On April 16, 2004, a paradigm shift shook the industry, as “The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar broke the once indestructible steak of The Undertaker’s at WrestleMania 30. Depending on who you are, most remember the moment when the Undertaker sat up in the ring after that crushing blow and in the distance the jumbotron read, “21-1.” In a recent interview, Paul Heyman, who was ringside at the time, told the Undertaker that no one remembers the sequence of the match; however, they remember the finish, Heyman’s reaction, and the scoreboard changing. Heyman argued what makes the pro wrestling industry so significant isn’t just the matches, but a moment, and the emotions evoked from that moment. WWE Hall of Famer John “Bradshaw” Layfield couldn’t agree more.
“I agree with what he says about the moment. There’s so much about people talking about…work rate and all that stuff. I mean, that work rate means absolutely nothing if no one cares,” the Hall of Famer said on “Something to Wrestle.” “You go out there and have the best match in the world…But if no one cares, it’s like a tree falls in a forest and no one’s there. Does anybody hear it?”
Though being a workhorse is significantly just as important to one’s legacy in pro wrestling as is their gimmick, JBL remains adamant that if a wrestler’s character doesn’t establish a unique calling card, the fans and spectators will not show any interest in what they’re trying to accomplish/sell in the ring.
“I understand you want to have both. You want to have a great work rate and also great drama and great characters. But if you had one or the other, which do you want? You want the great characters and the great drama,” JBL concluded.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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