Characterization: WWE's The Shield
Nov. 18th, 2013 01:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
transemacabreThoughts prompted by my reading a fic that had very 'ATG-ish' characterization for the Shield members.
'ATG' is an acronym for 'Any Two Guys', and its a not-very-complimentary phrase for what might otherwise be called paint-by-numbers characterization; when the characters in a fic are only vaguely identifiable as themselves, to the point where the fanfic might as well be original fic. Looking at this particular story, which is fairly well-written but in no way actually about Dean, Seth, or Roman so much as its about OCs that happen to look like them, got me thinking about the guys' characterizations and how much can be inferred from their on-screen appearances.
I tend to assume their characters are the same as their previous characters, so that Dean Ambrose is the same person as Jon Moxley, Seth Rollins is Tyler Black, etc., except for special cases like NXT's Sami Zayn, who is not El Generico and never was. But even if you only take their WWE appearances as canon, its clear that all three Shield members have some fairly in-depth characterization.
Dean:
-- Likes to present himself as the reasonable authority figure of the group, but we can all smell the crazy coming off him
-- Little to no regard for personal boundaries, seems to enjoy making people uncomfortable (such as when he pets Randy Orton backstage)
-- Will trash-talk, but will also taunt opponents physically, ie. mocking the Undertaker's throat-cutting gesture, licking his hand before slapping Sheamus
-- Mannerisms are "off", has tics and prone to erratic, jerky movements
-- Extremely verbal, speech is always fluent and smooth
-- Confident and dominant body language
Seth:
-- Verbally harasses opponents
-- Smug and mocking in promos
-- The risk-taker of the group; most likely to attempt a big stunt
-- Easily and loudly frustrated by failure and setbacks
-- The "cheerleader", shouts encouragement/warnings to teammates
-- Unafraid to jump up in someone (or several someone's) faces and tell them off
-- The most dramatic of the group, likes making a big entrance (ninja roll), likes big stunts, likes butting into conversations to put his two cents in
Roman:
-- Quietest of the group, but expects to be listened to when he speaks up
-- Gets VERY angry when attacked ("Try to break my arm, I'll break your face!")
-- The least touchy-feely of the trio
-- Over-confident (Roman taking his sweet time to walk up to Ziggler after getting tagged in, giving Ziggler precious seconds to regroup and nail Roman in the jaw)
On a related note, can anyone make out Dean's dialogue from this clip?
'ATG' is an acronym for 'Any Two Guys', and its a not-very-complimentary phrase for what might otherwise be called paint-by-numbers characterization; when the characters in a fic are only vaguely identifiable as themselves, to the point where the fanfic might as well be original fic. Looking at this particular story, which is fairly well-written but in no way actually about Dean, Seth, or Roman so much as its about OCs that happen to look like them, got me thinking about the guys' characterizations and how much can be inferred from their on-screen appearances.
I tend to assume their characters are the same as their previous characters, so that Dean Ambrose is the same person as Jon Moxley, Seth Rollins is Tyler Black, etc., except for special cases like NXT's Sami Zayn, who is not El Generico and never was. But even if you only take their WWE appearances as canon, its clear that all three Shield members have some fairly in-depth characterization.
Dean:
-- Likes to present himself as the reasonable authority figure of the group, but we can all smell the crazy coming off him
-- Little to no regard for personal boundaries, seems to enjoy making people uncomfortable (such as when he pets Randy Orton backstage)
-- Will trash-talk, but will also taunt opponents physically, ie. mocking the Undertaker's throat-cutting gesture, licking his hand before slapping Sheamus
-- Mannerisms are "off", has tics and prone to erratic, jerky movements
-- Extremely verbal, speech is always fluent and smooth
-- Confident and dominant body language
Seth:
-- Verbally harasses opponents
-- Smug and mocking in promos
-- The risk-taker of the group; most likely to attempt a big stunt
-- Easily and loudly frustrated by failure and setbacks
-- The "cheerleader", shouts encouragement/warnings to teammates
-- Unafraid to jump up in someone (or several someone's) faces and tell them off
-- The most dramatic of the group, likes making a big entrance (ninja roll), likes big stunts, likes butting into conversations to put his two cents in
Roman:
-- Quietest of the group, but expects to be listened to when he speaks up
-- Gets VERY angry when attacked ("Try to break my arm, I'll break your face!")
-- The least touchy-feely of the trio
-- Over-confident (Roman taking his sweet time to walk up to Ziggler after getting tagged in, giving Ziggler precious seconds to regroup and nail Roman in the jaw)
On a related note, can anyone make out Dean's dialogue from this clip?
