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Professional wrestling fandom requires a perpetual suspension of disbelief. It’s what allows Minnesotan bodybuilders to become Russian supervillains and ex-basketball players undead monsters. It lets wrestlers change names and identities as easily as their ring attire and pop up from the canvas unharmed after multiple shots to the head with a metal chair.
It’s all “a work”—staged, predetermined, a performance more than a genuine athletic contest. But it has power because everyone pretends it’s all real.
Pro-wrestling has been “a lifelong passion” for Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s life– “an extremely important, perhaps crucial, part of my formative years,” as he put it in his memoir.
Wrestling’s creation and defense of imaginary worlds and alter egos, its willingness to say or do anything that will capture an audience, and the belief that perception is reality—all of that shaped Robinson indelibly. It also goes a long way to explaining his political persona, as Joe Killian writes in one of the most comprehensive looks at the intersection of pro-wrestling and politics ever written.
Mark Robinson and the Suspension of Disbelief
Professional wrestling is a world built on fabulous stories, and the Republican gubernatorial candidate’s lifelong love of the sport explains much of what you need to know about his political rise and fall.
Robinson has written more rapturously and in far greater detail about wrestling than his conversion to Christianity or his conservative political awakening. It came into his life before religion or politics and was far simpler—thrilling in its violence and its myth-creation, comforting in its black-and-white simplicity. He never wavered in his devotion to it.
“To this day, it remains the most real ‘unreal’ thing I’ve ever experienced,” Robinson wrote. “And I’m in political office!”
Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.
‘Tis the Season
Early voting starts next Thursday, October 17–a date that seemed so distant when this election season started approximately 1,000 years ago.
You’ve probably heard a lot about all the big races. But what about all those other offices you’re supposed to vote on? Most ballots in the state will ask you to weigh in on several dozen races. Who are all these people? And what does the Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor even do, anyway?
To help with that, The Assembly and our friends at The Charlotte Ledger are launching a new voter guide with insights about all those names and positions on the ballot. (And shoutout to our partners at CityView and INDY Week, who also contributed.) We hope it will be a useful tool as you make informed decisions this year. And if you’re already in the know, consider passing it along to your less-savvy friends.
And remember–early voting ends at 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 2, and the general election is on Tuesday, November 5.
What We’re Reading
It Takes Teamwork: Gov. Roy Cooper signed a Hurricane Helene disaster relief package, which passed quickly and unanimously through the state legislature and contained much of what he had requested, per WRAL.
Comeback Kid Comes Back: Former President Bill Clinton will hit the trail this weekend for Kamala Harris, with a bus tour next week in North Carolina expected to follow, CNN reports.
Unsafe Streets: Thirty-five years ago, a six-year-old died after a pickup collided with the bike he was riding on Cheek Road in east Durham. The road, in a predominantly Black neighborhood, still lacks sidewalks, via KFF Health News.
Well Underway: Asheville schools will start digging their own well water systems, Blue Ridge Public Radio reports. Officials say they can’t wait for municipal water to be fixed to re-open schools.
A Message from Our Sponsor, Robinson Bradshaw
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Our Recent Stories
These Schools Say Helene Showed Why It Pays To Be Small
Three private colleges in Western North Carolina, already facing a tough environment, weathered a historic storm.
Election Turmoil Comes to a Rural County
The Montgomery County elections chief’s job is in jeopardy after an online provocateur criticized her work and commenters joined the fray.
A Homegrown Grocery Giant Stumbles After Helene
In Western North Carolina, Ingles is the flagship supermarket. But Helene has dealt the brand a major blow.
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