The D'Amore Drop: Why wrestling fans get what they need, rather than what they think they want
I'm really enjoying what WWE's doing right now with Ron Killings — and not just because I've known Ronnie for well over two decades.
Advertisement
The dramatic, fourth-wall-breaking storyline that is unfolding right now wasn't even thought of two weeks ago. As you know, WWE decided not to renew Ronnie's contract, and the fans basically said, 'You made a mistake.' Loud and clear. To their credit, WWE listened, and now we are getting this gripping narrative that weaves reality into story.
THIS is why I love professional wrestling!
This business is a living, breathing beast. It's not a movie that gets written, rewritten, shot, edited, maybe reshot, maybe reedited and then released a year later. Wrestling happens in real time, every time.
That instant feedback — cheers, boos, ticket sales, pay-per-view sales, merch, reactions online — you get it all as you are telling your story. You can't fall into fan-service — you have to give fans what they 'need' rather than what they think they 'want.' Otherwise, the most popular babyfaces would all be champions, fan-favorite tag teams would never break up, there'd be no real changes and the whole thing would die.
Advertisement
You have to trust the process and believe in your story enough to not panic and abandon it (which was the knock on Vince McMahon, especially later on), but also be humble enough to pivot.
One example that comes to mind is when Eric Young went out and had an amazing performance to show the TNA powers that be that he shouldn't be let go from TNA's roster 20 years ago. To be clear — I wasn't in charge at this time, but what was supposed to be his final match was a tag match with "EY" and Bobby Roode vs. America's Most Wanted. But Eric went out there and stole the damn show.
(And truthfully, the other three guys knew what was at stake and worked their asses off to put "EY" in a position to shine.)
Advertisement
After that performance — one of the best in company history — there was no way TNA could let him go. Eric didn't just save his job, he showed TNA that he should never have been in a position where we were even considering not having him part of our show.
That's why I've always loved this business. Because it's unpredictable. Because it's alive. Because Ron Killings, at age 53, can go from being cut to being the most entertaining guy on the show — just like that.
Seth Rollins is so awesome that the fans don't want to boo him. And that would be a big problem, considering he is clearly being positioned as WWE's top villain, but … Seth Rollins is *so* awesome he can make the fans boo him anyway.
The whole main event on this past Monday's "WWE Raw," where Jey Uso won a Fatal 4-Way to set up a King of the Ring match vs. Cody Rhodes next week, clicked so well. Everyone in the match — Jey, Sheamus, Rusev and Bronson Reed — were given big moments, but so were LA Knight, Penta and Bron Breakker, who interfered throughout.
Advertisement
Then Seth Rollins came out — and everyone cheered and sang his song. He was about to attack Uso, who'd wrecked his plan for teammate Reed to be in the King of the Ring, when Cody Rhodes stepped between them.
Seth sold it like he was enraged. He hyperventilated. Spittle flew out both corners of his mouth. The hatred he had his eyes for Cody … and then with just one look he told us that he'd decided: 'No, not here. Not one-on-one.'
And he backed down from a fight with Cody — and the fans rained down boos.
A masterclass!
Seth's timing — knowing exactly the right moment to back down from a fight to lose the respect of the audience — reminded me of Bret Hart's heel turn at WrestleMania 13 all those years ago.
Advertisement
For younger fans, Bret had just beat Steve Austin in a match that set 'Stone Cold' up as the WWF's top babyface and, at the same time, was supposed to turn Bret up as the company's top villain.
Only, the fans weren't booing Bret as he continued to attack Austin even after he'd won the match. Special referee Ken Shamrock pushed Bret off of Austin … and Bret made as if he was going to fight 'The World's Most Dangerous Man' … the fans thought they were going to see it … and then Bret ducked out of the ring, prompting the fans to boo him all the way back to the locker room.
I'd already filed last week's column before I saw "AEW Dynamite," but what happened on June 11 — with Don Callis setting up Okada to attack Kenny Omega — was absolutely astonishing television.
It was shocking on so many levels. Casual fans know Don was Kenny's manager, then turned on him and has been a thorn in his side since. Hardcores know that Don and Kenny are basically family in real life; Don's first manager when he wrestled was Kenny's uncle, the Golden Sheik, and Don has known Kenny since he was a boy.
Don Callis (left) with Kenny Omega's uncle, The Golden Sheik. Don skipped chest day even in the '70s. (Photo via Scott D'Amore)
Don sticking his nose in Kenny's business — the Okada match — made perfect sense, but it was the execution of it that was next level. Omega initially being all, 'You again? I am wise to your tricks,' and Don, the mastermind, smirking back, 'Well, you didn't see this coming,' with Okada attacking him from behind — it was gripping stuff.
Advertisement
You don't see blood much in modern wrestling, and you sure as hell don't see someone choking on it like they're suffering horrific internal injuries. But that's what AEW showed us: Kenny Omega coughing and gasping, looking seriously, dangerously hurt. The visual alone was enough to jolt fans into silence.
Don Callis is the most effective heel manager of this era. As multi-talented as Paul Heyman is, when it comes to lighting a fire of hatred in fans' guts, no one stokes that inferno quite like Don. (Of course, he has a great head start, being very, very, very unlikable in real life.)
Fans were already excited for another Omega vs. Okada match. Now? There's a whole new emotional charge baked into it. It's personal, it's venomous, it's heart-wrenching — and that's exactly what wrestling should be at its best.
I can't wait for their match at AEW All In next month.
No one gets the reaction that Bill Goldberg got on "WWE Raw" this week without being a very special performer. I am not here to put over his work rate, but anyone who denies the man's 'it' factor doesn't understand charisma.
Advertisement
It's been 28 years (!) since Goldberg's legendary 'streak' in WCW … and the fans still believe in him.
I worked with Bill back in 1997 at WCW's Power Plant in Atlanta. The Power Plant was a training facility decades ahead of its time and I got a nice check for going down there and basically taking bumps for Bill in the practice ring.
In typical WCW fashion, though, I only worked out with Bill a few times and I got paid for two weeks of sitting around drinking coffee.
Bill's athleticism — especially his raw power — was incredible. And he had that focus of a real athlete who knew he had a great opportunity in front of him. I'll echo Bret Hart, though, in saying I'm not sure Bill knew how to control his raw power.
Advertisement
I was supposed to be an early number opponent for Bill, maybe No. 15, I can't remember, and be part of his legendary streak. But I had to go back to Canada for business and the match didn't happen, which was too bad.
As WCW began to inflate the streak, claiming it grew to 170-0 when the real number was closer to 120-0, I joked with Mike Tenay that I was one of the phantom 50 matches Goldberg was supposed to have had.
Bill turns 59 later this year and all signs are his match in Atlanta against Gunther will be his last. Gunther will shoulder much of the load, but whatever they do, I know Bill will go out with a bang.
Inflating the streak was a real WCW misstep. Even casual fans realized they were cooking the books. A genuine 80-0 works far better than a fake 100-0.
Advertisement
In TNA, Mike Tenay had the idea to replicate Goldberg's streak for Samoa Joe … and he made sure it was 100% accurate.
Staying with WCW, I've heard great things about Marc Raimondi's book on the nWo. Entitled 'Say Hello To The Bad Guys,' it covers the legendary WCW faction and their massive impact on pop culture.
There have been many attempts to replicate the magic of the nWo, but it is impossible.
The shockwave of Hulk Hogan's 1996 heel turn is something that is never going to be replicated — just look at how much bigger it was than even John Cena's heel turn. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were so effortlessly, uniquely cool … the nWo formula will never be replicated. And then Eric Bischoff and team were innovating at a crazy place — backstage segments, fights in the parking lot, breaking the fourth wall. Wrestling had never seen anything like it and no one will ever forget it.
Advertisement
As Marc mentions at the start of the book, if you wear a nWo hoodie or t-shirt, you're likely to get a complete stranger throwing up the 'Wolfpac' hand sign at you.
The nWo captured the imagination of a generation — and never let go.
For those fans, nWo is truly FOR LIFE!
Congrats to my friends Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson — the iconic tag-team known as the Good Brothers — who signed a deal with Hulu (!) to stream their Lariato pro-wrestling promotion.
Check out the Good Brothers taking on the Bullet Club War Dogs above.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Geek Girl Authority
2 hours ago
- Geek Girl Authority
David John Phillips on Writing OH! I MISS THE WAR and Its Hopeful Message for the Queer Community
Sometimes, all it takes is one monologue to awaken the muse. Actor and playwright David John Phillips, whose acclaimed new play Oh! I Miss the War is poised to take the Toronto Fringe Festival by storm, penned his latest work after finding inspiration from a monologue by Matthew Baldwin that features an older gay man. Recently, I had the privilege of chatting with David about bringing Oh! I Miss the War to life, the impetus behind writing it, how it's a love letter to queer elders and more. RELATED: Agape Mngomezulu Talks Bryon and Bracia's Relationship in Ginny & Georgia Season 3 This interview is condensed for length and clarity. David John Phillips Pictured: David John Phillips Melody McCune: We at GGA love a good origin story. How did you get into the arts? David John Phillips: I have always been an actor, actually, since childhood. I did my undergraduate degree at NYU Tisch School back in the '70s. Getting into the arts was pretty organic. Then, I fell out of the arts. After my undergraduate degree, I spent a few years as a professional actor, but found it impossible. I left acting and went into a career in academia. About 15 years ago, I thought that I needed to have fun. So, I started acting again, and it was fun. That's briefly how I went in and how I came out and how I went back again. Of course, there's a lot more detail there. That's the general outline. Oh! I Miss the War MM: Let's talk about Oh! I Miss the War . Can you tell me what it's about and the impetus behind writing it? DJP: Let me go with the impetus behind writing it first. Let me give you a bit of an origin story. That's a fascinating origin story. I was in the library of the National Theatre in London. I saw a volume entitled Queers and thought, 'I have to buy that one,' so I bought it and discovered it was a collection of eight monologues commissioned by the BBC to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of sodomy in the UK. One of the monologues was for an older gay man. Good monologues for older gay men are not common. RELATED: Revival 's Romy Weltman on Becoming Em and Working With Melanie Scrofano At that point, it became my COVID project to work on the monologue. That monologue features an old queen in a bar in London in 1967, during the week that sodomy was decriminalized. He's watching all the youngsters celebrate this, and thinking, 'What do they want to do? Get married next?' He laments the loss of the outlaw pleasures he had. He doesn't put it this way, of course, but he's concerned about creeping heteronormativity. He speaks Polari, an underground argot common in most of the first half of the 20th century among the gay subculture. Embracing the History That's the first part. I performed it and really loved the monologue, but it was 20 minutes. I thought I would like to make an evening out of this. So, I wrote a companion piece set more or less in the current day, but with a similar structure to the older queen. This time, a leather queen sits in a leather bar in the current day, looking at the youngsters and wondering where he fits in. Why doesn't he understand what they're saying? Both of them come back to really embracing the history they're looking at — the past they have been a part of and the future they're uncertain of. But there's a real sense of hope and love and compassion for the people in front of them now. That's where the piece came from and what it's about. RELATED: 5 Horror Movies With Queer Representation A Sense of Hope and Reassurance MM: What can audiences expect when they watch the show? DJP: They can expect to be moved. It's very funny. Jack, the queen from 1967, is an entertainer and is very funny. Matt, the leather queen of today, has a more wry sense of humor, but is also very funny. They each enjoy finding the humor in the situation. People can certainly expect to laugh. People can expect to appreciate the past, present and continuation of the project of queer world-building we've been engaged in for hundreds of years. Jack remembers back to 1932, and Matt talks about life today. People can expect to enjoy a sense of hope and reassurance that we've been doing this and we're still doing it. Life sucks, but that's fine. MM: Describe Oh! I Miss the War using three words. DJP: Queer. Sexy. Compassionate. RELATED: Sapphics With Swords: 6 Books Featuring Queer Lady Warriors Multitasking MM: I love that. What was it like for you getting to wear multiple hats as a writer and actor, from the inception of this show to getting it on its feet? DJP: I have really enjoyed the writing part. It was difficult, but the most difficult part of writing was done for me because I knew what I wanted to write about. I knew I wanted to write in response to Matthew Baldwin's piece. Matthew Baldwin is the playwright of I Miss the War . It was a lot of fun, very evocative and very moving to write the companion piece, called Oh! . That's the title of the second monologue. It was fun to perform a piece that I had written. I had to be careful to say, 'No, David, say the lines as you wrote them. There is a text here, and you can't make it up just because you wrote it. You decided with good care how this line would read, so read the line you wrote.' That was interesting. For the first several iterations, I directed it myself, which felt a bit like it was not directed. Now, for this iteration, I have hired a director. Very glad for that. It just looks more professional, more together. It's a much tighter and more theatrical show than it had been. I do not enjoy producing. I know that. The payoff from the producing, though, is that I get to do the show I want. RELATED: 10 Books With Queer Protagonists to Read All Year Round We're Doing Fine Pictured: David John Phillips MM: What have you taken away from this experience? DJP: I'll give you an anecdote. As I said, in Jack's piece, I Miss the War , a significant part is his concern that the subculture will die. That with this greater acceptance, with this openness, people are going to get married and move to the suburbs. What's the point of being queer if you're going to do that? I was performing in Toronto at Glad Day Bookshop, the oldest surviving gay bookstore in the world. As I was doing the show, I was looking around at the staff of this bookstore, looking around at the people frequenting the bookstore, and thinking, 'We're doing fine. We are plenty queer.' That's the main thing I have taken away from it. More prosaically, the other thing I'm taking away from it is a good show. A good show that is in my back pocket and that will travel. Influences and What's on the Horizon MM: Who are your influences as a playwright? DJP: Joni Mitchell is the first that pops into my head. The second piece, the piece I wrote, is pretty autobiographical. Looking at Joni Mitchell's work and her ability to take a very precise moment in life, explore that reverberation into history — into the cosmos — and then bring it back to that moment. It is the structure of many Joni Mitchell songs. That was really helpful to me in terms of the structure of the play. I often said, 'Look, if Joni can be this honest, I can be this honest. If Joni can talk about her life like this, I can talk about my life like this.' RELATED: Max Parker Gets Musical as Benvolio in Juliet & Romeo That courage in self-disclosure was really valuable to me. Matthew Baldwin, the playwright, said, 'Sure, write about yourself. The more specific and honest you can make it, the more universal it will be, the more people will resonate with it.' Those were really valuable precepts that I came back to again and again in writing it. MM: What else is on the horizon for you, career-wise? DJP: I will continue to shop this play around festivals. Also, I have this fantasy, which I don't think is completely unrealistic, but we're pursuing it. I think that universities and colleges with queer student groups, theater departments, queer studies or just queer student groups with a bit of a budget would love to bring me in for a weekend and perform this show and talk about it. I would like to try to do that. Oh! I Miss the War premieres at Native Earth's Aki Studio as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival on July 2, 2025, and will conclude its run on July 13. To keep up with David, check out his site. 5 Queer YA Retellings of CINDERELLA Contact: [email protected] What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events. Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet. Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium. Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Report: Cody Rhodes In Talks For Shocking Role In Video Game Movie Adaptation
Is Cody Rhodes on his way back to Hollywood to portray an iconic video game character? Casting news and rumors have been hot and heavy in recent weeks for the upcoming Legendary Pictures movie Street Fighter, based on the ultra-popular Capcom fighting game franchise. While it's been confirmed that WWE Superstar Roman Reigns will be playing the role of Akuma, it appears that he might be joined by one of his greatest rivals on set in Cody Rhodes. According to Nexus Point News, Rhodes is in talks to play Guile in the upcoming video game movie adaptation. Guile is one of the most iconic characters in Street Fighter history. Originally portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme in the original live-action Street Fighter movie back in 1994. WWE losing two of their top stars for a period of time might not be great for the company, but with Reigns' part-time schedule, it might not be too bad. Stay tuned to WrestleZone for more on Cody Rhodes' potential role in Street Fighter as it becomes available. READ MORE: Cody Rhodes Thinks He Might Be At The Tail End Of Being A Good Guy What do you make of this report? Would you like to see Cody Rhodes portray Guile in the upcoming Street Fighter movie? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below. The post Report: Cody Rhodes In Talks For Shocking Role In Video Game Movie Adaptation appeared first on Wrestlezone.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Train Like Chris Bumstead With These 2 Classic Moves
Have you ever seen six-time Classic Physique Mr. Olympia Chris Bumstead? The man's an absolute unit. Standing 6'1" and tipping the scales at around 240 pounds on stage, he's brought that iconic 'golden era' aesthetic back into the spotlight—again and again. His long legs and full six-pack give him the statuesque look associated with some of the greatest legends of our time, like Frank Zane and Arnold Schwarzenegger. And even though he's technically retired, the guy's still in peak form. If you're going to steal a page from anyone's playbook, his isn't a bad place to start. Sure, not everyone's job is to be an Olympian, but that doesn't mean you can't train like one. Below, Bumstead shares the two moves he swears by for building a bigger, leaner physique. No, doing just two exercises won't make you look like him, but it certainly won't hurt."It's tough to pick just two, because honestly, there's no one-size-fits-all," he says. "Everyone's built differently and needs different tools at different times. But two exercises I personally love are the incline dumbbell press and the hack squat." Set an adjustable bench to a 30°-45° angle and lie back on it with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder-level. Press the weights over your chest before lowering back to the starting position. That's 1 rep. "The incline dumbbell press lets you move heavy weights with a full range of motion and hits both chest and shoulders without putting your body in a risky position," Bumstead says. Stand on a hack squat platform with your back against the pad and shoulders under the supports. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, unlock the safety handles, and lower into a squat. Push through your heels to return to the starting position. That's 1 rep. "The hack squat, especially the 45-degree version, is amazing for loading your legs while still staying safe and controlled," Bumstead says. "If you're able to get a deep range of motion with it, where your hamstrings touch your calves, it's one of the best tools out there for quad development."When you watch top athletes train, it's easy to assume you need to spend hours in the gym to see results. Sure, some of that time goes to mobility work—and let's be honest, some socializing—but the workouts themselves can be long too. According to Bumstead, that doesn't have to be the case for the average lifter. If you train with purpose and intensity, you can get a solid workout done in under an hour. Take a chest workout for example. "Start with a quick warm-up, then go right into incline dumbbell press, three sets [of] eight or so reps," Bumstead adds. "The aim here is to have a descending load, which means if you are pushing yourself hard enough, you will not be able to use the same weight for each set in order to hit the rep range. Then move to a flat machine chest press, do two working sets here, aim for 12 reps, on the first six reps do a slow controlled five-second eccentric, and then for the last six speed it up slightly but still controlled with a two-second eccentric." If your chest is on fire at this point, good, that means the workout's working. When you're finished with the first two exercises, move on to a chest fly and pushup superset. "Do four sets of flys for 12 reps with a slow five- to six-second eccentric, on the last rep hold the stretch for 15 seconds, and try to do a few quarter reps," Bumstead suggests. "Then go straight into pushups to failure. Keep rest under 60 seconds and don't slack on intensity."If you're new to lifting, you've probably heard the word hypertrophy tossed around like everyone's supposed to know what it means. In simple terms, it's just the process of your muscles getting bigger. And according to Bumstead, building muscle isn't nearly as complicated as most people make it out to be. "It comes down to time under tension, progressive overload, and a full range of motion," he explains. "The lifts I mentioned work because they check all the boxes: good tempo, large range of motion, heavy enough to push you. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. Most people just need to train hard, be consistent, and keep showing up." Train Like Chris Bumstead With These 2 Classic Moves first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 1, 2025
