I miss the days when I was just a fan.

[Shadrick]

Like, when I could watch wrestling and not analyze, or criticize. When I could watch it, without even having the ability to speculate who's "over enough" or who isn't, who "should get the belt put on them" or who shouldn't.

When Mankind was chasing the belt, all I did was root for him. I didn't watch it and say "I don't know, I just don't see him being the face of the company. I'm not sure if he's over enough. The people are behind him, but ehhhh." I catch myself not even rooting for guys (objectively I mean, I root for guys I like to be SUCCESSFUL, not necessarily wanting them to win a particular match), just rooting for what I deem "makes sense" in terms of a winner. Such a mark.

When Goldberg was coming up and squashing guys, I was a fan because "Man, Goldberg is the shit, he's killing everyone!" now with Ryback, I say "Man, he's booked to be a monster, cool. When he gets his first loss, I hope he still looks strong, and they do it in a way that doesn't bury him."

:?:

Even if I wanted to not look at it like a mark, its impossible now. Anyone else ever feel like this? Like you wish you could just go back when you just watched and ENJOYED IT, instead of analyzing every damn thing?

[The Condor]

It's a bummer (I used to go nuts for wrestling when I was younger) but it's also evolution.

[Asmo]

I have a different experience about this. I'm a smarter fan now, sure, but i do find myself lost in the moment more often now than ever before. Analyzing every other thing, or sometimes, over-analyzing stuff doesn't get in the way while i'm watching the product.

I'd liken it enjoying music. Musicians get lost in the music, and appreciate it with a different perspective than the non-musician man. Am i making sense?

[Razzamajazz]

take a step away from the internet wrestling sites for a few months and give it a shot. it seemed to work a bit for me

[Volare]

Before TLC don't jump on the forums, stay offline all weekend from the site, and then watch the PPV. With the way they change things last minute, I can still enjoy it from a "mark" standpoint.

[Volare]

I stay off and get high as hell before the PPV. It does make it alot more fun honestly.

[itsmeJD]

Internet spoilers can be Rammsteinbad (Fuck you Rammsteinmad, I see you lurkin.)

[SukkaChump]

Ahh, I miss the days when the ultimate warrior was a crazy person for all the -right- reasons

[glanville6]

I know what you mean. I think though, going to the shows brings that "its real to me, dammit!" attitude back. For me, anyway. When I go to shows, I pretend its real. Everytime I watch on TV or read reports, I go back to "why did they book him to win?" kind of thing too.

[Shadrick]

I have a different experience about this. I'm a smarter fan now, sure, but i do find myself lost in the moment more often now than ever before. Analyzing every other thing, or sometimes, over-analyzing stuff doesn't get in the way while i'm watching the product.

I'd liken it enjoying music. Musicians get lost in the music, and appreciate it with a different perspective than the non-musician man. Am i making sense?

Yeah, I'm a musician actually, so that makes sense, but it kinda speaks to my point.

Before I made music, when I'd hear music I liked, I just heard it like "I like this." Now that I'm more on the creative end, I still say "I like this" but its more about me breaking it down; I hear it differently. And I'll never be able to go back to not hearing it as a musician anymore. Sure, I can separate the worlds; but it just won't change the way I interpret the product.

[irishmaster]

Before TLC don't jump on the forums, stay offline all weekend from the site, and then watch the PPV. With the way they change things last minute, I can still enjoy it from a "mark" standpoint.


Never was a truer word spoken -
Yes staying away from the forums and the like definitly helps but its the age thing aswell. We are all gettng older and wiser.:'(

[dronepool]

I stay off and get high as hell before the PPV. It does make it alot more fun honestly.

Truth be told, I smoke like 75% of the time when I watch TV. So yeah. I agree.

[Volare]

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[MoFo]

Makes it even more special when something unexpected happens though, I didnt see anything about Lesnar coming back on the Raw after Mania and nearly pissed myself when i heard his music......great moment

[Razzamajazz]

Makes it even more special when something unexpected happens though, I didnt see anything about Lesnar coming back on the Raw after Mania and nearly pissed myself when i heard his music......great moment

i just happened to log in and see a moved thread title "just saw that lesnar is returning" or something like that. it lessened the surprise for me considerably

[Tom Guycott]

Oddly enough, I feel that way about watching "main roster" RAW/Smackdown stuff... but when watching NXT, I feel like I'm 8 again watching All-American Wrestling after all the Saturday morning cartoons go off. With the exception of the smark-boner I have for Bray Wyatt, I'm not really "invested" in the NXT guys, and it's easier for me to go along for the ride. Add the old school style booking and the small, excited venue, and it's like a piece of recaptured childhood.

[#1-norm-fan]

The target audience just doesn't have the same jacked up "testosterone" that filled crowds with so much energy. It's a completely different product. I don't think our generation specifically is overly analytical. I think the product is geared toward a demographic that a) doesn't provide the same "energy" to the product live and b) allows little attention to detail to be put toward building the product because most of he audience doesn't understand or care when something is shit. They just like bright colors and John Cena and such.

[#1-norm-fan]

But there's still Lesnar, Rock, Triple H, Taker and the feuds involving them that are geared more toward an older crowd that make them wanna actually write stuff that we'd enjoy.

[Pintint]

I miss the days when I would watch it live without knowing what's going to happen 90% of the time.

[Frank Drebin]

I miss the days when I would watch it live without knowing what's going to happen 90% of the time.

But that 10% is where youl find the mark out moments.

[El Fangel]

Give me the guns, the drugs, from my generation.

Those nine words got my attention for the next two hours every Monday night. Now, the old guard are gone and I have a hard time accepting the new faces in the business as legit. I see people like CM Punk and Sheamus and know they would have made it big.

I see some guys and I think, from their look that they are novelty characters for the kiddies and nothing more. I miss the days where I was behind a wrestler to win a match.

[PrettyCool]

Give me the guns, the drugs, from my generation.

Those nine words got my attention for the next two hours every Monday night. Now, the old guard are gone and I have a hard time accepting the new faces in the business as legit. I see people like CM Punk and Sheamus and know they would have made it big.

I see some guys and I think, from their look that they are novelty characters for the kiddies and nothing more. I miss the days where I was behind a wrestler to win a match.

u said, "Behind" a wrestler.....hehehehe

[PrettyCool]

I bet seth82 would love to have some wrestlers "behind" him.......

[Theo Dious]

I bet seth82 would love to have some wrestlers "behind" him.......

You left out the :naughty:

[Zeeboe]

I'm happy to report I can still be fan and I pity those who can't.

[Shadrick]

How long did it take you to scour the first page and find a good thread to attempt to troll in?

[Kane Knight]

I miss the days when wrestling was engaging. Few people whined during the Attitude Era about this sort of shit, despite it being the birth of the internet smarktard era.

Why? Because wrestling was engaging. Even the bad stuff didn't seem as bad. Less because the viewers were still "marks," but because there was anticipation and energy and even surprises, sometimes.

It's weird to see people blaming themselves for the problem, rather than the quality of the programming.

[Kane Knight]

I miss the days when I would watch it live without knowing what's going to happen 90% of the time.

So did they figure out what inhibited your pattern recognition, or what?

Because you should have been able to figure that out at the age of like....9.

[AJHayes]

I think once you realize that "smark" is a bullshit term (cause they don't exist) and that internet marks are the easiest to work... Enjoying wrestling gets a lot easier.

:)

Just let yourself be worked.

[Zeeboe]

How long did it take you to scour the first page and find a good thread to attempt to troll in?

I'm not trolling.

[#1-norm-fan]

I miss the days when wrestling was engaging. Few people whined during the Attitude Era about this sort of shit, despite it being the birth of the internet smarktard era.

Why? Because wrestling was engaging. Even the bad stuff didn't seem as bad. Less because the viewers were still "marks," but because there was anticipation and energy and even surprises, sometimes.

It's weird to see people blaming themselves for the problem, rather than the quality of the programming.

People talk a lot about "lack of competition" being a major issue but in that same vein, when you mentioned surprises, it made me wonder how much the ability to sign someone from the other major company and have them show up at any point to cause a "holy shit!" moment cripples how much they can surprise. Now it seems like it would take some ingenious creativity to give a good "holy shit!" surprise that the writers just don't have.

Case in point, I think Lesnar's return after WrestleMania was reminiscent of that time. The crowd being a post-WrestleMania attitude era-esge type crowd didn't hurt obviously but without that major competition, there's very few returns that could cause that kind of moment anymore. Even Austin randomly returning with no knowledge before-hand would be a big thing but it wouldn't be on that level.

[Pintint]

I miss the days when I was just a (ceiling) fan.

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/heating_cooling/images/ceiling_fan2.jpg

Those were the days...

[#1-norm-fan]

Dude, you were fucking hot.

[Rhaps]

Think the last time I had a proper, full-on "wtf!?!?' mark-out moment was when Edge returned from injury as a surprise entry to the Royal Rumble. Have no idea what year that was but I remember it coming as a complete surprise and made me feel as goofy as the time X-Pac made his debut on Raw.

[Tommy Gunn]

I had a huge mark out moment on Raw when Cesaro did those power moves on Sheamus and got a long 2 count.