The Term "Mark:" Have We Been Using It Wrong?
by , 04-28-2012 at 01:41 PM (3210 Views)
Hey again folks. Here we go with yet another chapter of the most sporadic writer of all time, Chris Masterpiece.
Let's get right to it. Brock Lesnar's return is big. Hell, it's huge. And everyone's talking about it, both the good and the bad. And here's where we find our topic.
I was watching some highlights from this past RAW and saw that one of the comments said something along these lines:
"Look that these marks booing Lesnar. He should be cheered, because he's a badass legend!"
That got me thinking: Does booing a respected and over heel make you a mark?
Let's think about this. I'm not going to deny for a second that Lesnar isn't a great athlete, because let's face it - he is. Going from dominating the WWE to dominating UFC is no small feat. Dana White took a big chance signing him, and (at least in my opinion) it paid off big time. Lesnar was a huge draw in every fight he competed in, win or lose. Now he's back in the 'E, and he's no less of an attraction. People want to see him, for better or worse. It's this mindset that leads some "insiders" to believe that booing him is a "mark move." But that's not it at all.
I'm going to say it right out, I'm not a Lesnar fan. I think he's cocky and kind of an ass (this isn't some super-professional blog, whaddaya want?). And I boo him. Do I want to see him on tv? Absolutely. Do I like to see him feud? Hell yes. Do I enjoy seeing him lose, as rare as that is? Definitely. And does that make me a mark? Sure, maybe I mark-out a bit, but I still understand what I'm watching. How many of us marked-out when they announced Hell in a Cell at Wrestlemania 28? Does that make you a chump? Not at all.
I think that there's a negative connotation with the whole "mark" thing that's a little bit undeserved. Rather than looking at it like "Oh well this guy's a mark, he must have no idea what's he really watching," we should take it more at face value. For instance, "I know my shit, but that doesn't mean I can't have fun watching it." My little brothers (9, 13) really enjoy watching WWE and have their favorite Superstars, some face and some heel. And they have fun watching RAW and Smackdown, even Superstars and NXT. Not because they want to see how guys are going to be buried or pushed, or to see how feuds are going to progress, but because they just plain like wrestling.
Here's the bottom line, guys: It's fine to know the insides-and-out of the biz, but let's not forget to just sit back and have some fun with it too.
That's all for now, see ya guys next time!






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