Posted in: Ripped To Shreds Ripped To Shreds #6: Where It All Begins Again
By Ripper
Jan 29, 2009 - 2:45:39 PM
Ripped To Shreds #6: Where It All Begins Again
On January 25, 2009, the twenty-second annual Royal Rumble transpired, and will go down as one of the most solid all around pay per views in the in history of this event. While some wrestling fans may choose to argue against that statement, few will ever overlook Matt Hardy turning his back on his flesh and blood and assisting The Rated R Superstar, the same man who originally betrayed him years ago by stealing his girlfriend Lita, regain the WWE Championship. A shocking turn of events, to say the very least. And as the calendars change, the U.S. Presidents come and go, and as trends change with the times, it may very well be accurate that the image of Randy Orton standing victorious against 29 other competitors will remain embedded in our minds for years to come.
Just as WWE had two back to back heel victories in the main event of Wrestlemania in 2000 and ’01, the Royal Rumble seems to be an event where WWE is trying to shake things up in recent years. In ’06, Rey Mysterio won the Royal Rumble match after entering at the #2 spot- a spot where the difficulty of winning is the same as #1, yet somehow can be much less spectacular of an accomplishment in some people’s eyes. The last two previous Royal Rumbles were only the first and second to have the thirtieth entrant win the big match itself, despite it being the most likely number to produce the victor. This was also the first Royal Rumble since 1999 where a heel came emerged as the winner of the Royal Rumble match itself; and unless we see an alteration from the probable plan of events, it will be the first time since 1995 where a heel wins the Royal Rumble and then goes on to challenge for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania.
This Royal Rumble will go down as having a significant place in wrestling history. However, it will not be viewed as a catalyst for important events. Not quite. But in actuality, it will be seen as a historical landmark so to speak. The reason for this is simple.. Royal Rumble ’09 was the first WWE pay per view event that has occurred under the reign of the new United States President, Barrack Hussein Obama.
Over the years, many different sayings and phrases have gotten tossed around with regards to the wrestling industry. What early nineties wrestling fan can forget commentators Vince McMahon and Randy Savage saying the ever popular adage “Anything can happen in the World Wrestling Federation”.? Or how WWE’s 1998 Super Bowl commercial (January ‘99) made famous the short lived slogan of “Get it?”?
A saying that is sometimes said with regard to the professional wrestling industry is that it can be, in several ways, a reflection of our society as a whole. Being a fan of the IWC, I know that you’ve heard that statement before. It is said every now and again that the great wide world of professional wrestling, this crazy, off the wall universe that we know and love, mirrors our real world in a variety of ways. It’s a world whose unofficial flag has evolved from the bright, shining yellow and red colors of the “Hulk Rules” t-shirt, to the more rugged black and white “Austin 3:16” t-shirt, to what today may very well belong to the logo of “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect”. But it has always remained a reflection just the same.
The other day I turned on the radio and heard Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”, a popular song from the early nineties. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard this hard rock classic. The song is well celebrated within the heavy metal industry (although it received some backlash within the “cult fan base” due to it’s main stream appeal). Upon hearing this, the song really made me take a step back. Not that it’s overly offensive or that I can’t handle the sound of heavy metal. It was because the pure, unadulterated, raw energy of the song, as well as the overall aggressive overtones really struck me, as it is dissimilar from a lot of the songs we hear on the radio today. It’s not like T.I.’s overplayed hit “Live Your Life”, or one of the newer singles from Britney Spears.
The song Enter Sandman, upon reading it on a lyrics sheet, is nothing too inappropriate for radio or television, with the exception of the dark, abstract theme to the song. The deep, semi-grainy voice of James Hetfield and the talented guitar playing of Kirk Hammet was the backdrop for The Sandman as he made his famous entrances in the original ECW, but this song is a fine example of the way things were back in the day.
The music industry has, for a lengthy period of time, generally reflected the views of society as a whole, and like the distorted image we would often see in a funhouse mirror, we have gotten to see a different type of view of society through the wrestling industry, or at least through the company that stands as the figure head for the business as a whole, World Wrestling Entertainment.
The band Green Day has altered their music in recent years to have a slightly more political approach to matters, but that is not what I’m discussing here. Nor am I discussing how Vince McMahon took advantage of people’s emotions in 1991 when he played out “Real American” Hulk Hogan’s rivalry with Iraqi sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter at the same time as The Persian Gulf War. This is a discussion of how the emotions of the general public have been reflected through World Wrestling Entertainment. This is a discussion of how the feelings, sentiments, and passions of citizens have changed the course of sports entertainment as we know it.
As I said before, the song “Enter Sandman” by Metallica really stands out among other songs we hear on the radio today. It was an aggressive, forceful sound, that was seen as slightly taboo. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary with regards to sex, violence, or drugs. It actually had nothing to do with that. The lyrics to the song are abstract, and do create dark overtones. However, it truly is the strumming of the electric guitar that makes this song what it is, as well as the raw, forceful singing by James Hetfield. The simple truth of the matter was that the general public during that era just wasn’t afraid of ruthless aggression being portrayed in entertainment. They weren’t appalled or frightened at the sight or sound of entertainers or musicians using their talents to take things to a level that overall seemed less and less suitable for children.
Society as a whole and professional wrestling has only changed subtly over the last ten years, yet at the same time, it has transformed dramatically. Go back and watch an episode of Raw Is War from late 1997. Many people credit the birth of the Attitude Era as beginning at Wrestlemania 14, but the spirit of “Attitude” was certainly present. More technically sound matches seem to be somewhat more expected now a days. There was never a “You can’t wrestle” chant shouted in the direction of any sports entertainer in the late nineties. Fans just didn’t have those general expectations.
General feelings will always permeate through the public as a whole. Going back as far as the seventies and the sixties, there was much commotion and fuss over the United’s States government’s judgment that is was necessary to get involved from a military stand point when North Korea invaded South Korea. Rebelliousness towards the government spread, and a good percentage of U.S. citizens demonstrated their defiance through sit ins, peaceful and non-peaceful protests, rallies, and the like. Citizens were standing up for that they believed in, which did not coincide with some of the government’s decisions.
Not coincidentally, the music artists of the time, who are a part of society after all, reflected some of the general feelings of society in their work. Jimi Hendrix did the song “Foxy Lady”, which on the surface may have been touching upon matters in his own personal life. However, the sound and rhythm of his electric guitar as he strummed out the melody was seen as, in one way or another, his own way of showing a rebellious spirit towards what was being seen on the national news every night. Jimi’s rendition of “Star Spangled Banner”, a magnificent display of talent in it’s own right, was a more apparent way of displaying the spirit of the times. Whether it be Led Zeppelin singing about having a “Whole Lotta Love” or Aerosmith singing one of their earlier classics, the feelings of civilization could be felt, whether it be in a direct fashion or more often than not, an indirect fashion.
Even look back to the fifties. On the heels of World War II, U.S. citizens just got finished dealing with a very tumultuous time period in their country’s history. The foreign supporters of Adolf Hitler had been defeated once and for all, and a huge wave of comfort had fallen over people. A world wide take over was no longer imminent. You could go to the local malt shop, relax, and turn on Gene Chandler’s “Duke Of Earl”, or Diana Ross’s “My Guy” and just enjoy yourself. You felt peaceful, and many of the songs you heard back then reflected this. Songs about cheating boyfriends and lost loves were prevalent, as they always have been, but indirectly, you could get a sense that of the times in which these artists were living. They were the underlying foundation of these songs.
Today, many people claim that the music industry, and the entire entertainment industry as a whole, is in a slump now a days. Taking a look back at how society has affected music, I don’t feel it is any coincidence that the entertainment industry is in a slump at the same time that the United States has fallen upon tough times. The infamous events of 9/11 occurred, which put a scare into many Americans. It was certainly frightening for myself, as I was a senior in high school at the time. The Iraq War then transpired not too long afterwards, and it was a decision that President George W. Bush made with much apprehension from a number of citizens.
Financially, the U.S. economy has fallen on some very hard times. Former President Bill Clinton actually was able to create a surplus in the U.S. economy, and I don’t feel it was a fluke that people back then, overall, seemed to be relatively care free, and I don’t feel it’s a coincidence that music artists seemed more energetic and passionate about their music.
Today, it seems as if society as a whole is like a father who has to deal with personal hard times. He may have issues with his family and issues on a financial level, and while he can put it to the back of his mind every day and go about his life, his problems are still looming over him, and he may only be drudging through life overall. He may only be dragging himself along, possibly just going through the motions, and won’t be able to be “all that he can be” until his issues get settled, and he can be care free and not have any major worries on his mind.
This is why the entertainment industry just fails to have the pop and punch that it once had, and is in a “slump” so to speak. Over the years, WWE has began to reflect society overall, as that same care free, “sky is the limit” attitude that people had in the late nineties was visible at that respective time. Whether you look at Saturday Night Live now as opposed to then, The Simpsons, the music scene of then and now, or WWE programming, things on the surface seem the same, but the energy behind everyone’s actions is generally lower today.
This month, Barrack Obama has been sworn in to the White House. It was stated that when he rode a train to the White House for his inauguration, the hopes of Americans were riding along with him. While some may argue that Obama may not be able to turn the economy around and set the American public at ease, I personally believe that it would be rather difficult for things to get worse, and I feel Obama is qualified enough to make matters significantly better, and because of this, there will be a significant upswing in not only the wrestling industry, but in the entertainment industry as a whole.
