Brock Lesnar by himself is a powerhouse, a man who has crossed from professional football to Wrestling, into UFC, and then back to Wrestling. He is an incredible athlete, but in regards to his acting ability or even the ability to talk on the mic, he has little to no skill. So in walks Paul Heyman, one of the best all-round performers to grace our screens. He can perform, direct, commentate and market the hell out of nearly anyone. He took on the persona for Brock Lesnar, gave him a voice and a story that was lacking up until then, and made Brock Lesnar a fan favourite
Another example? Kane. Seems a moot point when the man has been wrestling on a mainstream network for over 25 years. That is a long career with the normal ebbs and flows that come with sustaining a character. But some of the main highlights of Kane’s Wrestling career have been when he worked with others, from The Undertaker and Paul Bearer, onto X-Pac and Daniel Bryan. Kane’s character develops and becomes more alive when he works with others.
When he is alone, it feels more two-dimensional and restricted.
These examples show that even a great wrestler has to have something more than just the ability to wrestle to maintain a career. So what do they need? What is it that pushes someone from being just a person who wrestles professionally in the sport, and a professional wrestler seen on WWE, AEW or NJPW?
They need to perform dear!
Anybody can pretend to be a character for a while, but it takes someone with skill to create a character with depth, the ability to develop over time, and a unique selling point. You need to be able to move along with the character, take in the popular and unpopular events around you, stay relevant and keep people interested.
This is what Drag and Wrestling performers do every day. They have developed these characters over time, with parts of themselves at the core but amplified to create a larger-than-life persona that can take on the world, throw themselves off buildings, perform to exceptional standards and make you believe in the art of the unbelievable.
Let’s look at some key examples of where the world of Drag and Wrestling have intermingled, starting with Goldust.
Over the top makeup, the feathers, the leather, the wigs, and the theatrics were all completely Drag in an age where crossdressing was still a joke. This seems to have been influenced by the Club Kid scene that was going on in 90s New York, where the intermingling of gender-fluid fashion and Drag was at its height.
