Well my fellow backsliders, the time is now to dropkick into the wrasslin’ scene now that we’re post Wrestlemania season – wait, did you say it’s May? We’ve been post-’Mania for almost a month now and wrestling is STILL in the news? What year is it!
This has been an interesting season in the history of our sport. Last year, it seems like things were on the upswing. With the Women’s Wrestling Revolution firmly hashtagged and in full swing, it was okay to take a critical look at the areas where wrestling was making progress and the areas where it still had a ways to go. More importantly, we had finally kicked out a few terrible actors and it felt clean and good to openly enjoy headlocks and rest holds again.
Then 2019 went… south. White people forgave Hulk Hogan and welcomed him back into the fold. A few injuries happened. Women’s wrestling still lacks direction after we pinned all our hopes for mainstream success on a notorious transphobe. Roman Reigns’ cancer diagnosis further sucked the wind out of our sail. Perennial 2nd tier fave Ring of Honor is sliding down fast with no plan in sight to correct course. John Oliver forced us to reckon with the fact that a certain Big Name Company is engaging in some shady business practices that are kind of messed up and causing workers to leave in droves. And carrying us into May is the fascinating Dark Side of the Ring docu-series airing on Viceland, exploring some of the little heard and often tragic tales of the squared circle.
Wrestling is no stranger to bad news – its very origins is based on the idea that Any Press is Good Press. And latching onto pop cultural trends however relevant and regardless of the march of time is what wrestling does best. But this year is a little different. The climate has shifted. For example, one of the highest profile matches and arguable the brightest spot on WWE’s Wrestlemania card this year was a heavy showdown between Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan, the build up of which dripped with barely concealed race allegory for the millennial generation. A white liberal as the bad guy and I have to agree with it? Someone in the office is mighty woke.
That’s definitely not the first time wrestling has ever critiqued its own race problem and it won’t be the last. But the lingering question is: is it enough to call ourselves out on our lack of inclusive practices and still drag our feet? When are we ever going to do something about it?
When your hand is forced, of course!
Who knows if or when that story line would have happened had it not been for the (un)timely injury of Mustafa Ali. It’s no secret that WWE sets the trends even if they’re cribbing from smaller promotions, but it feels like this time there wasn’t a choice in the way the wind blew this time. Up and coming promotions on the outside are scooping up valuable talent and making big money moves – hiring openly gay and transgender wrestlers? Sign me up, I didn’t even know I could ask for that, let alone ask and get it and expect everyone to be treated with respect. I’m definitely not getting that in the big leagues and if I can get it somewhere else? I’m taking my queer dollars and going to that place.
What’s this all about, then? Who could ever care about a bunch of infighting between fake sport promoters? Because the theme of this year of media so far has been breaking up complacency. Nobody is immune to the demands for change and diversity on our screens. The question of “what are you going to do about this?” is something that has plagued the media for years, and has only gotten louder. There have been some answers along the way, but for each step forward it seems there is half one back. How long can you avoid the obvious? We can’t deny anymore that content for and by marginalized folks is in demand and it’s quite profitable. Older institutions are sweating – all of them. And it’s a good thing. There’s no reason to look at something you love and think, “that’s the way it always has been and that’s the way it always will be.” We don’t have to settle for something being terrible just because it’s been that way for generations. Especially now that there’s an alternative.
The next few months are going to prove very interesting for an industry that’s notoriously in love with its own history and accomplishments. Look, professional wrestling is a small blip on the radar compared to the juggernauts that control the gaming industries, film & television. But that’s no reason to ignore the fact that in every facet of life people are putting their boots down and saying enough’s enough. And once we’re done changing the landscape here as we have in all other areas of media consumption, I just want to know: who’s next?
Photo: Miguel Discart