Jacklyn HydeJacklyn Hyde
STATUS: Tweener.
WRESTLING: Jacklyn's "multiple personality disorder" character pretty much means that her matches are going to be off-and-on. I suppose she does deserve credit for translating the character's traits into an appropriate wrestling style (and actually, WOW does a pretty good job with this in general). "Crazy mode" Jacklyn is a brawler; "sane mode" Jacklyn doesn't do much of anything.
CHARACTER: Probably the most over-the-top, GLOW-like character in WOW. Jacklyn comes out accompanied by Dr. Sarah Bellum (one of the best WOW names) and Nurse Mercy, supposedly her caretakers at the mental hospital. We have been informed that wrestling is "supposed to be therapeutic" for her ...sheesh. She brings strange things like pumpkins and little dollies into the ring (ok, I like that part.) And, like I said, she wrestles listlessly (with some funny opponent-mocking mixed in) until suddenly, she freaks out and starts hair-pulling and such. So, basically, we're pounded over our heads with the fact that SHE'S CRAZY!!! She has never been on the mic (see below). She has attracted a cult following with her intellectual postings on the WOW board.
LOOKS: Although no one would look good in that suit, Jacklyn is quite voluptuous, and if you look at the right side of her, you see that she has a nice face framed by flowing reddish-blond locks. Kind of like her fellow Alaskan, Jewel! (Now there would be a great heel gimmick. "Yodeling, poetry-writing folk singer." I digress.)
COMMENTS: Every wrestling federation has had one if not several "crazy" characters, but apparently it never occurred to the WOW writers to look at them. To do it well, first and foremost, you have to have interviews with the crazy character. Because, you see, if you don't understand the psychology of the crazy character, the crazy character will not be believable. Seemingly a very simple concept, and yet, I don't think Jacklyn has ever been interviewed.
Secondly, you have to pursue something called "moderation." It's taking the gimmick way too literally to have JH come out in a ridiculous white-and-black suit and try to look demented on one side of her body. If she sounds a little crazy, and wrestles a little crazy, we will believe she is crazy; you don't need to pile it on. Maybe you want to send her out there in Victorian dress, in tribute to the Jeckyl & Hyde thing. That might be kinda cool. Or, she could just look normal, how's that??
Thirdly, most successful "crazy" characters have had an element of humor to them. (Intentional humor, I hasten to add.) The little dollies and stuff could be used in humor bits, but instead, they have been used as just "ooh, creepy" bits and it doesn't really work.
I'm far from convinced that the WOW writing staff is up to doing all this. But they should really try to salvage the character. Jacklyn seems to believe in the gimmick, and we know the "crazy" character can work. Right now, it isn't, and it's hard to get a decent match out of her actually.
UPDATES:
3/4/01 (show #22):
- Jacklyn actually won a match this week (against Patti
Pizzazz), and looked okay in the ring. Since she kept to the same ("Hyde")
personality throughout, it was more straight wrestling. As far as her character,
she screamed at the camera some, but that's not gonna do it. We already know
she's supposed to be crazy; we just don't buy it. If they want us to
buy it, they need to do interviews, with depth.