When did you cease being a mark?

[marvelocity]

I think I first started doubting wrestling's legitimacy when I heard that the time Owen Hart "knocked out" Shawn Michaels with an ensuguri on Raw, it was all a work. I remember reading about it in an Apter magazine, inside a free advertisement to a dirt sheet. My whole world was blown. I remember saving all my money for a subscription to that dirt sheet, though I never got it.

Then, Somewhere along the Shotgun Saturday Night period, as well as my first interests in WCW, I fully understood what was going on, and enjoyed wrestling in a completely different way than I did in the early 1990s.

[ChitownKnight]

Eddie's heel turn in 2005. I just couldnt hate him.

[DeuceDominoMark]

timmy8271 said:

I'd say about 1997 but deep down, I'm still a mark. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be watching WWE.

Here, here! I guess all us smarks have a little flicker of a mark somewhere deep down.

I just stopped being one on the outside with the new Hart Foundation. That was probably the first time I didn't think it was morally necessary to always root for the pro-USA guy.

[Metalheadbanger Man]

When my parents told me wrestling wasn't real. Although that might have been Santa Claus, I don't really recall.

Nah seriously probably about 2000/2001 when I started using the Internet more, but during the Attitude era I was a total mark, I'd ring up my cousin who also watched wrestling after RAW and be like "OMG Stone Cold had a truck and sprayed beer at Vince, YAY!".

[nerdinitupagain]

Probably about 12 years ago when I was 10 or so. However, for awhile after that, I only thought WWF was the predetermined worked promotion while WCW and ECW were 100% legit. I think somewhere right after the nWo formation is where I became more aware of the sport in general was worked.. I had to. I was devastated by Hogan turning heel~! I went on the internet to try and find out why Hogan had done this horrible deed. And behold I then find out all these sites talking about spoilers and backstage news... and then AOL's Wrestling Chat was found and I quickly got an education in the reality of wrestling.

God, if my parents ever tell the story of my reaction to Bash at the Beach 1996 to a girlfriend.. I will seriously never visit them again. I'd rather have to sit through pictures of the fat baby me in a tub again..

[Deleted]

As a kid, I firmly believed that the WWF was %100 fake. But NWA, AWA and World Class? Totally real athletic competition. The Jim Herd era of WCW was the final nail in the kayfabe coffin for me.

[Munkie91087]

I remember the exact moment. King of the Ring 1998. I was a 10 year old mark. I was outside the Civic (now Mellon) Arena trying to get autographs. It was there I saw something that broke my little heart. I saw Mankind and the Undertaker talking and laughing together.

How could this be I thought they are sworn enemies. They hate eachother so much, that they want to fight in a Hell (Heck when I was a small child) in a Cell. It was that moment it clicked to me, and all the times people told me it was fake finally got to me. It was such a surreal moment, but in retrospect I still enjoyed the PPV, and actually enjoyed wrestling a bit more when I discovered the true art of it. Though I still am a mark at heart, and sometimes I completely lose myself into storylines.

[amishassassin]

probably about the time i found Wrestlezone.com and Wrestlecrap...2001ish

[DJ Peapod]

When I started watching ROH

[default]

It was just last week. This elderly midget woman told me to give him my wallet, so I hit her with the Play of the Day. SHE NO SOLD!!!

Seriously, though. I'm still a mark to some degree as I still buy DVDs. If you pay money to Vince, Dixie, whoever... you're still a mark to some degree. You can call yourself a smart mark or whatever... but you're still buying into it. That's my opinion anyway.

If you mean when I stopped believing... it was before I got into it for good in early '98, a month or two before WrestleMania. I watched the morning shows every week and kept up with what was going on before I found out my friends were watching as well, so then I got more into it and started watching Raw. I knew the whole time it was fake... my dad used to constantly tell me it was before that as he never cared for pro-wrestling ever since the 70's. (He wrestled in high school).

[britishbulldog]

Never I still consider myself a mark. If they build it right I will mark like a small child in line to se Santa at the mall. For example. Jehrico's retun, Taker winning the belt at WM and many others. I still mark at least once a week

[thesunbeast]

We're all marks.

[J is Justice]

I was never a mark, I always knew it was "fake"

[The Thread Barbi]

deucedominomark said:

I know some of us still mark out for many a glorious moment; and we've known for the longest time that pro wrestling is sports entertainment. But...

When did you stop being a true mark?

Mine would have to be Bret's heel turn. Actually, the reforming of the Hart Foundation as a whole! Up until then, I was still a mark in the Heel VS. Face sense. I remember wanting Owen and Bulldog to lose the Tag Team Championship the night after WrestleMania 13, 'cause Bulldog would still be the European Champion and I wanted that "dastardly" Owen to be without a title.

But then, when Bret turned heel, that was the moment I truly stopped letting the writers influence my decision on who I rooted for. I just couldn't turn my back on a "villain" Bret. And of course, when the new Hart Foundation united, Owen was instantly restored as a face in my book!

In that sense, yes. That's exactly what happened to me.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Bret Hart, that bastard. A week after Backlund injured his shoulder with the Crossface Chicken Wing and won the WWF title, Bret was in town to announce the formation of his WHL team, the Calgary Hitmen. Even though Bret was injured in kayfabe, his shoulder had no ill effects at the autograph signing I went to.

[salTy]

This match killed it for me. It was just a LITTLE much.