What type of fans enjoy wrestling more? Marks or Smarks?

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I assume that most people who access these forums know what a mark and a smark are. Some people are of the view that marks enjoy wrestling more than smarks while some people think the other way ie smarks enjoy watching wrestling more than marks. So I wanted to know what your opinion is regarding this topic. Who enjoys watching wrestling more: marks or smarks?

I would personally side with my fellow smarks due to the following reasons.

1) Smarks enjoy the whole show rather than just the performances of the top stars.: Yes lets face it the marks do not care about the Drew Mcintyre's or the Cody Rhodes' of wrestling. All they want to see is the top stars like Cena, Orton or Batista in action. Sometimes the best wrestling on the show comes to us courtesy of these lesser known stars rather than the so called superstars. And the marks cannot emotionally invest themselves into someone less than a main eventer.

2) Marks do not enjoy anything to do with the heels: At the end of the day faces are just as important as heels. However when a young mark sees heel dissing the crowd or a certain section of it, chances are he might change the channel out of disgust. A smark however will not do that. He will listen on to a heel promo with interest and derive joy from it. Sometimes the funniest promos are cut by the heels and I feel marks do miss out a lot because they just do not approve of heels.

3) Marks do not care for in ring action much: As important as storylines are, the in ring action is an art form itself. However if you asked a mark what his dream match would consist of I'm sure it would involve a lot of interferences and overbooking. The marks are not that interested in the in ring action unless one guy is about to hit his finisher, unlike the smarks. Us smarks enjoy every little nugget of psychology we get to see, every little move get reversed, a joy which marks do not get to experience. For them wrestling is all about promos and staredowns rather than the in ring action.

But I'm sure a good arguement can be made as to why marks enjoy wrestling more than us smarks. It should lead to an interesting discussion. I would love to learn your views on it.

Who enjoys watching wrestling more: marks or smarks?

 

[The Crock]

Marks, but then again neither of them really do. Smarks know too much for their own good, but marks don't enjoy a large portion of wrestling either. The best thing is to be a nice fan. Someone who enjoys every aspect, the "perfect fan" so to speak. This isn't a perfect world though, and that just doesn't happen. Smarks think they know best, that is not true at all. Marks don't like anything and think that the only good thing is faces and what they like, that's not how wrestling should be viewed either. The best fans are the versatile ones.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Definitely marks. The thing about us fellow smarks is that we completely disect every little thing about the shows, we can find just about anything wrong with it, no matter what time period it is. Sure there is more stuff to bitch about these days and a lot of times I come on these boards it seems like a lot of them hate what wrestlings become, I myself don't hate it, but could probably sit for an hour telling you whats wrong with the current product, we're smarks, its what we do.

Personally sometimes I wish I was a mark, they don't take wrestling too seriously, so they just enjoy it for what it is. Some marks are fans of guys like the Miz, some like the over the top theatrics that come with wrestling, some like the divas, but the one thing they have in common is they enjoy it for what it is, not what it was. Smarks constantly compare the product to better times whereas marks are satisfied with the current product and can look past all the stupid shit we constantly tear apart.

I've been both a mark and a smark (admit it we were all marks at one time) and I can tell you that I enjoyed the product much more when I was a mark. I still enjoy the product, but on a different level, almost like a wrestling historian or something. I still like it, but if I missed RAW this week I wouldn't care one bit, when I was a mark, I couldn't miss it. I don't get the excitement I used to, I certainly don't constantly think "Whats gonna happen next week?" and I rarely get lost in the moment anymore.

Smark's may care for wrestling more, but marks enjoy the product more.

 

[klunderbunker]

Marks by far. They're allowed to have fun. Smarks are required by IWC law to constantly find something to complain about no matter how stupid or ridiculous it is. Marks watch wrestling and enjoy themselves while doing it which is something that smarks really need to do more often. It's not even close.

 

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

I Agree with every one Marks enjoy the show far more because they don't critique every little thing thats wrong on a show. I know that for myself I enjoy the show much more when I'm not critiquing every thing and just enjoy the show. Marks get much more enjoyment from shows.

 

[Mekanik Kommandoh]

It's definitely marks. Sometimes I wish I was a kid again, because I had the most fun watching wrestling when I was younger. If I were my current age around the time I started to become a fan (1996), chances are I wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much, or at least not in the same innocent way. A lot of the IWC doesn't so much like wrestling as they like to complain about it, which is unfortunate.

Kids and morons get bashed all of the time for being "marks" but let's face it, thanks to their ignorance, they're the only ones that know how to watch pro wrestling as it was originally intended.

 

[MizFit]

I would say it depends on the person, not necessarily if they are a smark or mark.

Marks enjoy wrestling for what it is, cheer the faces and boo the heels, and watch it as it is intended to be. I will say they have a lot more fun watching wrestling than smarks do though.

Smarks on the other hand have a more educated view on pro wrestling. They critique every thing wrong with a show, one by one. Though they are never really completely satisfied with the current product as a whole. However, at heart they are just as big of fans as anyone. Deep down they enjoy wrestling as a whole.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I'm sure without a doubt if you survey wrestlers from ECW, TNA, ROH, and even WWE, they will say marks enjoy wrestling more. Raven said in an interview that the ECW wrestlers couldn't stand the ECW arena and the harsh fans. Wrestlers would rather hear cheers, boos, or no reaction at all compared to smark chants. A "You fucked Up!" chant isn't music to wrestlers' ears.

 

[Ruddalin]

I think someone like me who watches it purely because they enjoy watching wrestling would enjoy it more than both parties, although I suppose in taking that standpoint I'm more like a mark than a smark so it could go either way

 

[Strong Style X]

Smarks do. But not all smarks. The problem with smarks are is that they try to critique everything they do in the ring but that's all they are: critics. However, some smarks who know how to book, run a business, promote, and market (which most smarks can't or won't do) will actually do something about it by providing an alternative brand rather than complaining. That's true ENJOYMENT if done correctly and you come out even or with profit. A smark is just a loser until he earns the right to be a true winner by making his own show.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Marks, far and away, because of one absolutely undeniable fact — they don't need to convince themselves they are suspending their disbelief. They legitimately react to everything they see on screen as though it is absolutely happening (in real life), which makes the intensity that much stronger.

Case in point: Punk escapes cage before Hardy, Hardy is forced into leaving the WWE. Hardy cuts a thank you/goodbye promo and WWE cameras pan the crowd spotting numerous fans crying and in sad disbelief.