Reality TV Appears Here to Stay “That’s Why Wrestling Needs To Jump on Board and Come Up With a Show if Its Own, Columnist Says
By Kyle Klingman “TWM Columnist
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Within 15 minutes of watching the first episode of the reality boxing television show “The Contender “I was hooked. I became so excited about the premise of the show that during the first commercial break I called up my dad to make sure that he was watching. He replied by saying “Son, I don’t watch reality television (shows), I think they’re terrible.”
I agreed. Reality television shows are awful. Every week I pencil in time on my calendar not to watch any of the shows. But this program was different. Following some cajoling on my part, I finally got my dad to watch the show. After the first episode was over he called me back and said, “This show is going to be good. “By the end of the season it was my dad who was pushing the record button on the VCR without any prodding from me.
The first thing the show had going for it was that Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard were the “hosts “of the show. Leonard added legitimacy (as one of the greatest boxers of all time) and Stallone added the entertainment (both dramatic and comedic). As a long-time Sly fan I couldn’t pass up on an opportunity see what Stallone was up to next. I’m also the proud owner of the Over the Top and Rocky III soundtracks so I felt it was my obligation to watch the show on a weekly basis.
Note: I was hoping Bull Hurley from the movie Over the Top would make a cameo appearance on the show saying “I drive truck, break arms, and arm wrestle “but it never happened.
The main reason this show was so appealing was the format. Like the mixed martial arts show “The Ultimate Fighter “(which was hosted by Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, both former wrestlers), this show had a purity and a realism that was missing from other reality television shows.
The basis for the show was simple: bring in 16 middleweight boxers from around the country for a shot at a winner-take-all $1 million grand prize. The fighters were housed in the same facility where they would live and train together. The participants were then split up into two teams, West and East, based on where the boxers were from geographically. Each week the teams would compete against each other. The winner of the team contest earned the right to decide who from their team would fight. That person then got to chose who they wanted to fight against by calling that person out.
Unlike other reality television shows, the fighters get to decide their own fate. Each week the winner advanced and the loser went home. There was no sucking up to Donald Trump or playing cute little games with some tribal council. It was all about how physically and mentally prepared the boxers were for the task at hand. Each time a fighter won a bout, his team was rewarded with some sort of a prize during the following episode.
What made the show great were the fights at the end of each episode. Each bout was edited to show all of the good moments of the fight along with fan and family reactions. Because the viewer got to know the fighters beforehand, you were able to pick and chose who you wanted to win based on their personality. I had one friend call me after an episode and say, “I hate to admit this, but I was actually kind of nervous during that fight (which was pre-recorded). “
My question is this: Why doesn’t wrestling get on board with some type of reality television show? I mean if someone was willing to pay over $10,000 to spend a day with Dan Gable at the World Cup a couple of years ago, I think that there is reason to believe that there would be an interest in a reality wrestling television show if he were to get involved.
The reason a show like this could succeed is because of the nature of how wrestling works. In no other sport are the practice sessions significantly harder than the actual competition. There is only so much live boxing you can do in practice before it becomes detrimental to the fighters. In a wrestling practice it can be all out war for over an hour. This would be the hook for the show. Have 16 wrestlers compete in a similar format as “The Contender “or “The Ultimate Fighter”, but make sure there is plenty of practice room and training footage. Of course for dramatic purposes you would show them interacting with each other during the course of the season.
Most of the best wrestling matches I’ve witnessed come from the wrestling room. I’ll never forget the day I saw a wrestler (who will remain nameless) throw a temper tantrum in the Iowa wrestling room after getting throttled by his adversary. In his anger he threw his headgear and almost hit Gable in the face. The entire wrestling room went silent for a moment as though someone had fired a shot at the president. A classic moment that only a few people were able to witness. This is one of many things a reality wrestling show could bring to the table.
Also instrumental in selling this show would be the celebrity guests. The wrestling community always talks about how many celebrities and dignitaries were wrestlers. This would be an ideal format to use them. The show could feature guys like Kurt Angle, Dennis Hastert, John Irving, Billy Baldwin, and Norman Borlaug, just to name a few. By doing this you diversify your audience along with showing all the different career paths and success stories the sport of wrestling provides. This way, wrestling gets portrayed in a positive light.
There would also have to be some rules, the most important one being that there are no heavyweights allowed (unless Lou Banach and Stephen Neal come out of retirement). This show would feature lightweights or middleweights who are willing to wrestle. I get my fair share of the heavyweight stallfests at the NCAA tournament every year without having to watch it on television. I’d rather watch dust collect on wood than witness another 1-1 overtime thriller where each wrestler gets a token escape.
The second rule would be that FILA cannot and will not be a part of this show nor will they be allowed anywhere near the production crew. There won’t be any of this best of three period’s garbage where you only have to wrestle four minutes and the last person to score in the period wins the period if there is a tie. We’re going old school rules where the matches are nine minutes long.
In order to make the show work there would have to be some quality personnel to host the show. The following are some ideas for the way I would like to see the show work.
Idea #1:
Have Dan Gable and J Robinson each coach an eight member team. This storyline has it all. Robinson, a former assistant coach under Gable at Iowa, goes up to Minnesota where he created his own empire. Who wouldn’t want to see the workouts that Gable and J Rob would put these guys through?
This has all the potential in the world. Have contests that involve buddy carries, rope climbs, running stairs, or anything else these guys could come up with. I guarantee we would see some puking by the end of this thing.
With this premise we can take full advantage of J Robinson’s “Border Brawl “idea. Since wrestling won’t be able to draw a crowd for one match like boxing, you have bouts at the halftime or the conclusion of an Iowa or Minnesota wrestling dual meet. This way you have a crowd built in. You can also boost attendance by letting people know there will be a reality show going on and that they might get on television. The final match for the grand prize would be wrestled at the Iowa versus Minnesota meet, the original border brawl.
Idea #2:
Have Tom and Terry Brands each coach a team. I’ve heard some of the sick and sadistic workouts these guys have put themselves through. Why not let the world see them put other guys through it? This angle would provide nonstop wrestling action with two brothers that epitomize competition. It’s true – they have done things that make a billie goat puke. Now it’s time to make some wrestlers do it.
Idea #3:
Have Wayne Boyd and John Smith host a reality show called “One More Shot. “
Idea #4:
Add on to Real Pro Wrestling with a show called Reality Pro Wrestling. The possibilities are endless. During the second season they could include a reality television show in addition to the wrestling tournament that they air on a weekly basis. This way Real Pro Wrestling can diversify their portfolio from strong to quite strong.
Real Pro Wrestling did a great job of profiling all of the wrestlers so we could get to know them on a personal level. This is what makes them stars. A show like this would simply take this concept to another level. Toby Willis and Matt Case have created a new style of wrestling that we need to continue to capitalize on. Why not use the big stage and the lights for a groundbreaking show for wrestling?
Reality television is where it’s at right now and wrestling needs to continue to find ways to get into the mainstream. If done correctly, a reality television show that features wrestling just might work.
Kyle Klingman can also be reached at [email protected]
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