In this regard panto is much like wrestling.
As is the case with wrestling the audience plays a key
part in the performance. They’re encouraged to cheer the hero and boo the
villain. This is achieved through the script the actors play to. People know
who’s good and who’s bad by what they say.
In wrestling the same thing is achieved through promos.
Both mediums also get across a character’s intent through body language and clothing
choices but it’s what’s said that’s most effective.
The difference lies in how the audience is treated (and,
y’know, in the basic nature of the performance). With a panto the audience is
in on the joke, an essential part of the act that’s encouraged to boo and cheer
and hiss along as part of the act. In wrestling the audience is there to be
entertained and outraged in equal measure. They need to be entertained enough
to make their experience an enjoyable one but outraged enough to want to come
back and see the bad guy get beaten.
Wrestling fans are still an important part of the act,
but their role is downplayed. In part this is because of the long-established
nature of the business: fans will always be outsiders and marks.
The role of the hero is pretty much the same in both
mediums. They’re there to be cheered. They’ll be downtrodden for a bit but
ultimately they’ll emerge triumphant (well usually… it doesn’t always happen in
the grap biz).
Villains and heels are a different kettle of fish. A
panto villain elicits boos by directing nasty remarks at the hero of the story.
The audience empathises with this hero and so dislikes the villain. A wrestling
heel can do this too but over the years it has become far more common to see
them targeting the fans in the crowd. It’s a more personal approach and so it’s
easier to obtain the desired reaction.
To an extent this is a perfectly reasonable way of
drawing heat. Insulting a local sports team or celebrity is a logical way to
turn a crowd against you. Sweeping generalisations about a town’s populace can
work too but even there caution is required.
All too often wrestling bad guys go too far with this
approach. Two weeks TNA world champion Bully Ray did just that. As he exited
through the crowd (a standard part of the Aces and Eights act) Bully targeted a
fan in the stands, berating him with homophobic slurs and telling him he was
getting punked in front of his daughter. I would imagine this was not an
enjoyable experience for the fan or his family.
Late 90s ECW saw Ray do this sort of thing all the time.
While I’m not justifying it I do think it was a more understandable approach to
employ then. That promotion was known for being a more adult product and it was
established that the wrestlers would interact with fans in that fashion. The
Dudleys were a particularly gifted act when it came to riling fans. It’s part
of what made them successful in the company and helped them to sign with the
WWF and become so well known.
Back when cheap heat was the in thing these guys were the masters. Old habits die hard
Things are different now. The climate at wrestling events
has changed and this sort of behaviour is incredibly behind the times. It’s
cheap and nasty. In 2013 when a fan buys a ticket to a wrestling show they’re
entitled to a certain level of respect from the wrestlers. Even if these things
weren’t true TNA and ECW are very different companies. TNA markets itself as
family friendly. ECW did not.
Wrestlers, particularly those who have been around for as
long as Bully Ray, should be able to turn fans against them without resorting
to these sort of shortcuts. You wouldn’t find John Barrowman cutting promos
like that while starring in Aladdin.
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