When the internet started to become more and more accessible to everyone, more and more insider information about the wrestling business became easier to find. Soon, sites like this one became the norm and everyone that was a wrestling fan knew far more then they ever had before. We started learning insider terms like selling, getting over, babyface, heel, pushing, etc. Was it really the internet's fault though? Sure, the internet made the information accessible to more people, but the internet didn't necessarily put fans in the know. I think the creation of the 'Smart fan can be blamed on promoters, bookers, and the wrestlers themselves. Let me explain....
Say a promoter/booker has a card and right before the main event match, two dog shit awful local boys of the territory go out and have just a god awful match. After that, the other guys have to come out and put on an exciting compelling match to get the crowd back. If the wrestlers that went before the good performers were really awful, they'd botch moves, the selling would be awful, and they could be seen giving each other ques for the next sequence. You all heard the rumors when you were kids. Adults would tell you that if you went to a wrestling event that you could see the wrestlers talking to each other in the ring, that they didn't really punch each other, etc. We just never believed it.
The onus can also be put on the very best of the best in the wrestling business, though. Let me give you an example. Ric Flair, who many consider the very best ever, is a great example. Flair would go out and night after night, whether on TV or in local arenas, and have the exact same match with everyone. Sure there were exceptions, but most of the time, a really devoted fan could call a Flair match before it happened. You knew he was going to get his opponent in the corner and chop him. You knew that when the face made his comeback that Flair was going to beg. Then he'd get thrown into the corner, run out, and take that crooked back body drop. Then he'd get thrown back into the corner, flip over the ropes, run to the other side on the apron, get on the top rope, and get slammed off. You knew sometime during the match that he was going to be getting beat down in the corner and then when the ref broke it up, Flair would take that face first bump he always took. Those things happened in every Ric Flair match for 25 years. Fans were bound to notice it. Flair wasn't the only one, though, most top guys did the same succession of moves every night. Take my favorite, the Undertaker for instance. He'd always get thrown off the ropes, duck a clothesline, then comeback with a flying clothesline. He'd forever miss that elbow drop that he always went for and then there's old school.
What I'm saying is that, while the internet made the information more widespread, it didn't necessarily create the 'Smart Fans'. The business itself did that. What do you guys think? Do you agree with my assessment or am I wrong? What do you think created the 'Smart Fans'? Let me know your opinions.
Say a promoter/booker has a card and right before the main event match, two dog shit awful local boys of the territory go out and have just a god awful match. After that, the other guys have to come out and put on an exciting compelling match to get the crowd back. If the wrestlers that went before the good performers were really awful, they'd botch moves, the selling would be awful, and they could be seen giving each other ques for the next sequence. You all heard the rumors when you were kids. Adults would tell you that if you went to a wrestling event that you could see the wrestlers talking to each other in the ring, that they didn't really punch each other, etc. We just never believed it.
The onus can also be put on the very best of the best in the wrestling business, though. Let me give you an example. Ric Flair, who many consider the very best ever, is a great example. Flair would go out and night after night, whether on TV or in local arenas, and have the exact same match with everyone. Sure there were exceptions, but most of the time, a really devoted fan could call a Flair match before it happened. You knew he was going to get his opponent in the corner and chop him. You knew that when the face made his comeback that Flair was going to beg. Then he'd get thrown into the corner, run out, and take that crooked back body drop. Then he'd get thrown back into the corner, flip over the ropes, run to the other side on the apron, get on the top rope, and get slammed off. You knew sometime during the match that he was going to be getting beat down in the corner and then when the ref broke it up, Flair would take that face first bump he always took. Those things happened in every Ric Flair match for 25 years. Fans were bound to notice it. Flair wasn't the only one, though, most top guys did the same succession of moves every night. Take my favorite, the Undertaker for instance. He'd always get thrown off the ropes, duck a clothesline, then comeback with a flying clothesline. He'd forever miss that elbow drop that he always went for and then there's old school.
What I'm saying is that, while the internet made the information more widespread, it didn't necessarily create the 'Smart Fans'. The business itself did that. What do you guys think? Do you agree with my assessment or am I wrong? What do you think created the 'Smart Fans'? Let me know your opinions.
