Commercial wrestling appeared in the early 20th century, became corporate in the 1930s, and then appeared on the screen in the 1970s. Wrestling, an entertainment activity respected by Irish workers, gradually spread across the country, becoming larger and larger in scale and influence.

The wider it is, the more problems are exposed.

The most core one is: "Is wrestling real?"

As early as the 1920s, wrestling and boxing were competitive events, and newspapers in New York and Boston would also bet on the outcome of wrestling matches.

But later people discovered that the organizers of wrestling matches were not lower than those who held boxing matches. It was too easy to manipulate the results of wrestling matches. In the end, this type of betting was stopped, leaving the results of wrestling matches to be determined.

The concept of manipulation.

Later, the operators of wrestling matches discovered that giving wrestlers personalized costumes and actions would make the show more popular. Later, they developed wrestlers who specialized in playing good guys or bad guys to make the show more interesting.

As a result, wrestling and boxing have embarked on two completely different development routes, one emphasizing competitiveness and the other focusing on entertainment attributes.

In the 1980s, the emergence of WWF and WCW used plots to connect weekly programs, increase user stickiness, increase the payment rate of PPV events, and turn wrestling into a large-scale TV variety show.

At this time, many viewers began to wonder, was the wrestling I saw real?

The role of the wrestler is packaged, the plot is written by the screenwriter, the competition process is arranged, and even the victory or defeat is determined by the boss.

Although no wrestler publicly admitted that the moves in the match were rehearsed in advance and the winner was determined by Mike, it would always be obvious to others over time.

In the past, wrestling fans didn't communicate much with each other. They just chatted with their friends about the latest events and storylines, and gave a few words of encouragement for their favorite wrestlers.

Some "little secrets" have not been spread, so that most American audiences think that the fights between wrestlers in the ring are real.

However, the emergence of the Internet has made everything uncontrollable. Some senior wrestling fans have begun to establish forums for wrestling discussions. On the Internet, the spread of information has increased exponentially, and many little secrets in the industry have almost become common knowledge.

.

Although Americans are a little naive, they are not stupid. After knowing that most of the content displayed in wrestling matches is not real, some viewers who pursue competitive excitement will gradually become alienated. They would rather watch boxing and football, even if the user stickiness left behind is not

It will weaken, and we will no longer regard wrestling as an event, but as a SHOW.

What Lao Mai is worried about is not only that WCW is grabbing the ratings, that is, market share, but also worried that with the development of consulting, the stickiness of users will decrease or even be lost.

How to retain the audience?

Lao Mai thought about it for a long time, and had some vague ideas, but they were not systematic, until Bai Quinn came to him and came up with a promotion plan linked to the movie. The most important link was that Bai Quinn would be in the "WrestleMania" competition.

, shed the disguise of the character, appear in his own image, and in future competitions, give up the role of "Devil Prince" and compete with the almost "authentic" image of "Hollywood actor Bai Quinn".

Due to the maintenance of tradition, Lao Mai was originally opposed to it. How could a wrestler not have an image in the ring? Isn't it the same for an actor to play himself in a TV series?

But Bai Quinn still convinced him.

"Character!"

Bai Quinn explained: "I show the audience that I am Bai Quinn, but in fact, what they see is the packaged version of me. I will show them the arrogance, playfulness, and spendthrift side of a Hollywood star. These are all

It's the stereotype people have of Hollywood stars.

Strengthen these aspects through my performance, blurring the me on the ring and the me off the ring, so that they can see a more realistic character who is consistent both on and off the ring. They won’t even see the traces of performance, and the audience will like it.

The 'real' me..."

Bai Quinn not only convinced Lao Mai, but also gave him a sudden enlightenment, and many of his previously vague ideas became concrete.

"You have a great idea! If Benzhen plays the role, I can also play a boss that makes the audience hate them. This can make the plot conflict more attractive and make them look forward to what outrageous things the bad boss has done every week.

."

"You can also find someone to beat you up for nothing, so that the audience can enjoy beating the boss..." Bai Quinn joked.

"What a great idea!" Lao Mai jumped up excitedly, like a fifty-year-old child.

…

Back in the ring, Randy promoted the movie "Bonnie and Frank" by saying a few words, telling everyone that he and Quinn would appear in the movie.

The two walked off the stage, leaving a debate over whether Bai Quinn should be a movie actor wrestling or a wrestler acting in movies.

TV viewers across the country also saw the carefully edited promotional video of "Bonnie and Frank" during commercial breaks. Not to mention the handsome men and beauties, the most exciting fight scene in the film was also cut into it.

The following show was the peak showdown between the two main pillars, "Heartbreak Kid" Sean Michael and "The Assassin" Bret Hart. The two held a one-hour non-stop Ironman match, which lasted for an entire hour.

The winner was decided, and two more minutes of overtime were added. In the end, Sean Michael won the victory with two "jaw-crushing kicks."

Post-match surveys showed that although the audience generally appreciated the hour-long Ironman match between Sean Michael and Bret Hart and thought it was extremely exciting, Bai Quinn's act of revealing his identity as an actor impressed them even more. Many of them were

Everyone said they would definitely go see a movie starring Quinn Bai, and many viewers asked the survey staff what the song was for Quinn Bai's latest appearance and where they could buy the record.

Bai Quinn, who was taking a shower in the locker room, was in a great mood and hummed softly: "Doo-doo-doo, Doo-doo-doo, Doo-doo-doo, Doo-doo-doo, Oh, I want something just like

this!"

This is the song that was in his head as he jumped out of the pool:

I've been reading books of old

The legends and the mythsThose ancient legends and boundless mysteries

Achilles and his gold

Hercules and his gifts

Spiderman's control and Spider-Man's control of the overall situation

And Batman with his fists

And clearly I don't see myself upon that list

She said, where'd you wanna go? She said to me where'd you wanna go?

How much you wanna risk? How much ups and downs do you want to go through?

I'm not looking for somebody

With some superhuman gifts

Some superheroes don’t have to be invincible

Some fairytale bliss, not to mention the happiness and beauty in fairy tales

Just something I can turn to

Somebody I can kiss

I want something just like this

…

On April 1, ABC TV's core program "Good Morning America", the famous host Diane Sawyer, a former beauty pageant champion who once served as Nixon's press assistant, finished playing the scene where Quinn White emerged from the green liquid.

After the video, he said in a slightly ridiculing tone: "This is not an April Fool's Day joke. I never thought that a rising wrestling star is actually a movie actor.

According to our reporter, Quinn Bai's new film was completely scripted and filmed by himself. He also encountered problems including the director's strike and running out of funds midway through the filming, but he overcame them one by one.

The film received widespread acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in January, winning the Best Feature Film Cinematography award, and was eventually purchased by Miramax for distribution rights..."

Martin Lawrence pressed the remote control hard and turned off the TV. "As expected of Disney, it has its own TV station that can be used to promote its own movies! This is unfair!"

The comedy film "A Line Between Love and Hate" directed and starred by black movie star Martin Lawrence was released at the same time as Quinn White's "Bonnie and Fraker", with an opening of 1,100 screens. It was originally thought that the most competitive film in the same period would be Li

Chuck Gere's "First Level of Fear" didn't expect that after Oscar night, a fierce competitor suddenly appeared.

At first, Martin Lawrence saw that Miramax wanted to use the fight incident to increase the popularity of the movie, so he quickly contacted his contacts and wanted to smear the crew of "Bonnie and Frank" from the perspective of discriminating against black people. However, the direction of public opinion quickly changed.

This caused his plan to abort.

Unexpectedly, the other party used "WrestleMania" to stir up a wave of topics. Although "WrestleMania" only had 300,000 paying users, the number of viewers who purchased and rented DVDs afterwards exceeded 500,000, and the number of long-term regular viewers of TV wrestling matches exceeded 300,000.

Five million.

Wrestlers have played roles in TV series in the past. The famous Hulk Hogan has starred in TV series, but this is the first time he has starred in a movie.

Martin Lawrence can imagine with his calves how many ardent wrestling fans will rush to the theater when the movie is released.

The big hit of "Bonnie and Frank" will definitely squeeze the box office of his "A Line Between Love and Hate". If the first weekend box office performance is not satisfactory, it will face the situation of reducing the screen size.

"A Thin Line between Love and Hate" is a black movie, and the main actors are all black. Martin Lawrence also used his influence and invited many black stars to guest star, and famous black singers such as R. Kelly helped produce the film's music.

Because New Line Cinema, which he collaborated with, was suspicious of all-black movies, most of the film's eight million production costs were paid for by Martin Lawrence himself.

If the box office is not satisfactory, Martin Lawrence will face a loss.
Chapter completed!