I thought about this while watching Smackdown and seeing Kofi and Truth team up, and thinking to myself that they'd need some form of matching colors or attire if they were going to become a tag team on a regular basis, but this topic isn't about that.
I began to wonder how some wrestlers would have turned out without their own signature styles. For example, would Warrior be Warrior without his trademark face paint? Even if he was still billed as The Ultimate Warrior and still wrestled like a maniac and cut seething promos, how would we remember him if his face wasn't painted or if he didn't have streamers coming off his armbands, or any of his major components were missing... I mean, really, take the face paint off and you've got a Kerry Von Erich look-a-like that lacks the same wrestling ability...
The same could be said for Sting or Muta (early days) or even Demolition. Take their makeup off and they just look like Judas Priest. And why would I be entertained by that?
The same can be said for facial hair, tight designs, masks, and haircuts. Hulkster never had the flashy trunks. He just wore the red and yellow, but he still projected a superstar look thanks to his beard and/or mustache and his bleach blonde hair, not to mention his bronzed skin. Angle is someone who I find to be instantly recognizable thanks to amateur wrestling one piece and the red, white, and blue it alwys features. He has one of the most recognizable attires in the game, and I can't picture him having the same effectiveness wearing any form of tights.
Then you've got some of the whacky hairstyles in wrestling. Taz's or Droz's mowhwaks come to mind, as well as Jeff being the Rainbow Haired Warrior he is. Even Goldberg or Stone Cold can be recognized for their baldness and that's something. If you need an example of how much good an attire change can do you, look no further than Goldust. He was of little use as Dustin Rhodes, but put a jumpsuit and some facepaint on him and he becomes one of the most recognizable IC Champs of the late 90's. And I'm not going to act like Rey Mysterio would have ever have even eclipsed Chavo in terms of popularity if he had stayed unmasked thoughout his career, there's no chance.
In some cases though, simple is better. John Cena wears jean shorts, but it's something that people associate him with. He couldn't just stop wearing jean shorts, it would be unnatural. Roddy Piper liked to wear his basic blue tights at the height of his career and they're something I see instantly when I think of him, and it's something people came to expect from him. Solid blue tights. Nothing fancy there.
I guess what I'm getting at, is that it takes the right formula to comprise a successful attire for a pro-wrestler. While for some, unique, sometimes even outrageous costumes get the job done, but for others, a generic outfit is just as effective. I think it sometimes comes down to what fits a guy best though.
This is a pretty broad topic, but what I want to know is, how much impact do you think ring attires have on making a wrestler successful, and also, what are some of your favorite outfits of all-time?
I began to wonder how some wrestlers would have turned out without their own signature styles. For example, would Warrior be Warrior without his trademark face paint? Even if he was still billed as The Ultimate Warrior and still wrestled like a maniac and cut seething promos, how would we remember him if his face wasn't painted or if he didn't have streamers coming off his armbands, or any of his major components were missing... I mean, really, take the face paint off and you've got a Kerry Von Erich look-a-like that lacks the same wrestling ability...
The same could be said for Sting or Muta (early days) or even Demolition. Take their makeup off and they just look like Judas Priest. And why would I be entertained by that?
The same can be said for facial hair, tight designs, masks, and haircuts. Hulkster never had the flashy trunks. He just wore the red and yellow, but he still projected a superstar look thanks to his beard and/or mustache and his bleach blonde hair, not to mention his bronzed skin. Angle is someone who I find to be instantly recognizable thanks to amateur wrestling one piece and the red, white, and blue it alwys features. He has one of the most recognizable attires in the game, and I can't picture him having the same effectiveness wearing any form of tights.
Then you've got some of the whacky hairstyles in wrestling. Taz's or Droz's mowhwaks come to mind, as well as Jeff being the Rainbow Haired Warrior he is. Even Goldberg or Stone Cold can be recognized for their baldness and that's something. If you need an example of how much good an attire change can do you, look no further than Goldust. He was of little use as Dustin Rhodes, but put a jumpsuit and some facepaint on him and he becomes one of the most recognizable IC Champs of the late 90's. And I'm not going to act like Rey Mysterio would have ever have even eclipsed Chavo in terms of popularity if he had stayed unmasked thoughout his career, there's no chance.
In some cases though, simple is better. John Cena wears jean shorts, but it's something that people associate him with. He couldn't just stop wearing jean shorts, it would be unnatural. Roddy Piper liked to wear his basic blue tights at the height of his career and they're something I see instantly when I think of him, and it's something people came to expect from him. Solid blue tights. Nothing fancy there.
I guess what I'm getting at, is that it takes the right formula to comprise a successful attire for a pro-wrestler. While for some, unique, sometimes even outrageous costumes get the job done, but for others, a generic outfit is just as effective. I think it sometimes comes down to what fits a guy best though.
This is a pretty broad topic, but what I want to know is, how much impact do you think ring attires have on making a wrestler successful, and also, what are some of your favorite outfits of all-time?
