Fan Exaggerations

[metylerca]

Is it me, or do wrestling fans oftentimes grossly exaggerate factual information or the importance of an angle to better suit their arguments? I assume this happens in every fandom, but I'm really only a wrestling nerd here and I can relate better.

Off the top of my head, people are quick to state that every week in the early 2000's, HHH would have a 20 minute promo, or a 45 minute promo that dragged. It's been said enough times to where it's "fact". I've gone through plenty of RAW episodes from the time period and only rarely did he ever approach the 20 minute mark. Maybe 15 was more common, definitely 10, but I don't think it's fair to say he had a "weekly 20 minute" promo... when there wasn't.

Another one is getting upset when the announcers say something dumb, because "the audience will think that way" such as Brock 'tapping out' or a heel 'being a coward'. I grew up on Monsoon, who sided with any face on the knowledge that they were face. Or there was JR and King who would banter back and forth. They weren't exactly reading Shakespeare out there in the old days. I find it laughable to believe anyone could have their opinion swayed from what a talking head says in reaction to what's going on.


What other exaggerations have you guys seen over the years?

[Boo!]

People don't claim "45 minute promo" as a fact, it's handy shorthand exaggeration to emphasise the point. Nobody actually thinks HHH was in the ring from 9pm to 9.45pm. You misunderstand exaggerating for effect. Like if someone says Cena's been champ since forever. They don't actually mean to say they literally think Copernicus was going to wrestling shows with his 'Ruck Fules' t-shirt on. 

[2 Cold Scorkum]

the venn diagram of "wrestling fans" and "extreme hyperbole" is a perfect circle

[WWHHHD]

The amount of "ECW" fans from back in the day. If they had as many fans as I have run into that were diehards in the 90s they should have been running big dome shows every week.

[Ryushinku]

"If every vampire who said he was at the crucifixion was actually there, it would have been like Woodstock."

[TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out]

Does Teddy Hart doing a Shooting Star off of a 20-foot cage count?

[Deleted]

My favorite thing is when the announcers exaggerate to convince us that what's happening is different than what our eyes are seeing.

"Everyone is on their feet in this jam packed arena!" = except all those people sitting down with empty chairs between them.

"The noise in here is deafening!" = medium sized roar from the crowd

"I've never seen anyone kick out of that move!" = except for the dozens of times it's happened before in front of the same announcer

[WWHHHD]

Oct 7, 2014 10:30:12 GMT -5 @tafkaga said:

My favorite thing is when the announcers exaggerate to convince us that what's happening is different than what our eyes are seeing.

"Everyone is on their feet in this jam packed arena!" = except all those people sitting down with empty chairs between them.

"The noise in here is deafening!" = medium sized roar from the crowd

"I've never seen anyone kick out of that move!" = except for the dozens of times it's happened before in front of the same announcer

1. It is fan exaggerations.

2. It is their jobs to put everything over.


Back on topic. Fans will exaggerate how great live shows they went too were. It is almost like we lie to ourselves for going to a mediocre show.

[Zaq "That Guy" Buzzkill]

Triple H in general.

[Deleted]

Oct 7, 2014 19:28:45 GMT -5 WWHHHD said:

Oct 7, 2014 10:30:12 GMT -5 @tafkaga said:

My favorite thing is when the announcers exaggerate to convince us that what's happening is different than what our eyes are seeing.

"Everyone is on their feet in this jam packed arena!" = except all those people sitting down with empty chairs between them.

"The noise in here is deafening!" = medium sized roar from the crowd

"I've never seen anyone kick out of that move!" = except for the dozens of times it's happened before in front of the same announcer

1. It is fan exaggerations.

2. It is their jobs to put everything over.


Back on topic. Fans will exaggerate how great live shows they went too were. It is almost like we lie to ourselves for going to a mediocre show.

1. The third paragraph of the OP directly references announcer exaggerations. 

2. Thanks for taking the time and digressing from the topic to point out this totally not obvious factoid to me.

3. I'm not sure your last sentence really relates to the topic, since liking a show is pretty subjective and doesn't really qualify as "grossly exaggerating factual information" or "the importance of an angle to better suit an argument" ... but wait, the last sentence asks for us to contribute our own exaggerations, so I think we should be ok.  Carry on.

[Adam Black]

Summerslam 2002 crowd was pro-Lesnar but not anti-Rocky.

BURIED

"*wrestler x* is done"

[tms]

Oct 7, 2014 4:55:29 GMT -5 TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out said:

Does Teddy Hart doing a Shooting Star off of a 20-foot cage count?

I read that as Teddy Long. The visual was, and is, a thing of beauty, especially if you imagine him yelling "PLAAAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" as he completes the flip and descends upon his prone opponent.

[WWHHHD]

Wrestler X is in the dog house and has nuclear heat with the office!

X-Pac heat

Attitude era was > New Generation/Rock n Wrestling/anytime in wrestling.

Bruno Sammartino as an entertaining wrestler or performer.

Japanese wrestling

[Deleted]

WCW didn't make any home grown stars

[Nickybojelais]

Oct 7, 2014 21:50:01 GMT -5 WWHHHD said:

Attitude era was > New Generation/Rock n Wrestling/anytime in wrestling.

But this one is completely subjective opinion rather than exaggeration. It's also a statement which I believe to be true.

[A Platypus Rave]

Oct 7, 2014 19:28:45 GMT -5 WWHHHD said:

Back on topic. Fans will exaggerate how great live shows they went too were. It is almost like we lie to ourselves for going to a mediocre show.

It's just the energy of the crowd / being there live makes everything better.


My contribution "wrestler I don't like gets no crowd reaction". Though that might just be more selective hearing

[lildude8218]

Oct 7, 2014 19:31:35 GMT -5 Zaq "That Guy" Buzzkill said:

Triple H in general.

exactly, not only was Triple H not in The General but he wasn't even alive when that film came out.

[TGM]

Losing a match or having an opponent trash talk you = being buried.

Buried is the most overused term on these boards, followed by "he's never going to be 'the guy'".

[James Fabiano]

Oct 8, 2014 9:02:36 GMT -5 Nickybojelais said:

Oct 7, 2014 21:50:01 GMT -5 WWHHHD said:

Attitude era was > New Generation/Rock n Wrestling/anytime in wrestling.

But this one is completely subjective opinion rather than exaggeration. It's also a statement which I believe to be true.

I didn't hate the AE. But it was the end of the "illusion," if you will. This was the point where people in the business stopped even trying to pretend what they were doing was legitimate. And that took a lot out of my interest. TBF, accessing more and more inside info by the mid '90s changed my mind too, but still.

Plus, the AE led to many of the tropes they still use and we love to criticize. Like the "invisible cameraman" segments. Less emphasis on ringwork (though that seems to be more balanced now). More corny humor...they just can't turn it up to 10+ now due to PG. And this was when the clinging onto the "sports-entertainment" label became more obvious.

And let us not forget, if there wasn't an Attitude Era, Vince Russo would have no hook to keep on getting hired to this day.

[Madagascar Fred]

Oct 8, 2014 8:31:16 GMT -5 @tafkaga said:

WCW didn't make any home grown stars

lol imagine Jericho's WWE debut on RAW if he wasn't in WCW before (lets say he was in Japan/Mexico after his ECW stint)...