Introduction & History

A never-ending series of long-term, well thought-out and compelling storylines involving a fictious cast of over-the-top characters forever bounded feuds over romance, trauma, or pretty much anything. Are we talking about WWE or Coronation Street?

After browsing both a WWE 50 year annual and a 60 years of Coronation Street book, I have come to conclusion that they are indeed one of the same.

Firstly, both weekly episodic products have a long-standing history of entertaining their audience with high drama and outrageously captivating television. WWE started in 1953 and Coronation Street hitting UK television sets in the winter of 1960, becoming a national institution from each side of the Atlantic respectively.

The shows even share the similar schedules with Coronation Street airing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the UK at 8pm. The sports entertainment giant of WWE air on their main broadcasts on USA soil on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights.   

The Goodies & The Baddies

The WWE was built on good vs evil, the Hulk Hogan’s, The Rock’s , John Cena’s are some of the greatest good guys to come from the WWE Universe, in the world of wrestling this is known as ‘a babyface’ and Coronation Street isn’t shy of a few babyfaces itself, looking at the likes of Kirk Sutherland – dim witted yet lovable and rather harmless and wholesome regular on the Corrie cobble’s, or Roy Cropper, a tree of knowledge and kindness towards his friends, family and pretty much anyone who steps into his café, Roy’s Rolls, and Yasmine, who survived an abusive ordeal with resident bastard, Geoff Metcalfe. Speaking of bastards every babyface needs a nemesis to feud with within the WWE, commonly known as ‘heels’ in the professional wrestling community.

The likes of Randy Orton, Roddy Piper, Edge and Charlotte Flair made it their personal mission to piss off everyone from backstage to behind the barricades like their lives depended on it. Randy Orton for example, he evolved from this cocky, obnoxious 3rd generation superstar in the early 2000’s, a ladies’ man and a legend killer before transcending in much more callous and cold-hearted character that left a legacy within the WWE. In later stages of the 2000’s, Randy Orton was the evil and vindictive and venomous superstars within the WWE landscape and wouldn’t be above destroying your childhood heroes or hitting his infamous RKO on women, including the chairman’s daughter Stephanie McMahon in his ever-long feud with former Evolution stable-mate, Triple H. Gary Windass, (who does remind me of a prime 2009 Randy Orton).  Mikey North’s portrayal of Gary Windass had a villainous murderous side, however he always had this almost loveable rouge aura around him as he wrapped the likes of Ayla Nazir, Tina McIntyre, Sarah Platt and Rosie Webster, but plagued PTSD from his time in the army he did become a callous and cold person when times calls upon him killing off Rana Habeeb by accident, and Ricky Neelan, which was definitely not accident. Although he was a murderer, Gary’s killings may be justifiable, especially with Ricky Neelan when Neelan kidnapped Sarah Platt.   

The Miz is another class example of one the WWE’s greatest villains using his arrogance, his gorgeous wife, and his very punch-able face to wind up and irate audiences from arena to arena to launch his career into the entertainment stratosphere with Hollywood and reality tv production companies chomping at the bit for a piece of The IT couple. Coronation Street has its own conniving villains in the previously mentioned Geoff Metcalfe, who cooked Yasmin’s pet chicken and then forced her to eat as another step into his tirade of emotional and physical abuse storyline.

Elsewhere in the history of Corrie’s cobbles we’ve seen the likes of John Stape, a teacher who had groomed 16-year-old student, Rosie Webster whilst simultaneously keeping up a second life with wife Fiz Stape, he then tried to kidnap Rosie Webster a few years later. On top his debauchery and psychotic behaviour, Stapes landed himself in prison on numerous occasions including a charge of murder of fellow teacher Charlotte Hoyle, murdered after blackmailing Stapes after he robbed the identity of another tutor, Colin Fishwick who died.

The mastery of evil was so good that the actor who played Jon Stapes – Graham Hawley was nominated for ‘Villain of the Year’ at the British Soap Awards in 2011. In comparison to a John Stapes the WWE has ‘The Big Red Monster’ Kane who has his own immoral ways of going about business including a backstory of setting his family’s home on fire, having an affair with Lita, and getting her pregnant. electrocuting Shane McMahon’s bollocks, setting fire to Jim Ross, necrophilia on deceased wife Kate Vick and having this never-ending with his brother, The Undertaker, which has its own history and long lore to explore.

Feuding Families

Kane and The Undertaker epic begins within the late 90s as it is revealed The Undertaker has a brother named Kane, who hides both emotional and physical scars behind a red mask from when the sibling’s childhood home was burned down to the ground. For years it was thought that Kane caused the fire, however after years of lies, betrayal and manipulation from Kane’s father, Paul Bearer it was revealed The Undertaker was the fire-starter, and the rest they say is history. In current WWE lore lives another family civil war within The Bloodline as Roman Reigns leads an almost three-year tirade of manipulation and abuse of his cousin, putting through the ringer emotionally, mentally and physically as he looks retain his 1000+ days as Undisputed WWE Universal champion at all costs.

The difference with Kane and The Undertaker and The Bloodline is that The Bloodline feels real as Kane and The Undertaker are only brothers within the land of WWE, whereas The Bloodline has a legimate lineage and have a legacy within professional wrestling under the Anoai family tree.

Where The WWE has Kane and The Undertaker and The Bloodline Coronation Street has the likes of The Barlows and The Platts with their own family traumas. Gail Platt lads David Platt and stepbrother Nick Tilsley feuded over money after Nick stole 80 grand from their Grandma Audrey Platt as Nick tried to place the blame on Audrey’s lover Lewis Archer. The guilt of David’s knowledge of Nick stealing the money, ant the siblings had a violent bust up before being sent to jail for breaking bail conditions from another storyline involving another local villain, Gary Windass.

McMahon vs Austin & Barlow vs Baldwin.

The two entertainment enterprises have two family names that have longevity and legacy having a lasting impact on television forever. McMahon and Barlow.

Vincent Kennedy McMahon was the man to revolutionise the WWE after purchasing it from his father, becoming one of the iconic villains in with the WWE history with his time as the ever controlling, power hungry and downright disgraceful authority using his position of power to abuse his roster on the weekly during his reign as CEO, but it gave WWE fans relief watching McMahon get his arse handed to him by the beer swilling, arse kicking, middle finger raising son of a bitch that is Stone Cold Steve Austin. The rivalry changed the WWE, and some might say bought the attitude. Ken Barlow, played by William Roach is longest serving member of the Coronation Street, entering the soap in the original run in the 1960s. Barlow had his Vince McMahon in Mike Baldwin, arch nemesis that wouldn’t leave Barlow alone for love nor money. Barlow began this feud after Mike Baldwin had an affair with Ken’s wife Deidre. The feuded back and forth up until Baldwin’s onscreen death in 2006. Much like McMahon, Barlow’s bloodline play a crucial part in the drama of the cobbles, for every Shane McMahon there’s a Peter Barlow, and for every Triple H and Stephanie McMahon a northern power couple Tracy Barlow and Steve McDonald at just having a pint down The Rover’s Return.

The Battle of the Broadcast

In the mid-90s there was a threat to Vince McMahon’s sports entertainment enterprise as rivalling wrestling promotion WCW aired the brand-new Monday Nitro. To some it was healthy competition, but to McMahon and company it became a war.

WCW Monday Night Nitro had Eric Bischoff at the helm as they smashed the Nielson Ratings for an epic 83 weeks, which assisted the birth of the attitude era as WWE were losing top talents such as Hulk Hogan, X Pac, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall amongst many others and WWE’s hands were turned and were forced into a new era introducing the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold, DX, Goldust and The Hardyz, taking WWE to new height. Meanwhile in the UK during the 80s, the BBC introduced their own soap opera to rival the debauchery and drama of the nation’s favourite street as Eastenders came on air and became Corrie’s WCW with fresh stories and new faces including Ian Beale, The Mitchell clan, and The Slaters, Stacey and Kat.

Corrie offered a relatability and warm northern wit and charm to troubling and traumatic times within the Weatherfield, whereas Eastenders often came off more gritty and hard-nosed approach to similar sensitive issues shown in both British soaps. Vince McMahon eventually bought out and killed his competition during the 2000s bringing an end to the Monday night wars, however Eastenders and Corrie battle on within the odd live shows, and climatic Christmas specials… (we are looking at you Max Branning and Stacy Slater).

Conclusion              

In conclusion, with all the drama, character lore and backstories, the anticipating returns, family feuds, heroes, villains, babyfaces and heels… not forgetting the Dave Meltzer star rating systems and the UK soap awards, professional wrestling and soap operas are indeed one in the same.

In fact, I see professional wrestling as an athletic soap opera in front of live audience and massive theoretics with epic entrance themes and outlandish outfits. Where soaps like Eastenders and Corrie like to have a realism and grittiness around it like the angsty younger sibling of wrestling, professional wrestling is a pantomime using combat sports to tell its stories, kind of like a camp, flamboyant cousin of soap operas, but they are both apart of the same family tree within television land, and I guess that is why I love both storytelling art forms.