tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post7158524044538963139..comments2023-07-15T07:17:49.535-04:00Comments on Professional Wrestling in U.S. Popular Culture: body typesSam Fordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17233749268141980625noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-83965529568459027362007-03-14T02:57:00.000-04:002007-03-14T02:57:00.000-04:00Given that wrestling in and of itself tells a stor...Given that wrestling in and of itself tells a story through physicality, naturally the body and physical presence of wrestlers plays a big part. It's just the way it's used that can be so intruiging, such as Andre being the face instead of the usual giant heel, or Steiner building a persona basically on his physique alone (see also Chris 'The Masterpiece' Masters, who has a similar gimmick). Wrestlers can use their bodies and change them to help develop their characters, or completely change directions even in spite of a perhaps limiting shape or size (eg Viscera, who went from an almost demonic blob monster to a Love Machine).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-5915727103668412202007-03-13T23:21:00.000-04:002007-03-13T23:21:00.000-04:00I remember watching Killer Kowalski earlier in the...I remember watching Killer Kowalski earlier in the semester, and thinking that the way he walked was scarier than any of the violence he was purporting to perform. Something in his gait, and the way he craned his head down at opponents...he looked the way I always imagined Frankenstein's monster would.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure mankind has developed a pretty rigorous series of archetypes over the years that signify good and evil at a bodily level, beyond pretty/scary. It's certainly hard to imagine a better test case for the relevance of ancient archetypes than pro wrestling.Beeznutshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16933308928180953131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-7629239055810552342007-03-13T08:07:00.000-04:002007-03-13T08:07:00.000-04:00Ismael, Scott Steiner is definitely a good example...Ismael, Scott Steiner is definitely a good example. I have never paid as much attention as some has to the body aesthetic of wrestling, although it is inevitably part of the spectacle. I have friends, though, partially because they are bodybuilder types, who notice minute changes in people's look from month-to-month, etc. In a way, then, body is pretty important to every wrestler, but you are right that there are certain guys who build their whole character around it, Scott Steiner being one of them.Sam Fordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17233749268141980625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-57395853852595927142007-03-13T06:10:00.000-04:002007-03-13T06:10:00.000-04:00It seems like wrestlers' bodies add interest to th...It seems like wrestlers' bodies add interest to the wrestler. Most of the time their physique is on display. There seems to be a tendency for a wrestler to change his body as he becomes more popular or as a means of becoming more popular. One example I can think of is Scott Steiner. While he was teamed up with his brother Rick Steiner, he was well-built and they became one of the most popular tag teams. When he came back as a solo wrestler, he adopted a freakishly large body that was an obvious result of steroids. Nevertheless, he gained fan interest with his sheer size. He became quite a spectacle, referring to himself as a genetic freak. His grotesquely large body became his character and profited off of it.Ismaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05569007541989884404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1546665963755719151.post-41721021943136515412007-03-12T20:48:00.000-04:002007-03-12T20:48:00.000-04:00Kate, you make some great points as far as how the...Kate, you make some great points as far as how the wrestling body is an important part of the text. Roland Barthes talked about the physicality of the wrestlers and how it mattered in this "spectacle of excess," by looking at the flabby heel and how his grotesque figure plays into his character.<BR/><BR/>But you are quite right--phsyical types may shape the characters, work with the persona, but it doesn't automatically designate whether they will be face or heel. Andre the Giant was a face, yet many other giants were almost always heel.<BR/><BR/>Nevertheless, the importnace of the body in the wrestling text cannot be understated and explains why there are always concerns of drugs to enhance physiques, etc., since the body is one of the most important resources the wrestler has.Sam Fordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17233749268141980625noreply@blogger.com