Wrestling and the Shakespearean Tragedy

As I write this, in three days is one of the biggest niche events of the spring. Over one million people will buy the event and 70,000 people will fill Phoenix for the express purpose of watching Vince McMahon's megalo-creation WrestleMania 26. And yes, they'll watch guys throw worked punches and win pre-determined contests.

But no one brings up the story arc of these cards, because often, the story arcs of professional wrestling tend to make either simplistic sense or are nonsensically complicated. But no one would ever call the work Shakespearean.

What has been billed as the top match on Mania 26 is a contest between two men in their mid-40s who have given decades of work to the business. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels actually took place at last year's event and was a workrate spectacle. However, the story was ultimately rather simple. Shawn wanted Taker's winning streak at the pay-per-view (at the time, 16-0, an unprecedented run even in a worked business simply because top stars often lay down for the three count at Mania), and Taker wanted to defend it. A story like this totally works for the match, but it is rather simple. The psychological aspects of characterization are not totally drawn in with the conflict in the first instance.

Skip to 2010 and the rematch storyline that has developed. It only came out of Shawn's initial desire to simply have another match with a shot of breaking the streak (and possibly taking Taker's title) that he would earn a shot. This is no different than the average wrestling storyline to the point of boredom. We see the dynamic of champions and of guys wanting to beat other guys all of the time, in and out of sport. It's pretty simplistic and pro wrestling is intended to be dramatic.

By February, the build for this really came together in the truest of ways. A streak vs. career match formed with Michaels promising to "end his career" should the moment come that he loses to the Undertaker at Mania. But more of this came from the genesis of Michaels' emotions. Michaels is considered probably the best wrestler of his generation, if not of all time, simply because every aspect of his work is crisp, amazing, and -- for lack of a better term -- real. He works because he feels real in every aspect, and he exposes his own human doubt. Instead of seeming like a cocky caricature or an elongated superhero, he is merely human.

Michaels noted in a promo cut to build the Mania 26 match, "If I can't beat you, Undertaker, I have no career." And this is where the tragic aspect meets itself. Shawn is entirely obsessed with breaking the streak, almost inhumanly. The storyline setup could be made into something silly, but Shawn's acting shows that even with all of the titles, the achievements, and the success he has had, he is not satisfied. The streak could mean anything, because Shawn's lack of satisfaction and insecurity speaks volumes.

Even without a long speech, that last line is tragic. This is why Shawn is so good when he has to express something that is not heavyhanded. Early last year, WWE fans were told that Shawn Michaels was "broke," a desperate effort to play off the circumstances of the economy. But that did not work because no one buys Shawn as poor. However, Shawn never seems comfortable about his own career. In real life, he was an asshole for a good part of said career and arguably only became a star because of underhanded behavior. This did not stop the quality of work he brought to the ring, but he has had to overly apologize for his past transgressions. So him being uncomfortable about what he has accomplished over what he feels he "hasn't" is an emotion that can be bought. Shawn isn't an everyman, but he is human.

Moreover, his opponent is a man named The Undertaker. Ralph Ellison even couldn't write blunt symbolism like that. It is like the also blunt symbolism that humanity can never overcome the supernatural or a power bigger than themselves. In this case, it is a man who revels in being "undead."

There is only one way for this match to end on Sunday, Shawn has to lose. It may not entirely be the coda to a career (this is pro wrestling where retirement stips tend to be like Michael Jordan retirements), but it is the story that has to be made out of this. After all, we all one day are going to rest in peace.