Quick! Name your five favorite Werner Herzog movies. I’ll go first. Just kidding – I haven’t seen any Werner Herzog movies (and no I’m not just saying that to be funny – I literally just looked up his filmography to be sure). But, Brandon does have a review of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans available here. No, no – I’m closer to the WrestleMania side of the entertainment spectrum than I am the art house Herzog film side of it. I’m not sure I am even capable of appreciating such works. I don’t know for sure that I have that kind of brain.
That’s why it seems so incredibly odd…out of nowhere, if you will…to discover that Herzog has an incredible fascination with WrestleMania, the WWE’s annual big stadium show….the Super Bowl of professional wrestling…yes….pro wrestling. It sounds like one of those random facts you’d learn down at your local watering hole on trivia night. But, it’s true. Herzog has been citing WrestleMania as a source of interest for years. GQ wrote a piece on it back in 2019, and if you haven’t already read it, I’d suggest taking the time to pick this man’s brain. It’s a nice little roundup of quotes from interviews before.
You get a little bit of everything in there – from an appreciation of the camera angles to comparisons to Greek dramas and, of course, an attack on our sense of reality. Look, I get it – you don’t need to explain it to me, Werner. I’m a lifelong wrestling fan who has enjoyed the spectacle of the WWE for the better part of 35 years. It is a form of escapism, and at its best, it can certainly feel like good good mythology. It draws from the human experience in a way that allows the everyday working folk to connect to it, but the characters at the center of it all feel so larger-than-life that they’re drawn to it. It is a special kind of art.
But, is it just me or does it seem like Herzog watches WrestleMania the same way the rest of the country watches Florida? Regardless, I just think that this piece is worth revisiting every WrestleMania season because, at least in my humble opinion, it is just as special as any ‘top WrestleMania matches’ or ‘top WrestleMania moments’ list could ever be.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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