George Wagner Essay

In the mid 1940’s to the late ’50s, when television was in its infancy, there was a man that proved network television could be a success due to the outlandishness of a character. George Wagner was a professional wrestler back then, which later became known as a golden era, during a time when kayfabe was alive and well (For those who don’t know wrestling terms, kayfabe essentially means that nobody knew professional wrestling was pre-determined). But when Wagner adopted his in-ring persona of “Gorgeous” George, both his and the sport’s popularity exploded. That’s right, watching wrestling used to be a household activity. What a time to be alive.

Known for his cheating tactics and ridiculing of fans, often referring to them as “peasants”, Wagner’s …show more content…
And a lot of people will pay to see somebody shut your big mouth. So keep bragging, keep on sassing, and always be outrageous.”

Thus, the Muhammad Ali the world came to know was born. One can look at entire teams that adopted the model of being the team you loved to hate, whether it be the Oakland Raiders of the 1970’s, The Miami Hurricanes football team of the ’80s and early ‘90s, the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons of the late ‘80s to early ‘90s, the New England Patriots of the 2000’s or the Miami Heat of the first half of the current decade.

However, George’s legacy stretches beyond sports. In the 2005 book I Feel Good: A Memoir of a Life of Soul, singer James Brown said he used many of Gorgeous George's antics to "create the James Brown you see on stage". Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan recalled in his book, The Chronicles: Volume One, how meeting Gorgeous George changed his life.

"He winked and seemed to mouth the phrase, 'You're making it come alive,’” Dylan wrote. “Whether he really said it or not, it didn’t matter. It’s what I though I heard him say that mattered, and I never forgot it. It was all the recognition and encouragement I would need for years to