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Gorgeous George Would Have Been Perfect Fit for WWE's WrestleMania

Posted: Apr 5th 2013 By: mikeiles

WrestleMania has always been about glamour, celebrity and wrestling, and Gorgeous George could deliver all of those things.

George Raymond Wagner was just born a few decades too early to be a part of The Show of Shows. George passed away 22 years before the first WrestleMania entertained the fans of Madison Square Garden. Had the event begun much earlier, it would have benefited from one of wrestling's most compelling and unforgettable characters.

"The Sensation of the Nation" was stylish and brimming with bravado, and he brought flash to an industry that had little of it. Pro wrestling in the '40s and '50s was a grittier product than it is today. In a world of armbars and wristlocks, George brought a glut of showmanship.

As of April 7, WWE will have put on WrestleMania 29 times, an event so drenched in spectacle that men from George's day would scarcely recognize the sport. George is one of the few men of his era who could make the hypothetical transition from wrestling's golden age to the present.

Imagine George facing off against Ric Flair or Randy Savage, the glare from their robes becoming blinding waves of light. Imagine George's valet spraying down the ring with perfume as Hulk Hogan or John Cena waited impatiently to pound him into the ground.

He wore his golden hair in a marcel and dressed in silk or chiffon robes. His flamboyant act would not be as shocking today as it was in the '40s and '50s, but it would still be plenty entertaining.

Damien Sandow's extreme arrogance, Fandango's flash and Alberto Del Rio's use of Ricardo Rodriguez as a valet are all homages to George, purposeful or not. George would fit right in alongside these men. He would make an ideal heel, using his conceit and haughtiness to irk the crowd.

Beyond theatrical sport, WrestleMania is also a time when WWE brings in celebrities?to referee, to wrestle, to bring a trail of hype behind them. George was himself a celebrity, and his presence on the card would have brought in mainstream media attention.

WWE wrote on its corporate website that Bob Dylan once said, "Crossing paths with Gorgeous George, was all the recognition and encouragement I would need for years to come."

Muhammad Ali famously borrowed mannerisms and attitude from George.

At 5' 9'', 215 lbs, George would certainly be among the smaller members of the WWE roster. His ability to entertain and to vex would make him a valuable commodity in today's WWE regardless of his stature. He was just about Daniel Bryan?s size, a man who has done pretty well for himself in today's WWE.

WWE could either pit George against a larger opponent, having fans root for the Goliath this time around, or let him grapple with a smaller man. Either way, "The Human Orchid" would add panache to an event that prides itself on that quality.

WrestleMania came too late, and George passed too soon for this ideal marriage to take place between man and event. Barring the invention of a time machine, the only way to see how George would do at The Showcase of the Immortals is to play the scenario in a video game.

It was George's innovation that helped transform pro wrestling into the entertainment phenomenon that it is today?making him, in a way, the Grandfather of WrestleMania.