PART 5: Chris Jericho and FOZZY
Chris Jericho is well known in many circles, both in wrestling and metal. The name name for his character, as well as his finishing submission, The Walls of Jericho, are taken from the band Helloween, of which he has stated to be big fan. He had spent most of his earlier life in the wrestling world, but has always been a metal fan and has spent the better part of the last decade focusing on his band Fozzy. Featuring members of Stuck Mojo, Fozzy began as a cover band, playing songs from Dio, Iron Maiden, and their obvious namesake in Ozzy Osbourne among other 70’s and 80’s artists. In the last decade (as of 2015), Fozzy has released numerous albums, and toured the world multiple times over, playing original and cover songs to some quite large audiences. Fozzy and Chris Jericho are easily the biggest crossover of these two forms of entertainment, with Jericho managing to be successful in both mediums.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LMAsjoo8TI]
Part 6: The Death Match and Current Wrestling Scene.
Since we have looked at the past, we must now move forward, into the modern day professional wrestling landscape and how metal is still quite big influence. One of the bigger names of the WWE in the last few years is a man named Seth Rollins. He has been admitted as metal fan for sometime, and has used heavier songs as his entrances. He has also sated as being a fan of bands such as Parkway Drive, Unearth, and Devil Wears Prada.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R2XZRrZDFo]
Female wrestler, Paige is currently dating A Day To Remember guitarist Kevin Skaff, and NXT (WWE “developmental” brand) performer Finn Balor utilizes body paint and a more heavy and eerie entrance for special appearances that is certainly rooted in some of the more theatrical side of heavy metal. Another lover of the older school of metal, Dolph Zilggler, has been one to wear a denim jacket with plenty of patches from various 80’s acts like Slayer and Megadeth. He is also an admitted fan of the hair metal scene as well.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4SYY41kVqc]
Based on some of those names, it can said that some of the WWE roster is more into some of the “popular” bands in the genre. That can be a great way to look at metal and wrestling. For every Metallica, there is a Pissgrave. Meaning, that for the popularity of the WWE, and how ingrained that company can be in the modern world, there are a ton of independent and lesser known companies in the wrestling world. The independents are basically the underground metal bands of their brand. They may not be as well known, and a lot of it is not backed by corporations but instead funded but the fans and the wrestlers themselves. Companies like Pro Wrestling Guerrilla or Combat Zone Wrestling are carving out their own niches in the business, and there are plenty of metal heads within those various companies.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StGSwGTAjkY]
One such wrestler goes by the name MASADA. He has long carried himself as a rugged, bad-ass character, with various piercings and tattoos and an overall metal head. His entrance themes in the past have included “The Optimist” by Skinless and “Of Me… No One is Safe” by Ion Dissonance. MASADA, although an accomplished wrestler in most respects, is most well known for his “deathmatch” wrestling. Death Match wrestling takes some of the hardcore aspects of the Attitude Era (and Japanese wrestling) and takes it to another level. Quite often utilizing glass, fluorescent light tubes, barbed wire, fire and other weaponry, deathmatch wrestling is even seen as a niche of independent wrestling, and thus a niche of a niche. Another name in the death match scene, Nick Gage, has also used Metallica as his theme, and to this day I cannot hear “For Whom The Bell Tolls” without thinking of the blood he has spilled in the ring.
