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Guest TSMAdmin

The Great Charisma Debate

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Guest TSMAdmin

The competition continues! For those that don’t know, Nik Johnson wrote an article about nostalgia, which can be found here, that is quite worth the read. Well, only because my name graces it but it’s still pretty good. The reason I’m plugging his article is because he said the following:

 

“Someone with a lot of talent and no charisma will put on excellent matches, but not get pushed due to a “lack of mic skills.” For example, Chris Benoit.“

 

This got me thinking. Everyone talks about so-and-so’s charisma, so-and-so’s lack of personality. But does charisma only constitute on the mic?

 

I don’t believe so. Hulk Hogan may be able to cut a good promo, but when he steps into the ring the pops start loud, then get quiet, and when he wins, become loud again. Yeah he may have a good personality, but he can’t carry a crowd in the ring. Then their’s guys like Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. Benoit may not be able to speak on the mic well enough to make be viciously cheer him, but when he steps into that ring, he has the crowd. The little extra bits of selling, the way he makes himself look like a badass as well as his opponent, keeps you into the match. When Benoit steps into the ring, he tells a story without ever speaking to you. When you lose a match and yet you still get a standing ovation, you’ve connected with the crowd. Guys like Chris Jericho bring the heeldom in this aspect. For example, in his match with Scott Steiner awhile ago on Raw, he kept the crowd into the match by saying stuff like “Ask Him! Ask Him!” when he had Steiner in a submission hold. Hell, Ricky Morton made a living off of just connecting with the fans while he was getting his ass kicked, making a slight comeback at the right times untill the “Hot Tag,” which erupted the crowd. The Rock’N’Roll Express also set the standard for almost all tag matches, but that’s for another article.

 

Oh, and I hear what you're saying. “Tony, those are all good workers! You're basically saying all good workers have charisma.” Not true. Take Lance Storm. He is a hell of a worker, but he bores me. He just acts like he’s ignoring the crowd, and usually needs someone else to help make that match fan connected. That’s why he’s usually always been paired with someone with in-ring charisma(Hurricane, Jericho). Hell of a worker, below average entertainer.

In summary, charisma doesn’t just mean on the mic, it means connecting with fans. Anyone can make a catchphrase, but it takes someone with skill to get the people to care about the catchphrase.

 

Okay, sometime this weekend I’ll review one of the Before They Were Stars DVD (the Wrestling Gold/ Jim Cornette ones, not the WWE ones). See you then.

 

Tony Jaymz

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