Colin McEnroe Show: 'Ringside' With Professional Wrestling
It's not just for yahoos and adolescents. What's wrestling's big appeal?
Published: Jun 04, 2010
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Colin McEnroe Show: 'Ringside' With Professional Wrestling
One of the first guys to sense this coming was Andy Kaufman. The absurdist comedian seemed to see, back in 1982, a way to link the high drama of professional wrestling to a postmodern sensibility that blurred comedy and genuine anger in a way that was both unblinking and constantly winking at itself.
In other words, where a lot of people are, now, with wrestling, is where Andy was in 1982, when he staged a series of confrontations with an obscure wrestling figure named Jerry Lawler and, in the process, made the guy's career.
Around the same time, WWF owner Vince McMahon was developing his own instincts for high camp. He realized that, for wrestling to crossover, it needed crossover celebrities. Cyndi Lauper, Mr. T, Liberace, Danny DeVito, Joe Piscopo and, of course, William Shatner all stepped through the ropes.
Today we explore why smart people like the WWE. We'll talk to author Scott Beekman, whose book, "Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America," explores professional wrestling place in America's pop culture.
You can join the conversation. Are you a wrestling fan or a hater? Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.
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The McMahon family is in some respects the only constant in the WWE.
-Scott Beekman
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