Post by 543Y2J on Dec 28, 2013 10:59:26 GMT -5
I have been meaning to make this thread for a while. Wrestling as we all know is a different medium and a different form of storytelling, and within that the characters evolve and change of the time of their careers. What levels do you view a name, a character and a persona when in related to wrestling? To use the dictionary meaning of all three:
name
nām/
noun
noun: name; plural noun: names
1.
a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to.
char·ac·ter
ˈkariktər/
noun
noun: character; plural noun: characters
1.
the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.
per·so·na
pərˈsōnə/
noun
noun: persona; plural noun: personae; plural noun: personas
1.
the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others.
This is what I feel sets wrestling apart from all other forms of storytelling, whether it is WWE, indys, Japan etc as the art form can be related to all three of them above in their purist form. For example let's look at a couple of examples:
Real Name: Adam Copeland
Enter Kayfabe
Character/Name created: Edge
Personas:
Edge and Christian
Singles babyface
Rated R and Ultimate Opportunist
Real Name: Phil Brooks
Enter Kayfabe:
Character/Name created: CM Punk
Personas:
ROH
Second City Saint
ROH Champion The Snake
(FCW) Name Kept
WWE
Only Addiction Is Competition Babyface
Straightedge Means I Am Better Than You and story arch with Jeff Hardy
Straight Edge Society
Nexus Punk
Pipebomb Punk
Best in the World
Straight Shooter/Loose Cannon Longest Reigning Champion of the Modern Era
On the others side of the coin
Real Name: Matt Bloom
Enter Kayfabe
Persona created: Prince Albert
Persona created: Albert
Persona created A Train
Persona created: Giant Bernard (NJPW)
Persona Created: Lord Tensai
Persona created: Tesnai (among other names for Bloom)
- can these be viewed as different elements that make/add up to one character that Bloom portrays within the wrestling world as a whole?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSe1maLmLUI
"...stories are taking place at different echelons in the hierarchy of wrestling itself. So there are guys who seem weaker who you get to watch over the course of years become more and more bigger characters as they work their way to the top"
Edge and Chris Jericho also talk about how they differentiate them as performers themselves and how much the real life selves are a part of their characters/history. On Talk Is Jericho Part 2
So how do you view the characters within wrestling? Do you differentiate the same way I do or are Names/Characters/Personas all separate and individual to you? Maybe to you the character/persona is one of the same, no matter what the name of the character may be?
For example with CM Punk is he all the same character from his ROH days or is he a different character in WWE despite having the same name? Do ring names that are given not matter to you and for example Zayn is the same person as Generico but under a different look?
In other words what are your bounderies of kayfabe and how do you build up the universe of pro wrestling as a form of storytelling?
*mods if you feel this is better in the WWE section feel free to move
name
nām/
noun
noun: name; plural noun: names
1.
a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to.
char·ac·ter
ˈkariktər/
noun
noun: character; plural noun: characters
1.
the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.
per·so·na
pərˈsōnə/
noun
noun: persona; plural noun: personae; plural noun: personas
1.
the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others.
This is what I feel sets wrestling apart from all other forms of storytelling, whether it is WWE, indys, Japan etc as the art form can be related to all three of them above in their purist form. For example let's look at a couple of examples:
Real Name: Adam Copeland
Enter Kayfabe
Character/Name created: Edge
Personas:
Edge and Christian
Singles babyface
Rated R and Ultimate Opportunist
Real Name: Phil Brooks
Enter Kayfabe:
Character/Name created: CM Punk
Personas:
ROH
Second City Saint
ROH Champion The Snake
(FCW) Name Kept
WWE
Only Addiction Is Competition Babyface
Straightedge Means I Am Better Than You and story arch with Jeff Hardy
Straight Edge Society
Nexus Punk
Pipebomb Punk
Best in the World
Straight Shooter/Loose Cannon Longest Reigning Champion of the Modern Era
On the others side of the coin
Real Name: Matt Bloom
Enter Kayfabe
Persona created: Prince Albert
Persona created: Albert
Persona created A Train
Persona created: Giant Bernard (NJPW)
Persona Created: Lord Tensai
Persona created: Tesnai (among other names for Bloom)
- can these be viewed as different elements that make/add up to one character that Bloom portrays within the wrestling world as a whole?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSe1maLmLUI
"...stories are taking place at different echelons in the hierarchy of wrestling itself. So there are guys who seem weaker who you get to watch over the course of years become more and more bigger characters as they work their way to the top"
Edge and Chris Jericho also talk about how they differentiate them as performers themselves and how much the real life selves are a part of their characters/history. On Talk Is Jericho Part 2
So how do you view the characters within wrestling? Do you differentiate the same way I do or are Names/Characters/Personas all separate and individual to you? Maybe to you the character/persona is one of the same, no matter what the name of the character may be?
For example with CM Punk is he all the same character from his ROH days or is he a different character in WWE despite having the same name? Do ring names that are given not matter to you and for example Zayn is the same person as Generico but under a different look?
In other words what are your bounderies of kayfabe and how do you build up the universe of pro wrestling as a form of storytelling?
*mods if you feel this is better in the WWE section feel free to move
