Cageside Seats, for Pro Wrestling and MMA fans

By zebrainatux on Aug 18, 2022, 6:25pm EDT +

Welcome to my personal hell. I made my bed and I shall lay in it. This is another round of comparisons, just amplified by a factor of 5. Today, I will be comparing different wrestlers from all companies to the main cast of Netflix’s Stranger Things, a show I love deeply, as it combines almost everything I love: 80s horror, synth pop, science fiction, and the casting of people I find deeply attractive, including the man I credit with my realization I was bisexual. Before we start, I will set ground rules, to me, a main cast member is characters that are important to the plot and in some way push the action forwards, this is why I’m not doing Karen Wheeler, she’s not important enough outside of one episode of Season 3. This should also go without saying, but MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT for key plot points of Season 4’s second volume. If you have not seen it and plan to, leave now as I have to spoil it for certain comparisons. I might also divulge in a bit of head canon for some of these, if you want some more of mine, just comment it. Anywho, let’s start with the Party itself. The Party

So you’ll notice I based most of these on character traits. For Mike, that was his heart and selflessness, Mike is a person who will always put the needs of his friends above his own. He is also a calm understanding person, he’s not gonna prod into anything and will just understand you, it’s why he’s one of the few Max didn’t drift from in the first couple episodes of Season 4, he wasn’t going to prod into her guilt. For this reason, I went with Bryan Danielson. Bryan is purely selfless in a wrestling sense, he will put anyone over, he doesn’t care about putting himself on the line, all that matters is what’s best for everyone. He’s also in real world land that kind of presence, so he is a truly fitting Mike Wheeler.

This one I went purely character: Dustin is insanely intelligent, arrogant because of it, and an ass when he’s right. That fits Gable’s current heel character with his 4.0 GPA, a thank yooou! Gable also fits because of the development of Dustin in season 4, where, and major spoiler alert, Dustin’s plan fails because the true final boss is smarter than him. This fits Gable because his losses are to people who outsmart and outfox him. For these reasons, Chad Gable is a fitting comparison.

This one is all character. Lucas, along with Max, is the soul of the group, Big E is the soul of WWE often. Like, just read back the reaction to his successful cash in. Both are selfless, pragmatic leaders who will do anything to protect the people they love, will always be there for you, and will ensure that everything is going to be okay. Both E and Lucas are also eternal optimists, always believing things will work out in the end. With Lucas, and again spoilers, it’s his in vain efforts to tell Max before she is killed for a minute that she’ll be okay, as well as him fiercely staying by her side while she’s in a coma, and E is content if he’s never able to wrestle again.

This was a very difficult one oddly for my second favorite character. I decided for this to mix character aspects with the plot line. Tegan, like Max, is a bit sarcastic with a heart of gold when you know her. Both have moments of quiet reservation and know times to be themselves to those they love. And of course, the plot stuff is really where this comparison hits a fever pitch. Nox, like Max, has gone through so much in her career. In the show, Max deals with an awful home life, an abusive step-brother, his death giving her crippling survivor’s guilt, and then in season 4, being targeted by and later killed by Vecna and when brought back, left in a coma. Her death was also done by Henry/001/Vecna in an effort just to get to Eleven. Nox has gone through the ringer, tears her ACL, comes back, explodes her knee, returns, tears the ACL again, comes back, and then is cut by Vince (although I firmly believe she’s back for Clash). There’s also a head canon aspect, so skip now if you don’t like reading head canon. Nox is bisexual in real life and I am on the side that believes Max is bi with a crush on Eleven. As a final note on her, I go back to Sadie Sink’s comments on Max’s character to really put this home, Tegan’s career arc is about never faltering from her love of wrestling, Max is about love of her friends and of Lucas. Sadie has also implied before that she believes Max is bi, there’s a very funny TikTok where she runs towards the Elmax ship. It is for all of these that Tegan is a fitting Max Mayfield.

This might’ve been the hardest one, both because of Will as a character, but also because his story is barely started. Will is a quiet, sensitive, artistic type kid who has finally, after about two seasons hinting towards it, been confirmed by multiple parties, is gay. I went Kanyon here both for his sexuality, but also based on how Kanyon was in real life. He was quiet, sensitive, and loved the wrestling world. I might update this one when 5 comes out depending on how it goes, but for now, it’s the most fitting comp.

I won’t lie, I forgot to do Erica originally. I went Tasha because they both are feisty types who say and do what they want, when they want. That’s all I really have.

Another tricky one. El is the main character of course, the show basically revolves around her more or less and her growth as a person. I went Asuka because Asuka’s career is similar. She’s grown and evolved so much as a performer in the way El has as a character. El went from barely able to speak to a confident young woman who will do anything for her friends. Asuka fits this since she’s the same, will do anything for everyone and does it all to ensure the best happens. For those reasons, Asuka is Eleven.

Now we get to the older teen cast, starting with probably the most popular character of all, Steve Harrington. Steve is the classic doofus with a heart of gold. He will never be the most intelligent, but will always defend those kids with his life and is probably going to be heartbroken by Max’s situation in 5. I went Orange Cassidy because he fits it in a way. He’s not exactly the smartest or most interested guy, but when the going gets tough, he’ll go like the best of them. Both also have great hair.

Full disclosure, Nancy is my favorite character, so I’m super biased here. Nancy is intentionally the typical final girl type, a no-nonsense badass who went from timid girl wanting popularity to blasting Vecna’s head in with a double barrel shotgun. This was easy, it’s Becky Lynch. Becky is also no-nonsense and one of the baddest women to step foot in the ring. There’s also a fitting aspect in that both are people whose character is centered around their wants, Nancy wants to do what she wants to do, she doesn’t want the life of her mother, Becky has always been about not just breaking down doors, but kicking them in and giving them the finger. In that way, Becky is a perfect Nancy Wheeler.

This was really hard. Jonathan is a weird character to peg down since he’s always been more of a background player out of the main cast. I went Batista because he fits Jonathan’s personality: a soft spoken older brother figure who wants what’s best for those he loves. I can totally see Batista giving the speech Jonathan does to Will in The Piggyback, even if he’s way bigger than Charlie Heaton by a good bit of size.

Robin can be defined by two characteristics: her sexuality and her way of talking. Robin is canon gay, a decision made by Hawke and Keery that the Duffers went with, so that they’re Platonic with a capital P besties. Robin is also an extremely fast talker, based on Maya Hawke’s own habit of nervous speed talking, like there were multiple points during 4 where she had these page long monologues and two minutes to do it. I went Toni Storm here as she is bisexual and also has a unique speaking quirk. Hers being her very Aussie accent leading to some fun pronunciations. I also think she fits Robin’s character, Robin is extremely book smart rather than social smart, and Toni had talked about being a bit awkward socially. That’s why I went with her for Robin.

Time for some cheating for a bit. Argyle is not a true main character, he’s a supporting player in 4, but an important one since it’s because of him really that things aren’t totally screwed in Hawkins, rather just a lot screwed. I went Riddle because not only are both stoners, but both are smart in their own ways, it’s Argyle who thinks of the pizza freezer so El can piggyback into Max’s head, and who figures out the coordinates to NINA are in the pen. Riddle is the same since he’s smart but high as balls regularly.

Eddie is a very fun one. The outcast metal head accused of the murders in season 4, the best option is noted fan of the character and WWE’s own metal head, Rhea Ripley. Rhea herself has said she’s a massive fan of Eddie’s character, so who better to represent him. Like Eddie, Rhea’s character arc has been focused on what she wants to be, and as of now it’s a trolling villain. Eddie ran from his problems at first and spends the rest of 4 trying to make amends for it, which he is able to do, at the cost of his own life. Rhea fits this as she has done everything already to have the greatest career, but an injury prevented an opportunity at that recently. I would not be stunned if Rhea outright uses Eddie’s style as a gear at some point. No one is more befitting than she is

This one was hard because I decided to go based on actor more than anything. Joyce of course is played by Winona Ryder, a very important bit of casting in season 1 when Stranger Things was just something Netflix was the only one to give a chance to. I chose Mickie because both her and Winona are similar, they got big early and then had a middle patch that was slightly messy, but had a big comeback later in their career. I also think Mickie fits the warm, caring maternal image of Joyce. Like in my head canon right now, Joyce regularly goes with El to Max’s hospital room and will probably be an important figure for her when she’s out of her coma. It’s that energy that I feel Mickie fits at this stage, especially since she’s happily married with her own children.

Hopper and Sting are oddly similar, both are gruff types but sincere and steadfast once the truth comes to them. Hopper becomes a rock for the group, a true father figure for many, like El and even Max since she’s never had one in her life. Sting fits because he’s that type of presence, but also a badass like Hopper is. Both also come back, Hopper from supposed death, Sting from his neck issue that should’ve ended any chance at a comeback. There’s also the fact that both are based on ideas, Hopper, according to David Harbour is deliberately based on Indiana Jones, and Sting of course is now based on Eric Draven from the Crow. This was a rather fitting comp.

This is based on a simple fact: both are a little cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Murray comes in as a conspiracy theorist who believes the Russians sent a spy to Hawkins, which he ends up being kinda right about it in 3 with the Russian base under Starcourt. R-Truth is a cooky character who also believed there was a C-O-N-spiracy. Murray and Truth are also both fitting in that they turn out to be loyal friends, with Murray traveling to Russia with Joyce to get Hopper back and being there for the kids after their failure to kill Henry Creel. Truth is loyal like that and will always have your back, making him a fitting Murray.

Doctor Sam Owens- Paul Heyman

Owens is a classic example of deliberate stunt casting. If you don’t know, Owens is played by Paul Reiser, who also played the rat bastard Carter Burke in Aliens. The Duffers deliberately cast him since the goal of Owens was to seem untrustworthy, but if you’re on his good side, he’s trustworthy. Heyman fits that, he’s a rat when he wants to be, but on his good side, he’s a loyal man who will do anything for you. He gets a plane and ride so Joyce and Hop can come back to Hawkins, he’s probably going to ensure Max’s protection during her coma, and he helped find a way to get El’s powers back. Heyman is that for wrestlers

Now we get to the fun. Billy is, to put it a way, a giant asshole. Probably racist, definitely sexist, and overall an unfeeling douchebag. There’s only one character that fits here: the viper Randy Orton. Orton in his demon mode of heel time, RKO’d women because he could, was probably a little racist, and was that kind of cold asshole. And like Billy, is a person who now isn’t like that at all. Dacre Montgomery, a birthday buddy of mine, is a giant dork in real life and not at all like the psychotic Billy, Randy now is a happy father who goofs off with his wife and kids, so he fits the mold of Billy Hargrove.

The true bastard behind everything, Martin Brenner. Comparing him to Vince is easy, they’re both complete monsters who hide behind a veneer of kindness. Brenner is a monster in seasons 1 and 4, constantly lying and hiding the truth, he hid for years that it wasn’t eleven responsible for the massacre, but rather Vecna himself, he lied to El about not being ready so that he could keep her as his forever. Vince is that way in wrestling, a lying sack of shit who does everything for his own gains. And like Brenner, both have fitting ends, Brenner is gunned down and left for dead by El, Vince forced to retire when his actions were finally found and his own children forced him out.

Henry Creel/001/Vecna- Roman Reigns

The first I came up with is what ends this. Roman Reigns is Henry, the big final boss of everything. Like Vecna, his character is divided in half: the first arc is Henry Creel, a seemingly kind orderly at Hawkins lab who befriends Eleven. Until the second half is revealed: Henry is not so friendly when his powers are unleashed, he is a sociopathic narcissist with a god complex and nihilist to the next level. Henry doesn’t believe humanity matters, he believes it is only cruel and should be destroyed. Once Eleven defeats him, he becomes Vecna, the mastermind behind everything. Roman’s career is like this, before his hiatus, he was a white meat babyface that didn’t fit the archetype. Until his hiatus during the early days of COVID, when he returned as the Head of the Table, a ruthless sociopath whom is better than everyone and should be acknowledged. The other major way these two are similar is both win. Roman has been champ for over 700 days, and Vecna’s plan succeeds and is the crew’s first true defeat. There’s also another part: both Roman and Jamie Campbell Bower are hot as fuck and make my bisexual heart flutter. In terms of character, actions, and success, I can’t think of a better comparison than Roman for Vecna.

That is that. If you liked what I did, leave ideas in the comments, mentioned your favorite comparison, and get ready for the next one as I will compare title reigns to the filmography of my favorite directors: the Coen Brothers.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.

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