WWE, as an organization, has been criticized for over-loading social media hype on it’s programs. But maybe there is something to their method.
Wrestlers who use social media to connect with fans have been given more opportunities. For another example, brand new World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan launched a YouTube channel earlier this year.
As a long-time wrestling fan and critic, I find it refreshing that so much power belongs to the people. Fans pay for the tickets, buy merchandise and watch shows on TV, Pay-Per-View and the internet. They make an investment in the product in many ways.
Of course, the social component isn’t the #1 determining factor behind who gets pushed and who doesn’t. However, wrestlers who use social media have additional avenues to connect with the audience — to entice them to cheer or boo on the shows.
Punk and Ryder, for example, have hundreds of thousands of people following them across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. A portion of those followers are sitting in every arena WWE goes to, so that gives them a leg-up in trying to get “over” with the crowd.
And wrestlers who are more over get more matches, interviews, merchandise, etc.
And wrestlers who sell more merchandise get featured more heavily.
And wrestlers featured more heavily sell more merchandise.
So is social media prerequisite to being a successful professional wrestler? Not now, but it’s more important than ever before.
BONUS: Here is video of Zack Ryder’s title victory:
Sad news today, as professional wrestler, spokesperson and actor Randy “Macho Man” Savage died today after suffering a heart attack that caused him to lose control of the car he was driving.
He was only 58.
In 2009 when I first launched this blog, I had an occasional series called “Great Moments in Wrestling History.”
One of the moments discussed was one of my favorites of all-time, as bad guy Savage lost a career-ending match to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VII. Sensational Queen Sheri Martel, his manager at the time, attacked him after the loss. As he was defenseless and shattered, Savage’s on-screen former manager (and real-life wife) Miss Elizabeth, who had been watching from the crowd, ran into the ring and saved her love, even though he had turned his back on her previously.
Savage was touched by her gesture. You see, he had kicked her to the curb years before as he sank into paranoia and jealousy over her friendship with Hulk Hogan. She had no reason to help him, save for love.
Of course, it wasn’t an actual retirement. But the moment felt so real.
He came from a family of professional wrestlers and became the greatest of them all.
His match with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat at Wrestlemania III was long considered to be the greatest match of all time. His feuds with Hulk Hogan, Sgt Slaughter, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and The Ultimate Warrior provided some of the most iconic moments in WWE history.
He became a pop culture mainstay as the celebrity endorser behind Slim Jim (“Snap into a Slim Jim…OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH YEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH” is a classic tagline.)
Over the past decade, he had quietly disappeared from the public eye. He remarried just last year (Savage and the late Elizabeth divorced in the mid-1990s) and stood a good chance of being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next year, according to rumors.
World Wrestling Entertainment pulled a giant coup, announcing former Superstar and current action hero/villain Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the guest host for their biggest show of the year, Wrestlemania!
Instant Analysis: Obviously, getting their biggest cross-over star EVER (apologies to Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan, but The Rock is for real) to come “home” will boost TV ratings, buyrate, public interest…and maybe even their lagging stock price. Fantastic move! Enjoy the moment:
From my earliest childhood memories, I’ve been fascinated by professional wrestling. The pageantry, the story-telling, the over-the-top characters, it always wowed me. In fact, working with WWE in promoting shows and their superstars, like John Cena, was a major career highlight for me. Yes, the stories are scripted and can be silly, but the athleticism and showmanship is unparalleled. One thing professional wrestlers are completely underrated for is their communication skills. You see, good wrestlers can talk people into buying tickets, watching on TV or purchasing a pay-per-view megashow. They connect with people in ways politicians wish they could. They captivate, they motivate, they inspire, they entertain. And you can learn some lessons in communications from them. Continue reading “Communicate Like A Pro Wrestler” »
Stay with me on this one. It combines sports and professional wrestling. But it makes sense.
Listen to this while reading. It helps set the tone.
The year was 1996. For over a decade and a half, Hulk Hogan was the hero of the then-World Wrestling
Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment). He preached the “demandments” of training hard, saying your prayers and taking your vitamins. Kids loved him and parents saw him as a good role model.
He was the ultimate “good guy.” He toured the world, put on great shows and had a relatively squeaky-clean image (for this conversation, we’re talking about the Hulk Hogan CHARACTER, not the guy who testified in a steroids trial, ok?).
After leaving the WWF, he joined rival organization WCW. While there, he continued his benevolent ways, defeating bad guys of all shapes and sizes (and even a Horseman or three!).
In May 1996, former WWF performer Scott Hall appeared on WCW’s “Nitro” TV show to say that “we” are taking over. Hall was best known as “Razor Ramon,” a vaguely-Scareface-ish character who slipped back and forth occasionally from “good guy” to “bad guy.”
A short time later, Kevin Nash (known as “Diesel” in the WWF) joined Hall to wreak havoc in the about-to-start war against the rest of WCW.
The promised a third member of their group would emerge on national Pay-Per-View – at the 1996 Bash At The Beach. WCW stalwarts Sting, Lex Luger and Randy “Macho Man” Savage came to the ring for the match. Only Hall and Nash appeared from their side, but didn’t appear too worried. Luger was strangely injured and taken to the back early in the contest, leaving it two-on-two. And then this happened:
Hogan joined Hall and Nash to form the New World Order (NWO) with the stated goal of taking over WCW. The implication was that WWF owner Vince McMahon had sent them to destroy his competition, but a few lawsuits later, that undertone was removed. The NWO terrorized WCW for years to come.
Let’s replay that story, but with LeBron James in 2010:
Awesome, beloved good guy James, playing for his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, is living a dream. He takes on the Lakers, Celtics and Magic 81 times a year and is the undisputed face of the team and perhaps the second-most-marketable basketball star ever, behind Michael Jordan. As a free agent, he can choose what team he wants to play f or. Will he stay with his hometown team and lead them to championship glory?
While James was making up his mind, Dwyane Wade (Scott Hall) announced he was staying with the Miami Heat and wanted to attract other top stars to come with him to take over the league.
A day or two later, big man Chris Bosh (Kevin Nash) joined Wade in Miami, giving the Heat two of today’s top superstars.
On the nationally-televised ESPN show “The Decision,” James had the opportunity to come in and save the day for his hometown. He could spurn every offer and remain the ultimate “good guy,” the face of his franchise and most beloved player in the league.
James, however, pulled a Hogan. He ripped the hearts of out his loyal fans and joined Wade and Bosh in Miami.
Is he now a villain? Or is he a hero for turning down more money for the best chance of winning?
Time will answer those questions.
But, without a doubt, Wade, Bosh and James are now the New World Order of the NBA.
