Perhaps this is a little known fact, but I used to be a huge WWFWWE fan back in the late 90s/early 00s. When I was in university, a close friend used to call it "a soap opera for guys... and Nancy." I saw Monday Night Raw live from 5th row. I've been to Smack Down and I was also at the sold out Wrestlamania X8 in Toronto. In fact, one of the things that attracted me to roller derby in the first place was the direct correlation I could make between it and wrestling - costumes, crazy names, athleticism & showmanship just to name a few.
I have a very Abed-like mentality when it comes to knowledge of that particular period in wrestling history. Recently, I wowed a bunch of Centennial College students on a film shoot when I heard one of them call another "Scotty too Hotty." It kind of went something like this:
ME - Oh, that's funny. Like the wrestler.
*blank stares*
ME - You know, Scotty 2 Hotty? Former WWE Tag-Team Champion?
*more blank stares*
ME - You know, with his partner, Grandmaster Sexay? Together they were known as "Too Cool"? (Bonus points if you knew that Sexay's father is Jerry "The King" Lawler.)
Somehow, this powerful knowledge base suddenly made me very popular with young men in their early twenties while on set... but I digress.
The reason I'm bringing this up now is two-fold.
For one, this coming Friday at the Tranzac (292 Brunswick Ave in Toronto), my French improv team, Les Improbables, will be taking part in our first ever Royal Rumble! Now, I'm pretty sure this means we will beat the crap out of each other using improvised objects until only one person survives the night, but I may be wrong. My weapon of choice will, of course, be the chair. Anyway, whatever happens, it will definitely be a good night and you should come out and join us.
Now, while this blog and website often revolves around my acting/performance career, it also includes a lot of information about my other passion, arts marketing. Which brings me to reason number two to talk about wrestling: this awesome post on audience development for the brilliant mind over at the Mission Paradox blog. The subject? Well the title really says it all - A case study in audience building and steel cages. Click on the link for a really great read.
I leave you now with Mr 2 Hotty's finishing move for your viewing pleasure.