Wrestling's Authorship problem.
I often feel like Pro-Wrestling has a hard time coming to terms with itself. The WWE operates in a world where it admits freely that wrestling is predetermined and not a sporting contest, but there are some aspects of the Kayfabe world it has not shed. One of those aspects is not letting the audience know about the role of writers in the process.
I have been thinking a lot about K. Sawyer Paul's assertion that Pro Wrestling is an art form and it would be a benefit to wrestling fans to view it that way. I find this to be an interesting idea. It is an idea that I have not heard that many people think about. It brings a lot of questions to my mind.
When I view art I often ask myself what is the artist trying to tell me and what do they want me to think about the art. I am not someone who thinks that authorial intent is king, but it is often a good place to start. With a book or a paining it is easy to know who the artist is. There are other art forms that are collaborative where many artists are taking part, but someone is still With a movie the director is responsible for the overall vision, on a TV show the "Show Runner" sets the tone.
With the WWE I cannot tell who is setting the tone. If I go to Wikipedia I can find a list of the WWE creative writers, but it really does not give me any information about who is making the creative decisions. I am not sure if it is the Writers, Kevin Dunn, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon-Levesque or Vince McMahon has the last word.
When I see a Christopher Nolan or David Fincher movie I can see the themes that run through their movies. I can think about how each of them would handle a subject in a different way. I think it adds to my enjoyment of a movie. When I watch a David Simon TV show, I have an idea of his view of the world. All of this helps me look at what the artist is trying to tell me.
The problem with the WWE is I have no clue who is in charge or who was in charge in the past. I want to be able to look at old Pay-Per-Views and know who was the artist force. I want to look at a plot line that is happening now and look how other artists handled that plot line in the past. I think it would open up the way two wrestlers could have a feud multiple times, and have the story line go in very different ways. I think this would make the feuds not feel like we are seeing the same thing again and again.
I have been thinking a lot about K. Sawyer Paul's assertion that Pro Wrestling is an art form and it would be a benefit to wrestling fans to view it that way. I find this to be an interesting idea. It is an idea that I have not heard that many people think about. It brings a lot of questions to my mind.
When I view art I often ask myself what is the artist trying to tell me and what do they want me to think about the art. I am not someone who thinks that authorial intent is king, but it is often a good place to start. With a book or a paining it is easy to know who the artist is. There are other art forms that are collaborative where many artists are taking part, but someone is still With a movie the director is responsible for the overall vision, on a TV show the "Show Runner" sets the tone.
With the WWE I cannot tell who is setting the tone. If I go to Wikipedia I can find a list of the WWE creative writers, but it really does not give me any information about who is making the creative decisions. I am not sure if it is the Writers, Kevin Dunn, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon-Levesque or Vince McMahon has the last word.
When I see a Christopher Nolan or David Fincher movie I can see the themes that run through their movies. I can think about how each of them would handle a subject in a different way. I think it adds to my enjoyment of a movie. When I watch a David Simon TV show, I have an idea of his view of the world. All of this helps me look at what the artist is trying to tell me.
The problem with the WWE is I have no clue who is in charge or who was in charge in the past. I want to be able to look at old Pay-Per-Views and know who was the artist force. I want to look at a plot line that is happening now and look how other artists handled that plot line in the past. I think it would open up the way two wrestlers could have a feud multiple times, and have the story line go in very different ways. I think this would make the feuds not feel like we are seeing the same thing again and again.
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