1. When Comeuppance Does Happen, Attacks Are More Expected, Rather Than Shocking
Of course, on occasion, comeuppance does happen. Being wrestling, the way this most often occurs tends to be through getting physical. Unfortunately, even when things do go that way, it just doesn't have the impact it once did. As recently as the 11/17/14 Raw, the show ended with Triple H being put through a table by John Cena's Attitude Adjustment. Was anyone really surprised to see it happen? Did anyone feel like Triple H, in his position of power, was somehow above all of that? Of course not. It wasn't always this way. Back in the aforementioned days of Tunney and Monsoon as presidents of the company, it was simply a line that wasn't crossed- these executives were not wrestlers, athletes, and the like. Former wrestlers, perhaps, but well past the point of anything resembling active in-ring competition. That's what made Gorilla Monsoon's confrontation with Vader upon the latter's debut Raw match so shocking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znOdXmOHiOc Vader was out of control, and everyone knew it by the time this episode of Raw was over. Meanwhile, Monsoon wouldn't be seen outside of a hospital bed until more than three months later, when he returned for the main event of WrestleMania XII- the Iron Man Match between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, where he would enforce the ruling that "there must be a winner," sending the match into overtime and leading to the Heartbreak Kid's first world title victory. The first time Vince McMahon was stunned by Steve Austin was similarly shocking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ1S3gGywxQ You just don't get the same impact these days. Authority figures are appearing all the time, and inevitably, they're going to wind up being attacked. Certainly, this seems to run counter to the argument that authority figures rarely receive their comeuppance any more, but it's just not quite the same. Triple H being AA'd through a table? How is that really different from any other finisher he's taken over his entire career. Sure, it probably didn't feel very good, but it's doubtful he's going to miss any time at work, and it just doesn't make the same kind of statement that it once did. As noted before, we're not saying authority figures as we know them should be abolished forever or anything- more that they just need a break; a good, long cooling down period. Much like the envelope-pushing that Triple H himself said they needed to dial back to "reset" things because they were becoming less and less shocking, so too does the position of authority need a similar reboot and a chance to come back fresh again some years down the line. For now, let the wrestlers take issue with one-another, let the midcard titles and stars have a chance to shine because they're not having to compete with "the man," let positions of power carry with them an air of prestige and importance again, rather than being just another cog in the machine similar to announcers and referees, and when someone finally does decide to strike out against the system again, let it mean something. Those are our thoughts on the matter, and we're willing to bet some of you would disagree, likely because you enjoyed one GM or another sometime in years past. That's fine; if everyone agreed, wrestlers wouldn't have feuds to begin with, against authority figures or otherwise. So feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Former Nintendo Power writer, current Nintendo Force writer. Wrote the book on Mega Man (The Robot Master Field Guide). Was once fired by Vince McMahon. Dabbles in video games, comic books, toys, and fast food curiosities. Once had a new species of exotic bird named after him. It died.
You can find more of his writings, musings, and other such things on his websites at Nyteworks.net.
