5 ways WWE is similar to Bollywood
The two industries have more in common than first meets the eye
Khan throwing people in the air and hitting them with German suplexes in Sultan is reminiscent of Brock Lesnar taking his opponents to Suplex City. PHOTOS: FILE
KARACHI:
The world of professional wrestling can get quite goofy most of the times. Granted, a bunch of colourful storylines, coupled with excessively dramatic characters and their crazy stunts, do keep fans entertained but often, it’s all a bit much. Oh well, good thing we’ve got old Bollywood to prepare us for it.
Yup…you read that right. Look closely and you’ll realise there are quite a few similarities between wrestling and the Indian film industry. And if, like us, you’re a fan of both, then you’ve surely drawn parallels between WWE and Bollywood before. Imagine Akshay Kumar as Seth Rollins leaping off ladders and jumping onto opponents. Looks cool, doesn’t he? Here are five ways in which wrestling and Bollywood are similar to one another. We bet you’ll agree!
1. Elaborate entrances
How a character is introduced plays an important role in how it is perceived. A hero – or even the villain’s – entrance speaks volumes about their role. Remember every time we were shown an epic close up of Hrithik Roshan’s eyes and had to guess who it was? Or when we were treated to a rather unsightly tattoo on Shah Rukh Khan’s arm to realise he was the big bad villain of Don 2?
In the world of wrestling, The Undertaker is – hands down – the king of entrances. When you hear the ominous songs and the lights go off, you know it’s time for the Deadman to rise. In much the same way, Salman Khan’s Chulbul Pandey breaks down a door while his signature music plays in the background. This is the audience’s cue to go nuts as Bhai’s swag is about to take over the screen now.
Sholay’s larger-than-life Gabbar Singh enters the scene with a belt. Now imagine Kevin Owens — the current Universal Champion — entering the arena with a hate-fueled, condescending look in his eyes. And then there was The Shockmaster in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) who literally fell flat on his face in his debut entrance, and no one ever took him seriously.
2. Exaggerated storylines
Stockholm Syndrome is a real thing. It’s when a kidnapped person falls in love with their kidnapper. It also means many Bollywood films and WWE storylines. Remember Alia Bhatt’s film Highway? Remember how Kane and Lita had a similar storyline over a decade ago, when Kane abducted and impregnated her and she, in turn, fell in love with him? Well, let’s just forget about it and move on.
3. Action sequences
We can all agree that pro wrestling action sequences are at least more realistic than their Bollywood counterparts. However, both of them can get pretty over-the-top at times. Khan throwing people in the air and hitting them with German suplexes in Sultan is definitely reminiscent of Brock Lesnar taking his opponents to Suplex City. Then his one kick can lift hoodlums ten feet in the air and drop them through tables. Undertaker and The Big Show’s choke slams can do that too. Perhaps, not better though.
4. Similar gimmicks
Have you ever wondered what a nuclear collision a face-off between Sunny Deol and Roman Reigns would be? Deol’s ‘dhai kilo ka hath’ and Reigns’ Superman punch would probably cause a chain reaction that could spark an off apocalypse. Perhaps, it has already happened and that’s what scientists call ‘The Big Bang.’
Then there is Shakaal, the bald, psycho villain from 1980 Bollywood film Shaan who fed his enemies to crocodiles. Vince McMahon had his corporate ministry of villains to fight his battles as well.
5. Ladder match
This particular aspect deserves a special mention because if you think really about it, it’s strange no one thought of it before. Now that you have, notice the parallels between a ladder match and the Dahi Handi ritual where one man climbs a human pyramid to break a curd-filled pot hung 20 feet above. Cue Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s selfie song.
The scene where Rollins climbs a 15-feet ladder to fetch his Money in the Bank briefcase reminds one of Roshan atop a human pyramid, looking at Priyanka Chopra and finally breaking the pot amid cheers in Agneepath.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2016.
The world of professional wrestling can get quite goofy most of the times. Granted, a bunch of colourful storylines, coupled with excessively dramatic characters and their crazy stunts, do keep fans entertained but often, it’s all a bit much. Oh well, good thing we’ve got old Bollywood to prepare us for it.
Yup…you read that right. Look closely and you’ll realise there are quite a few similarities between wrestling and the Indian film industry. And if, like us, you’re a fan of both, then you’ve surely drawn parallels between WWE and Bollywood before. Imagine Akshay Kumar as Seth Rollins leaping off ladders and jumping onto opponents. Looks cool, doesn’t he? Here are five ways in which wrestling and Bollywood are similar to one another. We bet you’ll agree!
1. Elaborate entrances
How a character is introduced plays an important role in how it is perceived. A hero – or even the villain’s – entrance speaks volumes about their role. Remember every time we were shown an epic close up of Hrithik Roshan’s eyes and had to guess who it was? Or when we were treated to a rather unsightly tattoo on Shah Rukh Khan’s arm to realise he was the big bad villain of Don 2?
In the world of wrestling, The Undertaker is – hands down – the king of entrances. When you hear the ominous songs and the lights go off, you know it’s time for the Deadman to rise. In much the same way, Salman Khan’s Chulbul Pandey breaks down a door while his signature music plays in the background. This is the audience’s cue to go nuts as Bhai’s swag is about to take over the screen now.
Sholay’s larger-than-life Gabbar Singh enters the scene with a belt. Now imagine Kevin Owens — the current Universal Champion — entering the arena with a hate-fueled, condescending look in his eyes. And then there was The Shockmaster in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) who literally fell flat on his face in his debut entrance, and no one ever took him seriously.
2. Exaggerated storylines
Stockholm Syndrome is a real thing. It’s when a kidnapped person falls in love with their kidnapper. It also means many Bollywood films and WWE storylines. Remember Alia Bhatt’s film Highway? Remember how Kane and Lita had a similar storyline over a decade ago, when Kane abducted and impregnated her and she, in turn, fell in love with him? Well, let’s just forget about it and move on.
3. Action sequences
We can all agree that pro wrestling action sequences are at least more realistic than their Bollywood counterparts. However, both of them can get pretty over-the-top at times. Khan throwing people in the air and hitting them with German suplexes in Sultan is definitely reminiscent of Brock Lesnar taking his opponents to Suplex City. Then his one kick can lift hoodlums ten feet in the air and drop them through tables. Undertaker and The Big Show’s choke slams can do that too. Perhaps, not better though.
4. Similar gimmicks
Have you ever wondered what a nuclear collision a face-off between Sunny Deol and Roman Reigns would be? Deol’s ‘dhai kilo ka hath’ and Reigns’ Superman punch would probably cause a chain reaction that could spark an off apocalypse. Perhaps, it has already happened and that’s what scientists call ‘The Big Bang.’
Then there is Shakaal, the bald, psycho villain from 1980 Bollywood film Shaan who fed his enemies to crocodiles. Vince McMahon had his corporate ministry of villains to fight his battles as well.
5. Ladder match
This particular aspect deserves a special mention because if you think really about it, it’s strange no one thought of it before. Now that you have, notice the parallels between a ladder match and the Dahi Handi ritual where one man climbs a human pyramid to break a curd-filled pot hung 20 feet above. Cue Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s selfie song.
The scene where Rollins climbs a 15-feet ladder to fetch his Money in the Bank briefcase reminds one of Roshan atop a human pyramid, looking at Priyanka Chopra and finally breaking the pot amid cheers in Agneepath.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2016.