Trump Uses Pro Wrestling’s Playbook

The New York Post‘s Miranda Devine is the latest to observe that “Donald Trump has modeled his presidential persona on WWE pro wrestling.”

“The banter, the jokes, the trash-talking, the catchphrases, the crowd manipulation, the belligerent patriotism, the villain-slamming: It’s all straight out of a preordained WWE storyline.”

“His Twitter feed, with its outlandish, self-aggrandizing dramas, is an extension of the WWE theme.”

“Is Trump a good guy or a bad guy?

‘He’s a heel to some. He’s a babyface to others,’ says ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, once the greatest wrestler in WWE history, who now hosts a podcast drawing 2 million downloads and a USA show, ‘Straight Up Steve Austin.’

Trump seems to have modeled himself on Austin, who was an anti-authoritarian, blue-collar, cussing heel who didn’t care how he was perceived and was so admired by audiences that he ‘turned face.’

Like Austin, Trump’s persona is champion of the underdog, ‘the People’s Billionaire,’ the ‘heel’ who picks fights and always prevails.

‘The crowd know it’s fake but they believe, just like if you went to a movie.’”

— “Trump took a page out of the WWE’s playbook,” Miranda Devine, New York Post

Before his casino bankruptcies, Donald Trump sponsored two WWE WrestleMania extranaganzas in Atlantic City, and took an active part in the promotional hijinks. His efforts earned him a place in pro wrestling’s Hall of Fame before he jumped into the political arena.

Pro wrestling’s actual playbook can be found in the tricks & tips for players of WWE videogames: “Anyone who has watched even 10 minutes of WWE programming knows that talking and charisma are just as important as in-ring skills.”

‘Pro wrestling is an art form’

Pro wrestling is an art form, ballet for beefy guys,morality plays for our time.

A Vox video.

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Trump Endorsed a Literal Attack on the Press

“Donald Trump has praised Greg Gianforte, the Congress member from Montana, for violently attacking a Guardian reporter, saying that someone who performs a body slam is ‘my guy.’

Trump described in glowing terms the physical assault that occurred on 24 May 2017 when Ben Jacobs, the Guardian’s political correspondent, was asking Gianforte a question about health care policy in the course of a special congressional election in Bozeman, Montana. The US president incited cheers and chants from a crowd of about 8,000 supporters on Thursday night when he said: ‘Greg is smart. And by the way, never wrestle him. You understand. Never.’

As the cheers rang out across an aircraft hangar in Missoula, Trump went on to say: ‘Any guy that can do a body slam … he’s my guy.’

Trump’s comments mark the first time the president has openly and directly praised a violent act against a journalist on American soil.”

— “Trump praises Gianforte for assault on Guardian reporter: ‘He’s my guy,'” Ed Pilkington, The Guardian

In related news, PEN America is suing Mr.Trump in New York district court, claiming he “violated the First Amendment and his oath to uphold the Constitution,” a document which doesn’t consider the press to be the Enemy of the People.

More:

“Trump’s Attacks on the Press Are Illegal. We’re Suing.” Suzanne Nossel, Politico

“Suing Trump for endangering the First Amendment,” Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post

“Yale Law clinic helps writers group file First Amendment suit against Trump,” Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA Journal

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Wrestling With the Truth

“In elementary school, Donny impressed classmates with his athleticism, shenanigans and refusal to acknowledge mistakes, even one so trivial as misidentifying a popular professional wrestler. No matter his pals’ ridicule, one recalled, he doubled down, insisting wrestler Antonino Rocca’s name was ‘Rocky Antonino.’”

— Paul Schwartzman and Michael E. Miller, Washington Post

Mr. Trump has grown even more unapologetic and truculent with age. Maybe it’s because he’s in pro wrestling’s Hall of Fame, right up there with “Rocky Antonino.”

Body-Slamming Congressman Made False Statements to Police

Republican Congressman Greg Gianforte of Montana, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault for slamming a reporter to the ground and punching him during his election campaign, made false statements to police during the investigation of the attack, newly-released documents show. The reporter, Ben Jacobs of the Guardian, questioned the candidate about the CBO analysis of a House healthcare bill, and got screaming and assault as an answer and, although the attack was witnessed by an astonished Fox News crew, Mr. Gianforte blamed the reporter, an account he gave to police but later contradicted in court.

The day after the attack, Greg Gianforte was elected to the House. After all, Montana voters had already elected a dangerously impulsive rich guy who hates the media and press freedom to the White House, so adding another one to Congress was a reflex.

More:

“Rep. Gianforte’s account to police on assault of reporter appears to contradict his later apology,” Ellie Silverman, Washington Post

“Greg Gianforte misled police after assault of Guardian journalist, incident report shows,” Julia Carrie Wong, The Guardian

“Montana Congressman Who Assaulted Reporter Lied to Police About It,” Benjamin Hart, New York Magazine

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Montana Wrestles With the First Amendment

In Montana on Wednesday, a reporter attacked Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte with dangerous questions about the deadly House healthcare bill, so the candidate responded by body-slamming the journalist to the ground and punching him. Knowing Montana, that should get the GOP hopeful a victory in today’s special election as well as a Gallatin County misdemeanor conviction.

After all, Montana voters already elected a dangerously impulsive rich guy who hates the media and press freedom to the White House, so adding another one to Congress should be a snap.

More:

“Fox News crew ‘watched in disbelief’ as Montana’s Greg Gianforte ‘slammed’ and ‘began punching’ reporter,” Fred Barbash, Washington Post

“Three Montana newspapers rescind Gianforte endorsements after alleged body-slamming incident,” Louis Nelson, Politico
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Sumo Match of the Century!

In sports news, the Haru Basho (Spring Tournament) in Osaka made Sumo wrestling history earlier this month as defending champ Hakuhō Shō faced off with Harumafuji Kōhei. It was over faster than the 2nd Ali-Liston fight.

Harumafuji lunged at Hakuhō, who sidestepped. Harumafuji couldn’t stop, and staggered out of the ring to lose. It was over in 1 second. Hakuhō had won his 36th Emperor’s Cup.

Some Sumo fans are saying that Hakuhō, a 31-year-old veteran, should hang up his mawashi and go out a winner after this wild match, but he plans to fight on for his 37th Emperor’s Cup title.

Springtime Sports!

April is here, when many a sports fan’s fancy turns to the Major League Baseball opening game Honozumo sumo tournament at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. All the sport’s heavyweights were at the ceremonial meet-up on Friday, the top sumo wrestlers from Mongolia, Georgia, Bulgaria and Estonia who currently dominate this quintessentially Japanese sport.

Here are some of the highlights and controversies:

So you Want to Be a Sumo Champ

Guys: if you want to be a champion sumo wrestler, don’t look as your belly, look at your hands.  According to a newly published study, the ratio between the length of your index finger and ring finger might indicate your chance of sumo success. A smaller ratio is believed to indicate greater in-utero testosterone exposure, and has been correlated with increased performance in competitive sports. Data about sumo pros seem to agree. A higher ratio? Well … fly-fishing is nice, too.

 More:

“Friday Weird Science: Look Carefully at your hands…were you meant to be a Sumo Champion?” Scicurious, Neurotic Physiology

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Image (“Mutsugamine Iwanosuke on the Cover of the Sports Illustrated Sumo Issue, after Utagawa Kuniyoshi”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Say It Ain’t So, Sumo

This week’s big story in sports is the sumo wrestling scandal. It’s heavy: sumo wrestlers weigh in at over 300 pounds. The scandal: athletes have been fixing matches for Yakuza gangsters in return for cash payoffs. The repercussions: the grand tournament of Japan’s national sport has been cancelled for the first time since World War II.

Some sumo wrestlers have fixed matches by texting on their cell phones. The fingers of these huge pro athletes are so fat that some use iPads as cell phones.

In other sports news, three Pakistani cricket players have been banned from world play for cheating, and there is some kind of indoor football match in Texas.

Bonus: The Sumo Success Diet.

“Secrets of the sumo wrestler’s diet,” Monami Yui, CNN City Pulse

It’s really not much of a secret. Eat lots of this with big hunks of meat.

Want to know how you’d look as a sumo wrestler? There’s an app for that.

 

Image (“Say It Ain’t So, Sumo, after Utagawa Kuniyoshi”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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