Hair has been at the center of some of the biggest stories in pop culture this year: Why did Britney shave hers? Could Sanjaya have lasted this long on American Idol without his? But the most awaited hair affair may come tonight in Detroit, during the annual pro wrestling pay-per-view spectacle known as WrestleMania.
Donald Trump, whose outsized identity is defined by his comb-over, has wagered that he will get his head shaved if his favored wrestler loses to a wrestler backed by Vince McMahon, the chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment and a blustery bloke himself. If McMahon's wrestler loses, his own pompadour is on the line.
TWO BALT. SUN ARTICLES ON MANIA
- 04/01/2007 (2:39:53 pm)
- Media
From A Shove to a Shave… Lashley, on the wrestling fast track…
From a shove to a shave - baltimoresun.com
From a shove to a shave
WrestleMania match has placed a familiar hairdo - and lots of cash - on a razor's edge
sun Reporter
Originally published April 1, 2007
As with virtually everything involving Trump and McMahon, both billionaires, the wager is about money, not makeovers.
In a textbook example of cross-promotion, the stunt is designed to boost the sagging ratings of Trump's The Apprentice TV show, now in its sixth season, and the number of subscribers willing to shell out $49.95 to watch WrestleMania 23 on pay-per-view TV. NBC Universal is the parent company of both NBC, which carries The Apprentice, and the USA Network, the exclusive broadcaster of WWE Monday Night Raw, the wrestling broadcast that is typically one of cable's highest-rated programs.
As for what to expect tonight, there's probably a better chance of Rosie O'Donnell becoming the next Mrs. Trump than there is of Trump having his head shaved.
McMahon already has proved that he will sacrifice for his art - and his buy rate. On past pay-per-view shows, McMahon has not only allowed himself to be bloodied and battered by some of his top stars, but he also has wrestled his son and daughter.
Nevertheless, the infinitesimal prospect of a bald Trump will be catnip for many people.
"I don't think this will change the history of wrestling, because there's no competition anymore [for WWE], but I'm betting that, on a worldwide basis, it's the biggest WrestleMania of all time," says Dave Meltzer, editor and publisher of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
In Detroit, the site of last year's Super Bowl, The Free-Press described the event as "the blue-collar Super Bowl" and estimated an impact of about $25 million for the host city. More than 70,000 are expected to attend WrestleMania at Ford Field.
Celebrity juice
Past WrestleManias have featured the greatest rivalries the genre has to offer: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant, The Rock vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. But Trump vs. McMahon is generating comparable buzz. The two heavily hair-sprayed sexagenarians won't actually be wrestling one another, of course. Like the men of means that they are, McMahon and Trump have each selected a WWE star to do the fighting for them.
McMahon's man goes by the moniker of Umaga, a large, wild-eyed, tattooed Samoan who gives new meaning to the term corporate headhunter. Trump's representative is Bobby Lashley, an up-and-coming wrestler with a huge, sculpted physique that comic book superheroes would envy.
Former WWE superstar Austin has returned to officiate the bout - not so coincidentally, just several weeks before the release of his WWE-produced movie, The Condemned.
The use of mainstream celebrities such as Trump to spice up pay-per-view shows has become as much a staple of pro wrestling as clueless referees and steel-cage matches. Mr. T, Mike Tyson, Jay Leno, Jesse Ventura (when he was the governor of Minnesota), pro football Hall-of-Famer Lawrence Taylor and former pro basketball stars Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone all have preceded The Apprentice star into the world of scripted mayhem.
The involvement of Mr. T and Tyson, in particular, dramatically affected the wrestling industry.
Mr. T, who was Hogan's tag-team partner at the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985 when he was one of television's biggest stars, helped establish WWE and Hogan as pop-culture phenomenons.
Tyson's appearance as the guest referee for Austin's match at the 1998 WrestleMania - nine months after Tyson chomped off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear - was instrumental in Austin surpassing Hogan as wrestling's top attraction. It also led to WWE overtaking World Championship Wrestling in a bitter ratings war and eventually purchasing the rival company.
McMahon's man goes by the moniker of Umaga, a large, wild-eyed, tattooed Samoan who gives new meaning to the term corporate headhunter. Trump's representative is Bobby Lashley, an up-and-coming wrestler with a huge, sculpted physique that comic book superheroes would envy.
Former WWE superstar Austin has returned to officiate the bout - not so coincidentally, just several weeks before the release of his WWE-produced movie, The Condemned.
The use of mainstream celebrities such as Trump to spice up pay-per-view shows has become as much a staple of pro wrestling as clueless referees and steel-cage matches. Mr. T, Mike Tyson, Jay Leno, Jesse Ventura (when he was the governor of Minnesota), pro football Hall-of-Famer Lawrence Taylor and former pro basketball stars Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone all have preceded The Apprentice star into the world of scripted mayhem.
The involvement of Mr. T and Tyson, in particular, dramatically affected the wrestling industry.
Mr. T, who was Hogan's tag-team partner at the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985 when he was one of television's biggest stars, helped establish WWE and Hogan as pop-culture phenomenons.
Tyson's appearance as the guest referee for Austin's match at the 1998 WrestleMania - nine months after Tyson chomped off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear - was instrumental in Austin surpassing Hogan as wrestling's top attraction. It also led to WWE overtaking World Championship Wrestling in a bitter ratings war and eventually purchasing the rival company.
Then things got hairy
As for how the latest clash of titans came about, here's the story line as played out on WWE programming over the past couple of months - try to keep up:
In an attempt to capitalize on Trump's public war of words with O'Donnell on ABC's The View, McMahon staged a match between Trump and O'Donnell look-alikes on an episode of WWE Monday Night Raw.
Trump took offense, telling McMahon that the wrestling audience didn't want bad skits, what they really wanted was cash. He then upstaged McMahon by dropping thousands of dollars (real bills, not funny money) from the arena ceiling onto a frenzied crowd in Dallas on Raw.
In wrestling vernacular, every feud has to have a "babyface" (a good guy) and a "heel" (a bad guy). While Trump and McMahon are both natural heels, giving away money to the fans was a successful - if not subtle - device to make Trump the hero.
After weeks of verbal sparring, the match was made, with both men agreeing to put their hair on the line. Things got physical during the official contract signing last month at Verizon Center in Washington, as Trump shoved McMahon over a table, and again at a news conference Wednesday in New York, when Trump slapped McMahon.
The real story behind the "Battle of the Billionaires" is less dramatic. McMahon and Trump both have acknowledged that they've been friends for years - Trump played host for the 1988 and '89 versions of WrestleMania at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City - and they recognize when a deal is mutually beneficial.
As shrewd a promoter as McMahon has been, however, The Wrestling Observer's Meltzer points out that the P.T. Barnum of wrestling might have unknowingly missed out on what would have been the ultimate celebrity death match.
With Kevin Federline having appeared on several WWE broadcasts toward the end of last year, McMahon could have put together a truly hair-raising bout if only he had known that K-Fed's wife, Britney Spears, was willing to adopt the retro-Sinead O'Connor look.
"Can you imagine if Britney Spears had her head on straight and really wanted to shave her head, she could have gotten $1 million for it at Mania," Meltzer wrote in his newsletter in February.
K-Fed vs. Britney, with the loser getting a shaved head, Meltzer gushed, "would have been the biggest mainstream Mania moment of all time."
In an attempt to capitalize on Trump's public war of words with O'Donnell on ABC's The View, McMahon staged a match between Trump and O'Donnell look-alikes on an episode of WWE Monday Night Raw.
Trump took offense, telling McMahon that the wrestling audience didn't want bad skits, what they really wanted was cash. He then upstaged McMahon by dropping thousands of dollars (real bills, not funny money) from the arena ceiling onto a frenzied crowd in Dallas on Raw.
In wrestling vernacular, every feud has to have a "babyface" (a good guy) and a "heel" (a bad guy). While Trump and McMahon are both natural heels, giving away money to the fans was a successful - if not subtle - device to make Trump the hero.
After weeks of verbal sparring, the match was made, with both men agreeing to put their hair on the line. Things got physical during the official contract signing last month at Verizon Center in Washington, as Trump shoved McMahon over a table, and again at a news conference Wednesday in New York, when Trump slapped McMahon.
The real story behind the "Battle of the Billionaires" is less dramatic. McMahon and Trump both have acknowledged that they've been friends for years - Trump played host for the 1988 and '89 versions of WrestleMania at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City - and they recognize when a deal is mutually beneficial.
As shrewd a promoter as McMahon has been, however, The Wrestling Observer's Meltzer points out that the P.T. Barnum of wrestling might have unknowingly missed out on what would have been the ultimate celebrity death match.
With Kevin Federline having appeared on several WWE broadcasts toward the end of last year, McMahon could have put together a truly hair-raising bout if only he had known that K-Fed's wife, Britney Spears, was willing to adopt the retro-Sinead O'Connor look.
"Can you imagine if Britney Spears had her head on straight and really wanted to shave her head, she could have gotten $1 million for it at Mania," Meltzer wrote in his newsletter in February.
K-Fed vs. Britney, with the loser getting a shaved head, Meltzer gushed, "would have been the biggest mainstream Mania moment of all time."
Lashley, on the wrestling fast track - baltimoresun.com
Lashley, on the wrestling fast track
Sun Reporter
Originally published April 1, 2007
Even in an industry in which broad shoulders and bulging biceps are considered ordinary, Bobby Lashley's chiseled physique is quite extraordinary. His incredible bulk, combined with an impressive amateur wrestling background, has put Lashley on the fast track to stardom in World Wrestling Entertainment.
A little over 18 months after making his WWE television debut, the 30-year-old Kansas native has achieved the ultimate for a professional wrestler -- headlining WrestleMania, the Super Bowl of pro wrestling. On tonight's pay-per-view, Lashley, 6-foot-3 and 273 pounds, will wrestle "Umaga" in the match billed as "The Battle of the Billionaires." It will result in either Donald Trump or WWE chairman Vince McMahon being shaved bald.
What are your thoughts on being in such a high-profile match this early in your career?
I'm living my dream. You get into a business like this, if you want to make it to the top, you have to accept challenges. I welcome the challenge. I'm ready for it.
How much interaction have you had with Donald Trump and what has he been like to work with?
I've had quite a bit of interaction with him. I think Donald Trump is a real cool guy. He's always treated me with respect and he's into this match 100 percent. It's great what he's doing for wrestling, and we're going to scratch each other's backs. Getting his face out there in an arena where there are 70,000 people on the greatest show in the word -- it's beneficial for all of us.
Either Trump or Vince McMahon will be shaved bald on Sunday. You choose to shave your head, so do you see what's so terrible about being bald?
No, I think bald is beautiful (laughs). But it's probably not the best thing for either one of them.
How did you get into pro wrestling?
I started with amateur wrestling in the seventh grade. When I first started with that, everything just took off for me. I was almost a natural at it. I was really successful. I won three [National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics] national championships in college [at Missouri Valley] and then I went on to the Olympic training center and started wrestling for the Army. I was Armed Forces champion two times and then I went to the world championships and took a silver medal there. One day, Kurt Angle, while he was in WWE, came to the Olympic training center and started talking to me about getting into WWE. Then after that, I got in contact with [WWE producer] Gerald Brisco and that's when everything just started rolling. He gave me an opportunity to try out, and it seemed like a good fit for both of us.
A lot of amateur wrestlers have a negative opinion of pro wrestling. How did you feel about it?
I think amateur wrestlers should have a lot of respect for professional wrestlers, and professional wrestlers should have respect for amateur wrestlers, simply because it's still wrestling. It's wrestling in a different form, but it's still wrestling. When I amateur-wrestled, I don't think some of the professional wrestlers knew what amateur wrestlers go though. It's very tough being an amateur wrestler and you don't get a dime for it -- you do it for the love of the sport. By the same token, I don't think amateur wrestlers know what kind of sacrifices you make as a professional wrestler. It is extremely hard on the body. We're going out there trying to entertain these people and sometimes you have to go to the extreme to do it. So that and the traveling and everything, it is tough.
If you weren't wrestling, what would you be doing?
I think I'd probably be fighting -- UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] or Mixed Martial Arts.
Did your Army training in any way prepare you for the rigors of pro wrestling?
I think discipline was a big thing. When you get in the Army, discipline is a huge factor. When you come into WWE, being on the road, a lot of things get thrown at you at once. One, you're making a lot more money. Then, you have a lot more responsibilities because you have to get to the shows, and some people fall off because they want to go out and party. I take my job very seriously, so I don't go out and party when I'm on the road. I don't go out and party, period. I really put of all my attention on wrestling. So I think that's what the Army helped me with.
Who are some of the people in WWE that you have learned from the most?
There are so many people. You go backstage and you see the wealth of knowledge, some of the guys that have been in there. I had an opportunity to tag up with Chris Benoit, which is incredible. Then I had the opportunity to go against several people that I learned a lot from. King Booker, I believe, is one of the best in the business, and I had an opportunity to fight with him several times, as well as Finlay -- he's one of the best, also. JBL -- wealth of knowledge, a genius in the business. I had an opportunity to talk and hang out and pick the brains of a lot of very talented individuals.
What is the most important thing you have learned in the business so far?
I would say respect for the business. In WWE, so many people that you see backstage -- like Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Arn Anderson from the Four Horsemen, Vince McMahon -- you have so many people that have paved the way for what we have today. So, when we got out there for WrestleMania and you see 70,000 people sitting in the audience, that came from these guys that have paved the way and made wrestling what it is today. If you have respect for the business, then you're going to go out there and give it 100 percent every time.
In WWE, you have been described as "hard-hitting and soft-spoken" because you are a man of few words. How comfortable are you with speaking on television?
I feel comfortable with it, but that's not my style. I think that's where we lose it sometimes, because everyone wants to get up and tell a story of what's going on. I think sometimes the story is, "I'm fighting you," and that's all that needs to be said. I don't need to talk about what I do.
Because of your instant success in WWE and amateur background, you've been compared to former WWE star Brock Lesnar. What are your thoughts on that comparison?
I really don't have a distinct opinion on it. Brock Lesnar came into the business and he did a lot for the business. They pushed him through the roof and he was a crowd favorite and he had all the tools and all the ability. So to be compared to him, sure, it's fine. But I don't want to be limited to that. I don't want to just come in the business, get a quick ride and then be out of it, because that's not where I'm at.
More and more pro wrestlers are branching out into acting on television and in movies. Do you have any acting aspirations?
Right now I haven't really considered it, and I don't think I'll really consider it for a while. All my attention is focused on my wrestling and becoming the best in wrestling. When I get to a point where I feel more comfortable in what I'm doing, then maybe I will look in that direction.
A little over 18 months after making his WWE television debut, the 30-year-old Kansas native has achieved the ultimate for a professional wrestler -- headlining WrestleMania, the Super Bowl of pro wrestling. On tonight's pay-per-view, Lashley, 6-foot-3 and 273 pounds, will wrestle "Umaga" in the match billed as "The Battle of the Billionaires." It will result in either Donald Trump or WWE chairman Vince McMahon being shaved bald.
What are your thoughts on being in such a high-profile match this early in your career?
I'm living my dream. You get into a business like this, if you want to make it to the top, you have to accept challenges. I welcome the challenge. I'm ready for it.
How much interaction have you had with Donald Trump and what has he been like to work with?
I've had quite a bit of interaction with him. I think Donald Trump is a real cool guy. He's always treated me with respect and he's into this match 100 percent. It's great what he's doing for wrestling, and we're going to scratch each other's backs. Getting his face out there in an arena where there are 70,000 people on the greatest show in the word -- it's beneficial for all of us.
Either Trump or Vince McMahon will be shaved bald on Sunday. You choose to shave your head, so do you see what's so terrible about being bald?
No, I think bald is beautiful (laughs). But it's probably not the best thing for either one of them.
How did you get into pro wrestling?
I started with amateur wrestling in the seventh grade. When I first started with that, everything just took off for me. I was almost a natural at it. I was really successful. I won three [National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics] national championships in college [at Missouri Valley] and then I went on to the Olympic training center and started wrestling for the Army. I was Armed Forces champion two times and then I went to the world championships and took a silver medal there. One day, Kurt Angle, while he was in WWE, came to the Olympic training center and started talking to me about getting into WWE. Then after that, I got in contact with [WWE producer] Gerald Brisco and that's when everything just started rolling. He gave me an opportunity to try out, and it seemed like a good fit for both of us.
A lot of amateur wrestlers have a negative opinion of pro wrestling. How did you feel about it?
I think amateur wrestlers should have a lot of respect for professional wrestlers, and professional wrestlers should have respect for amateur wrestlers, simply because it's still wrestling. It's wrestling in a different form, but it's still wrestling. When I amateur-wrestled, I don't think some of the professional wrestlers knew what amateur wrestlers go though. It's very tough being an amateur wrestler and you don't get a dime for it -- you do it for the love of the sport. By the same token, I don't think amateur wrestlers know what kind of sacrifices you make as a professional wrestler. It is extremely hard on the body. We're going out there trying to entertain these people and sometimes you have to go to the extreme to do it. So that and the traveling and everything, it is tough.
If you weren't wrestling, what would you be doing?
I think I'd probably be fighting -- UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] or Mixed Martial Arts.
Did your Army training in any way prepare you for the rigors of pro wrestling?
I think discipline was a big thing. When you get in the Army, discipline is a huge factor. When you come into WWE, being on the road, a lot of things get thrown at you at once. One, you're making a lot more money. Then, you have a lot more responsibilities because you have to get to the shows, and some people fall off because they want to go out and party. I take my job very seriously, so I don't go out and party when I'm on the road. I don't go out and party, period. I really put of all my attention on wrestling. So I think that's what the Army helped me with.
Who are some of the people in WWE that you have learned from the most?
There are so many people. You go backstage and you see the wealth of knowledge, some of the guys that have been in there. I had an opportunity to tag up with Chris Benoit, which is incredible. Then I had the opportunity to go against several people that I learned a lot from. King Booker, I believe, is one of the best in the business, and I had an opportunity to fight with him several times, as well as Finlay -- he's one of the best, also. JBL -- wealth of knowledge, a genius in the business. I had an opportunity to talk and hang out and pick the brains of a lot of very talented individuals.
What is the most important thing you have learned in the business so far?
I would say respect for the business. In WWE, so many people that you see backstage -- like Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Arn Anderson from the Four Horsemen, Vince McMahon -- you have so many people that have paved the way for what we have today. So, when we got out there for WrestleMania and you see 70,000 people sitting in the audience, that came from these guys that have paved the way and made wrestling what it is today. If you have respect for the business, then you're going to go out there and give it 100 percent every time.
In WWE, you have been described as "hard-hitting and soft-spoken" because you are a man of few words. How comfortable are you with speaking on television?
I feel comfortable with it, but that's not my style. I think that's where we lose it sometimes, because everyone wants to get up and tell a story of what's going on. I think sometimes the story is, "I'm fighting you," and that's all that needs to be said. I don't need to talk about what I do.
Because of your instant success in WWE and amateur background, you've been compared to former WWE star Brock Lesnar. What are your thoughts on that comparison?
I really don't have a distinct opinion on it. Brock Lesnar came into the business and he did a lot for the business. They pushed him through the roof and he was a crowd favorite and he had all the tools and all the ability. So to be compared to him, sure, it's fine. But I don't want to be limited to that. I don't want to just come in the business, get a quick ride and then be out of it, because that's not where I'm at.
More and more pro wrestlers are branching out into acting on television and in movies. Do you have any acting aspirations?
Right now I haven't really considered it, and I don't think I'll really consider it for a while. All my attention is focused on my wrestling and becoming the best in wrestling. When I get to a point where I feel more comfortable in what I'm doing, then maybe I will look in that direction.
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