Are you a "mark"?

[SJ5522]

Simple question, do you 'mark out' much?
As I've got older I've only got 4 or so proper favourite wrestlers. I'm also a lot less animated than I used to be watching the shows. I tend to watch wrestling with a bit of a stoney face, it takes a true shock moment, an incredible move, or seeing somebody being dropped on their head/neck (I dont mark out to this to clarify, I wince) to get any sort of visible reaction out of me
I'm not immune to a bit of marking out, I still go wild when I see Flair's selling and such, also for recent stuff; Samoa Joe in NXT got me good, but generally I just blankly observe the shows, sometimes I'll even think "that show was good, I enjoyed that" then wonder if I cracked a smile for the whole thing.

It is probably pretty normal for most of us adult fans to be less animated, so just an aside question for those of you similar to me; what do you think keeps you fascinated with wrestling? Is it just a habit we can't kick?

 

[laodaron]

I'm certainly a mark. I'm a mark for maintaining kayfabe, I'm a mark for reality based kayfabe, I'm a mark for the AE, I'm a mark for Cena, I'm a mark for Sting.

I mark out often, but I can only mark out when it maintains some credibility. Things like ladder matches, cage matches with a door, or getting put through tables (which would soften the blow) sort of ruin it for me.

 

[Messiah]

I mark out once every couple year's, something HUGE has to happen for me to mark. Last time i marked was when Lesnar returned.

 

[Bernkastel]

In this day and age everyone knows the WWE product is fixed and heavily choreographed, so the definition of what a mark used to be has changed, as WWE isn't trying to "work" anyone into watching their programs. We as either casual or hardcore fans do that ourselves through suspension of disbelief. So I'd say that if you watch the WWE product in earnest, whether it be from a causal perspective of watching one PPV a month with friends or seeing the live show once a year when it comes to your city, or the perspective of a fan that watch 3 or 4 shows a week and every PPV, then you're a mark.

I'd say that non fans that have problems getting around the fact that the matches are fixed, and the shows heavily scripted aren't marks. Smarks that don't understand the industry or the business are for sure. Most definitely. They are probably the biggest marks of all.

So basically if you are an honest fan of the WWE product, whether casual or regular, then you're a mark for the company. Works that way with pro wrestling in general.

 

[SJ5522]

In this day and age everyone knows the WWE product is fixed and heavily choreographed, so the definition of what a mark used to be has changed, as WWE isn't trying to "work" anyone into watching their programs. We as either casual or hardcore fans do that ourselves through suspension of disbelief. So I'd say that if you watch the WWE product in earnest, whether it be from a causal perspective of watching one PPV a month with friends or seeing the live show once a year when it comes to your city, or the perspective of a fan that watch 3 or 4 shows a week and every PPV, then you're a mark.

I'd say that non fans that have problems getting around the fact that the matches are fixed, and the shows heavily scripted aren't marks. Smarks that don't understand the industry or the business are for sure. Most definitely. They are probably the biggest marks of all.

So basically if you are an honest fan of the WWE product, whether casual or regular, then you're a mark for the company. Works that way with pro wrestling in general.

Thats a good point. At no point in my life did I ever think wrestling was real, infact I used to think it was a whole lot faker than it really is as I'm sure lots of people do when they first discover it.
i've always watched wrestling to see a show take place and treat it almost like performance art. rather than like 'I cant wait to see these guys who HATE eachother fight'

Another thought I had earlier, was wondering whether people with certain conditions like OCD and such are more prone to be wrestling fans. Think about it, big lists of rosters of wrestlers, constant fantasy booking in head, royal rumbles. They all have that obsessive compulsive thing going that piques peoples interest

 

[rmp0012002]

I preferred the Kayfabe era. Cable was new and you had to follow the sport through the magazines. For a short period I was a mark because you had no idea what was going to happen or who would show up where. Being scripted had nothing to do with it. I've been a longtime fan, casual now, but getting to see wrestlers like the Ric Flair with his ring entrance at a big show and the Road Warriors when they first started in '84 was unreal. The '84 NOC at the Meadowlands was the pinnacle for me, getting to see the legends of the sport but by the late 80's the sport was really changing.
Getting to see ECW in '98 with most of the crew intact was also exciting seeing the next level of stars. Today I extremely rarely watch RAW or don't subscribe to the Network as too much can be found out on line sow watching a show is useless, and get rid of the soap opera crap. I want to see a swerve or wholly shit moment.

 

[yur_momma]

im a mark. i want to believe and become emotionally invested in what im watching. anyone who uses the word as a derogatory term is a troll or vince russo. and he only uses it when he cant defend himself.

 

[laodaron]

im a mark. i want to believe and become emotionally invested in what im watching. anyone who uses the word as a derogatory term is a troll or vince russo. and he only uses it when he cant defend himself.

Well, there's the term "mark" that means something like a sucker. A boob that the scam artist (wrestling promoter before the internet, especially) can pull one of on. If you've ever seen an old territory day match that had fans running in to literally fight the heel, that's a "mark" in the negative sense.

On the other hand, a strong case can be made for the person who (just like me) tunes in every Monday night, watches every PPV, etc. and calling them a mark, as well. Obviously, we aren't suckers, believing that the work is really a shoot, but we are still that demographic of sucker that the promoter is looking for.

 

[Stone Cold Tea]

I marked when Randy Rko'D Seth at 'Mania, when NWO returned, When The Rock returned and when Seth cashed in. Don't remember marking since then though

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

No, I wouldn't call myself a mark, but there are the occasional moments that do make you jump out of your seat and feel like a kid again, all excited. That's the beauty of wrestling.

For me, the last time this happened (and the first time in a long while) was the unexpected appearance of the nWo at WrestleMania 31, I lost it and started going crazy. Even though they are all past their primes and half are unable to wrestle again, it definitely brought out the kid in me seeing the nWo face off against DX. It was something that I never thought I'd see and was a special moment.

 

[HBKperfect23]

Guilty.

I'm a shield mark....Rollins, Ambrose, and Reigns should be the focal point of TV. I'm a mark for John Cenas open challenge. I'm a daniel Bryan mark.

I got into wrestling in 91 because I was a hulk hogan mark.

I am a mark for anything WWF 1997.....this is really where the attitude era started.

I'm a WWf 1992 mark. This is where the roster was best and had the best string of ppvs.

Ive become a mark for going back and watching late 80s wrestling, both company's.

I'm a mark for shawn Michaels, ric flair, Randy savage, Steve Austin ,Eddie Guerrero,Mr Perfect, and Bret hart

I'm a mark for Bret Hart vs Davey Boy at summerslam 92, if you think there's ever been a better match...ever, you are a liar ��

 

[Mighty NorCal]

In this day and age everyone knows the WWE product is fixed and heavily choreographed, so the definition of what a mark used to be has changed, as WWE isn't trying to "work" anyone into watching their programs.

Except that the term hasn't changed, and pretty much everyone in this thread is using the term incorrectly. Much the way most do with the term "buried"

No one on this forum is a mark, and increasingly, small children aren't either. Its simply not the way the business is ran anymore.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m a SMark. I know what’s going on and look to the IWC for insider info, but when I still fall for surprises. I was a “mark” when D-Generation X, the New World Order and Shawn Michaels showed up during the Triple H vs. Sting match at WrestleMania 31. I then immediately turned into a “smart” when Ric Flair didn’t join the surprise. I usually mark out when a Championship Title change occurs, especially those that were completely unexpected. Surprise returns also get me. In this day and age, it’s hard to be surprised, but the Professional Sports Wrestling Entertainers still get you sometimes.