Creative Control #4: Can Old Be New Again?

[Chris Lionheart]

"Can Old Be New Again?"
By Chris Lionheart

“Out with the old and in with the New Blood!” No, don’t worry, we’re not quite going to go down that beaten trail in this column. No, in this week’s column I wanted to pose a question to all you readers of ‘Creative Control’ here on the1xwa.net. That question is this: Can old be new again?

I myself have recently talked a big hype about how wrestling in general should be, and XWA is, seen to be more ‘real’ than it is ‘entertainment’. And that is great, it is the future of this art form. But lets not forego some of the off-forgotten elements of wrestling’s history.

What happened to characters? Nowadays almost everyone is using their real names to compete in wrestling federations, because they don’t want to be ‘owned’ by anyone. Even I did it. The guy typing this used to be known as ‘El Lion’ outside of the United States; but then for some reason I started using my real name. I was ‘’The Cat’ Chris Lionheart’ in 2005, and I’ve had a few more ‘ring names’ since then, like I mentioned in my last column that I used to go by ‘The New Hardcore Revolution’ Chris Lionheart in 2006. But hardly portrays a ‘character’ anymore. Two of the most prominent that come to my mind, from my own personal history with them, are The Avenger and Genesis. Although most people have known for a long while now that The Avenger’s birth name is Sebastian Crowe; and Genesis has morphed his character into a regular ‘ring name’, now going by Brandon “Genesis” Payne. I suppose this isn’t a big deal, but sometimes it is nice to have a little mystique.

Something that goes hand-in-hand with characters in wrestling are gimmicks. Not only do many wrestlers nowadays use ‘ring names’ as an alias, but are known under their real name; but this usually means that the fans see things play out as those people doing something. Nobody seems to play out a gimmick or persona. When was the last time that someone came in playing a cold-hard gimmick? Only one comes to mind, and that is XWA’s own Kanzer. I know that I don’t know much about that masked man; except that he’s lucky rope breaks were on during our match or I would have made him tap out SO MUCH! But the fact that he was playing the role of the masked ‘big man’ that no one knows much about was good. It wasn’t like I was facing ‘Kanzer’ Ken Tsar, I was facing a ‘character’ called ‘Kanzer’, who had the gimmick of ‘masked big man/monster’. Now, I’m not suggesting we go so far as to initiate the old ‘drunkard’, ‘pornstar’, ‘undead zombie’, ‘supernatural being’ personas and play them up as edgy TV. The last thing I think XWA needs is a Scott Hall, Sean Morely or El Vampiro wannabe running around the place. But I do think that characters and gimmicks have a tendency to be forgotten in today’s, and the future’s wrestling. For example - What the fuck happened to masks? Why does no one (including me recently) bust out the facepaint anymore? And when they do, they’re usually stereotypical portrayals. Masks aren’t just reserved for Mexican or Japanese wrestlers. Flamboyant homosexuals, old school tag teams and just plain nut job warriors don’t have own exclusive rights to facepaint.

Does this article sound hypocritical, considering I have in the past forgone both my character and face paint gimmick? Do you have something to say about the diminished usage of these elements that used to play a prominent role in the wrestling formula? Feel free to leave a comment, I’ll reply to any discussions.

[Syrus The Entertainer]

RE: "Can Old Be New Again?"
by Syrus Sykes

This is wrestling man, and I heard a smart dude a few days back say something real, "In wrestling nothing ever stays the same". That's real talk right there, cuz it doesn't matter whether you're talking about wrestling style, wrestling gimmicks, even wrestling names, the same thing over and over again gets played out.

You got some people who've been around for a while now who somehow manage to stay interesting, and you know why that is? They change with the environment. Even if you're in the one company alone year in and year out, things will change. People will change, situations will change, rules will change and you gotta flow on with that stuff. You gotta make yourself into something that's still gonna have the same pop and flash as it did before, and even moreso if you're plannin' to do some real things out there.

That can be a bad thing too though, don't get me wrong. Wrestling is cycles, man. Cycles and trends. Like everyone using their real names, or using overused ones...I mean how many Styles, Storms and Starrs are out there in the wrestling world anyway? C'mon now, ya'll. Still though, it's all people following with what's going on nowadays, and a lot of times it doesn't do anything for 'em...but that not gonna stop 'em from doing it, because it's the things like what you're saying that people feel they need to do to get ahead in the biz, and in the end that's what it's all about. Watch, someone's gonna be Mr. Throwback, old school style out there, hell we already got one in Magnus Von Schwartz. He starts getting a buzz going and sooner or later you're gonna see people doing that.

There's two sides to the coin in either case but the bottom line is that it's going to keep happening. The trick is doing what's good for your own image in your own mind. You can only hope that it's gonna make you interesting in other people's minds too. No matter what anyone says, this is and always will be a form of entertainment and you gotta what you gotta do to entertain. It's all about striking the balance of doing what's right for you, what's right for the fans and what's right for the company. Luckily XWA aint the place that's gonna ask a guy to come out and wrestle in a skirt and a Barbara Bush mask calling himself the "First Lady", so there's no worryin' on the third thing, but one and two? You can go either way with it, so long as the way you go is working.

[cade]

RE: "Can Old Be New Again?"
By: Kris Cade

An interesting question. But one I think there's only one realistic answer to. And that's no. Before I became a wrestler, I was a fan of wrestling. And the fans of the industry did the same thing I did. They grew up. It's not the gimmicks that get old. It's the guys doing the gimmicks that get old. There in lies the need for change, or the lack there of. Some people just have it, and some don't. I'd like to site one man in particular who counts, or at least I think he does, as one of the men who have benefited from not changing a thing.

That man is Jon Payne.

Here's a man who has pretty much seen everything positive and negative about the industry. A man that's loved by many, hated by many more, but respected by all. He's been involved in controversy. He's had a dark cloud loom over his head about particular things he's done and done to others in the game. He's been called out, called names, and then some. But in all that time, do you know what's changed about him? Nothing. He's not a character. He's not a brand name. He's a man. A man who lives for this business. If he didn't, He would have called it quits years ago. No matter what, Payne kept fighting. When the industry changed around him, when his situations changed, and he was forced to make tough choices, he didn't make the right choice, or the wrong choice. He made his choice. Because he refused to conform. He stands out amongst all other who came out in his "class" if you will, because unlike any of them, Jon Payne is still Jon Payne.

The argument about gimmicks being a passing fad is a valid one. But in this day and age of wrestling, a gimmick means nothing compared to the action people come to see. The want to see top class fights between skilled athletes. Not some guy in elaborate face paint running around in tassels growling like a wild animal. It was fun when it was just about fantasy back in the days. But these days, and especially in XWA, it's about sport. Guys like Payne, or O'Dell, or as much as it make me queasy to say Jasta exemplify the sport. Because for all the hype and press they get out of the ring, they show up and perform at a level above and beyond most in the ring. That I believe, is where the next needed change needs to be headed.