - everything from videos to T-shirts to posters to cologne - is selling at an all-time high, grossing a reported $500 million US in 1998. It's big business, but pro wrestling has been around for 40 years. Why the sudden explosion? To answer that question, TV Guide recently went behind the scenes at a live Raw event in Albany, N.Y. - and lived to tell about it.
THE PLAYERS
A boisterous sold-out crowd of 15,000 fills the arena. The demographics range from young kids to rowdy seniors. For the next three hours, they'll escape into a world of controlled chaos. They'll cheer the faces, and heckle the heels. What keeps them entertained each and every night is the spectrum of characters the WWF has created.
Anyone who's watched wrestling knows that the characters are human cartoons: Although he's a good guy, Mankind wears leather mask; Goldust is a butt-kicking drag queen in gold lame'; Gangrel enters the arena through a ring of fire; Val Venis shows up wearing a bath towel, alluding to his alleged past in adult films. They're all larger than life. In the real world, Venis is actually Shawn Morley, a kid from Markham, Ont., who joined the WWF about a year ago. "Pro Wrestling is the single greatest form of entertainment on the planet," he says proudly. "[WWF president] Vince McMahon is a genius. He's packaged and marketed out sport superbly.
The WWF's true action character, Mick Foley, aka Mankind, agrees wholeheartedly with the Big Valbowski. But, he says, McMahon allows creative input from the wrestlers when it comes to character development. " McMahon admitted two years ago that he wasn't completely in touch with what people wanted to see," says Foley. "If our characters are to be successful, they have to be more about what we are, not what the WWF office wants us to be. We take a part of ourselves and amplify it in front of the audience." Foley's amplified it further than anyone. His willingness to do anything, like plummeting through a steel cage, is why he's the most-loved wrestler among fans - much as any wrestler can be loved.
The WWF's characters play a major role in its success, but it's the ability to develop new talent that keeps storylines fresh. One new superstar comes from small Orangeville, Ont. Twenty-four-year-old Adam Copeland, as the brooding Edge, is one of the brightest young stars in the wrestling sky. Copeland's road was unique. He always wanted to be a wrestler, but the exorbitant training costs were out of his league. "When I was 18, I entered an essay contest in the Toronto Star, explaining why I wanted to become a wrestler," he explains. "I won, and spent a year training with Sweet Daddy Siki at Sully's Gym in Parkdale." From there, Copeland's career included stops in Japan, Canada, and a forgettable stayed in the southern U.S. "It was horrible. We (he and his tag-team partner, Christian) stay in this beat-up old house and we had no money. We basically ate a can of tuna each day, that's it." Perseverance eventually paid off. After returning to college, he got the call from the WWF to do a house show in Hamilton, Ont., and he's been with them ever since. Just like his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs, Copeland keeps going up.
THE BIG QUESTION
After 40 years, wrestling is still the Rodney Dangerfield of sports and entertainment. Regardless of the medium, the most-asked question of those in the wrestling world remains: Is it fake? "Every interview I do starts the same way," sighs the Rock really Dwayne Johnson. " Are you guys faking it? Are things choreographed? Absolutely. That's the business. We as workers and a company don't go out there and try and pull the wool over the public's eyes." The Rock considers himself "the most electrifying performer in and out of the ring," and his talent has made him one of the marquee personalities. Win or lose, the Rock knows his role. "We're not trying to kill each other, we're trying to entertain the fans."
THE NEXT WAVE
There doesn't seem to be much that can derail the WWF. They're planning a themed hotel-casino in Las Vegas, and the Wrestlemania Café will debut in Manhattan this fall. For his part, the Rock thinks success will lie in public perception. "Storyline-wise, we're second to none. But I still think a dark cloud hovers over wrestling. In time, I want people to mention the WWF and say, 'Man that stuff is entertaining. I watch it every week.'"