Creative control is a perpetual tug-of-war. On one side are the wrestlers, the men and women who give characters life and are forever tweaking them, because to have any success in pro wrestling, a gimmick must have a link to the internal life of the actor / stuntperson / athlete portraying them. It's method acting meets car-crash physics, with the risk historically being borne almost exclusively by the wrestlers: the psychological risk of losing yourself in the strange world of kayfabe, as well as the physical risks of a lifetime of jumping, head smacks, and lifting heavy things.On the other side are the promotions. Large or small, their role is basically the same. A promoter provides a platform for the wrestlers to work, whether that's a television show or a rented space. At the bigger promotions – think WWE or the now-defunct WCW – the promoters or their handpicked creative teams will come up with gimmicks for wrestlers to portray. The early 1990s were notorious for this, particularly in WWE, where Vince McMahon fell in love with giving everyone simple, cartoony gimmicks based on career choice or lightly considered readings of Greek myth.Read more on VICE sports.
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