UMBCMCS355Spring17: R6: Triple H

In less than 140 characters, users are expected to use Twitter to express their thoughts. This concept seemed crazy at first but as Twitter gained more and more users, the concept quickly became normal. Twitter now states that it has around 313 million active users each month (Company|About). Celebrities quickly adopted the idea of being able to use Twitter to help keep them in the spotlight and this works for both traditional celebrities and new social media created celebrities that found their fame through social media applications like Vine, Instagram, and YouTube. The use of Twitter allowed "regular" people to adopt the same methods that were being used by celebrities and gain fame in similar fashion (Marwick and Boyd, 2011).

In this case study, I will mainly focus on how the WWE has had to let go of the idea of wrestlers keeping in character outside of the ring. In the past wrestlers were expected to keep in character no matter what. This included the wrestlers acting how they would as the character they are portraying would. In 1996, a few members of group in the WWF (now WWE) called The Kliq, embraced in a hug after the final match. Although this was after the camera were done filming, the WWF suspended Triple H for breaking character (the others were leaving the company for the rival WCW so nothing could be done to them), this incident is commonly known as the MSG Incident (MSG Incident). Today, having a Twitter profile is mandatory for those who are signed to wrestle in the WWE. Everyone from the CEO to the "worst" wrestler in the company has a Twitter profile that often goes against the character they portray. Triple H is commonly viewed as the bad guy in the company, however the concept of him promoting charities and other WWE products seems to go against the character he portrays in the ring. Although when he does appear in the ring he is the bad guy, we see how he turns into the biggest promoter of things on Twitter. Triple H often uses the retweet function on Twitter as a way to show people products or charities he wants to promote for the WWE and their sponsors. Triple H also makes sure to promote his "baby" NXT. This is considered to be the minor leagues for the WWE and is mainly the creation of Triple H. Many of his posts involve telling people when the next NXT event is as well as who will be performing.

Overall, today we know that professional wrestling is staged and not as real as people once thought it was only a few decades ago. Wrestlers are no longer afraid to break their characters especially if they are "bad guys" and can now be "normal" human beings after they leave the ring. Triple H no longer has to worry about being suspended because of a hug with friends after a match, but now can have photos taken with children and at hospitals supporting those who are sick and just want to meet someone that they idolize.