Pros and Cons of WWE and Other Wrestling Stars Feuding Through Twitter
WWE has always been skilled at reinforcing its storylines and promoting its performers via social media. But recently, it's taken on a more personal nature.
Becky Lynch recently used Twitter, among other things, to raise her notoriety to fame as The Man. She used a perfect blend of staged anger and real-life drama to confound and thrill followers on the way to WrestleMania 35.
Was it a shoot? Was it a work?
And her opponents, like Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey, had to either put up or shut up.
It worked well in that instance, and it kept the heat going. But it has its drawbacks too.
Here are some pros and cons to using new media in one of the oldest entertainment professions.
Pro: It Allows the Wrestlers to Cut Unscripted Promos
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In WWE, the unscripted promo is largely a thing of the past. Unless you're on the level of John Cena, you're delivering the lines that WWE tells you to deliver.
Twitter seems to be one of the last refuges for performers to get themselves over and show fans what they can do away from WWE's stable of writers. For anyone who feels constrained by WWE's creative direction, Twitter is the best, unregulated outlet afforded to them.
Of course, there are many tweets that are probably sent out under the company's guidance and direction. But every now and then, we get something distinctly off-brand. Like when Ronda Rousey used Becky Lynch's real name, referred to "the script" and swore on a tweet. Or when Xavier Woods piled on to the same Twitter war with a Simpsons meme.
Even if the wrestlers are directed to feud with each other on Twitter or even told what to say, they have a fair amount of latitude for how they actually handle it. And by the same token, done incorrectly, this can be as destructive as it is beneficial.
Con: It Allows the Wrestlers to Cut Unscripted Promos
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The con, in this case, is identical to the pro. By allowing wrestlers the opportunity to speak in an unscripted manner, even a fool could theoretically communicate with millions of people on behalf of a billion dollar company without the usual checks and balances in place.
Not everyone can be trusted to do due diligence and put careful thought into each and every thing they tweet out.
Lars Sullivan, for example, has a history of making racist and sexist remarks online on a messageboard. And although he's apologized for them, per Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc., is this the person WWE wants communicating, unfiltered, to the world as a WWE Superstar?
Training classes are needed, and they must be comprehensive.
Con: It Can Unwittingly Amplify a Competitor
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WWE Superstars are in a unique position, where simply mentioning another smaller company can promote it.
And sometimes, it might be a case of the Streisand effect in action, where an attempt to hide or censor something unintentionally helps to promote it.
There's no need for feuds to be taken out of house. It's just taking eyeballs off the bigger company.
The most recent, obvious example is Seth Rollins' online beef with NJPW star Will Ospreay. Rollins dared his followers to name a wrestler better than him. Ospreay responded, and Rollins' eventually made a low-class remark (which he later apologized for) about their comparative bank accounts.
Rollins, a prominent public face of the WWE, looked petty and silly. And Ospreay, who was probably unknown to WWE's most casual fans, gained more followers.
Indie wrestlers know that tagging or subtweeting WWE wrestlers can earn notoriety. It's a one-sided partnership in which WWE, as the bigger company, has little to gain and a lot to lose.
Pro: It Has Immediacy
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It used to be that when Raw was over, it was over. Fans would have to wait until next week to see what happened next in a feud. Now, tweets provide post-match commentary, where babyfaces can celebrate their wins and cowardly heels can make their excuses and tap dance.
It creates a more immersive, engaging product, and it allows WWE fans to stay connected to these narratives outside of the two-to-three hours that they're on TV.
Pros: It Gives Fans Something They Can Believe in
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Ultimately, it's hard to work the audience directly in 2019 (The Undertaker is a notable exception, who was grandfathered in from an earlier era). And WWE's feuds on Twitter do more good than harm. This is one of those rare times that WWE is giving the fans something they can believe in.
"Is there real heat there?"
"That insult was a little below the belt."
Take, for example, when Becky Lynch referenced Ronda Rousey's back-to-back UFC losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. No one would have had the gall to deliver this line to Ronda Rousey's face, and the writers wouldn't dream of scripting something that could place their newest WWE Superstar in such an awkward spot.
Twitter users regularly flout the rules of civility. And when the receiving wrestler gets angry in response, especially if it's a barb at the performer rather the character, that's a drama that's worth its numerous complications.
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