"You're not in the business, kid."
When conversing with anyone within the wrestling business, no matter how tenuously connected, this phrase is likely to ring out with all of the predictability of a bowel movement. Whether it is the terribly dim and thoroughly mediocre talent Al Snow, mouthing off on an internet radio show, or the otherwise intelligent Kevin Nash using false analogies - "Would you tell a chef how to cook his meals?" - this will surely be the go-to retort to any perceived criticism. This storyline makes no sense. "You're not in the business, kid." This promo is boring and unfunny. "You're not in the business kid." This is offensive on every conceivable level; to my intellect, to my emotional substance, to my support of professional wrestling for two decades. "You're not in the business, kid." I'm here to suggest, not only why this is a childish, babyish response to descent, but how it is keeping professional wrestling from genuine progression.
As with most of the issues which pro wrestling currently faces, the phenomenon of complete inurement to all criticism, has its roots in Kayfabe. Pro wrestling was a closed circle. Those who understand the way things worked, on the inside, and the audience on the outside. One can understand the babyish response from those old timers who lived with the reality of Kayfabe for their careers, not being too impressed by the idea of their fans understanding the intricacies within the form. What staggers are those who started their careers from the 1980s onwards, and yet still believe they have some magic potion which allows only them to form an opinion on the quality of something.
Taking into account that I love professional wrestling and admit that there have been many talented, creative, smart people who have worked within it, I think it's fair to say that the level at which the average wrestler would be able to engage in fruitful artistic criticism of any form, is at best limited. There are some who can. Mick Foley, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart (when he's not hung up on himself) and a few others. That you would be hard pressed though for a Chris Masters or a John Morrison to explain to you the complexities and subtleties as evident in so many areas of their chosen profession, does not fill me with great hope for the business' self critical eye.
The wrestling industry does not possess a critical establishment in the same manner as either sports or entertainment. It makes do mostly with the offshoots from the sports press - usually those who cannot adequately stake their ground in the world of real journalism - or with low-rent entertainment outlets, such as TMZ. On the rare occasion that wrestling is mentioned in a reputable publication, it is mocked or pitied, as with Slate's Troy Patterson's snide half-review of Raw, some long time ago.
Opening themselves up to outside perspectives, from those who are just good at creative things, period, is the first step to finding a way through this decade and into the next. By introducing elements which do genuinely jar the expectations of the audience, wrestling could begin to open up the huge potential within the form for intriguing, genre crossing performance. Why is it that genuine writing talent has never been pursued? Seeing as WWE and TNA and ROH are set to ape the movie world for years to come, and seeing as most of the wrestlers present have some modicum of acting ability, why not push that form as far as it can go? Dusty Rhodes may have had the right idea. The wrestling industry's ultimate fear in acquiescing to the advice and talent to be found in the world outside of their own, is what has most stunted its growth. When it made its first declarative statement that it was no longer purely mock sport, but real, honest to goodness, entertainment, it needed to follow through on the implications of that decision. And it never did. It is also the reason why WWE will never make a decent movie.
Being within the business may give one the insight into how to act in order to best make a living in that business, or work a match, or motivate a crowd. It does not unfortunately give unto the performer the ability to translate that into incisive critical thought. Wrestling's existence in the grey area of NO CRITICISM FROM OUTSIDERS disguises an infantile mass who don't want your opinion, not out of a desire for you to defer to their grand wisdom, but out of a fear that they will actually have to engage with the most basic areas of critical discourse. It's a bumbling circus, and it always has been. It has just so happened to create some of the most wondrous, staggering and beautiful damned sights one could hope to see. So please, let someone else make the case for your profession, because you don't know what you're fucking doing.
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