“Do you actually believe Pro-Wrestling is real?”
How many years have we, as wrestling fans, been asked this question? I know that when I first started watching at the age of about 9, it was a regularly (condescendingly) asked question by both Friends and Family Members, alike. How do we, as fans, answer that question? Well, that depends on what type of “Fan” you are.
The “Casual” fan will probably say, “Of course it’s real!” because the Casual-Fan is just that, “Casual.” A fan who does little more than tune into the products, week-in and week-out, and simply appreciates the product for exactly what it is: Entertaining. But in this age we’re in now–an age where EVERYTHING is readily available, talked about and often-times, EXPOSED on the internet–The “Casual Fan-Base” isn’t what it used to be back in the “Gold Age” of Professional Wrestling.
For those of you who might be unfamiliar with exactly what the Golden Age of Wrestling was, or when it was, let me offer some clarity: During the Early to Mid 90’s is generally, widely considered to be the beginning of the “Golden Age” in Professional Wrestling; You had the infamous “Monday Night War” raging between the then “WWF” and the now-defunct WCW. It was an age where all of the greatest, biggest names in Wrestling from the mid-to-late 80’s were either at their Prime, or were just beginning their decline.
WCW’s roster featured names such as: Sting, “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Chris Jericho and of course, the infamous Bill Goldberg. While at the other end of the spectrum, in the WWF, younger talents who would, later, become iconic Wrestling-Names in their own rights, were just beginning to make names for themselves, while working along-side a host of several veteran-names in the industry.
The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Bret Hart (who would later jump to WCW) and Triple H, just to name a few. And in a smaller-capacity at the time, there was also the ECW organization, under the leadership of Paul E. Heyman, whose revolutionary ideas would later be adopted and imitated in the WWF (arguably, helping to ultimately contribute to the WWF’s eventual victory in the Monday Night War over WCW).
During this era, which spanned from about 1996 to 2002-2003, all three of these companies, in their own rights, experienced great success and achieved mile-stones in both Audience-Attendance and Cable-Television Ratings that had rarely been seen, before. But this in Wrestling held one, DRASTIC difference from the era that we now reside in.
That difference, more-so than any other, was The Internet, itself.
“Is Wrestling Real?” This question was one that was posed by critics, fans, analysts and Media-Outlets, alike, and for the Professional Wrestlers, there was an adamant “code” to be adhered to: “Do NOT reveal the secret.”
Much like the Magician’s unwritten-law that is upheld and respected in their professions, “A magician never reveals his secrets” professional Wrestlers, no matter the organization they were in, adhered to the “one cardinal rule.” “Never tell them it’s ‘fake’*.” And before the age of the Internet truly reached it’s stride, this was a question that could never truly be answered.
Critics and skeptics would say, “It’s all fake,” but no matter their beliefs, there was no way for them to prove it was “fake”. And this, perhaps more than any other, was the chief protest and defense of the Casual Fan: “You don’t KNOW that, and you can’t PROVE that.” This, however, all changed when the Internet stopped being a “Nerd’s pass-time” and became a staple of Main-stream Media and Pop-Culture.
As two Wrestling Analysts and Columnists, and friends of mine over at WZROnline.com can attest to, the amount of Wrestling Fans who browse “Dirt Sheets” and “Insider-Articles” is a very large portion of the fan-base. Often referred to as “Smarks*” by insiders of the industry (not to be confused with “Marks*”), these are the fans who, probably like yourself, involve themselves in the more “Political” and “Behind the Scenes” aspects of the Professional Wrestling industry.
From the Who’s-Who’s of which Superstar’s are Popular with the Company, to the “Who’s dating who?” Aspects of male and female Wrestlers, all the way to the detailed scripting and which superstar’s will be Heel* and Babyface*, or who will be Pushed* and who will be Buried*, these fans diligently and tenaciously search for and share information with their fellow fans and “Smarks.”
Arguably, the “Smarks” population hit it’s true stride when the age of the Internet truly became popular. Information was able to be exchanged and published over a National and Global scale, from the “dirty secrets” to the “surprise returns,” the where-and-when’s and the why-and-how’s; all of the “truths” that the Wrestling Industry wanted–and STILL wants–to keep hidden from the fans, were suddenly available in such a huge, easily-accessible capacity, that the veil of “is it real or scripted” became forcefully ripped away.
But surely, this was a good thing, right? I mean, article-writers like myself, and Dirt-Sheet Writers, and Fans alike were all able to expand into a new venue of information-exchange, and it was easier than ever for Wrestling Fans to gather and communicate; everyone from the Smarks, to the Critics, to the Casual-Fans to the New-Comers. So where could be the down-side to all of this?
Well, believe it or not, all of those “Good things” I’ve just listed, were what you might call “Double-edged swords.” If you were to review the Ratings Records for the WWE from 1998 through 2004, you would note a literal WORLD of difference from what they achieved then, to what they average on a weekly basis, now… And, my personal opinion and speculation, is that this is due in-large-part to the existence of the Internet.
Even back in the early stages of News Sites popping up on the internet, and Chat-Rooms being the main means of communication between people on the Internet, the foundations for it’s decline were being laid. Why? Well, it’s simple, really. You had the Casual Fans, the “Marks” of the Industry, mingling and chatting with people who were NOT “casual fans,” like themselves. For the fan who believed that Wrestling was “Real,” and watched it with such a passion because of that belief, the product used to hold a certain feeling to it, an element of Charm, almost describable as “Magic.”
Like a child watching in wonder at the Circus, Wrestling Fans, for decades before, were in awe at the larger-than-life spectacles that they beheld, week-in and week-out. From Hulk hogan body-slamming Andre the Giant, and “over coming all odds” to win at Wrestlemania 3, to Sting and Hulk Hogan battling it out in “brutal wars,” and the nWo “taking over/invading” WCW, the stories that they watched unfolding every week were incredible to watch, because you believed they were real.
But as any child can tell you, once the “truth” is revealed, sometimes, things just lose their excitement. Do you remember how you felt the first day that other kid, in his snarky, smart-ass tone stood across from you, and said something like, “You still believe in Santa?? Santa’s not real!” Of course you didn’t want to believe it; you begrudgingly rejected the idea and maybe even ran to your parents, asking, “Santa is real, isn’t he??”
This is similar to what happened when the Internet became involved in Wrestling. Many of us “Smarks,” in our need to feel superior, were faced with the “Casual Fans” who still adamantly believed that what we saw every week was genuine, and of course, we felt the need to tell the truth, and prove otherwise.
Admittedly, I myself, can remember several conversations that went to the tune of, “Of course it’s scripted! I can tell you exactly what’s going to happen tomorrow night!” And of course, I did… And of course, I was right… And, of course, I was smug about it, the following day. But never once, at that time, did I realize the damage I had done to the industry, itself. In that instant, I had proverbially “killed off” a fan of the product… And because of that, I had potentially detracted from their viewer-base and ratings.
Now, one “mark” having the veil removed from their eyes and being shown “The light” isn’t going to kill the business, of course. But it wasn’t just “one” mark, was it? To put a figure to this ideal, let’s say that in 1998, right when the Internet was beginning it’s stride, there were 1million “marks” and about 100 “Smarks.”
That seems like a vast difference, doesn’t it? Surely, 100 “smarks” couldn’t be the undoing of 1million, true-fans, could they? In fact, they were. The saying “one bad apple spoils the bunch” is relevant in this scenario. In a chat room of 51 people, all it took was that 1 person to reveal the truth, and the other 50 to see everything they said come to pass, and suddenly, 50 people knew “the truth.”
Those 50 people who had friends with the same interest lost their passion for it, and when asked why, were told by their friends, “It’s not real. Some douche in a chat-room told me exactly what was going to happen the night before I watched RAW, and everything he said came true. It’s all fake.”
Each of those 50 people spreads that to 2 of their friends, and suddenly, those 2 friends know the truth, too… The rate of “infection” becomes exponential, and right around 2004, when the Internet became the “Important staple of information” that we know it as, today, the ratings for programs like Monday Night RAW, suddenly began to decline. Where-as before they were pulling in ratings like 9.0, 8.7 and 8.9… They began a slow, but steady drop. 8.5, 7.5, 6.0… It was a slow, but inevitable decay that has, at presently, seemingly leveled off in the neighborhood of 2.5 – 3.1 weekly ratings.
For my speculative opinion as a passionate fan of the Industry, AND the product, I have to offer the conclusion that we “Smarks,” in hand with the internet, helped to contribute to the decline of the “Casual Fan” and thus, contributed in-part to the decline of the Popularity and Ratings of the Industry.
Now, don’t get me wrong; I’m not here to say that we solely, and single-handedly have killed Professional Wrestling and caused it’s “Golden Age” to rust. There are many other factors to consider, such as the retirement or “career changes” of many of the professional Wrestlers that we loved (or loved to hate) from the Wrestling Business. Names like Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold and The Rock, all of whom have essentially “retired” from in-ring competition (save for select instances), and for some fans, there’s a feeling of, “My favorite Wrestler is gone and I don’t have any more reason to watch the show. It’s just not the same.”
And there are are also the people who’ve just decided that they’ve “out-grown” the product, all together. But I would argue that many who have “out-grown” or “gotten bored” with the product, are likely those same people who were once passionate about watching it; who were once “Casual Fans” who believed the product they were being sold, and who, upon realizing that it wasn’t the “reality” they believed it to be, decided that they just “didn’t care anymore.”
So while we enjoy the ability to access information and “dirt” on one of our favorite sources for entertainment, virtually 24/7, and at the click of a mouse-button, we should also remember that it’s the same instrument we use to access this information, that has done it’s part to contribute to the “decline” of the very-same product that we are so passionate about.
Thoughts, comments and feedback are always welcomed, and thank you for reading!
[*“Fake”: While wrestling is “Scripted,” do not mistake my use of the word “Fake” for an implication that the athleticism they perform is not 100% real. I realize, acknowledge and appreciate that the hits, bumps and falls these Men and Women take are VERY real, and that they train for years to minimize the risk of injury inflicted when they are on the receiving end of them, as well as the giving-end of them.
*“Smarks”: Also known as “Smart Marks,” a “Smark” is a fan of the product who is AWARE that it is scripted and rehearsed, but still supports and views Wrestling with an appreciation for it’s entertainment value.
*“Marks”: Also referred to as “casual fans.” These are typically considered the fans who “Believe” in the Product, and generally don’t possess knowledge that it’s “Scripted” or “Rehearsed.”
*“Heel”: A professional wrestler who is generally portrayed with a “Villain,” or “Bad guy” persona on camera. To receive a “Heel-Turn” is to have your character changed from a “Hero” to a “Villain.”
*“Babyface”: The opposite of a “Heel.” A professional wrestler who is generally portrayed with a “Hero” or “Good Guy” persona on camera. (Like John Cena.) To receive a “Face-Push” is to have your character changed from a “Villain” to a “Hero.”
*“Push”: A term used in the Pro-Wrestling industry to describe the “promotion” of any particular Superstar’s status. In essence, “Pushing” them from the lower-ranking status and matches, to a “Main Event” level status. For Example: John Cena received a huge “push” when he was brought to the Main-Roster and made WWE Champion.
*“Bury”: A term used in the Pro-Wrestling industry to describe the opposite of a “Push.” Typically used to refer to a Wrestler who has fallen out of Main Event status, and been demoted to less-important status in the company. For Example: Ryback was “Buried” by the WWE, after losing several Pay-Per-View matches against CM Punk and John Cena. Where-as Ryback was once a contender for the WWE Championship, he is now typically put in very low-importance matches. In essence, being “Buried” into obscurity.
