“It’s not easy.”
That was Floyd Mayweather’s first thought he passed on to the media after his pro wrestling debut on Sunday’s WWE Wrestlemania show.
Easy or not, Mayweather made it look pretty good and mildly entertaining. And in such, boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighter took a step and crossed a barrier that no man really has before. He has made the transition from fan favorite athlete to legit bad guy in the male soap opera world of the WWE.
Other celebrities and athletes have attempted to make crossovers, usually at Wrestlemania, several times over the last decade. But none could be considered as widely publicized or successful as Floyd Mayweather’s appearance last Sunday.
Not only did Mayweather get the win (the WWE wasn’t paying him to come and lose), but he was entertaining in the process. And he was entertaining booked as the bad guy in the match. And if anyone has ever watched Mayweather’s personality, they know that he is far from the bad guy.
Mayweather showed that he can be a character. And let’s face it, that is what pro wrestling is about, right? And while he was obviously out of his element, he put on a good showing for a guy who’s never been in that kind of ring before.
From his faux-fur shorts to his “Philthy Rich” medallion, Mayweather found an amazing new medium to showcase his over the top personality.
Will he pass on boxing, retire at 39-0 and become the WWE’s next evil intruder? Doubtful. But it was fun to watch for one night.
The bottom line is that Mayweather is the first athlete to cross this shaky barrier and be successful.
Do I think more athletes should do this? Absolutely not (said with a smile). Honestly, I don’t really think that anybody else could pull this off quite like “Money” Mayweather did.
It was a once in a lifetime kind of thing and the WWE and Mayweather both did their best. It was worth the watch anyway and that says a lot about the appeal of Mayweather in general as his real sport continues its’ decline.
>Column appeared originally in 4/2 Communicator
No comments:
Post a Comment