MVP Thinks An Important Aspect Of Wrestling Can't Be Taught

Veterans of pro wrestling often discuss the "It Factor" or the "airport test," which asks if a given star stands out in an airport or blends into the crowd. According to MVP, there are many things in pro wrestling that can be picked up or taught, but there is one quality a wrestler either has or doesn't have.

"I don't believe that presence can be taught," he opined during an episode of his "Marking Out with MVP & Dwayne Swayze" podcast. "There's a saying in the entertainment industry that 'you can't teach It,' and 'It' is a catch-all for that intangible thing that make somebody stand out."

He cited WWE's The Rock as someone who has this "to the 1000th power." Even though The Rock didn't immediately explode in popularity, MVP maintains that it was evident that he had it from the time he was called Rocky Maivia, and it only grew over the years.

MVP further made up a scenario comparing how some children have a natural inclination to perform before they ever step onto a stage, and that it's very rarely taught to them and simply observed. "With adults, it's the same thing. In the entertainment industry, you have to have a natural internal flame that burns, that causes you to want to go out on stage and sing and dance or tell jokes," he further explained. "You can't manufacture aura. You can create smoke and bells and whistles to put around somebody to try and make them seem [like they have aura], but at the end of the day, they have to stand in the ring without all of that."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Marking Out with MVP & Dwayne Swayze," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.