8 Sharpest Hustlers In Wrestling
He doesn't call it the 'Heyman Hustle' for nothing...
The earliest forms of what we know today as professional wrestling began life as a carnival sideshow in the 1860s through 1890s. So much has changed since the early days that the sport is barely recognisable from its beginning. Some things, however, never change.
The fundamental principle involved is the concept of the work: the idea that the spectacle is presented as legitimate when in fact it is not. That extends from the classic worked bout, where the finish is arranged in advance, through to the old school carny approach of having a plant in the crowd, or a devious hooker ready to stretch the unwary opponent. It's the presentation that makes it. Pro-wrestling needs two things to make it work - someone to talk you into the building and something to keep you there.
While gripping stories told in real time by peerless athletes is still the best way to take care of the latter, in order for the former to take place you need a hustler. You need a promoter, a manager, a fast-talking snake oil salesman. You need someone who can charm himself or his client onto the best spot on the card and then make the fans clamour to see it.
Cable TV, outlandish gimmicks, the death of kayfabe and the rise of the smart fan - even with all of that, this is still a carny business that relies on the hustle to make it work. In an industry full of carnys, fast-talkers, scam artists, con men and wideboys, these are eight unscrupulous men with the gift of the gab that made pro-wrestling what it is today.