What Is the Goal of Comedy? Or, Why Santino and 3MB Don't Need Your Title Belts

He has a place, but should that place be "bigger" than his role?
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Santino Marella has his career set for as long as he's not stupid enough to drink and drive. The same can be said for 3MB, or at the very least Heath Slater. Wrestlers like those who know how to exaggerate, pratfall, gesticulate, and make fun of themselves are invaluable to any company. They're comic relief, and in the hyper-aggressive theater that is pro wrestling, their levity is the difference between a crowd too burnt out to make noise for the main event and one that remains fresh because their emotional attention span isn't demanded to be strained every segment on a given show.

A disconnect exists between their role and the way their role is perceived by some fans. Obviously, Lance Storm pretty much has raged against comedy in WWE specifically on Twitter. I'm not sure whether he hates to laugh, whether he wants his comedy and wrestling to be separate all the time, or whether he just doesn't like what WWE is passing off for laughs. He seems like an extreme outlier to a camp that resists the existence of Marella or at least the breed of slapstick that WWE presents. Others have their pendulums swung completely in the other direction and want guys like Marella or Heath Slater to be able to get big pushes, win matches, have feuds, and get them title belts around their waists. Personally, I think that specific tug of war, which I see exists although among very specific types of fans, misses the mark. The struggle is one rooted in the wrong kind of currency, wins and losses.

I'm not entirely sure if wrestlers are the marks for themselves that some fans portray them as. I don't know if winning percentage is the thing they care about most or whether it's money or more importantly, time to perform. If performance time is the metric, and opportunity to make people laugh is what is really wanted, would the match decision really matter? Even if Marella had a winning percentage of 100%, would making him the focus of a title feud enhance his standing within the company that much? I write the prior sentence noting that his near-win of the 2011 Royal Rumble was one of the best moments of that year. I don't think comedy precludes someone from getting a push, but that notion in and of itself presupposes that a push, winning percentage, titles, and "credibility" are important to wrestlers. I certainly don't know whether WWE guys or even wrestlers in any level think winning is better than getting spotlight to perform in general.

Obviously, most "serious" stories are set up for someone to come out a winner and a loser, or for some kind of resolution to be attained. With comedy, the goals are different. Laughter is elicited whether the match has a decision or not. In non-match segments, laughter and applause are the actual endgame. Dragon Gate Japan touched on this concept with the Open the Owarai Gate Championship, although the title belt in general being decided on applause, while avant garde and worth exploring in front of an audience more receptive and liberal towards that kind of change, felt not ready for current wrestling if you know what I mean.

I don't think questioning comic relief's place on a wrestling show should be on the table, but questioning its role further may need to be done in order for fans and even promoters (like, I don't know, Gabe Sapolsky) to understand better how to accept it or make it work. And hey, if a jokester like Marella or a group or troupe like 3MB were to be chosen to get put in a story, then I wouldn't complain either. I think Marella would make a fine World Heavyweight Champion in the right story. 3MB as Tag Team Champions defending under Freebird Rules to zany results would be goddamn cool as well. I just don't think those carrots are necessary to get the most out of those kinds of performers. Maybe all they need to do is be able to make the kids laugh in order to win their own metaphorical Championships.