WrestleMania, a reflection of the stereotype
I knew something was amiss when tag team group The New Day came out of a cereal box called “Booty O’s” during their entrance. My reaction wasn’t one of laughter, more towards the line of disgust.
WrestleMania, like any other entertainment event, is designed to give you a means of suspended animation. “Professional Wrestling” especially, because it expects you to believe that grown adults can be repeatedly hit with steel chairs and trash cans and continuously get up.
This is not a complaint against the matches themselves, you know what you’re getting from those. But it’s hard to ignore the perpetual use of stereotypes and biases when it comes to making these story line characters.
Having a group of black guys dance and gyrate on stage while talking about booty is only a small step removed from The Godfather and his “ho-train” back when I was younger. Or Booker T shaking his dreads and break dancing. Or heaven forbid the tag team duo named “Cryme Tyme” where guess what? Yep, they played street thugs.
“Well The Rock was one of the most dynamic ever and he’s black!”
The WWE is correcting itself in some areas, the women’s division being most recent. It is no longer a division that has a bunch of hot bodies who couldn’t do an arm-bar to save their life. These women can wrestle, and deserve more than fighting for the “Divas” title. Thank you WWE for putting your head back on straight and re-claiming it the Women’s Championship.
Aside from realizing they were wrong with their portrayal of women (for the most part), nothing has changed.
Some may say I’m taking things too literally and it’s all just fun and games, a show. Sure, I get that, but it’s no wonder the WWE is losing money by the wayside. The same recycled stereotypes with different B-level characters is not a recipe for longevity.
So, let’s take the women, race, and fiscal piece out. Who are we left with as the main story line and headliner of WrestleMania?
The Authority (Triple H) vs. Roman Reigns
An almost literal representation of the 1% vs your average Joe. Granted, Roman Reigns looks and acts the total opposite of your average Joe (stop forcing him on us!) but it’s the thought that counts, right? In an attempt to seize momentum of an actual crisis the WWE has created an omnipresent villain that everyone can hate.
You can say it’s a show all you want and this does nothing to influence your thinking. But there are people out there who think much simpler than you do. And they believe everything they see.
