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Post by crankypants on Jun 19, 2020 12:09:44 GMT -5
I've been a wrestling fan for nearly 30 years.
I've spent countless hours watching wrestling and a huge amount of money attending events and buying merchandise.
And I'm disgusted.
I feel complicit in the scumbag behaviour of those involved in the business.
I supported WWE despite knowing the shady stories out there about their dealings. I supported TNA despite knowing the stories about how they treated their workers.
I went to conventions and paid money to meet wrestlers promoted by Rob Feinstein. I paid money to meet Jimmy Snuka and Pat Patterson despite knowing the suspicions about them.
I've been questioning the morality of being a wrestling fan for a while. I stopped watching Impact and WWE because they stopped entertaining me. It was only after this that I started questioning why I spent so long supporting these companies.
But with everything that is coming out now I'm really questioning why I'd support anybody in this business.
So many people involved in wrestling just seem like awful people. And many more in the business have known and ignored.
At some stage should we as wrestling fans decide that enough is enough and stop supporting this business and those involved in it?
WWE and AEW have both worked with Tyson so it's clear that both companies are willing to work with known convicted rapists. Why would we support these companies and those who choose to work for them?
I think I'm done as a wrestling fan.
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Post by honsou on Jun 19, 2020 12:12:37 GMT -5
Honestly? No. But I'm really glad I never became one of those fans that hung out with the wrestlers after shows because then I would really feel complicit in everything that's occurring. The entire entertainment industry has countless stories of sexual abuse stories. The only thing we can do is hold people accountable now
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Post by Viking Hall on Jun 19, 2020 12:14:46 GMT -5
I'm kinda with you at this point, and I'm not far behind you in my fandom of approaching 25 years either. But on the flip side, if we took responsibility for the actions of entertainers (which is what wrestlers are at the end of the day) what could we enjoy? Because the music, film and television industries to name but a few are just as riddled with scummy situations. You've just got to do what feels right for you.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Jun 19, 2020 12:22:47 GMT -5
No.
Because to harp on the point I make in every thread on these topics, this is everywhere.
Wherever there is power dynamic, there will be some abusing it.
I am sickened by these particular workers but I learned long ago to not let anyone be above suspicion.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2020 12:24:55 GMT -5
I'm no more ashamed to be a wrestling fan than I am to be a fan of music, movies or television, all of which are industries infested with scum.
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Allie Kitsune
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Post by Allie Kitsune on Jun 19, 2020 12:26:46 GMT -5
Not really.
I'm not the kind of person to become more than just a casual fan of something, or invest my identity or a lot of energy into being a fan.
I don't really feel close to or personally identify with any specific wrestler (I do have a couple of t-shirts, and should any of them end up convicted of anything nasty, those shirts would never get worn again, and would go to the garbage), so no, I don't feel like any part of me made any of them do what they did.
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Bub (BLM)
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Post by Bub (BLM) on Jun 19, 2020 12:28:02 GMT -5
I'm literally having the same dilemma right now. I'm not sure if I'll ever be a fan again. I think the pandemic did a lot to expose just how backwards pro wrestling is.
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the2ndevil
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Post by the2ndevil on Jun 19, 2020 12:37:28 GMT -5
I may need to take an extended break, like I did after Benoit happened.
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Post by autisticgeordie on Jun 19, 2020 12:43:47 GMT -5
I've been a fan since 2005, I know that's not decades like some people on here, hell, some people here have been wrestling fans for longer than I've been alive, but I've been through the thick and thin and I've always stayed a wrestling fan, regardless if it's WWE, Impact, New Japan or indies stuff. But this is the first time since becoming a fan that my love for this great industry has been tested to breaking point apart from the Benoit tragedy. That's how repulsive that this is and the sheer number of people who have been involved with this. The fact that a lot of it is happening in the BritWres scene makes it even worse.
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Dub H
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Post by Dub H on Jun 19, 2020 12:45:39 GMT -5
Dont be,this is not a Wrestling Issue,this is a Human issue.
Be better,fight for a better world and a better industry when you see this,but dont blame wrestling or your fandom for it.
Is it a lot of people involved?Yes.But it not even close to the majority of wrestlers,there is good people involved.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Jun 19, 2020 12:50:46 GMT -5
Don't be disgusted that wrestlers did this.
Support the ones that spoke out.
Jordynne Grace, Addy Starr, Viper, Candy Floss, Sierra Loxton especially who not only named multiple abusers but broke her neck because she loves this business.
The business got better today. We're flushing the system out.
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Post by Deputy Muscle on Jun 19, 2020 12:57:19 GMT -5
Dont be,this is not a Wrestling Issue,this is a Human issue. Be better,fight for a better world and a better industry when you see this,but dont blame wrestling or your fandom for it. Is it a lot of people involved?Yes.But it not even close to the majority of wrestlers,there is good people involved. Exactly. If a promotion was complicit in allowing this to happen then definitely blackball them. However this is entirely on the individual wrestlers for being the pits. Hate them, stop following them but it shouldn't cloud the entire industry. There are tons more good guys out there that still need and deserve your support. As mentioned above, every industry seems to have its share of dirtbags.
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Post by genericusername on Jun 19, 2020 13:02:13 GMT -5
No, a lot of other industries that I watch stuff in have similar problems, am I disappointed/ angry at how prevelent it is in the industry? Yes I very much am, but stuff like this needs to be brought up and called out if wrestling wants to be a better place for both the fans and the wrestlers.
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Post by cornettesracket on Jun 19, 2020 13:09:27 GMT -5
As someone who's been a wrestling fan for over 25 years, the allegations are extremely serious and maybe I won't be as willing to say I'm a wrestling fan out loud but anything any wrestler has done in the past and there's a lot of bad stuff it's not on us the fans. The individuals are responsible. I don't believe in generalising whole parts of entertainment because of the actions of a few. I'll still watch WWE PPVs to watch some bloody good human beings doing what they are good at.
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Post by crankypants on Jun 19, 2020 13:09:51 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for your replies. It's really interesting to get peoples' perspectives.
It's such a weird time for the wrestling business. Hopefully, this will lead to a much less scummy business going forward so that people can feel safe within the industry.
And I hope to be able to enjoy something that has entertained me for most of my life again.
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Post by Feargus McReddit on Jun 19, 2020 13:12:10 GMT -5
Like other said, wrestling didn’t make people this way in the same way pubs don’t make people alcoholics, gyms don’t make people take steroids and social media doesn’t make people assholes.
It’s down to people taking advantage of others and putting their power dynamics in place to abuse others, especially women.
Frankly, it’s been a long time coming and whilst you wish it was sooner, this is the right time. Everyone’s stuck at home, there are no shows to distract people with so this stuff either comes out all at once now or comes out in drips so it can get ignored as easy as anything else.
No doubt, this sucks. It really does. But out of it will, hopefully, come the industry they deserve. Or at least one where this shit won’t be tolerated anymore.
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ASYLUMHAUSEN
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Post by ASYLUMHAUSEN on Jun 19, 2020 13:14:53 GMT -5
Wrestling fan for roughly 35 years....
I’m disgusted as a human being, never mind as a wrestling fan, that’s for sure.
But I think anyone who’s been a wrestling fan long enough is not remotely shocked by these stories.
Am I “done” with being a wrestling fan? No. Just like I wasn’t done being a movie or music fan when these types of stories started coming to the fore during the height of #MeToo.
But that doesn’t mean I’m not disgusted with a lotta the “boys.”
Worst I’ve felt, as a wrestling fan, since the night the truth about Benoit broke.
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Post by Dr. Bolty, Disaster Enby on Jun 19, 2020 13:17:48 GMT -5
Honestly, the amount of people getting called out is about what I would have expected once a conversation got going. Most of the stories of the past few days have been very common types of horrible. I absolutely know someone like Jimmy Havoc - I genuinely loathe the man and am obligated to spend time around him, but yeah, nothing from Havoc is really any different. Roberts? Yup, can name an acquaintance that I've cut ties with. The unnamed WWE to AEW guy? I've heard stories like that from tons of people. I dunno if I can name anyone as bad as David Crist in the same ways, but the individual pieces are familiar.
These types of people are everywhere, it's just a matter of being in a position to hear about it.
The lesson I took from the Benoit murders is: the people who entertain us didn't get there by being good people. Sometimes they are good people, and that's cool. To name an example that's on my mind, I was checking out Abadon and her bestie Heidi Howitzer on Twitter this week - they seem like absolutely lovely human beings, and that's cool. But, Abadon didn't get a job on TV because she is a nice person, she got it because she's good at body language in a wrestling ring. Frankly, I just assume any wrestler is a terrible person unless I have evidence otherwise.
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Post by Celexa Bliss on Jun 19, 2020 13:25:07 GMT -5
I'm disgusted by many of the people involved in the business, but not by the business itself. There are a lot of shitty people, but there is an equal amount of good people. The business isn't the problem, it's the bad eggs.
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Laces
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Post by Laces on Jun 19, 2020 13:35:19 GMT -5
I'm not. I'm disgusted by the allegations but I'm happy to support those coming forward and those who tried to stop and were silenced.
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