Professional wrestling contains the unique struggles of fact versus fiction, real athleticism versus predetermined outcomes, and larger-than-life characters versus real people. There’s no other form of entertainment or sporting event that quite compares, so it’s no surprise that die-hard fans are so diametrically opposed regarding their love for the business.
TODAY’S ISSUE: The Nature of Fandom
I can’t imagine too many football fans disagreeing about what makes a good team, a well-executed play, a classic game, or a shrewd coach. Sure, there are varied opinions, but for the most part fans tune in on Sunday afternoon to see a hard-hitting, fundamentally sound, exciting game, and if that’s what takes place most of them will be pleased with the experience. The same can be said for action flicks. Not many fans would pay $10 to see the latest installment in the Die Hard series hoping for tender love scenes, heartfelt monologues, or a coming-of-age story. They want to see car chases, explosions, and bad-ass quips from Bruce Willis’ John McLane. They know what they’re looking for and where to find it. Easy enough.
But with pro wrestling fans, it’s not so simple. There are so many different things fans like about it, from the actual wrestling action including athleticism, workrate and ring psychology, to the outlandish characters and costumes, the “variety show” atmosphere of the larger promotions, or the giant circus freaks. Every fan watches for his or her own reasons, and expects something different from the product.
Fans who enjoy all the backstage shenanigans, comedy, T & A, and in-ring promos don’t want to watch two relatively smaller men go hold-for-hold in a 20-minute match that starts slowly with mat work and builds to a crescendo of finishers and kick-outs. They like when things keep moving, justifying the very short matches on televised wrestling shows (most last less than 10 minutes) and the frequent segments in the back of the arena. They may prefer the turn-and-burn feuds that start and end quickly, allowing their favorite wrestlers to move on to new opponents. To this large segment of the pro wrestling audience, the typical indy match must seem like either a boring exhibition of holds and chain wrestling which don’t capture their interest, or a flippy spot-fest that feels too amped up and chaotic compared to the slower heavyweight pace to which they are accustomed.
Conversely, fans who are more interested in the in-ring action and less in the wacky hijinks often associated with the bigger companies get tired of waiting for two capable performers to climb between the ropes, only to be allotted six minutes to tell a story, which isn’t nearly enough time to bring the crowd on any sort of ride. Then just when the audience starts smelling what they’re cooking, the two grapplers are attacked by, let’s say Mark Henry, in the interest of advancing his next feud with Kane, for instance, and the match is thrown out, never to count for anything. While some fans love that sort of activity, others are disgusted and frustrated by it; the dichotomy is astounding.
It’s this opposing viewpoint that makes our beloved sports-and-entertainment hybrid such a special art form, even as it causes wrestling fans to constantly be at odds. “Smarts” and “marks” wage a silent war in cyberspace every day of the week on countless websites and fan forums. Those that critique the product are supported by like-minded enthusiasts and blasted by fans who never have a complaint about anything the bigger feds offer. Like xenophobes who crow that people should “love America or leave it”, these “sportz entertainment” fans don’t appreciate any criticism whatsoever, and often pose argumentative questions to critics like, “if you don’t enjoy it, why don’t you just quit watching it!” But critics only point out and gripe about things like inconsistent internal logic, bad matches, pushes for less than capable wrestlers, and unsatisfying feuds because they DO love the genre. Critics likely either know of another company in existence today that presents a product more to their liking, or they fondly remember some of the great storylines of old (most likely, both of these are true).
Regardless of our differences, as fans we all want that feeling of excitement and entertainment, that only good pro wrestling can provide and if the current product doesn’t deliver, we feel let down. Who didn’t mark-out the first time they saw Steve Austin drill Vince McMahon with a Stone Cold Stunner, or the first time Scott Hall appeared on Nitro? Going back further, what red-blooded American fan didn’t feel chills down their spine when Hulk Hogan reclaimed the WWF title from the evil Iron Sheik? What about the night thousands of fans packed the Pontiac Silverdome to see the passing of the torch from Andre the Giant to Hogan, and wound up with the undercard bonus of one of the greatest wrestling matches in history between Macho Man Randy Savage and Ricky the Dragon Steamboat? How about some of the classic promos by Ric Flair and the Horsemen, followed up by equally fabulous matches night after night? Or the emotional arcs in the original ECW enacted by intense, passionate performers like Raven, Tommy Dreamer, Mick Foley and the Sandman?
This is the stuff of pro wrestling legend, and it’s what most of us want to experience again from the new crop of young, talented stars who climb into the squared-circle time and again in the name of entertaining us, the dedicated fans.
So whether you prefer watching Edge as the most dangerous heel in the business, or 25-minute human chess matches between guys like Austin Aries, Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness, pro wrestling has you covered. If you want to see glamorous “divas” provide a break between main event matches or X Division acrobats flying around the ring, you can find what you’re looking for. If you love when the Undertaker does his same old shtick over and over, or discovering a new performer you’ve never seen before, it’s out there. If you dig crazy gimmicks or hard-core gore-fests, somewhere there’s a pro wrestling company that can deliver what you want. And if you hope to be there live when Triple H earns his historic 17th world title reign, or if you’re dying to see if and when anyone achieves a second ROH championship, which nobody has accomplished yet, there’s something out there for every wrestling fan.
All you have to do is determine your style of promotion, tune in and enjoy. Just realize that when some fans lay their eyes on the 7-foot, 400-pound giant named Dalip Singh (The Great Khali), they see a monster, an unstoppable force, and pure money, but other fans see a guy that size and think, “that dude probably can’t wrestle, and he’s most likely very slow in the ring.” It’s all about your perspective and what you expect from our beloved amalgam of sport and drama, but there’s room enough in the pro wrestling audience for all of us.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “Children are completely egoistic; they feel their needs intensely and strive ruthlessly to satisfy them.” – Sigmund Freud
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The original version of this “syndicated” column, titled Alternate Reality by Vin Tastic, appears each Monday morning on Pulse Wrestling. Elsewhere on Pulse Wrestling this week…
Raffi Shamir documents recent WWE.com content in his excellent Dotcom Delivery.
Mark Allen discusses the probable return to WWE of Gail Kim in his This Week in ‘E.
Our very own international incident waiting to happen, Iain Burnside, discusses a few news bits here.
ROH Ace Aaron Glazer takes a comprehensive look at some former members of the roster in his five-star Ring of Honor Weekly.
Puro Shukan is Mark Buckeldee’s highly informed look at the world of Japanese pro wrestling.
Mark Neeley takes a look back at Cyber Sunday 2006.
And finally, a MUST-SEE video about the epic WWE career of Chris “Braden Walker” Harris. Too funny to pass up!
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