Former WWE SmackDown Writer Phil Blechman recently spoke with PWMania.com for an in-depth conversation about “The Last Match: A Pro-Wrestling Rock Musical.” Blechman discusses mixing theater, rock, and live wrestling together. Highlights are below.
How pro-wrestling and musical theater are two sides of the same coin:
“Wrestling and musicals are two sides of the same coin — they are both theater. Male-dominated or not, humans want to see a compelling story with emotional and philosophical stakes that make them feel passion and empathy. Pro-Wrestling is just one way of telling those kinds of stories, as are musicals.”
On his new show, “The Last Match:”
“I think a wrestling musical like The Last Match will appeal more to a wrestling fanbase because it will not be hindered by the need to fill X hours of TV airtime leading to a PPV. So rather than watching weekly shows that have to extend segments of a story for long periods to pay it off at the PPV, The Last Match will take them on a journey from beginning to end with all the payoffs and big moments baked in. The journey will be exciting and satisfying; imagine if the 8-week build to a PPV and the payoff match were all tightly woven into 90 minutes. No fluff; just action-packed story and high-octane wrestling.”