If your formative years were in the 1980’s like mine were, there were three things we all did: listened to incredible music which still kicks ass today, we spent an insane amount of time actually playing together and doing it outside, and we were all Hulkamaniacs.

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That’s right. Saturday mornings were filled with cereals which were basically just diabetes in a box, classic cartoon shows, and hours of a predetermined soap opera “sport” with incredible athletes pumped up on more than just naturally occurring performance endorphins.

We’re talking the days of the former WWF (now WWE), the NWA, the AWA. Professional wrestling was truly in its heyday during the 1980’s. The character arcs never ending, the ring action non-stop, the performance art to avoid actually hurting people was stellar (even if accidents and injury happened), but it embodied one major recurring storyline: good versus evil, right versus wrong, and us against them.

We were in awe at the power, the never say die attitude, and the unabashed American spirit of Hulk Hogan. We all wanted to be stylin’, profilin’, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ and dealin’ sons of guns like ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair. We all were in a trance from the promo stylings of ‘The Macho Man’ Randy Savage and Rowdy Roddy Piper, and no one could figure out what in the hell The Ultimate Warrior was talking about. (Don’t feel bad as management had no clue what the hell the Warrior was saying, either).

Eventually we grew up. For me, pro wrestling viewership severely dropped off in college, but the need for entertainment never has.

Look at the leagues today that get the most press: baseball, football, and basketball. Why? They have colorful characters for almost every angle: the good guys, the bad guys, the big ego ones, and the ones not afraid to rock the boat.

Hockey is far from this mark and the fan base has grown somewhat, just not tremendously. And for the last 20+ years, golf has only grown as far as Tiger Woods can carry us.

And let’s face it, outside of tracing technology, more and better cameras, and a clearer picture, televised golf coverage in the past 30 to 40 years remains relatively unchanged.

Now, we may have finally found our villains, and can create our New World Order for the Pga Tour that can finally stir some controversy, mess up the reporters, get in the heads of the TV talking heads, and have a hell of a lot of fun in the process.

I feel the PGA Tour needs to heavily promote this outsider faction of “bad boy” talents best known as the Poulter, Reed, and DeChambeau. You have all the classic bad guy wrestler “heel” stereotypes in one trio:

Bryson DeChambeau – superstar potential with a professor’s brain, an unsettled disdain for on course media, and a heavily beefed up body which was quickly manufactured by nutrition shake makers and a ton of time pumping iron. Now being called by some as the embodiment of everything that is out of whack in golf when it comes to both fitness and overpowered golf equipment, Bryson’s snapped driver just standing to the side at the PGA Championship adds to his new Herculean mystique.

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Patrick Reed – all of the talent in the world but a huge snarky wise ass, Patrick is a man who will putt the lights out and shush the crowd like they were naughty school kids when he rubs their nose in the defeat of this opponent. Add in the fact that Reed’s family issues are very well noted and lead to more drama than a Maury Povich paternity test marathon, “Captain America” has all the makings of a once good boy turned bad, a Sgt. Slaughter type if you will. (Side note: I caddied for Maury and he was a sweetheart).

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Ian Poulter – long the nemesis of the US international pro teams as well as a huge thorn in the side of Patrick Reed, these two could actually be the linchpin in the golf world’s bad guy rule by coming together in defiance of all things normal. With a bombastic personality, a one-time penchant for bold attire choices which personally I think he needs to embrace again, Ian embodies that classic British bad guy with just the right arrogant flair to cause a great annoyance in the PGA Tour force.

As for the defense against said evil, we can’t have “heels” without the good guys, or the “faces.” In this case the PGA has characters already in place to take these reigns. Actually, we have a glut of good guys. For every Bryson we have ten Jason Day’s, for every Poulter there are a plethora of Justin Thomas’s, and Rory McIlroys are a dime a dozen (or 12 for 10 cents) compared to Patrick Reeds of the Tour.

And there’s always that one guy, the wild card if you will, the one who will turn on either side because it’s always about pumping himself up while taking shots at you. The guy is the wicked long and fairly arrogant Brooks Koepka. He’s incredibly good on camera and never afraid to speak his mind because he feels like he really is the man on the PGA Tour. Brooks’ combination of strength, charisma, and physique lends him perfect to being the spoiler who will run you down with a VW Bug before crashing into a TV tower where Brandel Chamblee is spitting his disdain for Koepka. Consider that opportunity a win-win for the 3-time major winner.

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Let’s also face it: the guy who still runs the show, because like the WWF/WWE’s Vince McMahon he was the force to take the sport into the stratosphere, is and will forever be Tiger Woods. He’s the actual boss. He actually owns the Tour as we hang on every appearance he makes, every shot he takes, every time he’s even sniffing Sunday blood in his Nike red shirt. The problem is he seems to be in competition only every 4 to 6 weeks, almost as often as a wrestling pay-per-view, so we’re left waiting on something to happen instead of the main attraction bringing it to us. 

Now am I saying Amanda Balionis or Steve Sands needs to become the next “Mean” Gene Okerlund? Not at all. Am I saying once in a while a pro golfer takes a chair from behind by their playing opponent for playing slower than a bill gets through Congress? Absolutely maybe.

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The PGA Tour is showing signs of life in the ratings, and we have a few colorful characters walking inside the now empty ropes that can be marketed in new ways to attract more fans. Additionally, we need to grow a more colorful and interesting broadcast and marketing presentation to make more than die hard people watch our sport on the weekend.

Social media. Player profiles. Excellent camera angles. Sharp graphics and on screen trickery. You name it. Pull out the stops. Get a little louder, a little prouder, and more in touch with the everyman and watch the game gain more interest other than default “COVID-19 what sport is on TV oh hey look golf” temporary elevated status.

Do I really think the PGA needs to go full on WWE? No, not really, but I want some damn sizzle here. The big question is does the Tour want to grow the game and its players, or do they want to maintain the milquetoast status quo. Personally, I feel if we keep doing what’s been done for the past four decades or so, the PGA Tour will soon be sponsored by My Pillow.

Cover Image Via PGA TOUR Media