Earlier this week I had a conversation with a former student of mine about dreams and having the necessary money to pursue said dreams. In one of my responses I nonchalantly responded “money, money, money!” This one word, spoken repeatedly, reminded me of my childhood, more specifically an area that no longer occupies much space in my memory — my admiration for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
It was the theme song (take a listen) of “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase that induced my rhythmic “money” response. In Ted’s lyrics he maniacally states that:
“Everybody’s got a price / Everybody’s gonna pay / ‘Cause the Million Dollar Man / Always gets his way…Some might cost a little / Some might cost a lot / But I’m the Million Dollar Man / And you WILL be bought” (his maniacal laugh continues as women repeat the phrase “Money, money, money, money, money”).
We have recently been reminded of money and how influential it can be — primarily through the campaigns of presidential candidates; most specifically Donald Trump.
After realizing this parallel, I was quickly reminded of a lecture I gave during the Fall 2014 semester while teaching a History of American Cinema course. When we reached the 1980s and the Reagan Era, I mentioned to my class the return to traditional values that Reagan hoped for for the United States. In an attempt to recapture these lost morals, America’s entertainment would incorporate very masculine, alpha-male types of characters. These macho men would be played by actors like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Mr. T (from the A-Team). When Mr. T wasn’t acting he was wrestling with men who were also named after this overtly masculine era in America. Names like Hulk (Hogan), Macho Man (Randy Savage), Sgt. Slaughter, The Total Package (Lex Luger), and (Brutus) “The Barber” Beefcake were just a handful of the many characters Americans rooted or booed for weekly.
Hulk Hogan’s theme song included the phrase “I am a real American” as he entered the arena waving an American Flag, before ripping his shirt centerstage in the ring.
Macho Man Randy Savage would get the crowd going with his raspy voice and his “Oooohhhh Yeah!” attitude.
Sgt. Slaughter was a direct response to the Vietnam War, and in fact models the character of Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore from Apocalypse Now (1972). Notice the similarities in the photo (Lt. Col Kilgore – left; Sgt. Slaughter – right).
As a result of Hogan’s departure from the company in the summer of 1993, Lex Luger (a rip-off of Lex Luthor from Superman fame) became the “All-American” character (we were now under the Clinton Administration). Luger would parade around the ring in red, white, and blue Star Spangled attire flexing his muscles for the audience.
And Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake was a vain character known for his heel persona. Brutus carried a pair of garden shears (very masculine, read sarcasm) with him to the ring and was accompanied by his theme song, “Struttin’ and Cuttin'”.
Beyond masculinity, we can also observe how Reagan’s economic policy was also critiqued.
As previously mentioned “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase was a memorable character that flashed his money pompously. In fact Ted had a team of wrestlers known as “The Million Dollar Corporation” and included “Ted DiBiase’s Undertaker”. For wrestling fans that are aware of the real character of “The Undertaker” (Mark Calaway), to suggest that Ted DiBiase have his own version of death, narcissistically named “Ted DiBiase’s Undertaker”, is to suggest that Ted’s money can even control death (see The Undertaker vs. Ted’s Undertaker match, pt. 1).
In addition to having death on his payroll, it is only fair that in 1992 (during George H.W. Bush’s Administration), Ted have the IRS on his side, right? Well, as members of the villainous team “Money, Inc.” and three-time Tag Team Champions, it was no mistake that Ted found success with his tag-team partner, a man whose initials were IRS — Irwin R. Schyster (pronounced shyster). What a great last name for a character that personifies the white-collared businessmen operating within the borders of the United States, perhaps a nod to the 1987 Stock Market Crash that had a global impact. Oliver Stone’s Wall Street (1987) may have also played a part in the IRS naming gimmick. It was certainly the time to view these businessmen through a criminal lens.
But what about the non-governmental agencies? What about wealthy businessmen? How did they inhibit the poor from living “the American Dream”?
In 1985 (less than two years before the aforementioned stock market crash), a blue-collar character by the name of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes (again with the euphemism implying he has come from dusty roads and has fought to make an earnest living) preaches about his “hard time blues“. In this speech Rhodes ridicules Ric Flair, another wrestler (akin to “The Million Dollar Man”) noted for his luxurious lifestyle. Rhodes particularly mentions Flair’s “lack of respect and honor”. Rhodes even goes so far as to state that “Flair…put hard times on this country”. This statement is a direct jab at the upper-class taking from the lower-class any chance of living the American Dream — a dream that perhaps has multiple definitions depending on who you ask.
I haven’t watched much wrestling since the late 90’s (mainly because as a kid my mom pulled the plug once D-Generation X hit the stage with their catch phrase “suck it” and Al Snow boisterously shook a mannequin’s head and inquired through sexual innuendo, “what does everybody want?” It’s no doubt these new “RAW is WAR Attitude Era” male characters were reflective of the post-Clinton/Lewinsky scandal and in someway were a response to the 3rd Wave of Feminism movement that initiated in the 1990s, but I am more interested in observing whether or not the WWE has continued to write their characters based on the Bush Administration (2001-2008) and the Obama Administration (2009-2016), respectively; and will they continue to craft characters based on who holds office from 2017-2020? If so, what characters should we soon expect?
Culturally speaking, I have noticed a cyclical pattern where on average, every 30 years, trends tend to repeat themselves. We see it in clothing, the designs of our vehicles, and in the sampling of our music. With the upcoming election and the current list of candidates it is no secret that Donald Trump is 2016’s version of the “Million Dollar Man” (he even has his own WWE “Money” theme song from an appearance on the show).
If money equates to your fulfillment of the “American Dream”, yet you have limited funds, then how far will you go to reach your goals? Will you quit trying because times are hard, will you adjust your goals based on who is running for office and what he/she can offer you, will you stay strong and work hard regardless of surrounding variables, or do you have another option?
Come November 2016, we will have elected a new president, and shortly after we will see how the WWE, sports, film/TV, music, and all forms of entertainment, fashion, business, and beyond will portray the new direction of America through uniquely crafted characters, storylines, clothing and musical tastes.
Have you found yourself rooting for the hero or the heel when engaging in entertainment? Recently the anti-hero has welcomed our adoration (Tony Soprano, Dexter, Walter White), and in the sports world we love to hate the Tom Brady’s and Cam Newton’s of the NFL. Why is it, then, that in one instance we root for the bad guy to win, but in another instance we root for the good guy? How did we become so ambivalent? Is it the idea of “reality vs. fiction” that allows us to shift our ideologies and beliefs? Why have we allowed ourselves to accept reality with one set of codes, and our fictional viewing with another set of codes?
Maybe we never realized how much control we really have in the voting booth.