I think it’s fair to assume that most people my age got one of their first major tastes of anime from Dragon Ball Z. It is definitely an anime that has aged very well and stood the test of time. Sailor Moon was a “girl cartoon” and Pokemon was a “kid’s show”, but DBZ is forever.
If you watched the show as a kid it’s almost impossible to forget anything about it. The story, the characters, the fact that a power level over 9,000 is really minuscule , all of that is knowledge I fully believe I’ll take to my grave. Even if I deteriorate from dementia I’m 90% I’ll always know who the Prince of all Saiyans is. Dragon Ball Z fans are a dime a dozen but I can’t help but feel a disconnect with the rest of them. Hello, it’s me…the guy who wants people to stop attempting to make live action DBZ material.
Over the past few years fans all over the world kickstarted and released live action DBZ content on YouTube. I won’t knock on the effort, time, and money that goes into all that. For fuck’s sake I can barely put together a 15 second video clip for our Instagram. But all of that doesn’t change the fact that I am continually disappointed by what I see being put out. There’s just Dragon Ball Z things that won’t ever look right on camera. The hair styles top that list without question. Again I’m not trying to rain on anyones parade but I'm here to inform you that we’ve had a live action DBZ right in front of us, in the from of…
That’s right, pro wrestling is DBZ to the tee. The idea first came to me after listening to G of the CWF (Cosplay Wrestling Federation) reflect on their successful year. He explained why he thought a wrestling panel (without any actual wrestling) does so well at anime conventions. G described parallels between the both of them drawing from character types and story lines. We attended CWF panels as fans of wrestling and when he made the connection for us I couldn't help but think "Mind blown".
Before I started writing this I searched to see if I was only one to felt this way (I wasn’t) so I could know if I was on the verge of some huge realization (I’m not). Upon my “research” I found a Reddit post that links WWE Superstars to their Dragon Ball counter parts in detail. With everyone matched up to their characters it gets easier to see the correlation between the two.
The WWE Universe operates closely to how the DBZ Universe does. There’s always the hero/face of the show (Goku/Roman Reigns #lolamirite) who you know will always prevail in the end. That doesn’t stop a slew of villains from trying to defeat him and take his title/planet. On occasions the villain will prevail. Our hero will get taken out momentarily and the Yamchas/Jobbers the world will try and fail to defeat them. But the hero always comes back better and stronger than ever. Even against guys like Perfect Cell and Brock Lesnar, the Saiyan always grabs the brass ring. It’s a never ending cycle and power struggle. Not to mention the female characters that add little to nothing (sorry ChiChi)
At the end of the day I do have to give these fan videos credit. They take a "Too Many Tacos on $2 Taco Tuesday Night" level shit on Dragon Ball: Evolution. So please film makers, don't gather all your energy and spirit bomb me. Instead save your time, money, and efforts and just watch WWE.
- Matthew