BY MIKEY MIGO
Talking about professional wrestling is often a lot like farting into a coffee can. The first thing people think is "why the hell is this dude farting in front of me?" and the second is "Wait… AND he's doing it into a coffee can?" Worst metaphor EVER known to man aside, the point is that "common folk" just don't want to hear about wrestling. They don't care that their unimaginative childhoods are long forgotten and the fact that we've spent many many hours of our lives invested in and enjoying the spectacle and art of professional wrestling. Then even if your rants on workrate ARE acceptable, it's only because it's something they "used to watch back in the day… when they were a kid".
There are many reasons to love professional wrestling. A great majority of these reasons are left better said by the folks who write weekly wrestling columns. One of the subtle things about WWE that I've always appreciated was their use of music. Everyone knows and has favorite entrance themes. Semi-regularly you'll see a famous musician on their programming, sometimes just in the crowd, sometimes as a host, and even on rare occasions performing live. Wrestlemania is and always has been the place where the WWE showcases their music connections and lets someone perform for their always record-breaking crowds. Yeah, this mainly feels like filler for the biggest show of the year. The artist performs and we anticipate more actual wrestling to come. It's normally a segment that many fans will be annoyed by and not talk about any farther than immediate reactions to the show.
That doesn't mean all Wrestlemania related music ties are annoying or filler. I'll just flat out say it. Some of the best video editing in wrestling history is done in order to hype up wrestling fans for Wrestlemania each and every year. These videos paint a story of a feud, capture a moment in time, and bluntly and most importantly sell the hell out of "The Granddaddy of them all". I'll be honest in saying I don't remember all of the video packages over the past 26 years WWE has put out for the show. If you do, get out more. With some research, brainstorming, and conversing with fellow fans this is what I came up with. I wanted to avoid the typical video package with generic score music and focus on the videos that featured modern songs.
Today I'm going to take a look at some of my personal favorites from more recent years. The problem here is that as much as we'd like to believe that the internet is our friend and will provide us with whatever entertainment we want… it's sadly just not true. I spent hours searching and hunting for the promo videos to some of my favorite Mania matches and didn't really come up with much. So, let's just take what we can get and reflect…
Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton vs. Kurt Angle (XXII)
"I Dare You" by Shinedown
I didn't like this match all that much, I hated the result, and I find Shinedown to be lame sauce. Regardless of that, it's a very decent little video to hype the match up. The reason it makes the list is because the cuts between the song and overlayed audio are cut in a cohesive manner. It didn't need three minutes to get the point across and I appreciate it because it didn't try to be more than what it was. In all honesty, watching this video actually makes me want to go back and check this match out. I suppose, even with my dislike for the result and song, it did its job.
Edge vs. Undertaker (XXIV)
"Metalingus" by Alter Bridge
I know this is Edge's entrance music and it's only in here for a quick clip so it can be considered cheating, but I love this video package. It slowly builds up Undertaker's awesomeness and then cuts into "Metalingus" as if Edge invaded the video package. The editing is well done and the triumphant score accompanying it is great work, but I like how it is broken up.
Wrestlemania XXV Highlight Reel
"Touched by VAST & "Shoot to Thrill" by AC/DC & "War Machine" by AC/DC
I wanted to stick with just promotional videos based around one match, but this one was hard to pass up. The fact that they used VAST for the video rocks in itself. The song gives a cool ambiance to the package and then kicks in to the old school bad assness of AC/DC. This is a perfect example of what a highlight reel should be like. It builds up and almost uses each song as a theme to each act of the story they're pushing across at us. I don't know about YOU, but I eat this up with a spoon.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. The Rock (X7)
"My Way" by Limp Bizkit
I despise Limp Bizkit. I've been as anti-Bizkit as one can be for nearly a decade now. It's not a "death filled" hate, but it was just an annoying part of my late teens that I had to deal with. In retrospect, I'd trade Nickelback for Limp Bizkit any day of the week, but that's another story. I can watch this promo video and actually enjoy it. It just works. The feud and personalities attached to this match made this video awesome. The video tells a story with action, video clips, audio overlays, and all that normal stuff but they utilize the breaks in the song and the actual lyrics to put over this monster of a match. The match was amazing and I still think one of the absolute best Mania Main Events of that decade. It HAD to be great for me to be able to so openly accept Limp Bizkit for it.
Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker (XXVI)
"Run Up That Hill" by Placebo
I know it's newer than all of the other ones, but even if you think WWE is not as good as it once one you can NOT deny their editing department is on par with major movie studios. This video completely proves that fact. This video not only treats the importance of both men's careers and the rivalry in general with respect, but showcases it as the art it is. I remember when this video first came on. A silence came over the room as everyone watched in awe. The use of Placebo for a wrestling event is odd when you think about it, but it works amazingly here. I make no hesitation in admitting that Michaels is my favorite performer of all time. One of my biggest gripes with videos like this is that they tend to go with cock-rock or random popular songs of the Top 40. Whoever decided to use this song and whoever put this video together deserves some kind of award.
|
