​WWE: More Than Meets The Eye

By Simon Stambaugh ’26

At first glance, “Professional Wrestling” is a scripted show following half-naked men and women wrestling each other, climbing the ranks, and becoming champions; however, it’s not that simple. When focusing on a simple episode of Monday Night Raw or Friday Night Smackdown, you begin to see WWE’s plan for each character, how it builds stories much more than just wrestling that are both engaging and fun to watch and which ultimately climaxes with a thrilling fight in the ring. WWE characters often begin with an idea, what is he going to act like, what is his gimmick? A gimmick in wrestling is the wrestler's persona in the ring and during promos. John Cena’s gimmick is being the hero whose motto is “hustle, loyalty, and respect.”
 
This gimmick is usually used in contrast to a bad guy like late 90’s Rock who was just a guy who made fun of people and called them jabronis. Characters can alternate depending on different stories, the key to wrestling entertainment. WWE stories, while simple by nature, often unfold into something beautiful by the end. One of the biggest stories was John Cena vs. The Rock. Both wrestlers took shots at what they wore and their personalities. These promos and the fans they carried initially sparked interest, but it continued through the promos, hooking up the match and building more tension. This was all designed to receive the most amount of emotional investment out of a fan. All of this led to the match where these two faced off and resulted in a loss for Cena and the beginning of a rivalry in which John Cena would come to beat The Rock in a separate match a year later.
 
The script in these matches invokes emotion and tension, always leaving fans wanting more and paying it off with a big win. WWE’s characters, storytelling capabilities, and matches diversify the activity from not just wrestling but theater as well.