There are other, overlooked, factors that can also establish and elevate a wrestler. One of these is the use of commentary and the impression we get of a particular wrestler based on what we are told during a broadcast.
An example of this can be found every Friday night when Smackdown airs. JBL (John 'Bradshaw' Layfield) is currently the 'colour' commentator - a role that traditionally sides with, and defends the actions of, the heel/bad guy wrestler(s). He recently came back to the WWE to help out with commentary duties due to Jerry Lawler's on-air heart attack last year - a strangely serendipitous event.
For those of you that aren't aware of JBL and his previous work, here's a little background:
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| Justin 'Hawk' Bradshaw w/ Uncle Zebekiah |
His first real success would be teaming up with Ron Simmons (Faarooq) to form 'Hell's Henchmen'. Their name was later changed to The Acolytes, as they were introduced as part of The Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness faction. During this time they would become multiple time Tag Team Champions - Bradshaw's greatest achievement to that date. The Acolytes would then change their name again to the APA (Acolyte Protection Agency) - this would be the height of their popularity as they would become babyfaces and be used mainly as a comedy duo in backstage segments. For the next few years they would be somewhat 'enhancement' talent - facing up-and-comers to give them credibility/elevation.
A few months into 2004, there was a need to elevate new stars as several top stars had left - Brock Lesnar, Goldberg (Stone Cold & The Rock the year before) - these voids were filled with the likes of Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero. A new, top heel was also required going forward. This would be when the transformation of APA Bradshaw into John 'Bradshaw' Layfield would take place.
After the storyline 'firing' of Ron Simmons, Bradshaw would come to ring to deliver promos on his real-life involvement, and success, in finance. He would become a villain as a result of these as he would portray a rich, suit wearing, I'm-better-than-you character, instantly raising him into the main event of Smackdown.
The Great American Bash of June 2004 would be JBL's greatest accomplishment in wrestling. This would be where he would defeat the late, great Eddie Guerrero in a Texas Bullrope match and capture the WWE Championship. This would be in a very controversial manner - something that would define a lot of his victories throughout a 280-day title reign. This reign would be the longest in Smackdown history at that time. Some have said that this title run was a disappointment, I have to disagree, though.
For someone that was thrust into the WWE title picture, with a new gimmick, and with the departure of some of the biggest names in wrestling, JBL did an incredible job of pulling off victory after victory throughout his one and only WWE title reign. He gave the title even more prestige (in a time when titles did still mean something).
The most important part of his championship run was probably the end. At Wrestlemania 21, JBL would face the rising star, John Cena. As history has shown us, Cena would go onto beat JBL and become one of the, if not the, biggest stars in wrestling history. I have to give a huge amount of credit to JBL for this. The 280-day title run that he had leading to Wrestlemania meant something, and in turn it meant something when Cena would capture the title from him.
JBL would first begin commentating in mid-2006. Instantly, he was a natural as he had already become a great talker in promos throughout the years. He would again return to the ring before leaving the company in 2009.
And now to the future... As said before, JBL returned to the WWE on a part time basis due to the heart attack suffered by Jerry Lawler. This was a godsend and a breathe of fresh air on commentary. With the return of Lawler to television, JBL would become full time and moved from Raw to Smackdown commentary alongside Josh Matthews (Play-by-play). This would be where he would shine and catch my attention.
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| Smackdown's scary-looking commentary team |
Another example that I noticed recently was that of hyping both wrestlers in a one-on-one match. Jack Swagger faced Zack Ryder in a match that was only ever going to be a squash (one sided affair). Even though Swagger dominated, and won, JBL listed Ryder's credentials as a former US Champion. This then informed us that, despite Ryder being fodder for Swagger, this is a great win for Swagger to obtain. Making Ryder seem relevant makes Swagger look that little stronger.
Something else I've also noticed him do is to refer to the past - legendary competitors from years gone by get a mention. I feel that this is important to the fans as they might then go off and Google such old stars, hopefully gaining a new appreciation and respect for those potential, and actual, Hall of Famers.
And don't worry; I haven't forgotten the past greats of this role I'm focusing on - in my lifetime there have been legends such as Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler gracing the commentary table. Giants amongst men.
Basically, wrestler's need to work extremely hard to get to the top. There's also a lot of luck involved - maybe being in the boss' good books could help? But a factor that surely helps them with the television audience is that of a convincing voice on commentary. Someone that convinces the audience that they believe in the wrestlers that they are speaking of.
In a way, commentators such as JBL, Michael Cole and Josh Matthews have to come across as bigger fans than we are. If they get excited by the action then that will rub off on us, too. Consciously, the wrestlers sell themselves to us; subconsciously, the commentators sell the wrestlers to us with their choice and use of words.
To sum up, as a wrestler, JBL will never go down in history as a John Cena or Hulk Hogan, but he will be remembered as a company man; a man that needed to do a job to help the company progress in, perhaps, hard times. He did an incredible job of leaving his tag-team-specialist roots and became one of the most hated heels in WWE history.
On commentary, JBL is fast becoming an expert - as he is in the business world. He grabs my attention in every episode of WWE television that I watch that he is present on. Much like his character adaption when wrestling, he has successfully adapted his ways to benefit the commentary position. Undoubtedly, a Hall of Famer in the future for his many contributions to WWE programming.
Not only a 'Wrestling God' but also a 'Commentary God'.
@jimmosangle
Very well written and everything you said was right on point.
ReplyDeleteI have a different writing style in that my primary goal is brevity, keeping it short. I just feel like people are so pressed for time these days and there are so many articles competing for their attention that they'll read something that's crap as long as it's short.
My second goal is to keep it entertaining. I try to mix in humor and images as much as possible to break up the seriousness. Think of it as a "spoonful of sugar" to help the medicine go down.
All that being said, I don't know everything. And this is an excellent piece. You stuck to your main point and communicated it in a way that was very easy to read. Good job!