The Art of Wrestling – High Times
I’m going to hit up two high fliers t-shirts today, Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne. It hadn’t really dawned me that the guys that are close to breaking through rarely get t-shirts. The WWE has another new shirt for Randy Orton and HHH but I’ve reviewed their products before so I wanted a breather for myself and you the fans. I’d have to think if they put more shirts out for the lower tier guys that the WWE might get a better grasp on who is popular and who is not. I guess that they don’t want to waste creative and production efforts until they know they’ve got something good on their hands.
On to the first shirt, which is for Kofi Kingston. Since his character is a stereotype, I wouldn’t have expected much more than what we got out of this shirt. On the front is a smilin’ Jamaican with dread locks that is outlined by green and then yellow since those colors are from the Jamaican flag. On the back, is “Here Comes The Boom” and “Kofi Kingston” which is layered over top of the Jamaican flag. The flag is in lighter colors which is a good layering idea because it would have obscured the text. This shirt is obviously geared towards the kids and it works in that capacity. It’s a bland design that has very little creativity. It’s nice to reflect someone’s made up ethnic background but show me something. It could still even be kid friendly for all I care. Thumbs most of the way down for this one.
The next high flier I’m going to look at is Evan Bourne. His shirt can be found here. It’s a mainly black shirt with red print and graphics with just a little bit of silver. The print on the front is on the left side of the shirt and runs from bottom to top and says “Bourne To Fly” which was bound to happen when they decided to change Matt Sydal’s name for marketing purposes. Above the print is an red insignia that has two arrows that I believe is intended to replicate Bourne’s Shooting Star Press. It has a silver or gray outline. To the left of the insignia, is his name in small print in the same vertical. On the back of the shirt is a slow motion type multi-print of Bourne performing his Shooting Star Press. The horizontal version of his silhouette is the brightest red and it cuts back to black at the beginning of the move.
If you look even at the first picture in his photo link on his page, you see how much more complex his tights are compared to his boring ass shirt. His tights also have much more white on them than the shirt. The design on the rear could go from white to red and it’d be more interesting. The frame around the front insignia and his name would work much better in white too. Even if the grey was closer to silver, it’d work better.
Both shirts are boring and uninspired but could be worse. Here’s to hoping that Bourne’s sales take off and he gets a main eventers variety of merchandise. -Kevin
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