Dustin Rhodes wanted something that showcased his sense of humour and sense of flair. There was passion, romance, heel turns, and a character that felt real because it was built on pop culture, just like Drag. These reasons helped Goldust maintain popularity for a decade, all because the character could move with the times but maintain uniqueness.
What about… Kenny Omega?
Another example would be Kenny Omega, who seems to be the pop culture King in regards to his character and career. The character is full of references to events, games, the 80s and 90s culture, and the history of Wrestling. The story that took this to a new level has to be The Golden Lovers, a tale a decade in the making, spanning multiple companies and a storyline that had never been done in a serious way before.
It was overdramatic, played out on social media, video blogs, and in the ring, gave people passion, romance, and betrayal. They gave people a character that they could ultimately relate to while being in complete awe and suspense as to where this character would go.
Kenny Omega is more in line with the Drag we see online, full of kitschy references, fun, and duality.
The character is based more in reality with a twist of the fantastical to allow for development, drama and a heel turn when needed.
The character of a wrestler really will help define who is popular and who falls short, and definitely helps you to be remembered with the nostalgia of yesteryear. You only have to look and you can see Drag is at the heart of Wrestling, it is as critical a part as being able to wrestle. Without the theatrics, performances, and bigger-than-life characters wrestling would just be a bunch of people slapping and pretending to choke each other out.
If you are still not convinced, I am more than happy to invite you to the next segment where I will be diving headfirst into feathers, capes, glitter, and gold to show you just how much the costumes, help build a character, move the story along and have helped bring activism into a previously non-political arena….kind of like Drag. But for now…
