Hey all. Welcome to another edition of ...And Marking Out. I've been exploring the EZBoard o lot of late and have found myself and others in the midst of intense discussion around posts such as "Why does everyone hate (insert Wrestler here) now?" Or "(Wrestler's name here)...why?!" Posters gave all kinds of reasons why this guy sucked or why this wrestler was or wasn't over, etc. All of that talk got me to thinking: What gets a wrestler over and can it be summed up in some kind of mathematical formula?

Well, I think it can (IMHO) and am about to unveil said formula to you. Before I go any further, a few qualifying statements: This is just my opinion. Flame away of you feel the need. I LOVE Kurt Angle, HHH, the new Austin, Rock and Benoit. Jericho is cool with me, but sloppy (his Lionsault misses more than it hits). I HATE Billy Gunn. I think Edge has so much break-out potential that it scares me sometimes. Test and Albert also have potential. I attended the June SmackDown! in B-More and was pleasantly surprised by Albert's match with Kane and Test's match with Rhyno. That being said, if you think I'm gonna piss you off by reading further, hit the back button on your browser. Or don't. It's your blood pressure.

Getting Over (mathematically speaking, that is):

I have divided the "It" a wrestler needs to get over into six categories. In my mind a wrestler does not have to do all things well, but he/she has to have the right combination of things done well enough in order to make a connection with casual and Internet fans alike. The categories, in no particular order, are as follows:

1. Charisma/Personality - This is a wrestler's energy. The feel good or feel bad vibe that they give off that connects with the audience and ropes them in to either cheer or boo in accordance with what the bookers want. Obviously, we often cheer when they want us to boo and boo whenever Bagwell is on camera. Charisma alone won't carry you to the top; lacking it won't bury you if you're good in other areas.
   Don't believe me? Lots of Charisma: Rock, HHH, Jericho, Edge, Tazz.
   Very little charisma: Benoit, Billy Gunn.
2. . Interview Skills - Nothing gets a wrestler or an angle over like a good strong promo. Back in the day, a wrestler without mic skills could rely on a manager to help him or her get heat and while that still applies today in a more limited fashion (see: Regal and Tajiri), today's wrestler definitely has to eventually carry his/her own weight on the microphone in order to be taken seriously. It makes all the difference, especially if you're going to have those 15-minute interview segments each show.
   Taken Seriously: Austin, Rock, HHH, Regal.
   Not always taken seriously: Jericho, Crash, X-Pac.
3. Moveset - A wrestler must have an array of holds, counters and signature moves that the crowd is wowed by or comes to expect and desire in the course of match. The greater your moveset and versatility, the more match styles a wrestler can perform, the more opponents he can work against, the more feuds he can have, the more exposure...You get my point. Moveset is huge. Huge Moveset: HHH, Angle, Regal, Edge. Small moveset: Billy Gunn, Austin (probably due to injury more than anything else, the man can wrestle).
4. Storytelling Skills - Not to be confused with Interview skills. By story telling skills, I mean that a wrestler is able to use his facial expressions, body language, moveset and psychology to tell a story within the context of a match. It's using your moves at just the right moment in a match in order to get the most out of the audience's involvement. Sounds easy, but it's not. Hunter Hearst Helmsley had tons of problems with this. Triple H, does not.
   Classic matches always have great stories in them. Rock/Austin from WrestleMania. Benoit and Jericho's ladder match. HHH/Austin from No Way Out.
5. Good Look/Gimmick - These two go hand-in-hand in my opinion, especially in today's era where the gimmick closely resembles an exaggeration of the wrestler or an aspect of the wrestler's personality. Having a great look isn't everything >coughUltimateWarriorcough<, but it surely doesn't hurt either. Not having a good look forces the bookers to come up with some crazy gimmick to get you over, like carrying around a broken mop and saying "You're welcome" all the time.
6. One Good Push - Let's face it, if the bookers don't think a guy is worthy of going over other wrestlers and getting lots of television time, he ain't getting' over. This area also includes a wrestler's music and video, because they're important too. Test stands out as an example of a guy who appeared to be on the verge of breaking out (during the Wedding storyline and the HHH-Stephanie aftermath and then got hurt (or Vince de-pushed him, whichever story you choose to believe.) Wouldn't he conceivably been a big star by now had his push continued? Look no further than HHH to see this best. 10 months of push until we had no choice but to like him after no one on the Net thought he'd make it as a big time heel. Either we were all dead wrong or his push was damn good. Or somewhere in between.

Okay, now that we have the categories down, it's back to math class. Wrestlers are rated in each category with a 0 (below average), 1(average) or 2 (above average). Half-point increments can be used if necessary to get a more "accurate" score. Total all a wrestler's scores up out of a possible 12. In my mind, a wrestler needs an 80% score (8.5 or better) to get over and be on television regularly without irritating the masses. If a wrestler hits the 90% mark (10.8 points or better), he's probably main event caliber, I think. The superstars hit 11 or 12. Here how some wrestlers rate according to my opinion and formula.

That's just a few of many wrestlers that could have been rated. I chose all WWF guys because the Invasion is in its infancy and all WCW guys should be given second chances to prove their mettle in front of larger crowds. Agree? Disagree? Use the formula, see what you get, and let me know. Send hatemail/feedback to drinkingbeersandmarkingout@yahoo.com. If you've make some good points, I'll include 'em next time.

Until next time: Be a fan. Drink beers. Mark out. Care less.

I'm out.