11 years ago, former pro wrestler-actor Jesse Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota, running as an independent. Ventura opted not to run for re-election, and has become an author and outspoken political pundit since. He wasn't the first wrestler to try to run for public office, but he, because of his national celebrity status, proved that success was possible.
In the last couple of months alone, we've heard about no less than three wrestling personalities making bids for political office. The least known of the three is Austin Idol, better known as the "Universal Heartthrob" in his heyday during the 80's. Idol is making a bid to run for mayor of his hometown of Tampa, where a lot of current and former wrestlers currently are based. Idol's run won't be for at least another year, and it hinges on what happens elsewhere first.
Jerry "The King" Lawler is making his 2nd bid for mayor of his hometown, Memphis, where he is as much a cultural icon as that other "King", Elvis Presley. Lawler last attempted to run 20 years ago, and lost, well before he signed on with the WWE, where he has been a commentator and part-time wrestler since 1993, save for a 10 month hiatus in 2001. While Lawler is still an active performer, wrestling mostly in the Tennessee area, he knows that the curtain is slowly drawing closed on his competitive career. This may be his last chance to make a greater social impact.
Speaking of the WWE, that brings us to Linda McMahon, who on Wednesday announced her bid for the US Senate from her home state of Connecticut. Mrs. McMahon, who was appointed to the Connecticut Board of Education earlier this year, has resigned her post as Chief Executive Officer of WWE, a position that her husband, Vince, has assumed in addition to his role as Chairman of the Board, at least in the short term. Of the three, Mrs. McMahon has the best chance of succeeding, largely because she has, for the most part, stayed far away from the fray in the WWE, save for those occasions where Vince has, shall we say, signed her up for hazard duty.
But consider also the warped, frenzied imagination of Vince McMahon, who has a habit of expressing his disgust if things don't go his way via lame comedy skits on Monday Night Raw. Back in June, he hired a California ring announcer to impersonate Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke in order to embarrass Kroenke for bumping Raw out of Denver's Pepsi Center in favor of the NBA playoffs. Kroenke had the last laugh that night, as Denver beat the Lakers while McMahon played human chess on Raw, dressing 10 of his wrestlers in knockoff Laker & Nugget jerseys, and having his "Lakers" win the main event. What if Linda fails in her bid for the Senate? What if she doesn't become the highest profile junior Senator this side of Hillary Clinton? Internet fans are already speculating, based on some of Vince's wackier stunts. They don't paint a pretty picture, and neither does reality. Lawler, to his credit, has kept his political aspirations separate from his WWE duties, largely because he is only aiming at the regional level.
But if Mrs. McMahon does succeed, she may find a kindred spirit in Washington in the form of a former amateur wrestler who became a Senator from Minnesota earlier this year. Fella by the name of Al Franken. He knows first-hand how difficult it is to transition from one occupation (Franken being a former comic and radio personality) to another under a large media microscope. In the very least, when WWE does relaunch its "Smackdown Your Vote" campaign next year, it'll have a vested interest more than ever. And it may be their only chance.
Some say wrestling and politics are a lot alike. The only real difference is that politics is more like a reality show than wrestling pretends to be.
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