Interesting story on CNN about a guy who created a “progressive liberal” wrestling persona so he could be the “bad guy” in matches that are mostly held in rural counties… The video is worth watching just for his Hillary and Biden costumes. He says after Trump lost, the mood of the fans changed… I guess they used to see him as harmless since Trump was in power and “owning the libs”, but since then, they apparently see this make believe character as some sort of actual threat, and says in the past months alone he’s been attacked three times by fans and fights are breaking out in the stands…. He’s called matches short due to the violence from the fans. People need to get a grip. Also interesting is that he says in real life he does lean liberal, but gets along fine with the other wrestlers who are mostly conservative. Two pro wrestlers developed 'The Progressive Liberal' to be the bad guy at matches. Then the atmosphere turned far darker | CNN Politics
Not surprised. Imagine what some of these folks would do if they actually got their hands on any of their list of villains?
And if you don’t like it, you’re going to learn to love it, because it is the BEST THING GOING….TODAY! Woooooooo.
People are willing to do whatever puts people in the seat. From the promoter to participants same as in the political arena what makes a buck is fair game. It is interesting that they realize they may have pushed things too far. I wonder if they will change the rhetoric or wait until somebody gets hurt as they squeeze the last dollar from the community. I don't know when this was published but I doubt things haven't changed much in Stickleyville VA. The town has a population of 332 and the economy is based on tobacco and coal. The median household income is $25,481. As you scroll through the tabs you will find there is no diversity and the population is mainly female. Interesting note concerning education is 53.4% have some college education with no degree and Stickleyville is a census designated place. Just searching through the internet finding anything of note or concerning Stickleyville VA and things to do is not much when compared to major metropolitan areas. Other than tourism (national parks) you're hard pressed to find anything of much interest, I have to give CNN credit for stepping out of their comfort zone and into a small town of residents that most neglect. Of course the selling point of the article is purely political from CNN's point of view as with the wrestlers and their personas. Where CNN got the scoop to check out this small enclave is a mystery. Perhaps some politician in Stickleytville VA put out the word and CNN jumped on it. Pushing the view of mainstream GOP supporters being violent and painting them with a wide brush that is highly representative of our political and social views is what you get from this article. All that said I wouldn't consider Stickleyville a representation of the majority of the nation when it comes to our political / social environment and violence but it does promote such actions and makes the front page of the news. Stickleyville Va Even Wikipedia doesn't have much to say about. Stickleyville, Virginia
Speaking of a wresting villain based on politics this comes to mind. American who channels Donald Trump becomes Mexico's biggest wrestling villain
This reminds me of the Taliban wrestling character the gang invents in Its Always Sunny when they decide to put on a wrestling show for the troops. Bonus: Rowdy Roddy Piper cameos in the episode as the crazed wrestling veteran.
The heel in wrestling has been a staple of wrestling organizations for many years. Did fans get rowdy and go ballistic back then? Of course they did. Some may remember The Great Malenko (Larry Simon from New Jersey). Remembering the Past: Boris ‘The Great’ Malenko was master heel Malenko was eventually stabbed by a knife-wielding fan in Richmond, Va., and took 33 stitches in his abdomen. Orton, who was knocked out by a chair and trampled on by fans, quickly left the area and returned to Florida as a good guy. Malenko stayed and continued to terrorize the territory as its top heel. “Back in his day he was one of the first ‘Mad Russians,’ and he personified the image of the Russian bad guy,” recalled former NWA star and WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Brisco. “When you went into the ring with him, you knew you had a battle. He and Eddie Graham were just unbelievable down here in Florida. The man’s psychology in the ring was second to no one. He did a lot of good things around this area.” ....... A New Jersey native, born to a Polish immigrant father and American mother, Malenko began his career under his real name for the late Vince McMahon Sr. in the early ’50s before going to Texas under the moniker Crusher Duggan and claiming the state title. He later became a top heel in Nebraska under the name Otto Von Krupp – this time as a post-World War II German villain even though Malenko was actually Jewish. Larry Simon adopted the persona of Boris “The Great” Malenko in 1962 in Florida, where over the next decade he became perhaps the most hated heel in the territory, holding a number of titles along the way. His array of straps included the Florida heavyweight crown on two occasions, the NWA Southern heavyweight title, the Brass Knuckles title and the Southern tag-team title.
So based on very limited knowledge of wrestling, other than the fact that I grew up in Tampa near the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory and Gordon Solie, It seems that most of the past representational villains, i.e. those that were the “villain” solely due to their origin were foreign, Arab or Mexican. Now we pick a fellow American. Am I reading the article and this thread correctly?
The article isn’t actually about Stickleyville, that just happens to be one stop on a tour where a particular incident took place. The article is about how the political divide is so bad in some places, that they can’t even handle a little political caricature. That is the point of the article. Wrestling is a show, it’s staged entertainment. Yet despite the fact that it’s staged, obviously some people get “into” it emotionally. Sounds like this was all in good fun until the guy started realizing more people were actually taking the act seriously than he realized. How to reach those people is an entirely different question, the article only highlights what happened. I was actually going to suggest wrestling fans must be some of the dumbest people, but a Google search revealed that WWE favs have high IQ. Not sure about that, or that the “study” of WWE applies to the crowds of small-time wrestling shows in Appalachia, but certainly if a person is “triggered’ by a show to actually get mad or commit violence there is a mental health issue going on with that person.
Oh please, finding true wisdom in a small town diner happens so often now it’s become a trope to Doug J. Balloon, such that he sells merch with one of his taglines mocking the search for wisdom there
Read post #16 concerning the heel of wrestling (The Great Malenko). Wrestling fans are a rowdy bunch that enjoy a fight and the dirtier the better. There is always a good guy and a bad guy and violence ensues at the event be it between the wrestlers or the fans. Now if the fans of wrestling were committing violent acts against political figures across the board that would be a story to tell wouldn't it? They are not and that is the point I am making yet CNN would suggest or imply otherwise. This is no worse than the fights and riots that occur at any number of sporting events. Hockey, football, soccer etc... These fans are not seeking out opponents of other teams in everyday life and threatening them with violence.
