Hi Scott
Long time reader.
I recently saw on AV Club that another drama series about wrestling is apparently being developed, this one by Jerry Bruckheimer set in the 80's. That may or may not happen, however, and you may well have touched on this at some point but bear with me (or not...up to you!), I'd be interested to hear your thoughts in more detail as to precisely what a hypothetical series on wrestling would ideally look like.
What era would you set it in? What specific personalities would you base the characters on? What would be the overall arc of the story? What would the opening credits look like and to what piece of music? Any actors you think would suit it?
Just basically fantasy booking I know. Nevertheless, if you're ever so inclined I'd be interested to hear.
You could do a hell of a show with characters based on Randy Savage & Elizabeth (the paranoid psycho and his hot wife), Hulk Hogan (the prima donna megastar who wants to do movies), Junkyard Dog (the fading southern black star with a huge coke problems), the Von Erichs (pampered kids accustomed to the world falling at their feet)…it doesn’t even have to be specifically about the WWF. There’s so many ridiculous characters, ribs and stories from that period that you can mix and match whatever you want. Foley’s book alone gives you stuff like Eric Embry booking naked and all of his crazy road stories.
I’d say I’d make the arc from the “wrestling emerging from smoky bingo halls” tropes that Vince puts forward (except you really can write a story about them being in those halls to start) and moving through Vince expanding nationally and then you can watch the 80s stars fade away or self-destruct until a fictional WCW comes along and knocks them off in the 90s. I think the rise and fall of the coke-fuelled 80s, like Boogie Nights with wrestling stars, would be a hell of a show. You’d need a main character for the audience to identity with, which is where it gets tricky, though. You’d need someone like a Howard Finkel, who is around everything and knows everything and everyone but doesn’t get caught up in it.
I’m not sure about the casting, but Treat Williams should be Vince McMahon, of that I am certain.
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