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TS: #39: Who Remembers Crash? OTC: Smackdown Grades for 11/27/03 RRC: 11/24/03 OTC: Smackdown Grades for 11/20/03 RRC: 11/17/03
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Solstice Scriptures: #84: The Thin Line
by: Marcus Madison on: 11/30/2003 12:49 pm est  Reality. It?s something that isn't questioned because it?s legitimate. Wrestling fans want a healthy dose of realism when they watch wrestling. They want to believe the wrestlers? spots in the matches are real. They want the character that the wrestler is portraying to be believable yet realistic. They want also want to be able to empathies with the character as well. There is a problem with wrestling fans wanting these things time and time again. There comes a time when the writers and athletes come together and not only approach the line of reality they often times will cross it. What happens when something that is so real and believable in reality that wrestling fans almost shouldn't know? The result itself often comes into question. Should this all be for public consumption? So what exactly am I talking about? Is it the wrestlers? Is it the storylines? Or is it the person behind both the wrestler and character? What comes into questions is a bit of each of these things. Wrestlers (and not just in the WWF/E) are real people. This isn't some great discovery. This isn't new or even different. What it is that in these wrestlers lives become real life situations. Some situations that are so severe, so hard to deal with that the only way to deal with them is to escape. How do they cope? Drugs, alcohol, depression and even death. The problem is that these lives come under a microscope. It doesn't matter what they do, or how they do it the wrestlers lives become the stage. Their families are now involved and everything that was supposed to be personal is now public. That even if they wanted to hide their problems it is what they are recognized for. Wrestling writers have managed to capitalize on the problems wrestlers have. It seems in poor taste, to do but it is done with the not only the intent to interest the viewer but with the consent of the wrestlers themselves. It is the person who has the problem must now deal with the harsh reality of their personal lives being aired on a public forum. What were once private and real has now become public and a storyline. Is this new? Actually... During the end of the closure of ECW, it was rich in breaking the kayfabe and turning a wrestler's personal trash into their own scripted treasure. For instance the case of Chris Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch both were dealing with a very public substance abuse problem. So rather than sweeping it under the rug and allowing the plight that both of them face be dealt with in private, it became the focal point of their return to the company. The very private affair was now up for public consumption. In a feud with Lance Storm and Chris Candido, Storm didn't hold back with what he thought Chris should be doing with his time. "Why don't you just do yourself (addressing Candido at the time) a favor and go to the back and take a power" (Lance taps on his own nose at the time at the end of the statement). The obvious suggestion of snorting some form of drug was now a storyline it didn't seem right, and didn't seem fair but it didn't matter it was now the basis of Storm's promo. Storm, behind the scenes never hid his displeasure with having both Candido and Sytch as part of the locker room and this statement whether a shoot or not, hit very close to home. In fact it did more than hit too close to home, it actually hit the home dead on. Was it a fair thing to do? I don't think it was. But is this what someone is supposed to receive for being a public figure? It appears so. It appears as though even if mentioning it and making the focal point of a wrestling angle was in poor taste means that they are suppose to be in the spotlight. So it comes with the territory, right? It sure is. It's to be expected, that if your life your in the spotlight that whatever you do personally will also be spotlighted as well. Thus the thin line between personal information and public consumption has not only been walked along but is crossed. Does this mean Chris Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch deserve to have their personal demons aired out even after their problems are resolved? I don't know. I'm not in their place, but their may be a meaning behind why they okayed this to happen. Publicity. It may very well be that the recognition for doing something and showing how they are capable of recovering is what the goal of the storyline meant to Candido and Sytch, the people and not Candido and Sytch, the professionals. Which what seems to happen. By 'airing' their privacy into public, they garnered the reputation for being unreliable, a bad influence in the locker room and difficult to deal with. Temporarily the intent may have had good intentions for Candido and Sytch themselves but long term, the affects of making their personal strife with drugs and alcohol public has plagued them ever since. ECW is not the only company guilty of turning someone's personal problems into the focal point of a wrestler?s career. In the WWF the person they did it to, was someone who was a childhood favorite of mine and to see him being used this way did make me scratch my head. The re-introduction of Jake 'the Snake' Robert's into the company probably had a very noble meaning behind why he was promoted the way he was. Robert's had fallen on difficult times prior to his return to the company. Drugs, divorce, were among the areas that were most problematic for Jake. It was a different side of Jake one that wrestling fans may not have known. How far did the WWE push this 'seen the light' character? Well, for anyone that has seen the program the 700 club it's a show that talks about Christianity, and has motivational speakers that will come on the show that talk about how they were corrupted by the devil. Oddly enough, Jake appeared on this program and admits to being corrupted by the devil and manages to work for Vince in the process. Funny how irony works, isn't it? Anyway, Roberts talked about the life he had and the problems he had and this was probably intended to have very positive meaning was just another example of how Roberts was being exploited for his personal life and had become the focal point of his return. There was probably some form of healing in simply reiterating what the character wanted to do in the first place. The real person is who drank, did drugs, and was called a bad father not the character. Robert's who was synonymous for bringing a large green sack to the ring with a 20 plus foot python, continued to do so the only difference was the name of the snake. While Damien was now gone, 'Revelations' took its place. Loosely translated the word 'revelations' means the end. That in fact it wasn't the end but a new beginning. The intent to breathe life into performer that was known for having IT now was being utilized for what he didn't have. That was privacy. It was the gateway to closure that could have and should have remained something for Roberts to have dealt with but that wasn't the case since it became open for public discussion. Sadly enough one of not only my favorites growing up but of others as well had his personal problems exploited to those he trusted. Either in a documentary or by his employer. These were things; I just didn't need to know. This wasn't the first time the WWE has used personal problems from wrestlers and used them in a very public light either. In the case of Goldust and Marlena or Dustin and Terri Runnels they are the same two people and yet went along with having their personal life become part of storyline. It was probably after they had actually separated that Dustin and Terri agreed to this storyline. For those that may not be aware the couple was used in a storyline along with Sean Morley himself. Morley, better known as Val Venis was shown 'sleeping with Terri' the act of adultery was already planted right there and then. All of the parties involved were adults so what they weren't doing anything that bad, were they? No, not if you call airing their dirty laundry in public fine to do. Was this really that necessary? I don't think it was. The storyline itself wasn't exactly an exploitation of why or how the separated and then divorced but it still involved them. They may have very well gone along with the idea, and even were glad to do that. I'm not naive to know that marriages have ups and downs and it must be difficult to have to work with someone after you both have ended your relationship but this had to be difficult for both of them. How could it not? It isn't as though they?re working with an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, were talking about an ex-spouse and the person you were responsible for having a child with. Their daughter Dakota was too young to remember this but at some point somewhere down the line; she will question why mommy and daddy did this for millions and millions of people to see. This was dealt with in private but now it needed to become a part of a storyline. If the wounds are healed why re-open them? Everything was said and done but that apparently didn't matter in this case. It seems like it was more entertaining to have their personal discontent for each other become something very public and totally unnecessary. Dustin has a tendency of doing these private problems into public angles has happened before. Around or near the time of this 'marriage-breakup angle' Dustin made public that he and his father, Dusty Rhodes hadn't spoken in years. Dustin clearly has a lot of baggage that he carries with him. This may very well be his way of dealing with it. Maybe making light of things for him is a means of the healing process. Now if it seems like misery in recreating personal drama into public storylines wasn't enough for both the WWE and ECW, WCW would also exploit their workers with difficult problems to deal with so they can create a script as well. Who was the person? Arguably one of the best wrestlers never to be the WWE champion, someone that almost anyone that has even loosely followed this man's career would know who I'm talking about. Scott Hall's problems with alcohol, marital problems became the focal point at one point with the company. The way in which this angle began had Hall come down to the ring swaying from side to side as though he was intoxicated. He brought with him what was supposed to represent an alcoholic beverage and look as though he couldn't compete. It didn't matter if it was orange juice, tang or even KOOL AID the impression that it gave the audience was one of disbelief. It just seemed very harsh, and although it seemed like he was a mess something like this for him may have very well been what he needed. Maybe for Scott Hall, airing it out in public was his only way of dealing with it. I don't know if he received professional help to assist him dealing with this but maybe it was what he thought worked best for him. The end result didn't help him as a professional but it may have very well helped him as a person. If that's what he needed to do then, than that's what works best for Hall, I as a wrestling fan just don't want to see someone's life used that way. Art shouldn't have to imitate life, when life at times can be so unbearable that just living is a task. It wasn't a secret and it hard for his family to see him act as himself. There was no surprise, there was no creativity, it was textbook alcoholism being used and someone had to deal with that is the person who is being asked to dance. It all falls into the category of things that we shouldn't know, but understand happen. Does seeing Hall act out his addiction in front of millions of people entertain them? I don't think it does. Some people may be able to empathize with what he was going through but unless they were Hall themselves they wouldn't know. This brings up to the present day in the WWE. The latest person that has made their private turmoil into a public storyline is Eddie Guerrero. A few weeks ago, Eddie's nephew Chavo didn't hide the fact that his uncle had an addiction to drugs and alcohol. My jerk response was that's pretty low. This gave me as a wrestling fan a very uneasy and uncomfortable feeling. Even if it was scripted hearing those words, couldn't have been easy. It came across Chavo's family loyalty was being put on the line when he said that. I like Eddie Guerrero, and just like a lot of WWE fans I want to see him succeed. In liking him however, I'm not in favor of his personal life being used a means to build him up. Even if he's given permission for it to be used, it doesn't mean it's necessarily the right thing to do. After Chavo announced this, Eddie went out and gave the most emotional promo I think I've ever seen. It was real, just like his problems. Fans appeared supportive of what he was doing, it just didn't seem like it was necessary to have had his actual life used as a form of motivation so his character could relate it. Wrestlers are people just like you and I. We understand that when you live your life in public you?re going to face fingers pointing at your every move or criticizing you in the process. But they deserve their private lives kept private. Although they manage to collaborate with having their lives made a focal point of a storyline, it's clearly no fans business. I say this as a fan myself, that having someone else's life become the focal point of a storyline just to entertain others, is disheartening to see. If I was in their position, I'd have to think about the response to doing this has. On one hand, we have it making it a feel good story that the fans can empathies in and on the other hand we have just tearing open closed and painful wounds for the world to see. What am I asking for? I'm asking for that thin line that exists to be made thicker. For the distance between personal information and public consumption becomes further apart and that this type of writing be avoided. The wrestlers deserve to have their private lives and public lives kept separate in such a way that no line is ever crossed. In the mouth of... This is the part of the column that has nothing to do with the previous statements. Please feel free to send your thoughts along, with what you loved, loathed or even lusted over by simply clicking the link on our right ---> The line in the sand has been crossed now let?s hope that privacy can remain private, once again. Marcus Madison The Truth beyond the Equinox |
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