In a recent conversation with wrestling fan Elvira (‘Mistress of the dark’ I assume) we discussed the issues relating to the underbelly of professional wrestling, the stuff that goes on behind the curtain and how it affects the perception of superstars in terms of their on-screen characters. I’ve never been a big fan of the wrestling rumour mill and I always take a lot of the ‘news’ written on Internet sites with an appropriate mountain of salt, but for the most part this information is vaguely accurate or at worst only partially libellous. I’m the wrong person to ask when it comes to how these stories are garnered and to what degree their veracity is checked because I’m a wrestling fan like anyone else and I personally have no sources or connections by which I could obtain such sensitive information. To write my columns I just sit at my computer and use my brain (sometimes) and some research facilities to check dates and statistics. ‘Insider’ wrestling news falls prey to the same protective inconsistencies as any other form of celebrity or entertainment gossip. The words ‘might’, ‘could’ and ‘probably’ are used liberally to ensure that no particular reporter can be held up to the light of closer scrutiny without having a secret door by which to escape, mainly thanks to the immediacy of the Internet and the legal grey-areas it affords the writer.
The most recent example of scandalous details ‘leaked’ from reliable sources is the situation surrounding the actions of Randy Orton. I’m loathed to repeat the accusations without some sort of corroboration from official channels but in the absence of that I’ll say that the ‘alleged’ incidents involved overt sexist behaviour, being unpleasant and offensive to fans outside arenas and defecating in the luggage of one of the female employees. I don’t really want to address that last ‘prank’ because, if it’s true, then it goes beyond the call of decency and is an invasion of personal property. I will however say this; I may be old fashioned in this regard but the guys on the road have a duty to protect the women (whether they are workers or not) and treat them with respect. I’ll move on. Even if the allegations of Randy treating the touring schedule as a unique ‘conquest’ opportunity are true, it’s not really something that is frowned upon in this day and age and this lack of frugality would elevate his image in the eyes of most men and quite a few women. I’ve seen (or had sent to me) several different reports claiming that Orton has been dismissive and at times verbally insulting towards fans waiting outside arenas for a photo or an autograph. As with any other type of eyewitness reporting, this could have easily been fabricated by someone or some people who have a dislike of Randy and wish to tarnish his character in the view of the public. If true, I’d find it incredible that Vince wouldn’t put an end to this sort of behaviour seeing as a bad social perception affects the gate receipts and we know how he feels about things that lose him money. The thing is, this is all conjecture. Until Orton releases a statement apologising for specific actions (and thus averring them) or an official WWE stance is taken on the matter, we have to assume that these details are just rumours and, as such, unproven. It is unfortunate that Randy is apparently in the process of a heel turn will be acting like an unprincipled slimeball upon his return from surgery and for the foreseeable future.
Although only a borderline scandal by mainstream standards, the situation arising from the Monday night wars was a fascinating glimpse at how petty and childish two wrestling companies could be. With WCW Nitro competing with and ultimately trouncing the WWF’s flagship Monday night show, Bischoff had achieved this highly unlikely feat by tacitly inferring that WWF wrestlers were appearing on Nitro and a full scale inter-promotional war was underway. Giving away the pre-taped Raw results on Eric’s live edition of Nitro was almost a sound ratings idea until he told viewers that Mick Foley would be winning the WWF title that night on Raw and the fans switched over in their thousands. Up to this point the WWF had taken the higher ground refusing to stoop to such tactics but then went even lower with the ‘Billionaire Ted’ skits, if only in terms of quality. DX’s invasions of WCW headquarters and live events were entertaining but feeble in insurrective fervour and were only surpassed in emptiness by Bischoff’s open challenge to Vince for a fight at WCW’s then upcoming PPV (congratulations to anyone who thought Vince would actually show up). Despite all the mud-slinging, underhanded tactics and insults, two things alone turned the fortunes of the companies around and put the WWF back on top. The first was the rise of Stone Cold and his amazing feud with ‘Mr’ McMahon, which contained some of the best ‘business’ you’ll ever see on WWE television. Secondly, and this needs saying; apart from the first four months, the NWO angle was crap. So I think it’s fairly safe to say that scandal is not as important as good writing and passionate performing when it comes to professional wrestling.
I guess the question is; is a real scandal only proven to be true if it appears as part of a storyline on WWE television? Here’s my list from memory; Stephanie mentioning the time Vince cheated on Linda, Eddie Guerrero’s addiction problems, the Montreal Bret/Vince incident, Scott Hall’s alcohol issues, the time HBK was beaten up outside a bar, the ‘curtain call’ incident from MSG, Nathan Jones and Luther Reigns’ respective prison terms. Actually, I’ll stop there. I’ve got loads more but the list would get dull. The point is, to acknowledge and subsequently use an infamous circumstance from a performer’s real life away from the ring carries certain dubious social overtones and seems to rely more on when, rather than how or why it happened. Would Booker T’s armed robbery be looked upon as an acceptable theme for an angle if he’d committed the crime last week? I doubt he’d still be employed by the company if that were the case. I understand that these issues are used as an example to young people that troubled lives can be turned around and that prison and other forms of sentencing are more rehabilitating than punitive but using it as a construct to add colour to an on-screen character is a shallow twisting of a very real problem.
By far the most notable wrestling related scandal was the WWF steroid abuse trial in the early 90’s. The US federal government charged Vince McMahon with possession, conspiracy to provide and the intention to distribute anabolic steroids to the wrestlers in his employment. WWF medical attendee from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission Dr George Zahorian had already been found guilty of providing steroids to wrestlers prior to McMahon’s trial and served three years in prison. Vince pleaded not guilty claiming that steroids were not illegal at the time the alleged offences took place but the FBI were on a roll after some minor successes in the war against recreational drugs and smelt another high profile media victory. The prosecution failed to prove many of the things it had set out to and Vince walked away with a ‘win’ but a seriously stained reputation for both his business and wrestling. In a strange coincidence, the Ultimate Warrior and latterly Hulk Hogan decided to step back from the spotlight in the aftermath of the trial and hand over the reigns to smaller, less bulky athletes like Michaels and Hart. The proceedings were obviously never mentioned on WWE programming at the time but did surface years later during a self-motivational speech as Vince prepared to take on Stone Cold Steve Austin on Raw.
As modern society expands and moral expectations in the US have lessened despite an actively Christian administration, it’s difficult to perceive what would constitute a genuine scandal thesedays. Corporate or financial scandals would be the most likely candidate with regards to a multi-billion dollar company but number crunching and faceless accountants don’t capture the imagination of a clamouring populous. Sex is always a sure-fire headline grabber but the offence would have to be unconsentual as mere infidelity is no longer enough of a faux pas to hold the fans attention for more than five minutes (see Edge/Lita/Hardy). The support given to wrestlers who are substance abusers by the WWE, whether they are still with the organisation or not, is well documented and they should be commended for such actions. But it appears as though obeying the laws of the land are not as important as obeying the laws of wrestling or doing what’s right for the company. Jim Duggan and the Iron Sheik’s respective WWF careers were almost ended when they were arrested for possession of narcotics whilst travelling in the same car at a time when they were supposedly feuding. Shawn Stasiak was discovered to have recorded private conversations between himself and his fellow WWF superstars to presumably sell on the Internet and received his release papers shortly thereafter. Even Paul Heyman’s recent demotion to company nobody is alleged to stem from an eaves-dropping incident during a business meeting. It appears as though you can break the law, but you shouldn’t cross the boss.
It looks like the only way to guarantee a scandal is to die. I’m not referring to the handful of wrestlers who have died of heart attacks or accidents in the ring but the people who died as a result of recreational excesses or momentary life-ending decisions. For anyone who’s lost someone close to them due to drugs or alcohol, I’ll spare you the ill-informed lecture on the dangers of the ‘high life’ but I will say this. It’s not my place to tell you how to live while you’re alive so it’s not my compunction to feel sorry for you if you’re dead. For every Elizabeth Hulette who died striving for a good time or a new buzz, there’s a Marianna Komlos who died at the hands of a nasty, hungry disease through no fault of her own. I know who has my sympathy.
I mentioned at the start of this column the part that the Internet plays in keeping the concept of scandal alive but the web itself is guilty of a more sordid nature. In the months after the tragic death of Owen Hart at a WWE PPV the Internet was alive with claims of having the ‘footage’ available for download, despite there being no actual record of the incident as the lights were out in the arena at the time. Both wrestling and mainstream mpeg sites constantly post and re-post clips like Sid’s broken leg, Sabu’s broken neck or New Jack’s grotesque blade job on Mass Transit. I was going to sarcastically ask if the Internet would be so voyeuristic as to show clips of Bruiser Brody’s stabbing or the suicide’s of the Von Erich boys if footage existed but unfortunately the answer is already a very obvious yes. Albeit not on the same scale, the WWE is equally as prone to behaviour like this replaying injurious moments like Lita’s knee twist or Steve Austin’s piledriver-induced spinal cord crushing for our amusement. I guess this perverted type of can’t watch/must watch entertainment isn’t going to go away but I am concerned for the future if the wrestler’s safety is not only in disregard, but presented as a separate media for our enjoyment.
So what have we learned (apart from just be glad your surname isn’t Von Erich)? The word ‘scandal’ seems quite antiquated in an era where a celebrity court trial is more a platform for a world golf tour or to improve sales of an artist’s back catalogue. Even a short stay in a decently furnished women’s prison doesn’t work if the prisoner’s stock market profile is higher on their release than when they went in. Wrestling has benefited from the breaching of storyline secrecy as the Internet and magazines devote more column inches to real life stories than the angles presented on the screen, just like I have in this column, and, as long as readers continue to want to see their idols shot down by their own stupidity, people will keep printing it. As we gradually desensitise and the shock value of what we see on our screens diminishes, new ways will be found to grab the viewer’s attention – care to make a bet that it won’t involve better writing and more logical storylines? Didn’t think so.
“It’s an insane world and I’m proud to be part of it” (Bill Hicks, comedian, deceased).
Lee
