When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about injustice and iniquity, he wasn't talking about being banned from the wrestling arena by someone who didn't exactly take too kindly to being called ugly and a hooker for the sole reason of wanting to do her job in peace (and to those who say "Well, you're naive if you didn't think Guerrero was going to put the screws to her," well, let's just say the "She had it coming" defense isn't valid in any situation). In fact, none of the things Rocky stands for currently - misogyny, fat-shaming, homophobia, and most importantly at least from where I sit, entitlement - are things that Dr. King had in mind. He fought so that his people, who weren't just black people, but poor and oppressed as well (if you had a Venn diagram of people in the '60s, black and "poor/oppressed" would have a lot of overlap). He had to work for all the progress he made, and he paid the price with his life.
That's why a hateful movie star getting handed a title shot using Dr. King's words ring so goddamn hollow. Hell, an employee of WWE using Dr. King's words rings hollow. I'd say the intermingling of Dr. King and pro wrestling isn't really something I'd expect given the state of several wrestling companies, but whatever, I'm a dickhead wrestling writer on the Internet, not a social scientist. I'm not sure I need to concoct a situation where a wrestler uttering those words, "Free at last," in a wrestling feud would work. I just have to say that it wouldn't in this situation.
The last year has been an awakening for me as a guy who used to love what the Rock stood for in the wrestling industry. I guess it goes to show how one might mature and change over time, or maybe it's just Rocky changed, but did it way too far to the reactionary side rather than using his charisma to adapt with the times. Then again, when John Cena closes the show with a rambling, incoherent spiel appealing to the baser instincts of wrestling fans, maybe the business itself hasn't changed.
I don't think I need to get Nietzschian intelligence or vast spiritual fulfillment. I can do simple entertainment. The Anger Management graduation special? That would have played on any show for any audience, and it was wonderful. When Alberto del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez playfully interacting with each other and the crowd isn't rocket science. So why is it that The Rock has to make me feel dirty when he's holding court? Why does John Cena have to pretend he knows what pop culture is and misunderstand it in ways that aren't even hilarious? That's all I want. If you're giving me heroes, make them heroic. If not, then run with shades of gray and don't shove The Rock as being a man of the people when he doesn't represent the people.
And don't let him co-opt the message of a true American hero just to get a cheap pop between dick jokes. That demeans us all.
That's why a hateful movie star getting handed a title shot using Dr. King's words ring so goddamn hollow. Hell, an employee of WWE using Dr. King's words rings hollow. I'd say the intermingling of Dr. King and pro wrestling isn't really something I'd expect given the state of several wrestling companies, but whatever, I'm a dickhead wrestling writer on the Internet, not a social scientist. I'm not sure I need to concoct a situation where a wrestler uttering those words, "Free at last," in a wrestling feud would work. I just have to say that it wouldn't in this situation.
The last year has been an awakening for me as a guy who used to love what the Rock stood for in the wrestling industry. I guess it goes to show how one might mature and change over time, or maybe it's just Rocky changed, but did it way too far to the reactionary side rather than using his charisma to adapt with the times. Then again, when John Cena closes the show with a rambling, incoherent spiel appealing to the baser instincts of wrestling fans, maybe the business itself hasn't changed.
I don't think I need to get Nietzschian intelligence or vast spiritual fulfillment. I can do simple entertainment. The Anger Management graduation special? That would have played on any show for any audience, and it was wonderful. When Alberto del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez playfully interacting with each other and the crowd isn't rocket science. So why is it that The Rock has to make me feel dirty when he's holding court? Why does John Cena have to pretend he knows what pop culture is and misunderstand it in ways that aren't even hilarious? That's all I want. If you're giving me heroes, make them heroic. If not, then run with shades of gray and don't shove The Rock as being a man of the people when he doesn't represent the people.
And don't let him co-opt the message of a true American hero just to get a cheap pop between dick jokes. That demeans us all.
