The Art Of Talking The Talk
Sorry to break it to you so abruptly: but back to wrestling we go again here. Sorry! But it cannot be helped: the moribund catacombs of old-time wrestling are chock-full of examples that illustrate extremely (!) well what we are talking about here...
First of all, it stands to reason to make the following statement: that, clearly, wrestling (or rather the modern day form of entertainment that incorporates, repackages and commercializes, as best as it can possibly be, the ancient form of competitive athleticism called wrestling) is indeed a good allegory for many aspects of life - as well as many artforms too!
Now, it is a given that talking a good talk is KEY to achieving a great many things in life - it can make or break a deal, any kind and any imaginable type of deal there is! Talking a good talk is an expression born in America - where deals are made every second, or so it seems. The expression reeks and defines an artform all of its own; and there's no denying that it applies to a million aspects of one's existence.
It is also well-known and well-chronicled that Nature Boy Ric Flair was (may still be) one of the greatest to ever had TALKED THE TALK - as is evidenced in this short 40 second-long snippet of excerpts taken from the glory days of the NWA (circa mid-1980s):
That boastful tone, those over-the-top claims, that arrogance - it is all part of talking a very good talk! Of course, it is exaggerated; of course it is too much - it is all part of a show, after all. A milder version of that, with the just the right dosage of self-assurance and pride, will get anyone at the very least NOTICED, in the cutthroat asphalt jungle out there. And that is all you want, in the beginning - then the next step follows and that is called *backing it all up* - or walking the walk! But that is another story...
When you compare all that to another guy - namely Shane Douglas - a guy among a myriad of other guys who have emulated the preceding one but this particular emulacre has a certain, dare we say, flair that sets him apart from the rest of them... For all the Jarretts, Jerichos, Landells, Martels, Rudes, Roodes, Hennigs, Levesques and more that have attempted to become the next Nature Boy, Douglas has shown a composure all his own. A style all his own. An attitude all his own. And all this while challenging, time and again, throughout his career, the inspirational model upon which he molded himself. Watch and listen to what he has to say now:
Actually, this was way back in the early-to-mid 1990s, really - and the imitative *franchise* has now completely changed his career - but that is another story.
The speech delivered quite masterfully in the above video did not suffice to salvage the wrestling career that Douglas had going back then. And yet it baffles all logic - for this is the epitome of the consummate entertainer in that field. He showed great entertainment value in just under ten minutes, with nothing other than his words and imagination. His eloquence reached the zenith as he challenged not one but two opponents at once. He evoked history and likened himself to the greatest of athletes with an impromptu reference to the Ancient Phoenician temples and the Holy of Holies (well, not so impromptu of course: such a speech was researched, written in several drafts, rehearsed beforehand too... But we digress.) And his delivery of such a speech was extremely (no pun intended) convincing as well - needless to emphasize. For some, it is just too much - since, for the average wrestling fan, these are pearls gone unappreciated. The substance is lost on three quarters of the audience, easily. However, all will recognize that this individual is different from the pack - his words far more evocative than any other competitor's (save, perhaps, the likes of Arn Anderson -on the day he evoked the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse- and Larry Zbyszko -on the day he likened a certain tall guy to the Antichrist on Nitro- and both were, coincidentally, hailed as the *thinking man's wrestlers* when they were a tag-team known as The Enforcers, circa 1992. But we're digressing once more...) And there is no denying that this man has scope - something seriously lacking from the other guys, usually so focused on themselves in an extremely (once again, no pun intended) unhealthy narcissistic way...
Alas, the narcissism aspect is all Flair - although the first video here is an extremely (...) short montage, not much longer than thirty seconds, it does summarize the majority of Ric Flair's speeches. His promos were all egocentric in format and content - even those where he would spend considerable time dissecting and cutting through all of his opponents' many flaws...
In life as in any professional circle there is, if you do not mean to entertain and mean to be taken seriously, you do not "flaunt what you've got" ceaselessly like this. Even politicians who will continue on a barrage of all the reasons why they should get your vote and not the other candidate, will rather focus on the other guy's negatives than overdo it on their alleged positives...
It is a detriment to oneself to stick to the same note, ad nauseam - just as it is doing yourself an injustice by limiting your arsenal or palette of moves/weapons/acts/strokes and overusing the same ones, over and over again... To only go with what you are most comfortable with, all the time, eventually makes you go stale and, well, extremely (!) predictable. And that is just too bad when it can be so easily avoided - if you simply take time to extrapolate a little bit, draw upon an unlikely analogy from Ancient Times, drawing a parallel with today with that - whether it drives the point across or not. Then again, the guy who did this soon had to reorient his career in a totally different field; but that, again, is another story... It shouldn't influence you on your willingness to talk the talk - or, eventually, walk the walk, also...!
Just keep in mind that self-centeredness, redundancy and plain arrogance is just too much. Keep it simple - that is the best way to go! Keeping it short and direct to the point, also - cut to the chase, always! In that light, neither Douglas nor Flair are good role-models, really...
Ah yes - for those inquiring (if not outright inquisitive) minds out there who are curious enough to wonder if there was any resolution to the running feud between Ric Flair and Shane Douglas, here is how it nearly got resolved - with a lot of outside interference.
With all that has been said and written, though - you must still remember this: never disrespect Ric Flair (even when he needlessly repeats himself, makes a clown of himself or tarnishes his very own alleged legacy...)
You must remember this as well: a kiss is just a kiss. The kiss-stealing, limousine-riding, jet-flying, wheeling-dealing son-of-a-gun that Ric Flair still is could agree on that, too! But that is also another story...
Sempre Por O Melhor
;-)
First of all, it stands to reason to make the following statement: that, clearly, wrestling (or rather the modern day form of entertainment that incorporates, repackages and commercializes, as best as it can possibly be, the ancient form of competitive athleticism called wrestling) is indeed a good allegory for many aspects of life - as well as many artforms too!
Now, it is a given that talking a good talk is KEY to achieving a great many things in life - it can make or break a deal, any kind and any imaginable type of deal there is! Talking a good talk is an expression born in America - where deals are made every second, or so it seems. The expression reeks and defines an artform all of its own; and there's no denying that it applies to a million aspects of one's existence.
It is also well-known and well-chronicled that Nature Boy Ric Flair was (may still be) one of the greatest to ever had TALKED THE TALK - as is evidenced in this short 40 second-long snippet of excerpts taken from the glory days of the NWA (circa mid-1980s):
That boastful tone, those over-the-top claims, that arrogance - it is all part of talking a very good talk! Of course, it is exaggerated; of course it is too much - it is all part of a show, after all. A milder version of that, with the just the right dosage of self-assurance and pride, will get anyone at the very least NOTICED, in the cutthroat asphalt jungle out there. And that is all you want, in the beginning - then the next step follows and that is called *backing it all up* - or walking the walk! But that is another story...
When you compare all that to another guy - namely Shane Douglas - a guy among a myriad of other guys who have emulated the preceding one but this particular emulacre has a certain, dare we say, flair that sets him apart from the rest of them... For all the Jarretts, Jerichos, Landells, Martels, Rudes, Roodes, Hennigs, Levesques and more that have attempted to become the next Nature Boy, Douglas has shown a composure all his own. A style all his own. An attitude all his own. And all this while challenging, time and again, throughout his career, the inspirational model upon which he molded himself. Watch and listen to what he has to say now:
Actually, this was way back in the early-to-mid 1990s, really - and the imitative *franchise* has now completely changed his career - but that is another story.
The speech delivered quite masterfully in the above video did not suffice to salvage the wrestling career that Douglas had going back then. And yet it baffles all logic - for this is the epitome of the consummate entertainer in that field. He showed great entertainment value in just under ten minutes, with nothing other than his words and imagination. His eloquence reached the zenith as he challenged not one but two opponents at once. He evoked history and likened himself to the greatest of athletes with an impromptu reference to the Ancient Phoenician temples and the Holy of Holies (well, not so impromptu of course: such a speech was researched, written in several drafts, rehearsed beforehand too... But we digress.) And his delivery of such a speech was extremely (no pun intended) convincing as well - needless to emphasize. For some, it is just too much - since, for the average wrestling fan, these are pearls gone unappreciated. The substance is lost on three quarters of the audience, easily. However, all will recognize that this individual is different from the pack - his words far more evocative than any other competitor's (save, perhaps, the likes of Arn Anderson -on the day he evoked the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse- and Larry Zbyszko -on the day he likened a certain tall guy to the Antichrist on Nitro- and both were, coincidentally, hailed as the *thinking man's wrestlers* when they were a tag-team known as The Enforcers, circa 1992. But we're digressing once more...) And there is no denying that this man has scope - something seriously lacking from the other guys, usually so focused on themselves in an extremely (once again, no pun intended) unhealthy narcissistic way...
Alas, the narcissism aspect is all Flair - although the first video here is an extremely (...) short montage, not much longer than thirty seconds, it does summarize the majority of Ric Flair's speeches. His promos were all egocentric in format and content - even those where he would spend considerable time dissecting and cutting through all of his opponents' many flaws...
In life as in any professional circle there is, if you do not mean to entertain and mean to be taken seriously, you do not "flaunt what you've got" ceaselessly like this. Even politicians who will continue on a barrage of all the reasons why they should get your vote and not the other candidate, will rather focus on the other guy's negatives than overdo it on their alleged positives...
It is a detriment to oneself to stick to the same note, ad nauseam - just as it is doing yourself an injustice by limiting your arsenal or palette of moves/weapons/acts/strokes and overusing the same ones, over and over again... To only go with what you are most comfortable with, all the time, eventually makes you go stale and, well, extremely (!) predictable. And that is just too bad when it can be so easily avoided - if you simply take time to extrapolate a little bit, draw upon an unlikely analogy from Ancient Times, drawing a parallel with today with that - whether it drives the point across or not. Then again, the guy who did this soon had to reorient his career in a totally different field; but that, again, is another story... It shouldn't influence you on your willingness to talk the talk - or, eventually, walk the walk, also...!
Just keep in mind that self-centeredness, redundancy and plain arrogance is just too much. Keep it simple - that is the best way to go! Keeping it short and direct to the point, also - cut to the chase, always! In that light, neither Douglas nor Flair are good role-models, really...
Ah yes - for those inquiring (if not outright inquisitive) minds out there who are curious enough to wonder if there was any resolution to the running feud between Ric Flair and Shane Douglas, here is how it nearly got resolved - with a lot of outside interference.
With all that has been said and written, though - you must still remember this: never disrespect Ric Flair (even when he needlessly repeats himself, makes a clown of himself or tarnishes his very own alleged legacy...)
You must remember this as well: a kiss is just a kiss. The kiss-stealing, limousine-riding, jet-flying, wheeling-dealing son-of-a-gun that Ric Flair still is could agree on that, too! But that is also another story...
Sempre Por O Melhor
;-)
posted by Luminous (\ô/) Luciano™ at 8:25 AM
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