Mike Killam Deserves Props for This

[The Dragon Saga]

http://www.wrestlezone.com/editorials/426809-what-makes-a-wrestling-fan

This afternoon I watched a phenomenal discussion on IGN.com between Daemon Hatfield, Greg Miller, Justin Davis and Colin Mariarty – basically the Four Horseman of video game journalism - on what truly "defines" a gamer. There are so many different kinds of people out there: you've got Call of Duty players, Minecrafters, JRPG fans, League of Legends and/or MOBA players; the list could literally go on for years. What Daemon and the Game Scoop! crew discussed is how these days, it's more common for gamers to spend their time criticizing other gamers because of what games they do, or don't play, rather than actually enjoying the things that they have in common. The idea that somehow, if you just play Call of Duty on your XBox every day, your experience, and even you as a gamer, mean less to the community as a whole.

And I thought, this argument applies really well to professional wresting fans.

The "TNA Sucks" Arguement
I got 27 angry Tweets, 4 emails and a bunch of comments about my TNA Bound for Glory review, specifically about how "I'm not a TNA fan" or "I'm just another stupid WWE mark; same old shit" because I gave the pay-per-view a negative review. That doesn't really bother me (well, the second part does, but I'll get into that in a minute). What bothers is me is that for every defensive Tweet from a disgruntled TNA fan, I got two or three from WWE fans bashing their product. Many of them have never, will never actually watch Impact Wrestling more than once or twice in their lifetime.

It's the same tired argument: "TNA is terrible. Dixie Carter is hemorrhaging money out the window, and they'll be dead before the end of the year."

First of all, as I said in my BFG review, I'm a TNA fan. I want to see them succeed. I don't like that Dixie Carter is involved in the main event story, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to make ignorant statements about her as a business woman, or take personal shots at a woman I will likely never have a conversation with. The truth is, literally every person I've talked to that knows Dixie, and has worked with her in the past, has nothing but wonderful things to say about her. BUT SHE'S THE WICKED QUEEN OF THE EVIL TNA!! Apparently there's no such thing as cheering for the underdog anymore.

The "Anti-Indie" Argument
Wrestling fans are some of the pretentious, elitist people I have ever met. Which is hilarious to me, because everyone is all worked up about a pre-scripted industry of men in tights. And it's an industry I passionately love, don't get me wrong. But it's because I love it so much that I don't understand people's NEED to break others down just because of what they enjoy.

People constantly hate on TNA because of Dixie Carter, because of "WWE rejects", because they heard about WCW one time, and even though they never watched an episode of Nitro in their lifetime, they think it's hilarious to compare the two as "sinking ships".

If you mention you're a Ring of Honor fan, people on Twitter will rip you apart. "Oh, that crappy indie company with the broken iPPV service? I don't waste my time with 3rd rate rejects, sorry." If you bring up how Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is the single best, most entertaining wrestling promotion in the United States today, people look at you like you're an idiot. "They don't have CM Punk or Daniel Bryan, and they don't have four million fans, so how good can they really be?"

The "WWE Isn't Wrestling" Argument
I know there are a lot of indie wrestling fans right now in agreement with me. But let's turn that smug sense of justice around on yourself, shall we? How many people today straight up attack you if you claim to be a WWE fan? Call you things like "stupid" or "ignorant". Say that just because you find WWE to be enjoyable, you're not a "real" wrestling fan. You don't "get it", because it's all you've ever known.

WWE fans are the Call of Duty players of the wrestling world. There's a lot of them. Most of them, that's the only thing they want to know, or ever will know about the business. And indie fans hate them, because they don't fit into some preconceived idea of what "wrestling fan" means. WWE fans are "uneducated" because their favorite wrestlers don't no-sell superkicks and do 37 suicide dives to the outside in every match. Their favorite wrestlers care about kids, family entertainment and want to make a product that everyone can enjoy. Maybe they don't take enough risks in their matches, maybe they don't curse enough, or bleed themselves dry every night for your entertainment.

LET'S JUST WATCH WRESTLING!
I love wrestling. I've been watching it every week since 1997, and every day for the past five years. I've seen every WWE pay-per-view, every TNA pay-per-view, most of WCW Nitro and all their pay-per-views. I've seen every WrestleMania, every tape of NWA and Mid-South I could get my hands on. I watch Ring of Honor, PWG, FWE out of New York, and when I can afford it, I watch New Japan and the occasional AAA event from Mexico. Like the rest of the world, I still have no clue what the hell is going on with CHIKARA, but I love it all the same.

I'm negative when I need to be; I do get paid to have an opinion, after all. But it's always about the event. It's always about the matches, or what I'm seeing. And I always TRY – note that I don't always succeed – at being as objective as I possibly can. It's never about the people behind the wrestling gimmick. It's never about the business people I know nothing about.

Do you know who I don't consider a wrestling fan? The people that lurk in our comments section, doing nothing but picking on other people for enjoying a wrestling show. The people that do nothing but talk about how moronic WWE fans are; you're not wrestling fans, you don't want to see anything succeed, and it's impossible for you to see anything objectively. If your goal is to hate, you're going to hate. Everything in life is about perspective, and I think there's a lot of wrestling fans with a really awful perspective. Can we, as a gigantic group of like-minded people, put down our pitchforks and Aces & Eights hammers, and come together in a positive celebration of the industry we love, and stop going out of our way to make sure nobody is happy?

Why is so hard to let people enjoy the things they enjoy?

Every nail hit on the head and for a majority of it he is correct. I have been saying this for so long and he, utilizing the platform he has, has summed up more-or-less how I feel about "wrestling fans" in-general, while quite intelligently sneaking in a big "fuck you" to the basement dwelling ***** who post in the comment section on the main page like their getting paid for it - they actually might, if the States offers you jobseekers allowance during unemployment, forced or willing.

Either way, guy gets props from me. Don't know about the rest of you, or care for that matter, but I thought he and the read deserved some attention.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Why does Mike have to be so critical of people who like to say rude, obnoxious, and pointless things on dirt sheet comment sections? Why can't he just let those people enjoy what they do without such harshness? It's very hurtful Mike, very hurtful.

I will not be propositioning Mike Killam for gay sex.

 

[Lee]

"and every day for the past five years" did he not recently say he hadn't watched it for months? Then attack the people who get him the views the site craves.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

He makes a good point about wrestling fans and the IWC. A lot of them come on here to mindlessly bash, that's their prerogative though. Some people bash because they want change, some people bash because they gave it a chance and genuinely don't like the product. Frankly I don't care what you bash as long as you got a reason for it. I'm currently bashing WWE because I don't like the product the are presenting, same with TNA but I got no hate for anyone on here who disagrees. It doesn't make either of us moronic or stupid and it doesn't make either of us wrong (sometimes), it just means we see things differently. Where the idiocy comes is when it turns into a hate rest because we disagree on something.

There's nothing wrong with voicing your opinion, there's nothing wrong with telling someone you disagree with them as long as you got a legit reason. Forums are made to communicate and share ideas with others and those ideas will often spark spirited debates. I don't understand why some come on here to bash mindlessly nor do I care to. Coming on these forums soley to bitch is their prerogative, just as its my prerogative to call them out on it or simply ignore them.

I'm here to talk about things I like with others. I may not agree with you on anything, I may get heated up in saying so but ultimately I have no hate and respect you as long as you give me that same courtesy.

 

[Slash-LN]

Mike Killam looks like a fat lesbian.

Is that still what the masses say?

Anyway the comments section of the front page is usually pretty ridiculous.

Just today for example there was a comment along the lines of

"WWE wants NFL rejects
TNA wants WWE rejects
No one wants TNA rejects"

That is said despite the fact that Xavier Woods who they're trying to work into the main roster right now is a former TNA wrestler.

Along the lines of that is the argument that TNA has nothing but former WWE wrestlers and they should build their own stars.

Of the 36 active wrestlers (counting Taryn even though she isn't there right now) it looks like 9 members of the roster have been in WWE and to be honest who remembers EC3 or Jay Bradley for being in the WWE? People on the internet and probably zero casual fans.

EC3 never made the main roster and Jay Bradley wrestled what 2 or 3 matches at most?

And people that are sole TNA marks are no better.

Really there's like 5 or 6 people that are just shitty posters. They just tend to monopolize the comment section with their arguing back and forth.

Debates are fine. The forum section of this website has some good debates on stuff in almost every section here.

Blind hate is stupid. Hating something just to hate it and/or saying you hate something that someone likes just to get a response from them is pretty dumb.

Anyway. Fine article Killam. And I don't really think you look like a fat lesbian.