World Wrestling Entertainment review

The arts event I decided to go to was the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) wrestling show at the Hallam FM arena in Sheffield, on the 17th of April.  WWE’s focus is professional wrestling, which is a simulated sport, combining wrestling with acting.
I went to the WWE event with the intention of reviewing the creative side of the show. There were several key areas I decided to focus on, which were: costumes, music, set design, showmanship and storylines.  I then tried to review the show as a whole and decide on a mark out of ten.

Costumes – Since each wrestler had their own costume, I decided to focus on the one that particularly stood out to me.  This outfit belonged to John Morrison.  His persona is that of a Californian celebrity, so his outfit mimics this.  He wears what appears to be a thick coat of chinchilla fur, to give the impression of wealth, and sunglasses to further cement the idea of being a celebrity.  His outfit is very effective, and suits his character trait of arrogance quite well.
Music – Each Superstar also had their own specific music, which played as they entered and exited the ring, but one particular theme tune engaged me, which was the music of the Superstar Edge (WWE’s performers are called Superstars).  I liked this music on a personal level, as I like rock/pop music and I have the album of the band that did the music “Alterbridge”, in my music collection.  The theme suits Edge’s persona, as it is quite loud and rebellious, the lyrics being very bitter.  This again matches his character trait of arrogance.
Set design – The entrance stage was just behind us.  It consisted of a curtained entrance where the wrestlers entered into the arena, in the middle of the stage.  To either side were large screens which were lit up, making them the focal point of the arena. The two screens had different signs; one had the logos of SmackDown! and ECW (two of the brands that WWE promotes under), and the other had the WWE logo.  They were very eye catching before the show began, as there were also illuminated blue fluorescent lights surrounding them.  However, this set was very small and meek when compared to the set used for the normal TV shows, where the set is much grander and more interesting.  When I went to a televised WWE show, the set had been personalised for the show in England, complete with a red phone box and a London black taxi.  Therefore, whilst the set was appropriate for a small untelevised show, I was a little disappointed the set wasn’t in any way personalised for Sheffield, or even England.
Showmanship – Each superstar had their own type of showmanship but one in particular used their skills particularly well.  MVP is a superstar who feeds off the hatred of the crowd.  Before he competed in his match, he got a microphone and began to taunt the crowd, using insults specific to the English audience.  He stereotyped English people as having bad dental hygiene, and even brought a toothbrush to the ring to further the charade, insinuating that we had never even seen a toothbrush before.  This worked really well, and the crowd got really angry, going as so far as to yell insults back at him.  He also used taunts specific to Sheffield, making reference to our failing steel industry, and blaming it on our laziness.  MVP is definitely one of the WWE’s best showmen.
Storylines – Storylines in the WWE are the feuds between Superstars that inspire the matches in the shows.  Usually the storylines in the WWE are very good, however at the non-televised event I went to, there seemed to very few storylines.  Many of the matches seemed to have been cobbled together, and the ones that had a storyline, used ones recycled from the televised shows.  As a fan I found this a tad disappointing, as the show had very few completely new elements in it.
Overall review – The show as a whole was fantastically well done, and all of its different elements worked together to form a very good performance.  However, some of the individual elements lacked the refinement of a televised show, meaning I could not give it a perfect score, and had to give it 9 out of 10.

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