Twitter and social media **** things up, what say you.

[FreedomOfMan]

Pretty much as the title states. My opinion (since the day of it's creation) is that twitter is the most ridiculous thing on this planet. You go there, post a random thought, and millions of other "twits" (no offense to twits out there using twitter) reply.

Entertainers has use this..."outlet" as an excuse to "pander" to their fans. Now as of late, wrestlers and those in the industry have been using this damn "outlet" to let people know of such mundane things as when they took a shit. Now I don't mean for this post to come off as rude, but, the fact that every lil thing that ever person does DOES NOT need to be broadcast.

You may ask why is this in the WWE section. Well here it is, as many of you have read, "R'ent you fired yet" Truth just made a big ass spoiler on Twitter. The fact that the tweet has been removed gives it amazing validity. I don't mean to come off as a prick, but this is ridiculous with a capital "DICK".

My question is, do you think those in industry that rely on mystique and "hush" like WRESTLING, should be using outlets like twitter or facebook?

I personally don't think so as it just ruins personal and professional lives. Cases in point: Sean Morley on his rant. I dont give a damn of his opinions on whos slept with what. Just give me some fuckin wrestlin "good wrestlin", shut the fuck up and do your job. "R'ent you gonna botch that spot doin' that" Truth: Just fucked up on a major fuck level using twitter.

On the Hypothetical, If I were head of an industry like wrestling, I would have it a cardinal rule not to discuss anything Wrestling related on you social network sites, if I were allow you to have one at all.

So I ask more concisely:

Do you feel the people in this industry should have social media outlets (twitter, youtube, facebook, myspace)? If so, limitations? or not at all. Please give your thoughts.

It seems as though besides from Cena, alot of people in the industry are just very irresponsible with these...."outlets".

 

[Karaoke Superstar]

Pretty much as the title states. My opinion (since the day of it's creation) is that twitter is the most ridiculous thing on this planet. You go there, post a random thought, and millions of other "twits" (no offense to twits out there using twitter) reply.

Entertainers has use this..."outlet" as an excuse to "pander" to their fans. Now as of late, wrestlers and those in the industry have been using this damn "outlet" to let people know of such mundane things as when they took a shit. Now I don't mean for this post to come off as rude, but, the fact that every lil thing that ever person does DOES NOT need to be broadcast.

You may ask why is this in the WWE section. Well here it is, as many of you have read, "R'ent you fired yet" Truth just made a big ass spoiler on Twitter. The fact that the tweet has been removed gives it amazing validity. I don't mean to come off as a prick, but this is ridiculous with a capital "DICK".

My question is, do you think those in industry that rely on mystique and "hush" like WRESTLING, should be using outlets like twitter or facebook?

I personally don't think so as it just ruins personal and professional lives. Cases in point: Sean Morley on his rant. I dont give a damn of his opinions on whos slept with what. Just give me some fuckin wrestlin "good wrestlin", shut the fuck up and do your job. "R'ent you gonna botch that spot doin' that" Truth: Just fucked up on a major fuck level using twitter.

On the Hypothetical, If I were head of an industry like wrestling, I would have it a cardinal rule not to discuss anything Wrestling related on you social network sites, if I were allow you to have one at all.

So I ask more concisely:

Do you feel the people in this industry should have social media outlets (twitter, youtube, facebook, myspace)? If so, limitations? or not at all. Please give your thoughts.

It seems as though besides from Cena, alot of people in the industry are just very irresponsible with these...."outlets".

I gotta agree with what you say. For normal people it's alright, they have nothing to lose with what they say. For professional wrestlers it's hell, the business they are in has a lot of secrecy. And if they have free access to a twitter account any time they get drunk or emotional, it's a risk. Some guys don't make those mistakes while others are a disaster waiting to happen. They should just do what many other big stars do, and have an agent maintain their social networking accounts. Sure it doesn't have that personal touch, but at least you don't have the big mess.

 

[pepentorresHHH]

I kinda agree with ,....
Twitter CAN and HAS caused problems before but the answer isn't to ban it altogether but have limitations
On the plus side, you interact with some of your favorite wwe superstars, know more from them, what are they doing and how they are when not in the show, but there is a negative side as well, for example as r truth confirmed this day they could spoil results, like cole showed us you can make comments that can create backlash amonmg the fans among others....
Me personally I like that superstars have a twitter, I've had questions answered by john cena, christian, among others and that interaction makes the fan more connected to his favorites

 

[donfryeismyhero]

Yea I agree that Twitter is more harmful than not. A few wrestlers like Cena & HBK seem to use it in a positive way but most dont either by posting spoilers like Truth did a little while ago or like what we've been seeing from Angle, Orton & Punk and their whole little childish antics over who used who's move. I'd like to hope McMahon puts a stop from his performers using is in the future, atleast when it pertains to business.

 

[akrassikauda]

I was in the middle of writing this thread THANK YOU! ( In a good way )

It's not just the wrestling business it's sports in general. I wish these guys would shut up. You read Cole call Mathews a ******, 5 minutes later he takes it down and even after that guys still hit send to get some "heat" or to stay relevant. Val Venis really pissed me off, if you have a problem with Morrison or Melina be a man and see them. Kurt Angle crying like a baby because WWE still uses his moves. What? You mean the guy who used Ken Shamrocks finisher but called it the Anglelock and theme music was first used by The Patriot is bitching about other people biting him. Then there's "R'ent you fired yet" Truth <----nice one, like dude shuuuuuuuuut uuuuuuuuuuup. Instead of using social media to hype matches or feuds these "Nit-Twits" ( people who use Twitter were most of this comes from, not that much from Facebook ) seem to be only concerned with themselves. If you want to know the right way on how to use social media look at The Rock & Cena. They're tweets didn't cross any lines the insults were cheeky at best.

If you don't know how to be professional with social media then stop using it because you look like a tool and the way these guys behave McMahon didn't have to tell the world wrestling was fake these 1/2 a mopes would have already done it by now.

 

[RockAndRoll]

Oh, man. I'm gonna have to disagree. I think in this day and age, social media is a sign of the times and absolutely necessary for companies to use.
I agree that not EVERYTHING that is posted has to be posted, but there isn't a more perfect medium right now for the talent to actively interact with their fans, and I think the fact that they'd want to says a whole lot.
Again, some folks you follow may talk too much, but to that I'd have to say: Don't follow them. The best part about these outlets is that they're totally optional for everyone. We fans can follow the superstars we care to follow, and if they annoy us, it's as easy as a click of a button for it to stop.
Clearly, for the talent it's equally as optional. I don't think they should be banned from TV for being an on-air performer just the same as anyone else on TV. Granted, just the same as actors on current TV shows, there's an amount of responsibility for being so public, as R-Truth just found out. But again, you know that signing up. Unfortunately for Truth, it looks like he screwed up, and I'm sure he'll hear about it... but I mean... in the long haul: Stuff happens. And yes, we all know about Angle, but again, comparing his rants to Truth's mistake is hardly fair. And even considering both, you've got probably a 10 to 1 ratio of sports entertainers out their actually having healthy interaction with fans without the mess-ups.

Basically, every movie and show out there is technically "hush." That shouldn't and won't prevent the outlets from being used by talent. It helps promote too much interest.

 

[Serious Jones]

Does social media pose a problem? Yeah, of course. But it can also help.

The "exposing the business" aspect is a non-issue. It would be great if we could go back to the days where people were in the dark about pro wrestling. but the reality is, we're not in that era anymore. Virtually everyone with social media accounts (and everyone in general) knows that wrestling is scripted and that the performers are playing characters. So the fact that social media exposes the business doesn't matter as much as some might think.

What it might do is expose people's character. How the performers carry themselves can help them get them over, e.g. Zack Ryder. Social media can be GREAT for a guy like Ryder, who's charismatic enough, but doesn't have that much airtime. How the performers carry themselves can also reveal their character in a negative light. We saw how unhappy Matt Hardy was, and recently we've seen Curt Hawkins shoot about his position in the company. That's not going to get them over. In the case of Matt Hardy, it gave him a lot more haters than he had before.

So, should social media be banned or restricted? No. It's not that much of a problem. Performers can utilize it to get themselves over, or they can bury themselves with it, but that's their problem, not the business' problem.

 

[CaptainZaltan]

I'm not a fan of Twitter either, so I don't use it. A lot of people do use it though, so it makes sense for the WWE to utilize it to promote their talent and their events. And lets face it; nowadays, fans want to feel connected to the entertainers they enjoy, and Twitter is a great way to accomplish that. It just wouldn't make sense for the WWE to drop it altogether just because R-Truth is too dumb to avoid spoiling a storyline. In that sense, I really don't think the medium involved is important; even before the age of Twitter, stars could just as easily spoil a storyline in a televised interview, on a radio show, etc. I'm sure there are consequences for such actions, regardless of how the information is leaked to the fans. So with any form of communication with the fans, the limitations should be the same: don't spoil storylines or leak company information.

 

[sTyLnK]

I've said many times in the past that social media is not for wrestlers who don't know how to be smart about what they say. It's common sense everything is magnified so if you say anything that would be slightly considered bad that gets taken out of context and it gets blown out of proportion.

That was a big reason why you never heard much about Edge. He doesn't have anything like Twitter or Fb. He keeps to himself and doesn't broadcast to the world with what's on his mind. He was also able to lay low much of the time because you never knew where he was.

I have nothing against social media, but I personally don't have any use for it. I don't like everyone knowing what I'm doing. I'm like Edge in that regard.

 

[fenfool]

I don't know if it's any different than the site we're using right now...it can be used in the same manner as Twitter if people so desired. Twitter just makes it easier to post whatever the user wants to post. Either medium are potentially beneficial and potentially harmful to the product. The point is that it really is the user, not the medium that decides whether a particular method of interacting with the fans is good or bad. Meeting the Iron Sheik at an autograph signing could be harmful if he decides to go off on someone. Seeing Scott Hall at a SHOW could turn you off on the product. It's up to the people involved.

 

[WunNightStan619]

I totally disagree.....I dont really see the issue being twitter at all. Twitter is a personal choice along with who you choose to follow and choose not to follow. If Kurt Angle wants to use his twitter account to bitch about orton then so be it. You see this and you dont like it, you reserve the right to unfollow him. I personally find it entertaining to see all the back and forth with wrestlers whether it be kayfabe or not..But if you dont, just dont follow them. I mean hell its really no different then Wrestlezone and all these other sights who give away spoilers and results and the "secrets" of the business...hell if anywun should be exposing it should be the ppl who are actually in it and know what they are talking about

 

[f_roEDGE]

While R-Truth did spoil a segment on Raw, Wrestlezone not only gave us complete details of the show, but also posted R-Truth's deleted tweet. 99% of us would've never known if it wasn't for Wrestlezone.

R-Truth is probably pissed about losing his opportunity.

 

[Kcirdor]

if anything... anyone that would have seen the R-Truth tweet is someone that is reading the spoilers and dirt sheets to begin with. Rather than blame twitter, Blame the ineternet cira 1999.

 

[Reddog1146]

I get what you are saying, twitter and other social medias can ruin careers and shows. Michael Cole almost lost his job becaue of it! But it lets you get an idea of what it is like to be in the WWE, it lets you see that it is not all cracked up to be a superstar, it requires a lot of sacrifice. Also you see a different side of superstars you never see on film.

 

[A-Zone]

Wasn't really sure what category to put this under so for now I'm leaving it under the general WWE thread.

Now, for those of you don't know what Kayfabe is, it is the scripted reality that we as fans are supposed to be believe and wrestlers are supposed to protect. However with the trend of WWE superstars tweeting, one has to wonder if this is having any detrimental effect on kayfabe.

Most recently, in the case of Randy Orton, we've seen him on his Twitter openly acknowledge Smackdown! spoilers and re-tweeting a message from a fan that read

This is not the only example as serial tweeters such as Melina or Joey Styles have been known to often times break kayfabe and let fans in on the reality of situations and story-lines. They've also shown their real personalities which takes away legitimacy from their on-screen personas.

On the other hand, for those superstars who tweet consistently with their in-ring personas (i.e Michael Cole, CM Punk, John Cena, The Rock, Zack Ryder)...Twitter has often times helped their kayfabe personas get more exposure and get over with the fans....and in recent times, has helped forward storyline feuds. Which has served to enhance kayfabe.

So I guess the question I'm asking is.....is Twitter more useful to kayfabe than detrimental or is it the other way around? Your thoughts....

 

[PsychoWard]

Interesting thread... Should have some great posts.

The WWE 100% endorses fan's to follow the superstars on twitter. Heck they provide you with the link that will take you straight to their page. Either on WWE.COM or displayed on television. So the question, is it hurting the term Kayfabe? I guess its really up to the person reading the tweet (is that the correct term~A tweet. I'm a NOOB on Twitter) and if it's hurting their personal experience with the WWE product. On one hand, you have the people who know it's fake and purely entertainment. In my opinion, they probably enjoy connecting with the superstars on a more personal level. They can read about their personal lives. I.E (Follow Goldust, he has some great tweets) Bret Hart is another that comes to mind. If you haven't seen some of his drawings that shoot on The Nature boy and Hogan. You need to check them out.

Now on to the different spectrum. You have the superstars that keep it Kayfabe. Zach Ryder is building a internet empire via Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. He has completely enhanced his character in the Kayfabe world. It's only a matter of time his hard work will payoff. And we will get the LongIslandIcedZ on performing on Raw.

In summation, it's really up to the fan individually. WWE market's their superstar's via the social network. But they also monitor their behavior as well. It looks like they don't mind whether they keep character or not, which is why they market themselves as entertainment. Either way relate it to a Face/Heel pop. Any reaction is a good reaction. Then business is good!

 

[The Hardcore Kid]

Kayfabe kinda died a while ago, in the Attitude Era. There were so many "worked shoots" to make smarks feel like they were on the inside. And they always do sort of "in" jokes and things of that manner. Like when Steph was pregnant for the first time and Trips kept making tongue-in-cheek jokes about who the father was. Everyone knew it was him, but he was feuding with the McMahons, so they never specifically said it, but rather in a way mocked kayfabe.

I think twitter is overvalued, either as a positive or a negative, in the wrestling world. It can be interesting for sure, and I definitely follow my favorites on twitter, but I don't really put much stock into it. Wrestling isn't like it was in the 80s. It isn't really presented as a "real" sport. Hell, they dont even call it a sport anymore. It's presented as entertainment, and I think most people with the exception of little kids who probably aren't using twitter see it as such.

 

[Heavens Vibe]

I think social networking is as real as it gets. Its somewhat similar to sports stars who post on twitter or even celebrities, most of them post some of the dumbest things ever, but on screen they look smart or vice versa.
I think it adds a bit more realism, but as the person above me says, Kayfabe and I mean genuine kayfabe probs died after Attitude Era.

 

[thc1967]

Kayfabe? Really?

In an era that Vince has removed the word "wrestling" from the name of his company? When the talent are called "superstars" and "performers" and not "wrestlers"? When a top guy in the company stands in the middle of the ring and says people think this doesn't hurt (alluding to the notion that it's not "real")?

Kayfabe is dead, gone, and buried. The only people who might sort-of believe this stuff is real are the same people who sit up late on December 24 waiting for a happy fat man dressed in red to bring them gifts.

Rock and Cena don't hate each other any more than Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum hate each other. It's acting and we're all supposed to know it's acting.

 

[silrock316]

Part of the ratings suffer is the growing realization that wrestling is scripted. My grandfather brought wrestling into my life and let me believe it was real therefore I hung onto every moment. When the Mega Powers exploded I was funny behind Savage and would get really upset when he lost. This continued for me until the beginning of the attitude era when I discovered the internet. Wrestling became less interesting to me the second I realized it was scripted kinda like how you finally felt when you knew santa was fake. Most of us aren't even true fans anymore, we act like back up writers and we watch wrestling in a way different way. Instead of getting into a fued we are too busy critizing what they are doing wrong. I have a 3 year old girl who watches wrestling with me and she likes Cena lol. My point is kayfabe is important to me and I won't tell my little girl its scripted. She will have to figure it out on her own this way she won't try to be a critic she will just stay a blinded fan that loves to watch wrestling now predict what should happen next or have an opinion for which guys get pushed. Bottomline I want her to keep the imagination I use to have before I figured everything out.