Is it better to be a mark?

[thuganomicalcrippler]

It definitely is better to be a mark. When you're a mark, wrestling skills, workrate, talent, it just doesn't matter to you. You enjoy the atmosphere, appreciate the wrestlers for what they do, and overall, it just seems much more interesting.

[Kane Knight]

Can't be too much more interesting. they're having trouble finding enough marks, and the "smarks" are the only ones who really hang on rabidly...

[KillerWolf]

Originally Posted by Ricky So you have never ever followed a popular trend and then stopped when it fades away? And if you have, does that mean you are a "mark" that can't come up with your own opinions?

in my case that is correct. i never have.

[Kane Knight]

Originally Posted by shock&awe in my case that is correct. i never have.

Ricky probably can't understand such a thing.

[KillerWolf]

Originally Posted by Red Hot Scott That's true, but they aren't real fans, and those kind of people bug the shit out of me. Although, I'm also annoyed by the people who are self-professed "smarts." That label should only be reserved for those who work in the business.

i am a real fan. ive been watching wrestling since 1991. i am losing interest in wrestling because the product is CRAP. i am not a mark. i have never cheered for or liked who the company has told me to like. i have always cheered for those who were genuinely entertaining.

and yes i think most marks are pretty simple, and do NOT have THEIR OWN opinions.

i think anyone who marks out for the likes of LITA or STACY KEIBLER has a simple mind. thats the same as going to see a movie because it some blonde bimbo actress is going to show her boobs in it. if i want to see pornography, i'll watch pornography.

marks never cheer for the bad guy. they like who and what they are told to like. anyway, ive totally lost f-ucking composure here, so thatns alot Red Hot Scott!

oh, yeah, my point is Kane Knight is right, they can only string people along with CRAP for so long, and you are not les than a 'real fan' if you were to abandon hope and stop watching wwe at this point or even a year ago.

[KillerWolf]

Originally Posted by BasicThuganomics Personally I don't like those things, but when they make as much money as they do they are doing something right. Even if it is a temporary thing. I don't think comparing wrestling to these things is relevant by the way. Just my opinion.

IMO what these things do is appeal to the lowest common denomenator. ive always wondered why marylin manson is banned for his (look) and righteous political outrage, but britny spears and aguilara whoring it up on stage is ok for 8 year olds.

[Kane Knight]

Because Manson's not a chick.

DUH!

[KillerWolf]

Originally Posted by Red Hot Scott I'm kind of a "smark," I guess (though I'm very confused by all these labels), and I'm not suggesting "smarks" aren't "real" fans. I'm saying people who watching wrestling only once-in-a-while, the ones who leave when they're not entertained, the people who stop watching wrestling and go watch reality shows... those are the ones I'm referring to. "Real" fans watch wrestling whether it's "cool" or not. And just to clarify, I have no problem with "marks." In fact, on the contrary.

to me it has nothing to do with whether its cool or not. i dont watch smackdown anymore, i just read the spoilers. i watch only parts of raw. i mean when its the same crap week in and week out, then whats the point . i usually dont watch the RAW main events. i mean if its Benoit and HBK against evolution for the fourth week in a row, and the outcome of the match means nothing, (btw, the tag team titles mean nothing) i just cant do it anymore.

[KillerWolf]

Originally Posted by PureHatred But, see, a lot of the people who watched it had no clue whether it was good or not. They didn't even really know what was going on. They just watched it because it was popular. When it stopped being popular, they stopped watching. I'm sure there are plenty of fans who turned off their TVs because it wasn't good and the WWE permanently lost plenty of possible hardcore fans. But there are even more that were just watching because it was something to do.

didnt it stop being popular because it stopped being any good

[Kane Knight]

Originally Posted by shock&awe didnt it stop being popular because it stopped being any good

That's a matter of opinion. It looks to me like the pop crowd tired of it while it was still going pretty stronf (especially compared to now).

[KillerWolf]

Originally Posted by Red Hot Scott How can a real fan be someone who "turns off bad wrestling?" That's like cheering for the Yankees just because they're popular, or cheering for the Red Sox but only when they win. I'm not trying to argue that you're not a "real" fan, just trying to understand what you mean. And no, I don't buy the merchandise just to support the show.

dude, i gotta disagree with that statement. wrestling has sucked for a long time. and apparently the only way it is going to get better is

1- some competition arises

2- people stop watching their current lazy product

[Marc the Smark]

Originally Posted by shock&awe i think anyone who marks out for the likes of LITA or STACY KEIBLER has a simple mind. thats the same as going to see a movie because it some blonde bimbo actress is going to show her boobs in it. if i want to see pornography, i'll watch pornography.

I agree with your reasoning. I wish they'd cut back on all the t 'n' a stuff, because "sports entertainment" isn't really the place for it. Sure, these women are pretty, but when they display their bodies the way they do, they kind of become more trashy.

oh, yeah, my point is Kane Knight is right, they can only string people along with CRAP for so long, and you are not les than a 'real fan' if you were to abandon hope and stop watching wwe at this point or even a year ago.

Perhaps you misunderstood me. Kane Knight wrote, "I mean, when wrestling no longer is cool, all the followers will go off to reality shows or whatever else they're being told is cool this week." I responded, "That's true, but they aren't real fans, and those kind of people bug the shit out of me." If someone's only watching wrestling because his friends are, if those people even exist, then they aren't "real" fans. If someone's not watching only because his friends aren't, then that person is just a fool. Ya know what I mean?

[Marc the Smark]

Originally Posted by shock&awe dude, i gotta disagree with that statement. wrestling has sucked for a long time. and apparently the only way it is going to get better is 1- some competition arises 2- people stop watching their current lazy product

I believe I corrected myself in a previous post, after this reasoning was better explained to me. If we don't like the product, perhaps the best thing to do is to turn it off. How else will they know we don't like it? So yes, you're rightt, and I stand corrected.

[KillerWolf]

Originally Posted by Kane Knight Because Manson's not a chick. DUH!

really!??

[CYCLOPTERSAURUS]

I don't think you have to read about all the backstage stuff on the internet to have an opinion of your own. I never enjoyed big lumbering guys loaded on steriods that squash smaller guys. That just bores the hell out of me. I never thought wrestling was "real", and I don't see why anybody would want to think that. I watch because certain wrestlers are talented in the ring and put on a good show, and some wrestlers cut entertaining promos.

The storylines are so simplistic, you have to be entertained by the actual show - if you're watching because you want the good guy to win all the time, and don't care about the wrestling itself - it's really a bad television show. Stuff like the earlier "24" example (I don't watch it, but I'll use it as an example nonetheless) you can get involved in because of the immersive and complex storylines and good acting. With wrestling, there are so many ridiculous characters, moves, and stories, that it makes it impossible to think it's real even for a second. Wrestling shows do not offer enough at face value to get me to support them financially, because they are so shallow - I watch for the performances. And people like Hogan and Nash simply don't put on a good show in or out of the ring, so whether or not I know about their backstage antics, I'm not going to cheer them because they give me no reason to. They're slow, boring, and dull.

If you can get your kicks by rooting for the "good guys" two (or four) hours a week, good for you, that is simpler, but I can't (and wouldn't want to) ever imagine the characters and stories as reality in any capicity. I watch for the wrestlers and characters that entertain me. If the only entertainment I could get out of it was as simple as Hogan feuding with Andre the Giant, I simply would not watch.

I'm not bashing anybody, and I hope I articulated my ideas well enough for you to see what I'm saying.

[Marc the Smark]

Originally Posted by CYCLOPTERSAURUS And people like Hogan and Nash simply don't put on a good show in or out of the ring, so whether or not I know about their backstage antics, I'm not going to cheer them because they give me no reason to. They're slow, boring, and dull.

Yes, a lot of people say that about Hogan now. They call him a "has been" and whatnot, and that's certainly their prerogative. But I could never do that. I think he's given us too much, too many years of entertainment, to just cast him off as "boring."