Opening
Superstar. A term coined by the WWE that is used in place of the word wrestler, which Vince McMahon seemed to hate for whatever odd reason. However, I believe it is a term that should be used more scarcely in regards to wrestlers, especially in today’s landscape. Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Kenny Omega(really The Elite as a whole), Kazuchika Okada, and maybe a handful of others are those that I would consider superstars of wrestling right now. The commonality? They look and are presented as superstars.
When the lights go out before “Carry on Wayward Son” hits, and the galaxy picture lights up behind them as it traces the silhouette of The Elite, they feel like superstars. When the bass hits and you hear the holy Samoan choir singing before Roman Reigns takes his 200 minute long strut to the ring, he feels like a superstar. When you hear that coin drop and Okada Bucks start raining down from the sky, he feels like a superstar. You get the point now, right?
I said this in the previous part of this series(which you should go read because… why not?) but I firmly believe that presentation is vital to the success of not just the wrestler themselves, but also the character that they are portraying(though, these do go hand in hand). This is something I think some newer talent is struggling to realize(whether it’s in their control or not) which is hurting them in fulfilling their potential, names such as: Madcap Moss(yes, seriously), The Gunns, and Action Andretti(I’ll elaborate on this one later).
In spite of that, there are also plenty of fresher talents that are excelling in their presentation, names like: Daniel Garcia(I plan on talking about him a lot more in depth in a future article), Shota Umino, HOOK, and Lucky Ali. But first, let’s jump back to those already at the top of the mountain and how their presentation has helped elevate them to that level.
Main Attraction
I already discussed a little bit about how The Elite, Roman Reigns and some others feel big just based on their entrances, however, presentation also has to do with other things like a wrestler’s attire. As strange as it may sound, when Reigns simply removed his vest from his Shield days it felt like a huge deal. Now, Reigns came to the ring flanked by Paul Heyman and only typically wearing a Samoan ‘Ula Fala around his neck. The only shift that we would see from time to time was the color of his glove(often gold or red), but even something as simple as this worked for his character. He had finally abandoned his days as a “hound of justice” and fully embraced his Samoan heritage, taking his place as the “Head of the Table”.
On the very opposite end of this spectrum, you have someone like Orange Cassidy who’s persona is essentially just an easy-going, “eh, it's whatever” kind of guy. When his music hits(yes, Jane is better than Where is My Mind, you can fight me about it) the tron is just scribbles of “insert picture here” and “put a cool move here” along with his half raised thumb. It’s a very nice touch that displays what sort of character he is immediately to anyone watching, whether they have seen him before or not. I also love the extra mile he’s gone during his All-Atlantic title run where he simply stuffs the title into a backpack and throws it over his shoulder instead of carrying the title to the ring like every other superstar. This is something I always love to see wrestlers do in adding a bit of personality to their on-screen persona, just something as simple as finding a unique way to carry a title is always cool and can be important as it becomes a memorable part of a wrestler.
Now, if we want to talk about entrances and superstar presentations there’s one man that I can’t miss out on. Shinsuke Nakamura. From the gear, the lighting, the music, the sheer electricity Nakamura brings when he steps through the curtain makes him feel like a megastar. If you have the time, take a look at Shinsuke Nakamura’s match with the Great Muta at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s “The New Year” event from earlier this month. In Japan, Nakamura is treated as something of a wrestling god. From his violinist Lee England Jr. opening for him, the huge taiko drums playing as a second lead in, and Nakamura coming out in the most godly white robe you can possibly find, it was truly something to behold. Something else I noted from the match was that upon Shinsuke(and Muta) coming out, they turned a crowd that was mostly reserved vocally(still due to Japan’s covid restrictions) into a bit more of a raucous and vocal crowd.
As someone who was first introduced to Shinsuke upon his Royal Rumble victory(I had dropped wrestling around the time he debuted in NXT, and picked it up at the RR 2018), I was blown away at how much the Japanese crowd still adores him after being away for over half a decade. Speaking of his NXT debut, the crowd in the arena summed up everyone’s thoughts quite well. Shinsuke Nakamura had one of the greatest entrances I have ever seen in my life. The flashing lights behind his silhouette as Nakamura made his signature movements onto the ramp is one of the sickest visuals ever, and not to mention he has one of the best theme songs in WWE… ever. I could go on forever but there’s truly not much more I could say to further show how much I think Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the few megastars that wrestling has produced. If you don’t think Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the greatest to ever do it, just go find his Wrestle Kingdom 8 entrance.
Time to Make a Name
Ok, so I listed a few names earlier whom I think could do with some sprucing up in their presentation at the moment. I’ll start with the elephant in the room, Action Andretti. There’s nothing actually inherently wrong with Andretti and I actually like him a lot, on top of that, he’s getting a huge push at the moment so management is presenting him as one of their next breakout stars. My main issue with Andretti is just his look and vibe(this sounded a bit less confusing in my head…).
If you’ve ever played a WWE game then you’ll know what I mean when I say Andretti feels like a CAW. It feels like someone hit “randomize” a few times and, boom, you got Action Andretti. Again, I really like Andretti and think he could be an important talent in AEW going forward, but with his current ability I don’t think he should be getting this level of a push when ROH’s pure champion, Wheeler Yuta, is scrapping for time on Rampage. I think Andretti could do with some more work on his promos(as could Yuta since we’re on the topic), and refining his character a bit more before he’s ready to main event Rampage and open the following Dynamite. I would, however, be interested in seeing him in a pairing with Top Flight and having them work in the trios division.
I also mentioned Madcap Moss, which, this’ll probably be the briefest explanation of the bunch. Moss seemed like he was being positioned for big things when he broke off from Baron Corbin, at least a role in the middle to upper midcard. But then it just… stopped? This is why I say there are some instances that are purely out of the control of superstars, it’s just what happens in the business. But what I will say is that Moss does not look like a superstar. Go look up his gear at this current moment in time. If Action Andretti is a randomized CAW, then Madcap Moss is the 65 overall in MyRise who thinks he’s hot stuff but ends up flopping in developmental. Black trunks, black wrist tape, black boots…nah.
It just looks like he doesn’t care, or if it’s not that, then the look he’s going for clearly is not working. You know who else wears this exact same style of gear? NJPW Young Lions. The young boys who are there to get beat up for experience before they get shipped out to become better wrestlers. Now, you know who else wore this type of gear? Katsuyori Shibata. But that’s Katsuyori F’n Shibata. This plain look just doesn’t work for Madcap and if he ever wants to be taken seriously by fans then he needs to switch it up.
Now, last but not least, the Ass Bo- sorry, I mean, The Gunns. Out of everyone I’ve listed in this section, I think the Gunns have the most potential. Bring your pitchforks and your torches, but I said it and I truly believe it. I think the Gunns really could be great in the future, but they just aren’t quite ready which bothers me that they’re already getting an AEW Tag Team Championship match. Of course being the children of Billy Gunn greatly helps, but I think the Gunns just get this business. They aren’t the best in any aspect yet, but I personally find them pretty entertaining every time they are on screen.
My gripe comes in the fact that: one, they still feel like too much of a joke team(though this is beginning to get corrected in the latter stages of this feud with The Acclaimed) and two, they still don’t have a stand out match. The Gunns are solid hands in the ring, but they still don’t have that breakout match that warrants respect from the fans let alone a title shot. The issue with their presentation here is that they don’t feel like a threat. They could very well pull an upset with the current trajectory of this story, but they do not feel like anywhere near viable options for the tag titles(I think right now even Top Flight would be a better pick). Time will tell if my predictions for them are correct, but at this point in time I don’t think they are ready.
The Next Generation
With all of that said, hope is certainly not lost for the next generation of wrestlers. In fact, I’d say it’s actually in pretty good hands. For example, leading the charge of what is shaping up to be NJPW’s new New Three Musketeers, Shota Umino has been making a name for himself back in his native land after his young lion excursion over in the UK. I’m not sure if many people had pegged “Shooter” to end up in his current position as the future flag bearer of New Japan, but he’s certainly doing everything in his power to position himself as NJPW’s next superstar. Getting a lot of his swagger from his former mentor, Jon Moxley, Umino just seems to have a confidence about him that oozes right through the screen(almost like he knows what his future holds). The Japanese fans seem to be taking to him, and on top of this, his previous pairing with Mox has already helped establish his name over in the States and the UK(this was also helped by his time there during his excursion).
Another wrestler I feel like is being positioned as another future superstar of wrestling is HOOK(yes I’m spelling his name in all caps). Boasting a perfect 19-0 record at the time of writing this along with being the current FTW champion, HOOK is becoming one of the most beloved wrestlers in AEW. His rise up the card is partially down to CM Punk creating the signature “Send HOOK” line, but also his presentation is insane. As the son of Tazz, he’s been positioned as this cold-blooded killer in the ring and it absolutely has paid off. Now, he seems to be slowly shifting out of the HOOKverse(thank you Twitter) on Rampage and meshing with more mainstay talents which has led to the brief formation of JungleHook.
The lights blacking out before that first note of “Chairmen’s Intent”(one of my favorite themes in wrestling right now) leading up to “HOOK” being plastered across the titantron is a great bit of work in giving HOOK that extra bit in making him feel like an attraction. The way HOOK struts out with his chain sitting across his neck, not stopping for anything nor being afraid of anyone makes him feel like a monster and he truly will be a cornerstone for AEW in the future as one of the company’s “killers”.
I had initially planned to talk about a few other younger talents who present themselves or are presented as superstars, but this article is much longer than I initially planned so I’ll list a few off: Lucky Ali, Carmelo Hayes, Roxanne Perez, Austin Theory, MIRAI, Hanan, Ami Sourei, and Powerhouse Hobbs. I’d also like to note that in this specific section I’m excluding talent that are already in the main event/championship scene, so I purposely skipped over talents like Jade Cargill, Jamie Hayter, and similar wrestlers. I also realized at this point of typing that I completely glossed over Swerve Strickland in this article, but maybe I’ll dedicate an article to him when his story with Keith Lee comes to a close.
Closing Thoughts
To sum up my thoughts that seemed to scatter all over the place in this article, presentation matters. When we see top stars like Roman Reigns or The Elite, or even upper midcard fan favorites like Orange Cassidy, we are first captivated by their look and presentation before we ever see them step in the squared circle. If we are not interested in someone from the first moment we see them, more often than not we won’t even want to see what they have to offer later on. So when I see some guy coming out in all black gear with Superstar Theme 1, I’m not gonna care about them because they look like they don’t care either. From the moment a superstar steps through that curtain until the moment that they retreat behind it, their look, their music, their lighting, their movements and taunts, everything matters if they want to appeal to the crowd. What happens in the ring is ultimately more important than what precedes it, but captivating the audience is the first step on the path to superstardom.
For the finale of this series I plan to cover simply why I love wrestling. I’d like to say it’ll be shorter than this article but… no promises…