If you haven’t been watching, there is an exceptionally interesting dynamic going on in Pro Wrestling right now with regards to John Cena. I mentioned this in passing in my Tweeners! post and I’ll try to build on this now.
John Cena blows the roof off of every arena he walks into. There is a low-pitched boo from every single male old enough to have gone through his voice changing and a high-pitched yay from all of the females and the males who can still hit the high C. In any given match he’s in, there are two competing chants from the two vocal ranges. The high ones sing “Let’s Go Cena!” and the low ones chant “CE-NA-SUX!”
This happens pretty much everywhere. Cena has tried both ignoring and embracing it… here’s an example of the latter (skip ahead to 45 seconds in and you’ll get the full effect):
(ARGH THE CAT SOMEHOW DELETED MORE THAN AN HOUR OF THIS DESPITE THE AUTOSAVE FUNCTION… I’ll try to quickly recreate.)
The magnificient thing about the hate directed toward Cena is that it is the type of hate that gets people to tune in. Far too often, “hate” means that people change the channel and watch something that they actually enjoy. In Cena’s case, they love to hate him. They look forward to hating him. They spend money so that they can hate him in person.
While, right next to them, is someone cheering for the exact same guy.
The question then comes: who could you possibly put up against someone like this? Someone that the kids and ladies adore and the gents hate?
Well, there’s a dynamic that has long existed in wrestling where the heel is the only one allowed to acknowledge the “truth”. Too often, this manifests in the heel tells the audience some uncomfortable facts about working class hardships and wrestling class leisure activities (see I’m From Hollywood / My Breakfast With Blassie
In recent weeks, CM Punk has come out and explained to both John Cena and all of us in the audience that when an underdog beats the odds and somehow draws from the well and manages to win again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again that he’s not an underdog.
CM Punk pointed out “*I* am the underdog here, John.”
Which got all of the kids and ladies to boo him and all of the gents to cheer him.
If you happen to find yourself near a Blast Area this Sunday, you should stop by and get some wings and a beer and enjoy Summerslam.
Wrestling hasn’t been this good since the late 90’s and this is one of the most interesting dynamics I’ve seen between two competitors since… well, that’s another essay.
Far too often, “hate” means that people change the channel and watch something that they actually enjoy. In Cena’s case, they love to hate him. They look forward to hating him. They spend money so that they can hate him in person
In one of the Discworld novels (Lords and Ladies, I think) Terry Pratchett discuss this dynamic, he calls it the difference between hatred and loathing. If you loath something you avoid it as much as possible, but hatred is an attractive force – it’s love with its back turned.
The loathing distinction we made was “X-Pac heat”. Sure, we booed when X-Pac came out… but then we got up and went to get nachos.
Is there anything Pratchett doesn’t write awsomely about? I adored Lords and Ladies. *sigh*
I am trying to slowly brace myself for the inevitable day when it’s announced he just can’t write anymore.
I’d write a post about this except I don’t think any more than 3 people would read it: How my favorite TP novels are the ones that have a Good vs. Evil action hero vibe to them, and that that action hero is an old, withered, little old lady named Granny.
Please do. Pratchet deserves it.
My understanding is that Pratchett is already looking into assisted suicide. He has a book or two and a some other business he wants to finish first, but then he’s done.
It’s a real shame how relatively obscure Pratchett is given that he’s the second-best-selling author in the UK.
Not withered at all — one of her irritations is that she’s far more healthy-looking and attractive than she feels appropriate for a witch.
The current storyline between Cena and Punk is the best the WWE has done in a long time. My big concern is that it will end this Sunday. I wish they could figure out a good way to continue it.
As for the fans of Cena (both sides ARE fans), I cannot remember another wrestler with quite this level of love/hate. In some ways, Punk is starting to receive it as well. Quite a few are cheering him now and he is playing to that, while there are still many booing him. I do not feel he will gain the same bipolar levels of Cena and will, in the end, try to go full baby face. Though I am not sure he can obtain that with just the “straight talking” he is doing now, since that is normally reserved for the heels. We shall see.
I think that the best way to continue it is to keep the belt on Punk.
It’d be easy as pie to make Cena and HHH the corporate faces and Punk the plucky underdog who clawed his way to the top despite being Ring of Honor/New Japan kinda talent rather than having the WWE “look”. HHH/Cena can be the 2012 version of McMahon/Rock and Punk the 2012 Stone Cold.
Only crazier and more meta-.
I was thinking about HHH screw-jobbing Punk.
Not at Summerslam.
Survivor Series?
Eh, I think it’s far more likely Punk somehow beats Cena semi-clean, Punk waves it in front of HHH’s face – KICK WHAM PEDIGREE – and Alberto runs out to cash in his title shot. That way, Triple H can claim he didn’t cause the loss directly and both Cena & Punk can stay faces who sell lots and lots of merchandise.
Ugh, this makes far too much sense… allowing for the next two PPVs to have Triple Threat matches for the main event and culminate in Punk/HHH, Cena/Rock, and Alberto del Rio vs… Rey maybe for a clean win of the title at Wrestlemania.
I can *EASILY* see that happening.
*shudder*
I can see that too. But there is a long way to go before Wrestlemania. It woudl be nice if they could keep this storyline going that long, but I do not think they can.
Two things:
1. Cats!
2. The NBA had a similar dudes hate him/gals and kids adore him thing going on with Kevin “KJ” Johnson. (Now he’s mayor of Sacramento)
There is a book called _To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever_ which is an amazing title that perfectly encapsulates the phenomenon. (The book is apparently about some form of college sporting event.)
The best villains (or heels if you prefer) are the ones who actually have a chance to win. That’s why the Duke/North Carolina rivalry is so captivating: They’re both college basketball superpowers.
For me as a Kansas fan, I was thrilled to see Kansas State ranked (pre-season) third in the nation last season after languishing for decades as a doormat because I wanted Kansas and Kansas State to have an epic rivalry like that of Duke and North Carolina. Rivalry works so much better when your nemesis could actually beat you.
> For me as a Kansas fan
No religion!
(that’s a joke about Kansas fans)
Heh. It’s appropriate!
Fish, I believe what you meant to say was:
The best villains (or BLUE DEVILS if you prefer) are the ones who actually have a chance to win. That’s why the Duke/North Carolina rivalry is so captivating.
‘Heels be the heroes, Devils be the villains.
Oh, clearly the ‘Heels are the villains here! After all, they’re led by that horrible turncoat! 🙂
(I actually don’t have a problem with Roy leaving for North Carolina. I’m just expected, as a Kansas fan, to say something mean about him!)
Silly cats, maybe they don’t like wrestling.
Personally I’m indifferent to wrestling but several of my social [gay] circle watches episodes specifically for Cena because and I quote “Cena is awfully easy on the eyes”. Though, I imagine Cena would probably be none to thrilled that he’s being objectified that way by dudes but for some reason I find it amusing.
It’s like looking at a building.
Shortest possible: I don’t understand wrestling.
Less short: I don’t dislike it, it’s just alien from my experience.
“For a blog called ‘Mindless Diversions’….”
I’m torn about posting my explanation for why I love wrestling because it veers pretty deeply into religious territory.
I’ve never understood its appeal either. But a friend of mine who is a major fan says that in order to appreciate it, you must recognize it and an ongoing Epic Myth story of Good vs. Evil done with pile drivers.
Wrestling is something I dismiss as not even possibly of any interest to me. It’s a prejudice, I know, but a harmless one, certainly not as evil as thinking that baseball is boring.
I think I have my Monday essay.
Glad to have been of service.
I used to love baseball. Then I discovered soccer…
All we need to do is create a sport that never gets scores at all.
He already said “soccer”.
Zing!
I regret to say that I know diddly-squat about pro wrestling, even though my late great-uncle was once one of the top wrestling promoters in the world. (True fact.)
However, I know all about attractive hatred. Every season of Project Runway, there are participants who I love, and always, always one that I hate. I keep watching mostly for the latter.
(Sorry, Jaybird, but this thread wasn’t nearly gay enough.)
Project runway is totes awsome. Something about reality shows with at least strong allusions to meritocracy tickles my fancy.
(Sorry, Jaybird, but this thread wasn’t nearly gay enough.)
I know that as a white heterosexual male I am swimming in so much privilege that it’s freakin’ awesome and so I do what I can to make this place friendly for all colors, inclinations, and genders.
So far, it’s mostly white males showing up still… but some of them are gay! So we’re making progress.
Seriously, what’s with that? We even had girls at Catallarchy. I mean, it’s possibly just because they thought that Catallarchy was a type of butterfly, but still.
(Sorry, Jaybird, but this thread wasn’t nearly gay enough.)
Pro Wrestling isn’t gay so much as it provides an avenue for it’s viewers to subliminate their own latent homosexuality. It’s kinda the same reason that people will watch the new Conan the Barbarian movie. They can watch a sweaty, muscular man clad only in a loincloth and boots defeat the guy who killed his parents through masterfully handling his sword.
………
Actually, if you subtract out the sword, that has been the subject of many wrestling plotlines. Maybe they should have gotten the Undertaker and Kane to do Conan.
“ARGH THE CAT SOMEHOW DELETED MORE THAN AN HOUR OF THIS DESPITE THE AUTOSAVE FUNCTION”
I’m going to assume that Argh the Cat is a mischievous little fellow who is responsible for all the world’s computer SNAFUs. I think there’s an animated series to be made here, and possibly a video game and some merchandising as well.
The Summerslam finish!
If you didn’t watch last night, lemme tell ya:
It was not anywhere near as good of a PPV as last month’s “Money In The Bank” was. MITB was freakin’ awesome and a reminder of why I watch. Summerslam was merely meh. Some good stuff, some bad stuff, mostly competent, but not more than that, stuff, and the finishes were… well, I thought that this was Summerslam rather than one of the “In Your House”-level PPVs.
Anyway:
CM Punk had Cena pinned after a GTS. Cena gets his foot on the rope but HHH (the guest ref) doesn’t see it. Punk holds his title up, hurray, HHH and Cena discuss the foot on the rope. HHH is seen to say “I’m sorry, John. I didn’t see it.” Cena goes to the back in disgust. HHH starts heading that way himself when Diesel comes out. Yes, Diesel. No, seriously. Diesel. Diesel powerbombs Punk. Punk is, of course, devastated by the powerbomb. Alberto Del Rio runs down, cashes in his MITB contract, kicks Punk in the head using his own finisher (a sign of respect, if you ask me), gets the pin…
And we have a New Heavyweight Champion.