Friday, February 22, 2013

On the Subject of Masks and Hoods

Most wrestlers don't even have a gimmick or a character to start off with in wrestling, which is a massive flaw in their training. From what I have generally seen, if you're under a hood there is something very gimmicked up about you. If you're going to wear a mask, do something that has never been done before with it. Don't try to have a design like Rey Mysterio's. Try to be original with your mask. Look at Delirious or Abyss. Their gimmick isn't defined by that mask, but it is strongly supported by it. Your mask should represent your character more than anything else.

Generally (in the style of old school American wrestling), heels are the ones under masks because they have something to hide. If you're a babyface with a mask, your mask has to become part of you. This is why heels love to tear off the face’s mask: to you, as a face, it should feel as if your very skin is being pulled from your skull. That mask is part of you, it becomes who you are.

As far as cultural significance is concerned, with their bright colors and designs, the mask hearkens back to Aztec and Mayan ritual. The anonymity the mask gives allows any masked wrestler to become an everyman. A symbol is always stronger than mortal man. Conceptually, it is also without race. It’s not as much an identity as it is a mythology.

Look at the most popular lucha libre stars, such as El Santo and Blue Demon — not necessarily considered all-time greats when it came to in-ring talent. However, all became iconic due to their strict adherence to kayfabe, as far as the mask was concerned. For most of their lifetime, they were never seen in public without them. They never showed human weakness. Therefore, they were suspended above mortality. The mask allows for the apotheosis of man to legend.

Masks also provide you with a shield. Many wrestlers are nervous when they first start. A mask can be their version of a safety blanket. This allows them to mentally click over into their character; similar to when you put on a nice suit, shave, do your hair up, look at yourself in the mirror and say, "damn, I look good."

Here is my question to you: is it that suit that is making you feel the way outlined above? Your haircut? Is it that you're clean-shaven? No. You were the same guy before you were all cleaned up as you are now that you're looking all spiffy. But your confidence level has changed and that's really the core of professional wrestling. You have to be confident in that ring and you have to believe wholeheartedly in what you are doing. If you don't, neither will anyone else. And would you pay to see someone or something you don’t believe in? Nobody wants their entertainment to be half-assed. Give it all or nothing.

In the end, it isn't the mask that makes you who you are, it’s your mental state. That's the trick. That's your answer. If a promoter sticks you under a hood as, say, a ninja, you should be able to make it work. In the case of the ninja, the mask should only be there to enhance the overall character. Is it the ninja mask that makes him a ninja? Or is it just part of his whole?  Your outfit, body language, and your moveset should all reflect what the fanbase's idea of a ninja is. I respect creativity out of young guys when they pitch me characters, but realize the fans should know who you are in that ring before the bell even rings based on your look, the way you carry yourself to the ring, the way you enter the ring, and the types of poses you hit as you're in the ring. These are all nonverbal cues to the audience to establish who you are.

Masked wrestlers can also be a very helpful thing to a booker. It can give you added options in creating some fun stories, like when Dusty Rhodes and Hulk Hogan came back as The Midnight Rider and Mr. America, respectively. Or it can allow for a complete repackage of someone. For reference, see Demolition Smash's transformation to the Repo Man or Rikishi's to the Sultan. Smash went from a power-and-paint, high energy ass-kicker to becoming a kleptomaniacal Repo Man. And the Sultan is about as far off from Rikishi as you can get. But these guys took those masks and, in some cases, it made them who they were.

There are some limitations to wearing a mask. The most obvious is that it at best impairs, at worst hides your facial sells. In the age of high-definition television, this is a huge disadvantage. Especially when you are performing for a televised audience. Now, because of your mask, the audience at home cannot read the emotion on your face. That means you have to almost double up on your body language sells. I’m not saying be hokey or too over the top with your body language, just be more aware of it. As a wrestler, I put a lot of mental effort into how my face is reflecting what is happening in the ring. Now that this has been taken away from you, you should put that effort into more effectively conveying the story with your body language. Like how a blind man’s sense of hearing is stronger to make up for his inability to see. Don’t wrestle harder, wrestle smarter.

As you read this, it is my deepest hope that I am breaking through to you that there is so much more to wrestling than “shine, cutoff, heat, hope spot, comeback, finish.” There is so much more to be taken into consideration than “what move comes next” and how it leads to the next spot. This again reiterates my statement, “pro wrestling is a high-level thinking business, despite its reputation.”

Until next time,
AWV

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