Regardless of which era of professional wrestling is your favorite, there's one element that has remained a constant over the many decades of televised wrestling: fashion.
In an interview with stylist Troi Anthoni, he spoke about dressing WWE wrestler Seth "Freakin" Rollins for his historic tag team match for Wrestlemania 40. Most notably, Anthoni spoke at length about the importance of fashion in presenting and fleshing out a pro wrestler's character and persona. In a piece from Complex, Anthoni describes this as "the look", which helps wrestlers and managers bring their characters to life. Complex also gave the nod to WWE's first-ever World Heavyweight Champion, Buddy Rodgers, for revolutionizing what a wrestler could look like, marking a shift in wrestling aesthetics.
Over the years, wrestlers like Superstar Billy Graham, Shawn Michaels, Miss Elizabeth, and Trish Stratus remain instantly recognizable due to specific appearance elements, from hair styling to particular fashion accessories. A good pair of sunglasses is one of the most common fashion elements found on and off the squared circle.
In this post, we'll take a look at some of the most iconic professional wrestlers and the sunglasses that help complete their look:
Orange Cassidy
James Cipperly, known by his ring name Orange Cassidy, stands out from the rest of his colleagues for his aloof and laidback wrestling persona. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling, which recently hosted its Fight for The Fallen show in Asheville, North Carolina. Unfortunately, he was defeated by "Hangman" Adam Page at the event.
At 5'10", Orange Cassidy based his wrestling look (and feel) on Ryan Gosling's man-of-few-words character in Drive. Some have also referred to his pro wrestling style as "The King of Sloth Style" due to his slowed movement and lazy attacking style. To further cement his unique wrestling style, most of Orange Cassidy's signature moves are done with his hands in his pocket. Previously, he has spoken about his fashion and styling choices being a "middle finger" to pro wrestling, delicately balancing between being good at wrestling and not putting in too much work.
So, how does Orange Cassidy translate his wrestling style into his look? It's simple — Orange Cassidy wears a faded denim jacket and jeans and a pair of Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses. By now, the Ray-Ban Aviators are some of the most popular and imitated sunglasses designs, and many other eyewear and fashion brands have since released their own takes on the iconic silhouette. Retailer Eyebuydirect, for example, has an Aviator-lookalike called the Good Vibrations, which features the same teardrop-shaped lenses. Orange Cassidy stands out with his matching denim and straightforward Aviators, unlike other pro wrestlers who rely on more flamboyant or flashy aesthetics.
Christian (Edge & Christian)
While wrestling fans know him as Christian Cage and would recall an entirely different look from the wrestler by now, Christian once contributed to the "iconic sunglasses" discourse during his days as part of the tag team Edge & Christian. Like Orange Cassidy, Christian is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling, although he has spent a considerable amount of his career with WWF/E and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
The iconic sunglasses that may come to mind when you think of Christian during his tag team glory days, of course, is the cyborg-like Oakley Over The Top. An unmatched eyewear design from the sports performance eyewear brand, the Over The Top puts into account the unique frame's shock absorption, bounce reduction, and how it would feel on different head shapes or under a helmet. Over the years, the unique sunglasses design has been seen on Olympics athletes as well as Tour de France cyclists. Christian, of course, wore it as a fashion statement during his long-haired days alongside fellow Canadian and AEW wrestler, Edge.
Christian's styling being matched with his tag team duo Edge, of course, was no coincidence. The two were initially marketed as on-screen brothers, before being retconned as legitimate childhood friends in 2010. The two had formed a tag team in the Canadian independent wrestling circuit after training with retired pro wrestler Ron Hutchison. Through the years, Edge and Christian became a decorated tag team, winning the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven occasions.
Randy Savage
Best known as "Macho Man" and Randy Savage, Randy Mario Poffo was a WWF/E pro wrestler and professional baseball player. Today, he is still regarded as "one of the greatest pro wrestlers who ever lived," and is part of the pro wrestling faction of stars known for his distinctively flamboyant look and raspy voice. Throughout his time with the WWF and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Savage was managed by his real-life wife, Miss Elizabeth.
When we consider Randy Savage's many iconic looks throughout his professional wrestling career, his various giant shades come into mind. From the white-framed shield lens he wore when he went up against Tito Santana in February 1986 to the multicolored chunky rectangular frames he wore during his commentary and hosting segments at the Yokozuna Body Slam Challenge hosted at the USS Intrepid.
Another iconic Randy Savage look, of course, was from his original Macho Man commercials for the meat snacks company Slim Jim. During his time at the WCW, Randy Savage heavily endorsed Slim Jim products. In fact, his arrival in WCW came hand in hand with his Slim Jim endorsement deal. Eric Bischoff, former head of WCW, previously spoke about Randy Savage's first WCW contract being entirely paid for through the Slim Jim sponsorship.
Bret Hart
Finally, we'll wrap up the list with pro wrestling legend Bret "Hitman" Hart. Part of the storied Hart wrestling family, Bret Hart is considered by many as "the greatest technical wrestler in WWE history". Like many others during his time, Bret Hart donned the signature long hair of a wrestler, clad in pink and black tights. Hart won his first WWE Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, after forcing Ric Flair into submission, sparking Hart's dominant reign.
One of the fashion elements Bret Hart is most known for, of course, is his wraparounds. Like Randy Savage's many oversized glasses, Bret Hart's wraparound sunglasses are almost synonymous with the wrestler's brand.
Interestingly, the stylish choice of sunglasses was more than a fashion statement for Hart. The wrestler initially struggled with his promotional interviews meant to hype his matches. To hide his nerves from fans and the cameras, he started wearing his wraparound shades.
Throughout his career, the wraparound sunglasses remained his gimmick. Hart would look for a child in the audience to give him his glasses just before he climbed in the ring, showing the wrestler's commitment to showing gratitude to his fans. On the retired legend's website, fans can purchase autographed vintage Hitman wraparounds in his signature pink, with an option for a silver colorway.
0 comments: