Happy Independence Day! Welcome to another eWrestlingNews Question of the Day—this time, focusing on the holiday itself in a very generic sense.
Pro wrestling has long had its patriotic inspirations. WWE Superstars are larger-than-life as it is, and there has never been any shying away from getting into the American pride aspect of sports entertainment. Even though it hasn’t been as prominent in recent years, it used to be a backbone of certain characters being the guy or, when it comes to heels, simply being from another country other than the United States was the reason they were booed. Crazy, but look around today and you’ll see people going nuts over the stars and stripes and you’ll understand why companies try to appeal to that market.
So since today is July 4th, here is your question. “Who in WWE do you equate the most to the American spirit?”
You don’t need to take that question literally in its wording. However I phrase it, it’s basically me asking who you think of when you think of WWE and the 4th of July, American pride, USA nationalism, and so on.
As far as my answer goes…
I’ve previously done a whole Mount Rushmore debate podcast about the most patriotic American pro wrestlers out there (check it out below) where my co-hosts and I got into everyone from Sgt. Slaughter and Lex Luger to even the American Badass version of The Undertaker and more.
On the current roster, I think you have to look at Cody Rhodes as the guy who embodies this type of character the most at the moment. He goes by the moniker “The American Nightmare” after all, and is adorned with the United States flag on much of his gear. His character doesn’t make things about being against foreign-based talent, per say, but he does try to represent the “American spirit” in a lot of ways.
Cody’s not the guy that I would go straight to, though, if someone were to ask me this question. There are just too many other examples of other wrestlers from the past that made the USA more of their gimmick.
Ignoring folks like The U.S. Express (that I just never got into, as that was a different generation), I immediately think Hulk Hogan. Yes, it’s the most obvious answer, but the guy waved the American flag all the time (and even wiped his blood on it with his very USA-based storyline against Sgt. Slaughter at WrestleMania VII). He even went by Mr. America. That’s something only The Patriot can be an equal to.
Side note: I was a big fan of The Patriot for like 2 months back when I was a kid. I swore up and down that he would be a world champion. That fizzled out very quickly.
Hogan’s the guy that kickstarted all this in my mind—at least, from my fandom’s perspective. I didn’t grow up with Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund, but as a byproduct of the Iron Sheik to Hulkster transition. By the time I was aware of wrestling and a fan, Hogan had been fully established as that type of icon.
#2 behind him was always a battle between Sgt. Slaughter (largely in part from his association with G.I. Joe, which I was also a fan of as a kid) and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Off the top of my head, I more so associate Duggan with this type of character, to be honest. Not only did he always wave the American flag, but it’s interesting that fans were less inclined to chant “Hacksaw!” or “Let’s go Duggan!”, but instead, “USA! USA!” for him. Imagine Chris Jericho going out and instead of being cheered on with “Y2J” chants, he just got “Winnipeg!” or “Canada!” chants.
Eventually, Lex Luger stepped in as the replacement for Hogan, and while The Lex Express was a thing for a little while, I was always more of a Bret Hart fan. I probably hold Luger in higher regard than a lot of others, as I wish he would’ve had a world title in WWE at some point (or at least the Intercontinental Championship), but he always felt like a second attempt at Hogan, rather than his own thing.
As the years went by, people like The Patriot and Mark Henry had their times as American heroes. John “Bradshaw” Layfield definitely would be a top pick for a lot of people. Some might go straight for Kurt Angle or John Cena. Hell, maybe Jack Swagger is your go-to person you think of, and you immediately put your hand on your chest and say “We the people!” Don’t forget about American Alpha and Chad Gable in general, too.
So who do you tend to think of when this topic is brought up? For that matter, if you’re from another country, is there someone in mind that you think of as your nation’s pro wrestling icon, like British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith or William Regal for the United Kingdom?
Drop your answers in the comments below and enjoy the holiday!
