Post by Goldash on May 21, 2013 19:48:32 GMT -5
Are "smart marks" good or bad for the wrestling industry?
Are many of us obnoxious peons who only want five ex-indy wrestlers to win all the belts or are we catalysts for change? Are we talentless, overweight nerds begging for a new Attitude Era or intelligent, well-respecting fans who simply want to see a better product?
I'm torn between both poles. There's good and bad in everything and Internet fans are no different. It's one thing to clamor relentlessly for Vince McMahon to bring back the Attitude Era and it's another to voice your opinion and prefer a product/style that worked well in the past.
In my opinion, there are two kinds of "smarks": The well-meaning kind that isn't afraid to speak out but honestly want a better product and the kind that just can't empathize with the industry and end up drawing the "wrong" kind of attention for their words and actions.
Matt Morgan, in a recent shoot, practically demolished Internet fans for giving him a hard time online. In lack of a better term, he criticized them for calling him out on how "bad" he was, practically saying that unless one has a good knowledge of the wrestling business and in-ring experience, their words will always fall on deaf ears within the industry. He also pointed out that, with the exception of Dave Meltzer, dirt sheet writers and critics have little or no credibility beyond their circle of fans.
I actually met Matt Morgan during an internship and walked away with a great opinion of him. Very well-spoken and intelligent, and more than willing to chat with me about the wrestling business in a mature manner. I understand his perspective, but looking back, his IWC-related interview was more than a little bit harsh.
It reminds me of the time I saw a well-known IWC YouTube personality in the front row of an ROH show in Toronto a few years ago. He was constantly getting in the faces of every wrestler, standing up when everyone around him was sitting down and drawing huge amounts of attention to himself.
Which, in my mind, is the problem in and of itself. Smarks aren't only a "wrestling" problem. Ever been on a professional football website, seen a Twitter feed or joined a sports forum community? It's the same thing --- fans will draw attention to themselves and spark the most ridiculous debates, ESPECIALLY if a team or program is losing. The Internet has infinitely expanded the "armchair" community in its own right. When guys on Buffalo Bills forums say that they can do a better job in Madden than the Bills can do in real life, either something's wrong or 13 years without playoffs is enough to drive people insane.
However, it could be said that the IWC's opinion of talented independent workers actually HAS influenced mainstream wrestling. Smark favorites Bryan Danielson and CM Punk went from indy stars in purgatory to Main Eventers. Antonio Cesaro recently finished a lengthy reign as US Champion, a belt that now belongs to Dean "Jon Moxley" Ambrose. And the aforementioned Daniel Bryan? He lost half of the Tag Championships to fellow former ROH Champion Tyler "Seth Rollins" Black. Joey Ryan won his roster spot on TNA GutCheck and is now a solid and sleazy midcarder.
With that comes stories of IWC-loved wrestlers who didn't quite make it to the top. Colt Cabana had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it career in WWE as Scotty Goldman, complete with his own webshow. Zach Ryder, despite being tremendously over with marks and smarks alike, proceeded to get booked into oblivion and is now cannon fodder. Shelton Benjamin was paired with an obnoxious "mama" character and his popularity never recovered. It's all the more evidence that, for one reason or another, management doesn't really see the appeal certain wrestlers attract (either through in-ring ability, microphone skills or they just aren't drawing any house show money for WWE to notice).
Again, there is good and bad in every fanbase, and that goes for everything from vintage rifles to My Little Pony. Some fans are naturally more obnoxious than others. Some understand the dues wrestlers have to pay and some feel that wrestlers owe us a standard of entertainment.
Whatever the case may be, I feel smarks have done equally great and awful things for wrestling. As in the CAW community, some present creatively valid fantasy booking ideas while others reiterate the same cliches without much thought or empathy. The Internet revolutionized how we perceive professional wrestling for better AND worse. While it's true that the "armchair society" social media created exposes us to voices we'd rather not hear, it's also a podium for those who are passionate about their interests and want to see a good product. Whether or not the attention should be placed on the product or the commenter...that's another story entirely.
Are many of us obnoxious peons who only want five ex-indy wrestlers to win all the belts or are we catalysts for change? Are we talentless, overweight nerds begging for a new Attitude Era or intelligent, well-respecting fans who simply want to see a better product?
I'm torn between both poles. There's good and bad in everything and Internet fans are no different. It's one thing to clamor relentlessly for Vince McMahon to bring back the Attitude Era and it's another to voice your opinion and prefer a product/style that worked well in the past.
In my opinion, there are two kinds of "smarks": The well-meaning kind that isn't afraid to speak out but honestly want a better product and the kind that just can't empathize with the industry and end up drawing the "wrong" kind of attention for their words and actions.
Matt Morgan, in a recent shoot, practically demolished Internet fans for giving him a hard time online. In lack of a better term, he criticized them for calling him out on how "bad" he was, practically saying that unless one has a good knowledge of the wrestling business and in-ring experience, their words will always fall on deaf ears within the industry. He also pointed out that, with the exception of Dave Meltzer, dirt sheet writers and critics have little or no credibility beyond their circle of fans.
I actually met Matt Morgan during an internship and walked away with a great opinion of him. Very well-spoken and intelligent, and more than willing to chat with me about the wrestling business in a mature manner. I understand his perspective, but looking back, his IWC-related interview was more than a little bit harsh.
It reminds me of the time I saw a well-known IWC YouTube personality in the front row of an ROH show in Toronto a few years ago. He was constantly getting in the faces of every wrestler, standing up when everyone around him was sitting down and drawing huge amounts of attention to himself.
Which, in my mind, is the problem in and of itself. Smarks aren't only a "wrestling" problem. Ever been on a professional football website, seen a Twitter feed or joined a sports forum community? It's the same thing --- fans will draw attention to themselves and spark the most ridiculous debates, ESPECIALLY if a team or program is losing. The Internet has infinitely expanded the "armchair" community in its own right. When guys on Buffalo Bills forums say that they can do a better job in Madden than the Bills can do in real life, either something's wrong or 13 years without playoffs is enough to drive people insane.
However, it could be said that the IWC's opinion of talented independent workers actually HAS influenced mainstream wrestling. Smark favorites Bryan Danielson and CM Punk went from indy stars in purgatory to Main Eventers. Antonio Cesaro recently finished a lengthy reign as US Champion, a belt that now belongs to Dean "Jon Moxley" Ambrose. And the aforementioned Daniel Bryan? He lost half of the Tag Championships to fellow former ROH Champion Tyler "Seth Rollins" Black. Joey Ryan won his roster spot on TNA GutCheck and is now a solid and sleazy midcarder.
With that comes stories of IWC-loved wrestlers who didn't quite make it to the top. Colt Cabana had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it career in WWE as Scotty Goldman, complete with his own webshow. Zach Ryder, despite being tremendously over with marks and smarks alike, proceeded to get booked into oblivion and is now cannon fodder. Shelton Benjamin was paired with an obnoxious "mama" character and his popularity never recovered. It's all the more evidence that, for one reason or another, management doesn't really see the appeal certain wrestlers attract (either through in-ring ability, microphone skills or they just aren't drawing any house show money for WWE to notice).
Again, there is good and bad in every fanbase, and that goes for everything from vintage rifles to My Little Pony. Some fans are naturally more obnoxious than others. Some understand the dues wrestlers have to pay and some feel that wrestlers owe us a standard of entertainment.
Whatever the case may be, I feel smarks have done equally great and awful things for wrestling. As in the CAW community, some present creatively valid fantasy booking ideas while others reiterate the same cliches without much thought or empathy. The Internet revolutionized how we perceive professional wrestling for better AND worse. While it's true that the "armchair society" social media created exposes us to voices we'd rather not hear, it's also a podium for those who are passionate about their interests and want to see a good product. Whether or not the attention should be placed on the product or the commenter...that's another story entirely.
