Thursday, January 28, 2016

Ducking Donald Trump with Phil and Willie Robertson of Duck Dynasty.

Not all Pay-Per-Views in Wrestling are marquee events. Most are stepping stones that serve to ratchet up storylines for an eventual pay-off. Main events for marquee PPVs will feature the dueling contenders mano a mano, the result leaving no ambivalence as to who came out on top. The placeholder PPVs leading up to this conclusion will feature gimmick matches and fights buffered by other contestants that allow for muddled resolutions leaving viewers wanting more. Examples include rivals pairing up with Celebrities, working alongside new partners and sometimes even each other. The aim, to tease proximity and conflict but delaying gratification. The clean finish, the full stop. Anticipation building is the product, when done well every moment in Wrestling is calculated to build hype.

VIDEO: Will Donald Trump show up to the Fox News debate?
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: (3m 41s) I think the prize as Trump defines it always is being the center of attention. Calculated or not -- and I think most likely it is-- is going to concentrate all the attention and all the discussion between now and when you go on the air Thursday at 9 on whether he's going to show up or not. So between now and then he's the story which he's managed to do, brilliantly since June. Always creating new storylines, look the genius of a Reality TV is that it has to constantly be changing. You can't have the same storyline week after week or the show dies.
He kept his going for 14 years. He keeps changing the story, when he makes an outrageous statement and he's waiting for incoming. He makes another outrageous statement so that all the attention is focused on the second. He's used that --I think again brilliantly-- for 6 months to manoeuvre himself to the top.
With a week out before the Iowa Caucus, polls consistently show the GOP race is ostensibly between two people - Donald Trump and Ted Cruz with Marco Rubio a distant third. The upcoming Fox News/Google Debate, the sixth of its kind for the GOP still fields 7 contestants. At best the protracted "job interview" gives voters a large sample to gauge a Candidates' temperance and fortitude. At worst its a fatiguing ceremony that primarily serves as a cash cow for the 24 hours News Media.

In the WWE, there are 5 marquee PPVs spaced out over the year. As such, storylines are paced so big events occur in time with these dates. The Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania have historically been must-watch viewing for Wrestling fans to start the year. Sandwiched by these two powerhouses is the 'Fastlane' PPV. I've used this as the template for my latest wallpaper.

'American Pundit Fighting' presents Ducklane
Celebrity Tag Team match: Ted Cruz and Phil Robertson
VS Donald Trump and Willie Robertson
Chief rival Ted Cruz capitalised on Donald Trump skipping the debate by hatching a #DonaldDuck meme with a 'Ducking Donald' page on his Campaign website. Earlier this week, conservative Reality TV stars, Phil and Willie Robertson of 'Duck Dynasty' split their vote by endorsing each of the GOP frontrunners.

VIDEO: Phil and Willie Robertson open up about their endorsements

The "Duck Lane" refers to Donald Trump's bold move to parlay his frontrunner status into a powerplay that could either catapult him into a league of his own or derail his campaign. Gleaming from another set of headline-grabbing Trump antics, former APF Pundit Stephen Colbert noted
Would You Rather: GOP Edition
STEPHEN COLBERT: That's right, Trump's voters will not leave. I think that represents a huge problem for one person - Donald Trump. Cuz when I hear this man say nothing can stop me from winning, not even shooting people. I don't hear appeal to voters, I hear a cry for help. Let's remember here's a guy who ran for President to promote probably a Reality show or his mattress brand or his line of premium ex-wives and now he looks like he might actually win... cause Donald Trump can't possibly want to be President. Its the hardest job in the world.
Win or lose, Trump has controlled the narrative allowing him to spin the result to his advantage. Even giving him the opportunity to exit the entire Presidential race while preserving his aura. Let's see how this plays out.

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