The wrestling industry is a cruel path to embark upon. Issue 14 of Ringside explores the effects that wrestling has upon the bodies of its performers. In two different circumstances, Danny, moved away from wrestling, and Reynolds is at the beginning of his career. While the two are at different stages in their lives and careers their injures are similar and will affect them moving forward with their lives.
The Good:
The comic has created a unique situation for Danny and Reynolds as their lives are different yet they seem to be running parallel to one another. Danny has just recently fulfilled his debt to Eduard and is free to do what he wants. Yet, that is not good enough for him as he wants to make sure that Eduard doesn’t bother him or Teddy again. This has led to Eduard’s men to attack and incapacitate Danny forcing him to be admitted into a hospital. At the same time Reynolds is getting his first major push as the new Minotaur and is over with the crowd. While wrestling he is injured on his neck and leg and is rushed to the hospital. For both Danny and Reynolds, the prognoses for their injuries is similar as they will, in the best case, be confound confined to a wheelchair for several months and in the worst case they will be paralyzed. This situation shows how dangerous and life altering wrestling can be. Furthermore, Reynolds is in a better position than Danny as CMW, the wrestling company he works for, is offering a settlement to him. As They feel bad and want to mediate damages they have caused by putting him in that position. While this settlement won’t cover every problem he will face, it will help him get through the worst and allow him to get back on his feet. This attitude reflects how the wrestling industry has changed as these settlements and actions were not put in place in the early days of the industry. Wrestling companies have only started to take actions to protect and properly take care of their wrestlers when injuries occur. We see the progress the wrestling industry has made in caring for its wrestlers from the time Danny was wrestling, where they did not care, to the time that Reynolds is wrestling as they do care. This progress reflects the current system as many wrestling companies do care about their wrestlers and opt to take care of them when injuries occur.
The Bad:
The comic requires you, the reader, to infer on a few different aspects. Starting with how Danny got attacked and then sent to the hospital, as it is not clear. Considering that the comic is drawing a parallel between Reynolds and Danny, this should have been defined. As it would have been more powerful and shown how the wrestling industry has changed. Furthermore, the comic disregards the relationship between Reynolds and Regan who were once intimate with each other as he doesn’t want to speak with him. This seems out of place as people who were once were friends tend to have feelings for each other even when the relationship ends. With him not wanting to speak, this challenges the realism that the comic has displayed in capturing what a wrestler’s life is like outside of the ring.
The Verdict:
Issue 14 of Ringside creates a parallel between two wrestlers, Danny and Reynolds, who are at different stages in their careers. Yet, they seem to have sustained similar injuries and are both hospital bound. Due to this, the comic highlights how dangerous the wrestling industry is as it can lead to life changing injuries when and after your time performing in the squared circle. At the same time the comic also captures how the wrestling industry has evolved in the way they treat their performers when they are hurt. As a result, Ringside continues to provide an inside look into the workings of the wrestling industry through the eyes of Reynolds and Danny as they continue their journeys as performers.
