The Soap Opera For Men Essay, Research Paper
The Soap Opera for Men
Kaaaaplllowww! was the only sound heard as the Undertaker fell straight to the canvas. While the referee was busy tinkering with an exposed, stainless steel turnbuckle on the right side of the ring, little did he realize what was going on in the match. In the few moments that the referee was preoccupied, Stone Cold Steve Austin managed to obtain a black, metal folding chair from the outskirts of the ring and demolish the Undertaker over the head with it. The crowd was going completely berserk and there was not a single person in the audience that was sitting down anymore. Stone Cold, sensing that the end was near, decided that it was time to finish the match. He lifted the Undertaker up from the canvas and positioned him in the middle ring. The Undertaker, sill oblivious to anything going on around him, stood there helplessly waving his arms in despair. Seconds later, Stone Cold crushed his head with his finishing move known as The Stunner. Stone Cold then got onto the canvas with the Undertaker and put his enormously muscular arm over the Undertaker s chest signalizing a pin.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with names such as Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Undertaker, these are two of the most famous wrestlers in professional wrestling. The World Wrestling Federation is one of the more popular wrestling organizations and is commonly referred to as the WWF. A scene such as the one depicted above is a somewhat common occurrence that has kept fans riveted at the edge of their seats for years and continues to do so. Although not every match follows such a heart-pounding pace or have the most well known wrestlers involved; the WWF itself is a complex organization with many spheres of influence.
The story lines amidst the blood racing action are an integral part of the WWF. For the sake of simplicity, the WWF can be assumed to be a group of individuals (some belonging to a particular group or faction) all trying to win one of six championship belts. The constant rearrangement of intra group alliances is an essential component to the ever-changing plot. An individual, who you may assume to be your friend one moment, may turn against you the next second and aid in your destruction. An example of such is evident when Vince McMahon (former WWF commissioner) unexpectedly turned on the The Rock in an episode of Monday Night Raw. Vince McMahon, The Rock s presumed ally, was supposed to aid The Rock as he went for WWF championship belt against Hunter Hearst Helmsly. Nevertheless, only the inverse of such remained to be true. Vince McMahon aided Hunter Hearst Helmsly and the audience was in a state of utter shock and bafflement. Plot twists such as this keep the story line fresh and fans just yearning for more. Conflict amongst individuals also keeps the story line entertaining. Stone Cold Steve Austin and Rikishi have an ongoing battle as we speak and fans (such as myself) absolutely love it. Rikishi supposedly was the mastermind behind Stone Cold s debilitating leg injury. Stone Cold has returned to the ring within the past couple of weeks and he s out for blood and revenge no matter what the consequences maybe. What goes around comes around and all Rikishi s got coming his way is my fist down his throat, and that s the bottom line because Stone Cold said so! is a recent quote from Stone Cold in relation to what he plans on doing to Rakishi. Plot twists and conflict are integral components to the story line and the WWF would not even remotely resemble what it is today without it.
An individual enjoys the intricate and diverse story lines of the WWF for many reasons. An analogy of such can be compared to soap operas for women. Millions of women tune in every day to see whether John or Michael is the father of Melissa s baby or whether Mrs. Jones really did have an affair with her boss. Men enjoy drama just as much as women do, but how one defines the word drama is what separates one gender form the other. For generations, men have enjoyed watching fierce competition and rivalry. The WWF encompasses both of those unique qualities and creates a rather interesting drama as the characters play out their respective roles in efforts to win the coveted WWF championship belts.
The hundreds of diverse personalities are another aspect of the WWF I love. Ranging from the absurd antics of Stone Cold Steve Austin to the blatant cockiness of The Rock, the WWF has it all. Stone Cold Steve Austin is the American bad ass that hides inside all of us. He is the individual that represents what all of us may want to do but do not have the testicular fortitude to do so. He represents anger, aggression, and non-conformity. The Rock is more of the people s champion. Always looking to please his fans and advance his status among other wrestlers. He represents fame, fortune, and riches. The Undertaker, on the other hand, is a representative of the dark side. He represents death and the afterlife.
The diversity of characters in the WWF prevents the action from becoming synonymous with each other and that is something any full-hearted WWF fan will appreciate. The WWF has at least one character that we can all side with or root for. The reason for such an array of characters can be seen when professional wrestling was not as popular as it is today. It the late seventies and early eighties, there were only a dozen or so wrestlers and people eventually got bored watching the same people fight repeatedly. Repetitiveness is a never a good thing in the entertainment industry and the WWF discovered that soon enough.
The finishing moves are the most exciting part of the spectacle of professional wrestling. Once the opponent is tired and weary, a finishing move may be applied to finish the match in style. Three of the most eye popping moves are The Stunner, The Rock Bottom, and The Tombstone. The Stunner is attributed to Stone Cold Steve Austin. The first component of the move consists of Stone Cold fiercely kicking his opponent in stomach. Then, while facing the same the way as his opponent, he grapples his opponent s head while bent over and wraps his sweaty arm over it as he falls to the ground while holding his opponent s head over his shoulder. The force of the fall causes the opponent to become unconscious and the match is typically over as soon as Stone Cold goes for the pin. The People s Elbow, also known as the most electrifying move in sport s history, is attributed to The Rock. This move consists of The Rock placing his opponent in the middle of the ring. The Rock then runs from one of the end ring to the other and eventually plants his elbow right on his opponent s heart as his entire body plunges to the canvas with the strike of death. Lastly, The Tombstone is dished out by The Undertaker. This move consists of The Undertaker flipping his opponent upside down while holding him. The Undertaker then holds his opponent in this upright position as the blood eagerly rushes to the head to increase the magnitude of the upcoming blow. The Undertaker then places his opponent s head (which is still upside by the way) between his thighs and slams his knees to the ground. Again, the opponent is put to rest and the fan favorite adds another victory to his repertoire.
The many components to a finishing move are what make them so exciting to watch for people all across America. I d love to see the average Joe try to pick up another man who is almost three hundred pounds and throw him around like a bag of laundry. The wrestlers that perform these amazing stunts put years of training in their act and that simply is not something that can just appear overnight. Athleticism and timing are also essential to pulling the move off correctly. These dedicated athletes put years of hard work in the gym and in the ring to execute their respective moves to perfection. True fans of the WWF appreciate what hard work goes into these remarkable moves and enjoy them for these very reasons.
The popularity of professional wrestling is at all time high and the reasons for such an occurrence are evident. The WWF is an opportunity for all of us to relax and enjoy the lives of others, as ours may not be at the optimum state of continuum. The complex story line, amazing array of personalities, and finishing moves all attribute to its undying success. For those of you who someday do decide to endeavor in the world of professional wresting, keep this one bit of advice in mind as you progress up the hierarchy to winning the WWF Championship belt. Use a steel chair whenever possible because it would be unfortunate if someone like the Rock had to take you to Know Your Roll Boulevard, walk you down Jabroni Drive, and check you straight into the Smackdown Hotel!
1 .2 .3 the referee yelled out loud as he pounded his hand on the canvas while counting each successive number. The match was over and Stone Cold Steve Austin again left the ring victorious.