|
Post by Todd Pettengill on Feb 24, 2013 2:31:11 GMT -5
I like how this thread's title makes it seem like an "actual mark" is some rare/mythical creature, in the way Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster is. That's true, as I said in my recent post, there are people out there who just don't care about Wrestling or Sports, so if it's presented to them, they take it at face value & think it's real. I know it's not a majority of people that are that way, but there's still a bit I'm sure.
|
|
ERON
Hank Scorpio
Posts: 6,785
|
Post by ERON on Feb 24, 2013 14:00:42 GMT -5
My dad tells a story about when he and his best friend were at a WWF house show during the time of Sgt. Slaughter's anti-American heel gimmick. The two of them were washing up in the men's room and joking about how they hoped "that evil turncoat Sgt. Slaughter" got what was coming to him, when some big redneck turned to them and said, "I got a shotgun in my truck." They exited the men's room very quickly and returned to their seats.
|
|
|
Post by norsisclouds on Feb 24, 2013 14:54:33 GMT -5
I don't like watching wrestling with friends I know who say its oK but know it's fake. It's like they feel as if they have to spend the entire time we are watching a match judging how fake something looks or how unrealistic it is that they stay down until the count of 7 or reach up at 2 before the 3 count.
I think they are almost embarrrassed to just sit back and enjoy it.
I want to say "It's OK. We all know it isn't REAL in the sense of a football game. Just shut up and watch the damned match." The awkward thing is always when they cringe at a spot and go "Oh does that really hurt/how do they do that without injurying each other?" Me: "They don't that hurts."
They get so confused trying to figure out why a wrestler would do something that is painful, whereas they can watch a movie where a stunt double or CGI effects take care of everything and not bat an eye.
In my experience non-smark fans who aren't real fans are way more self-concious about the way they react to the matches and more concerned with what other people think they should do or trying too hard to trick their brains into enjoying it.
|
|
|
Post by Free Hat on Feb 24, 2013 15:40:14 GMT -5
I like how this thread's title makes it seem like an "actual mark" is some rare/mythical creature, in the way Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster is. To be fair, "actual marks," as in the ones who believe wrestling is real, are quite rare. In my 23 or so years as a fan, I've certainly never encountered them in real life. Before the internet came along, I honestly didn't know they really existed. I thought it was just some unfair stereotype lobbed at us by the "lol u no its fake rite" idiots. But then came Youtube and its gloriously stupid comment section to prove me wrong.
|
|
percymania
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Percymania will live forever! Oh yeah!
Posts: 17,296
|
Post by percymania on Feb 24, 2013 17:22:40 GMT -5
I have a coworker that believes that WCW was totally legit and the WWE is fake because Vince had to pre-determine the matches because none of the wrestlers could "legit" beat Ric Flair. He thinks that WWE is the only fake promotion to ever exist and that all of the others were 100% legit. I want to live in this guy's fantasy world.
|
|
nWoElite
Don Corleone
Putting The Band Back Together...
Posts: 1,686
|
Post by nWoElite on Feb 24, 2013 17:45:36 GMT -5
Its funny because as I type this, theres this kid who stopped by to talk wrestling with me who if not for the recent talks we've had the last few months could have been the ultimate mark. I'm in awe of his naivety. Hell even jealous. I think part of the reason the product is in the state its in is BECAUSE we tend to know too much. When I was a kid (of course the Internet wasn't thought of yet) we didn't have easy access to info as we do now.
|
|
|
Post by An Old Villain on Feb 24, 2013 23:27:22 GMT -5
I was traveling at some point in October of last year. I pulled into a truck stop Popeyes/Sbarro/buffet at around 2 pm for quick piss and a bite to eat. As my wife was telling me a story I could hear the guy behind me talking, telling some other fella that 'Knucklehead' was a great flick. "Really funny" he said. That certainly snagged my attention. From there he started asking the other guy if hed ever seen Ryback, who was juuuuust coming out of jobber killer run, and described him about the same way you or I would describe seeing a true-to-life Transformer. And then it happened....and im paraphrasing here but youll get the general idea... the guy said "Some of them fans is stupid and think hes Goldberg, they chant 'Goooooold-beeerg' all the time but he aint Goldberg and I know he aint cause he aint got that tattoo on his arm. No this is a new guy. I been watchin for almost 20 years and I never seen him before".
|
|
|
Post by wrestlinggod13 on Feb 25, 2013 2:19:13 GMT -5
The subject of wrestling came up as I was spending some time with my dad and uncle this weekend. They mentioned that their recently deceased uncle believed wrestling was real his entire life and would argue with anyone who said otherwise. He went through several TV sets over the years, because he would yell and throw his boot at the screen when the ref didn't see the heel cheat. They went to one of the Crockett shows with him back in the early 80s, and he jumped into the ring with the intent of helping Wahoo fend off a group of bad guys. Instead, he received a dislocated jaw and a hospital visit courtesy of Wahoo.
|
|
|
Post by Todd Pettengill on Feb 25, 2013 2:23:53 GMT -5
The subject of wrestling came up as I was spending some time with my dad and uncle this weekend. They mentioned that their recently deceased uncle believed wrestling was real his entire life and would argue with anyone who said otherwise. He went through several TV sets over the years, because he would yell and throw his boot at the screen when the ref didn't see the heel cheat. They went to one of the Crockett shows with him back in the early 80s, and he jumped into the ring with the intent of helping Wahoo fend off a group of bad guys. Instead, he received a dislocated jaw and a hospital visit courtesy of Wahoo. Now, that takes the cake, and I thought my story dating a woman who thought it was a legitimate sport took the cake.
|
|
|
Post by oniloco on Feb 25, 2013 4:04:57 GMT -5
At a TNA show I've been sat next to two people in their 30's or 40's who discussed why Matt Hardy was about to beat Rob Van Dam. No problem in them having that opinion or that chat except that they were convinced everything was completely real.
I can't remember any exact quotes but it was just odd how fired up they were combined with how smarmy they seemed to act.
Still, good luck to them. At least they were happy..... until Hardy lost.
|
|
Kris
Unicron
Kris got his question answered on the Mail Bag...Nice!
Posts: 3,152
|
Post by Kris on Feb 25, 2013 5:26:16 GMT -5
An "actual mark"? Anyone who is a fan is a mark. Plain and simple.
|
|
|
Post by cahuette on Feb 25, 2013 6:52:19 GMT -5
Not really a mark mark, but I know a guy who knows that Edge's coming back soon, that Miz is not really dating Maryse, that TNA is owned by Vince Mcmahon and that he's thinking about buying ROH. Talking to that guy is a lot of fun.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2013 10:07:27 GMT -5
An "actual mark"? Anyone who is a fan is a mark. Plain and simple. \ˈmärk\ (n) - a victim or prospective victim of a swindleA "mark" is someone wrestlers and promoters are able to trick into thinking that what they're seeing is a legit contest and not a planned exhibition, and plan to separate that person from the money they wouldn't be "tricked" into spending otherwise. There are rare cases today where this still holds true, I'm sure, but those same "marks" are the ones who probably think most of what they see on TV is real, anyway. To use the definition one would use that all fans are marks is to assume that no one who bought a ticket to a wrestling show has ever thought it was fake. Personal rant warning: I've always disagreed with this line of thinking, which, with no disrespect meant to you, I have most often encountered coming from the smallest of the small time indy wrestlers who like to think of themselves as grizzled veterans. I've worked several indy dates myself in several different capacities, and, having also been involved in music and theater, the level of contempt a lot of those guys have for the folks who give them the stage to do what they want to do is not only appalling, but is an anomaly that exists virtually nowhere else in the entertainment field. The attitude I see is almost as if the folks in the audience are a hindrance that somehow gets in the way of doing your job. I get that it's fun to play "big shot," but come on, guys backstage at a show in the Bumfart Nowhere Rec Center: don't scoff at the fans and make fun of them - thank your lucky stars they give a rat's ass.
|
|
Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,471
|
Post by Ultimo Gallos on Feb 25, 2013 12:01:32 GMT -5
Yeah, most wrestling fans I know in real life never get online to read news or anything about it. They just go by what happens on TV, like with any other show. I don't think it's so much that they think it's real, but that they simply don't care about what's going on backstage. Only the hardest of the hardcore fans usually do that. A guy I work with saw the Jack Swagger "Jake Hager" DUI story on the local news (I live in Biloxi, where he was arrested), and he wanted to know why a wrestler would use a fake name. So I tried to explain that WWE wants to own their stage names, so they can't go to another company and use it. Yeah my family in Biloxi kept asking me why Swagger used a fake name.
|
|
|
Post by EP 54 is banned from Collision on Feb 26, 2013 16:46:42 GMT -5
I've heard older people here in the UK mention that they used to watch wrestling back when it was real, not this 'fake american stuff'. I don't point out that it was just as fake when Mick McManus, Johnny Saint, Kendo Nagasaki, Dave Finlay et al did it on World of Sport.
Talking of Finlay, I know one lady who swears blind that it isn't the same Finlay in WCW and WWE that used to wrestle in Britain, because he wouldn't do the fake stuff.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2013 7:03:43 GMT -5
I've heard older people here in the UK mention that they used to watch wrestling back when it was real, not this 'fake american stuff'. I don't point out that it was just as fake when Mick McManus, Johnny Saint, Kendo Nagasaki, Dave Finlay et al did it on World of Sport. Talking of Finlay, I know one lady who swears blind that it isn't the same Finlay in WCW and WWE that used to wrestle in Britain, because he wouldn't do the fake stuff. I've had a few people tell me that haha. When I told them that Finlay was in WCW and later WWE as an active competitor it sort of blew their mind. I've not known any cliche wrestling fans albeit, just people who remember bits from their youth and never were huge fans. Well aside from my nephew when he was a young human, but he's long out of that phase and is now a casual watcher/fan of the UK indies. The day he called Deuce 'N' Domino "The Johnny B. Badds" was proof that he'd be a great wrestling promoter in future to me as well.
|
|
Kris
Unicron
Kris got his question answered on the Mail Bag...Nice!
Posts: 3,152
|
Post by Kris on Feb 27, 2013 13:00:45 GMT -5
An "actual mark"? Anyone who is a fan is a mark. Plain and simple. \ˈmärk\ (n) - a victim or prospective victim of a swindleA "mark" is someone wrestlers and promoters are able to trick into thinking that what they're seeing is a legit contest and not a planned exhibition, and plan to separate that person from the money they wouldn't be "tricked" into spending otherwise. There are rare cases today where this still holds true, I'm sure, but those same "marks" are the ones who probably think most of what they see on TV is real, anyway. To use the definition one would use that all fans are marks is to assume that no one who bought a ticket to a wrestling show has ever thought it was fake. Personal rant warning: I've always disagreed with this line of thinking, which, with no disrespect meant to you, I have most often encountered coming from the smallest of the small time indy wrestlers who like to think of themselves as grizzled veterans. I've worked several indy dates myself in several different capacities, and, having also been involved in music and theater, the level of contempt a lot of those guys have for the folks who give them the stage to do what they want to do is not only appalling, but is an anomaly that exists virtually nowhere else in the entertainment field. The attitude I see is almost as if the folks in the audience are a hindrance that somehow gets in the way of doing your job. I get that it's fun to play "big shot," but come on, guys backstage at a show in the Bumfart Nowhere Rec Center: don't scoff at the fans and make fun of them - thank your lucky stars they give a rat's ass. I wasn't using it with negative connotation. It is what it is. And the definition you used for the phrase "mark" isn't the one that has been adopted to the culture of professional wrestling. A mark is anyone who is on the other side of the guard rail/television set watching or in any way contributing money.
|
|
agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,264
|
Post by agent817 on Feb 27, 2013 19:06:22 GMT -5
So today, I talked to my somewhat irritating co-worker yet again and he asked me if I was watching The Main Event tonight. He was saying something about how he hopes that CM Punk will face Rock at Wrestlemania and how he thinks that Rock will still be champion after Mania. I even tried to subtly say that I think that the rematch between Rock and Cena was the plan the whole time and how I think Rock will drop the title at the event (Of course, there is always the surprise finish from the booking team). I really don't think he understands what I meant and I somehow doubt he realizes that wrestling is all a show. I remember last year, he mentioned something about how he doesn't understand why Brock Lesnar went from UFC to WWE and I think he said something about him using wrestling moves in MMA, but I could be wrong.
By the way, when someone mentioned about talking wrestling in the kayfabe sense, I could do that, but with the guy who I work with, I have a feeling that he thinks it's real. I will be honest, when I watch it, I do try to get into the angles and suspend my disbelief and try to watch like any other TV show and act as if the characters are real.
|
|
|
Post by rapidfire187 on Feb 27, 2013 19:29:41 GMT -5
My girlfriend has a cousin around my age that she insists on inviting over on wrestling nights because he's a fan. She doesn't understand that watching with a grown man who legitimately HATES the heels (ie. Most of my favorites) is worse than just skipping the show. He claims to know wrestling isn't all real and that he's been watching for a long time, but he doesn't seem to understand simple stuff like planned finishes or booking.
I almost had to ask him to leave when he started going on about how awful Heyman is. When I said, "well he gave us ECW" he said ECW sucked too. Somehow I doubt this 20 year old dude ever saw any ECW when it was around.
|
|
|
Post by Throwback on Mar 1, 2013 3:10:44 GMT -5
I've been to small towns where you could tell the fans thought it was real. I'll be honest, it was so much fun working in front of them.
|
|