IN HOCKEY JARGON, they are referred to as "Mark Messier eyes."
If you've ever seen a closeup of the Vancouver Canucks center's game face, you know what that phrase means: intense, almost obessively focused, burning with fire. The future Hall Of Famer could bore a hole through a goalies midsection with one glare.
Today, In the WWF, Ken Shamrock and Rocky Maivia sport "Mark Messier eyes", and because of this, they have become two of the federation's most respected and feared wrestlers.
Sometimes, in the paradoxical and soap-operatic world that is pro wrestling, one can fail with a superior fiqure-four leg lock, with gilt-edge wrestling technique, and unflappable stamina. Sadly, a pinfall does not necessarily ensure success.
Sometimes, you just have to scare the hell out of your opponents, fans and employers to get your point across, point being, I AM A CHAMPION!
Consider the abrasive Maivia and the deranged Shamrock.
Long before he perfected the glare that could burn down an arena, Rocky Maivia was an amiable young man with solid wrestling skills. But "The Rock"--sone of Rocky Johnson and grandson of Peter Maivia--was mud before he became granite. That is to say, he was mentally soft.
Maivia is accustomed to success and to being respected. An All-Americanlineman at the University of Maimi, he enjoyed four years in the spotlight before arriving in the WWF. He won his first Intercontinental title before most fans learned how to pronounce his name/ Then he lost the belt---and his popularity--just as quickly. It took "The Rock" nearly a year to recognize his shortcomings as a wrestler and , just importantly, as an entertainer. Rocky just didn't have what it took to be a champion, so he got mad, and then he got even.
He supplanted Faaroog as the head of The Nation, then he waged war with Steve Austin, He beat his opponents with merciless glee. He told the fans precisely what he thought of them.
"You owe me respect," became his political platform.
And now he has it.
"It takes time for a pro wrestler to mature," said Jim Ross. "Many wrestlers come into the federation with superior athletic talent, but they don't know how to use it. Others have the technical skills, but they lack the personality to connect with the fans. It takes a long time to have both aspects of the game working 100 percent, and many stars never get there. I think "The Rock" has reached the stage where his persona and wrestling skills are working at 100 percent of his potential."
Meanwhile, you'd be hard-pressed to find a nastier, angrier, gnarlier wrestler in the game than Shamrock. Ironically, his pitfalls and successes mirror those of Maivia. Like "The Rock," Shamrock was previously in an ananlogous field: The Ultimate Fighting Championship. A champion who commended wide respect, Shamrock entered the WWF raw, unsure of himself as an entertainer, built like the football player Maivia was.
During his first six months in the WWF, Shamrock, proclimed " The Worlds Most Dangerous Man," was as much a danger to himself as he was to his opponents. He didn't know how to succeed in a world in which a fall through a broadcasters table draws more cheers then a superbly employed anklelock.
The problem was that not everyone could relate to this clean-cut polite Ken Shamrock; and the only thing worse then being a loser in pro wrestling is being a nobody. During the early part of his new career, Ken Shamrock was a shadow of an ex-champion.
But one does not conquer an industry without being a champion in heart, if not in gold. The pride and the UFC fire in Ken Shamrock finaly exploded in a rage that ultimatley transformed him into a truly lethal man.
Look in Shamrocks eyes now and you see rage running wild.
"I think it finally dawned on Ken taht in order to take the next step up the ladder he needed to change his approach," said Ross. "I sense that Ken believed success would come to him, as it did in his past career. Now he knows that to be a winner, you have to go out and grab it. You have to act like a winner and perform like a winner."
Winning is also encouraged when your long-time nemesis threatens to eclipse your small space in the limelight. The addition of Dan Severn to the WWF roster is both fascinating and puzzling. Severn, like Shamrock, was one of the premeir fighters in the UFC, and a bitter enemy of Shamrock. Their rivalry has simmered, boiled, cooled, and re-ignited, all with-in the last few months, and particularly during Severns brief alliance with Owen Hart.
Severns quiet demeanor hardly excites the fans, yet his ever-present scowl infuriates Shamrock each time the two wrestlers are in the same ring. Shamrock's blood pressure has risen appreciably with the arrival of Severn, and clearly his style is far more aggressive because of Severn's presence in the WWF.
Never was Shamrock's ruthlessness mopre evident then on oct 12, the night he tore through his friend Steve Blackman, Val Venis, and X-pac to win the Intercontinental title in a one-night tournament. His anger served him well on that night. He finally discovered that he is much more effective if he doesn't try to control his temper. It paid off with his first title win in the WWF.
So the next time you see Shanrock or Mavia heading towards the ring, remember to take a moment and notice the eyes.
Because before long, sports fans in general might stop referring to "Mark Messier eyes" and soon begin talking about the "Ken Shamrock glare" or the "Rocky Maivia gaze."
back to main articles page
back to the worlds most dangerous abs
