“No hiding from who we are meant to be”: Week 9 – Characterisation project

Seth Rollins – Raw

Mr Rollins does not appear live on Raw at all this week, which introduces this study to another of WWE’s narrative tools – the premium live event (PLE) promo video. For years, the WWE has produced these slick videos with quick cuts of action, summarising a feud/narrative. It allows them to perhaps smooth over any cracks in the live performance of the narrative in weeks prior. To ensure everyone understands exactly what’s at stake in the upcoming PLE bout. I believe there’s a link between the high-quality production of these videos and their success in herding us all onto the same narrative road, and in the coming weeks I might do a deeper study of this. For now, week 9 has two of these promo videos.

The first video stars Rollins himself. In between cuts of previous action, with dramatic music playing, Rollins is dressed in all black, summarising past events in a purple and red-lit room, with what seems to be marble furnishing. We cut between a blurred mid-angle of Rollins, and a side-on closer angle. The key lines he delivers are, “The moment has arrived for me to right my wrongs”, again re-establishing the idea of redemption. Then, “No hiding from who we are meant to be”, which offers a double meaning. This line both hints towards the type of climax to the feud (steel cage match) while also reinforcing the character stakes – Rollins says his character is redeemed, but Breakker opposes; Breakker says he is the future of the business, the most dominant competitor, but Rollins opposes. On the reveal of the match type – the kayfabe raison d’ être of the video – the music climaxes and Rollins turns to camera. This reveals a self-awareness of the production. He could be directly addressing Breakker, as in challenging him. Yet he is also directly addressing the viewer, offering a direct connection to his intensity, demonstrated via a visible tensing of his jaw.

Credit: WWE

The second video is Breakker’s riposte. This video features similar lighting, though more of a backstage, boiler room, shadowy vibe. This, in combination with Breakker’s hood partially covering his face, suggests we shouldn’t be as willing to trust his word. The key passage of Breakker’s promo is this:

“Seth Rollins, you made an entire career off of undermining and backstabbing everyone to get to where you are. And you want to play the victim in this story? … You use deception to prey on other people around you for the glory of one man instead of the many.”   

This clarifies the feud, the narrative, as being primarily about Rollins’ character. Is Rollins’ journey from individualist to collectivist complete? When each side presents a conflicting narrative, pro-wrestling’s form of conflict resolution – competition (or complicity posing as competition) – will ultimately signal to the viewer which narrative is the most truthful.

Credit: WWE

Jade Cargill – SmackDown

Though Cargill does not compete this week, she does appear live on SmackDown. Her first appearance of the night is in a backstage interview. During this interview, she takes credit for World Champion Rhea Ripley’s injury, and then challenges US Champion Tiffany Stratton at the next PLE. This short interview reaffirms competition and physicality as vital elements of Cargill’s character. Indeed, we could surmise that she needs championship gold for self-validation. This is reflected in Stratton’s response later in the show: “She’s desperate for another title.”

Later Cargill and friends carry out a backstage assault on Charlotte Flair, seemingly to take revenge for Cargill’s defeat last week, and to disadvantage Flair for her imminent Queen of the Ring match. This assault is a key factor in Flair losing her match, and thus a potential shot at the World title. The use of shaky cam during this attack connects the audience to the brutality and chaos of the attack itself, and to Cargill’s uncontrollable jealousy that provoked it.

Taken as a whole, Cargill’s interactions this week hark back to previous weeks and the conflict between what 20^th-century US scholar William Hersey Davis might call the public self (reputation) versus the private self (shown with close ones) versus the true self (shown only to yourself). This true self is where Cargill’s insecurity and fear would lie.