Mark or Smark?

Chris2K · 06-02-2003, 05:49 PM

I wrote this a few months ago, just thought I'd get your opinion on it.....

I was asked to write this column at extremely short notice, and Holly Valance is on the telly.....why am I writing this?

I have been a wrestling fan for 7 years. My first PPV was Survivor Series 1995, my everlasting memory being The Undertaker Tombstoning every member of the ‘Royal Team’ as his team won. I became a huge Razor Ramon fan, booing Goldust heavily when he cheated to win the IC Title from Razor at the 1996 Rumble. I watched every show, some of them twice. However I lost Sky (the UK method of watching wrestling) after ‘Mania XII. For 5 years, I was left in the wilderness, but I never went off wrestling. I even made up my own ‘Toy Fighting Association’ to try to get my wrestling fix. It ended up with a ‘ladder match’, in which ‘Geoffrey’ the Sheep beat ‘Runcie’ the Monkey, as the ladder hit me on the head.

But one day in July, 2000, I was flicking through the channels, and what should I come across on Channel 4, but HeAT! I was very pleased, despite not having a clue who any of the wrestlers were. Suddenly, ‘American BadAss’ hit, and out drove The Undertaker, but a completely new version of him. This guy was a biker, a rebel against the cause, and he was beating up Vince McMahon, the guy who I remembered as an announcer for Raw. The world of Wrestling had changed, and I didn’t have a clue how.

I soon learned what was going on though, HHH as the top heel, who I knew as ‘Hunter Hearst Helmsley’, a rich snob. The people I knew, Mankind, Razor Ramon, Diesel, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart had all long gone. I didn’t even know that WCW existed. I saw my first ‘live’ PPV that December, Armageddon, with the 6 man Hell In A Cell, and felt cheated when Kurt Angle won. Then there was the Rumble, and then, in late 2001, my Wrestling was once again taken away, as Channel 4 lost the rights to show Heat and 4 PPVs. I was distraught.

I went back to the Toys for a while....but then, I got the internet. Suddenly, I knew much more than I wanted to. The internet taught me what happens backstage in wrestling, how some workers are so stubborn, and don’t ‘put people over’, and the way matches are created. I didn’t want to know any of this, but it was the only way of keeping in contact with my love of wrestling.

Now....I don’t like The Undertaker, I don’t like Scott Hall, but I WANT to. I like Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Eddy Guerrero, not because they’re heels, but because I’m SUPPOSED to like their wrestling style. I hate HHH. because he holds down all the talent, that’s just expected of me, and I have no arguments against it!

To summarise all this drivel up, the Internet has turned me, a normal mark, into a Smark. Is this a good or a bad thing? Well I went to my friends house last month, and managed to get to see Raw. Being an internet reporter, I already knew what happened backwards, but it was completely different. I didn’t cheer for HBK, I didn’t boo HHH, I just sat through it. But I still ENJOYED watching the show, even though everyone else is so critical of it. Maybe it’s because its the only show I’ve seen this year, maybe it’s because I liked it, who knows? The fact is, deep in my heart somewhere, behind the mask of ‘technical wrestling and backstage politics’, is the little boy who cheered when Taker Tombstoned Lawler, and when HBK won the Royal Rumble, and then the WWF Title at WrestleMania. That is somewhere in the hearts of EVERY smark on the internet, no matter what they say. I just wish the internet wrestling community had not become such a bitter, killjoying place, and enjoyed the wrestling they can see, instead of constantly criticising.

Russ · 06-02-2003, 06:12 PM

All wrestling fans mark out once in a while. I don't care if you're Dave Meltzer or a 13 year old girl who tunes in because Jeff Hardy is "cute", a few times a year there's going to be something on a wrestling show that makes you get excited.

One thing you mentioned Chris, is how you're supposed to like certain wrestlers. To me, that's not the case. Not a dig at you, but you should feel free to like whoever entertains you the most. If you'd rather watch Undertaker chokeslam someone than watch Kurt and Benoit bust out the crazy amatuer stuff, then fair enough. Just look at TWO- Guys like HSM and Sabba seem normal, well adjusted members of society...Then you find out they like Poochie and Big Slow. Doesn't mean that they can't enjoy other parts of the show.

Anyway, I don't take the Jericho side of things and hate the internet because it's made us all cynical. It's helped me understand, therefore enjoy, wrestling on a higher level. It's introduced me to puroresu, lucha libre and US indies. It's kept me up to date on injuries, firings and hirings, and I actually enjoy reading the spoilers, as I don't have to wait so long to find out what happens on the next show.

Sure, there's a few people on websites, which have URLs longer than most Tsu posts, that say everything sucks and so-and-so has truely, honestly, definetly signed a WWE contract. But if you're like me, you'll avoid these crappy sites, and stick to the bigger ones, with reportes that you know can be trusted.

I remember reading a while ago that "Wrestling isn't about giving the consumers what they want. It's about teasing them, and making them want it so bad that they'd give their house for it". The internet gives fans a platform to speak out on, and all the criticising, in my view, is just a way to vent frustrations. It's a medium in which the common schmuck, with no say in the industry, can give their own thoughts. Some reporters are more patient than others. That's why you're going to get people who would rather have instant fast food than wait 35 minutes for a fine cut of steak. And yes, I did steal that from Mick Foley.

Nicole · 06-02-2003, 06:35 PM

It's a well written column chris, I just agree with some of the points russ said. The internet makes wrestling better in my opinion, you find out a lot of history about the promotions and stuff and you can find out who's been hired and fired long before they debut on Tv.

Craig Van Dam · 06-02-2003, 07:08 PM

Yeah i agree the Internet is good for wrestling *** u can get info such as Backstage rumors , Show spoilers , Wrestlers real names and stuff like that

Jung · 06-02-2003, 07:50 PM

Its nice to know other wrestling fans think. I've never liked a wrestler then, not like him, cause someone else did.

I've always liked The Rock, and always will, despite what everyone said. I've always liked Angle, Jericho, Benoit, Eddy etc before anyone told me about all the backstage stuff.

You do have a very valid point though Chris, in sometimes we find out too much, and we sit their critiquing something, which we once watched with joy. Maybe that's the net, maybe it's not, maybe you kinda realise when a heel turn is coming, or a big angle, is coming up, because its been used too much, who knows.

But we still all mark out for something. When ECW returned back in 2001, I marked out for that, same with the TLC stuff back in 2000. As much as a fan can say they are a smark, they will always be a mark for something, or else there would be no purpose to watch wrestling for them.

Rudi El Fire · 06-02-2003, 08:49 PM

More Geoffrey The Sheep!

Chris2K · 06-02-2003, 08:52 PM

Geoffrey (modelled on Chris Jericho) was the IC Champion, and he lost the title to Runcie (modelled on Chris Benoit) the next week in a singles re-match

Ah those were the days.....

07-02-2003, 10:54 AM

I don't think that it is the internet as much as it is some of its users. One one hand you have people with no lives, who have nothing better to do than jump on the "we hate this wrestler now" bandwagon. On the other hand you have people who genuinely have interest in who other people enjoy and why.

It's mostly a matter of who you have the luck or misfortune of running into.

06-02-2003, 05:49 PM	#1
Chris2K Senior Moderator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: With The Village People Age: 23 Posts: 7,713	Mark or Smark? I wrote this a few months ago, just thought I'd get your opinion on it..... I was asked to write this column at extremely short notice, and Holly Valance is on the telly.....why am I writing this? I have been a wrestling fan for 7 years. My first PPV was Survivor Series 1995, my everlasting memory being The Undertaker Tombstoning every member of the ‘Royal Team’ as his team won. I became a huge Razor Ramon fan, booing Goldust heavily when he cheated to win the IC Title from Razor at the 1996 Rumble. I watched every show, some of them twice. However I lost Sky (the UK method of watching wrestling) after ‘Mania XII. For 5 years, I was left in the wilderness, but I never went off wrestling. I even made up my own ‘Toy Fighting Association’ to try to get my wrestling fix. It ended up with a ‘ladder match’, in which ‘Geoffrey’ the Sheep beat ‘Runcie’ the Monkey, as the ladder hit me on the head. But one day in July, 2000, I was flicking through the channels, and what should I come across on Channel 4, but HeAT! I was very pleased, despite not having a clue who any of the wrestlers were. Suddenly, ‘American BadAss’ hit, and out drove The Undertaker, but a completely new version of him. This guy was a biker, a rebel against the cause, and he was beating up Vince McMahon, the guy who I remembered as an announcer for Raw. The world of Wrestling had changed, and I didn’t have a clue how. I soon learned what was going on though, HHH as the top heel, who I knew as ‘Hunter Hearst Helmsley’, a rich snob. The people I knew, Mankind, Razor Ramon, Diesel, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart had all long gone. I didn’t even know that WCW existed. I saw my first ‘live’ PPV that December, Armageddon, with the 6 man Hell In A Cell, and felt cheated when Kurt Angle won. Then there was the Rumble, and then, in late 2001, my Wrestling was once again taken away, as Channel 4 lost the rights to show Heat and 4 PPVs. I was distraught. I went back to the Toys for a while....but then, I got the internet. Suddenly, I knew much more than I wanted to. The internet taught me what happens backstage in wrestling, how some workers are so stubborn, and don’t ‘put people over’, and the way matches are created. I didn’t want to know any of this, but it was the only way of keeping in contact with my love of wrestling. Now....I don’t like The Undertaker, I don’t like Scott Hall, but I WANT to. I like Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Eddy Guerrero, not because they’re heels, but because I’m SUPPOSED to like their wrestling style. I hate HHH. because he holds down all the talent, that’s just expected of me, and I have no arguments against it! To summarise all this drivel up, the Internet has turned me, a normal mark, into a Smark. Is this a good or a bad thing? Well I went to my friends house last month, and managed to get to see Raw. Being an internet reporter, I already knew what happened backwards, but it was completely different. I didn’t cheer for HBK, I didn’t boo HHH, I just sat through it. But I still ENJOYED watching the show, even though everyone else is so critical of it. Maybe it’s because its the only show I’ve seen this year, maybe it’s because I liked it, who knows? The fact is, deep in my heart somewhere, behind the mask of ‘technical wrestling and backstage politics’, is the little boy who cheered when Taker Tombstoned Lawler, and when HBK won the Royal Rumble, and then the WWF Title at WrestleMania. That is somewhere in the hearts of EVERY smark on the internet, no matter what they say. I just wish the internet wrestling community had not become such a bitter, killjoying place, and enjoyed the wrestling they can see, instead of constantly criticising.

06-02-2003, 07:08 PM	#4
Craig Van Dam Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: County Durham Age: 23 Posts: 1,472	Yeah i agree the Internet is good for wrestling *** u can get info such as Backstage rumors , Show spoilers , Wrestlers real names and stuff like that __________________ Hmmmmmmm , they have the Internet on computers now

06-02-2003, 07:50 PM	#5
Jung Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: hertfordshire Age: 26 Posts: 13,021	Its nice to know other wrestling fans think. I've never liked a wrestler then, not like him, cause someone else did. I've always liked The Rock, and always will, despite what everyone said. I've always liked Angle, Jericho, Benoit, Eddy etc before anyone told me about all the backstage stuff. You do have a very valid point though Chris, in sometimes we find out too much, and we sit their critiquing something, which we once watched with joy. Maybe that's the net, maybe it's not, maybe you kinda realise when a heel turn is coming, or a big angle, is coming up, because its been used too much, who knows. But we still all mark out for something. When ECW returned back in 2001, I marked out for that, same with the TLC stuff back in 2000. As much as a fan can say they are a smark, they will always be a mark for something, or else there would be no purpose to watch wrestling for them. __________________ Turns Water into Funk Weekly Column: The Iron Jung! http://www.wrestling101.com/101/category/jung

06-02-2003, 08:49 PM	#6
Rudi El Fire Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Leeds UK Posts: 261	More Geoffrey The Sheep! __________________ The Lobal Luchadore, Rudi El Fire.

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06-02-2003, 06:12 PM	#2
Russ TWO Hall of Fame Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,352	All wrestling fans mark out once in a while. I don't care if you're Dave Meltzer or a 13 year old girl who tunes in because Jeff Hardy is "cute", a few times a year there's going to be something on a wrestling show that makes you get excited. One thing you mentioned Chris, is how you're supposed to like certain wrestlers. To me, that's not the case. Not a dig at you, but you should feel free to like whoever entertains you the most. If you'd rather watch Undertaker chokeslam someone than watch Kurt and Benoit bust out the crazy amatuer stuff, then fair enough. Just look at TWO- Guys like HSM and Sabba seem normal, well adjusted members of society...Then you find out they like Poochie and Big Slow. Doesn't mean that they can't enjoy other parts of the show. Anyway, I don't take the Jericho side of things and hate the internet because it's made us all cynical. It's helped me understand, therefore enjoy, wrestling on a higher level. It's introduced me to puroresu, lucha libre and US indies. It's kept me up to date on injuries, firings and hirings, and I actually enjoy reading the spoilers, as I don't have to wait so long to find out what happens on the next show. Sure, there's a few people on websites, which have URLs longer than most Tsu posts, that say everything sucks and so-and-so has truely, honestly, definetly signed a WWE contract. But if you're like me, you'll avoid these crappy sites, and stick to the bigger ones, with reportes that you know can be trusted. I remember reading a while ago that "Wrestling isn't about giving the consumers what they want. It's about teasing them, and making them want it so bad that they'd give their house for it". The internet gives fans a platform to speak out on, and all the criticising, in my view, is just a way to vent frustrations. It's a medium in which the common schmuck, with no say in the industry, can give their own thoughts. Some reporters are more patient than others. That's why you're going to get people who would rather have instant fast food than wait 35 minutes for a fine cut of steak. And yes, I did steal that from Mick Foley.

06-02-2003, 06:35 PM	#3
Nicole TWO Hall of Fame Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Worcester! Yay Age: 21 Posts: 7,314	It's a well written column chris, I just agree with some of the points russ said. The internet makes wrestling better in my opinion, you find out a lot of history about the promotions and stuff and you can find out who's been hired and fired long before they debut on Tv.

06-02-2003, 08:52 PM	#7
Chris2K Senior Moderator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: With The Village People Age: 23 Posts: 7,713	Geoffrey (modelled on Chris Jericho) was the IC Champion, and he lost the title to Runcie (modelled on Chris Benoit) the next week in a singles re-match Ah those were the days.....

07-02-2003, 10:54 AM	#8
Mafia Quan Guest Posts: n/a	I don't think that it is the internet as much as it is some of its users. One one hand you have people with no lives, who have nothing better to do than jump on the "we hate this wrestler now" bandwagon. On the other hand you have people who genuinely have interest in who other people enjoy and why. It's mostly a matter of who you have the luck or misfortune of running into.

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