Non wrestling fans

gimmick

Now, i know everyone has an opinion and in most cases (:p ) deserve one, but I am sick to my teeth of non wrestling fans, not because they dont like Pro Wrasslin, but becasue they feel the need to ridicule us true fans.

I am 25, and have been a fan of wrestling for about 18 yrs (aprt from a phase when i was a grumpy teenager). I love to sit down on a Friday night with a few beers and see Raw, wake up early on saturday and have my breakfast watching SD. Where si the problem there?

I have many buddies who laugh and jeer at me everytime i even mention wwe, and God help me if i wear a wrestling Tshirt. I hear a variety of the following clichéd crap:

1.Its faaaaaaaaaaaake. Hmm, ECW anyone. Eddie Vs JBL at judgement day, and last tiem i saw, FRIENDS isnt exactly real!

2. Its for Kids. Stacey, Trish, the Katie Vick angle last year.

3. Its Chereographed . So are many Broadway plays, and music videos :rolleyes:

4. Its for lonely friendless jobless virgins . Well I have lots of friends, a good job, have my own car, and have had a little too many girlfriends. Dont think I fit into any of the above category.

5. You are an intelligent fella Gimmick, surely you dont fall for that crap. I dont fall for it. I enjoy it.

Watching wrestling to me is a simple pleasure.

I am not silly enough to believe that wrestling isnt scripted, it is, as are many sit coms and soap operas, even movies (though seeing Ben Affleck makes one wonder).

I have a very good night once a month when me and a few of the buddies watch PPV on Monday nights.

I had one of the best nights of my life at the Tour Of Defiance last Wednesday. I even met Stacey Kiebler god damn it.

So, from the above, how can these fellas say that I am a bit slow to watch. Do they actually think that they are putting one over me? What were these fellas doing last wednesday? Watching one of the worst CL finals in living memory. Soe in fact, are jobless, virgins etc.

Each to their own, but cmere, those fools dont know what theya re missing out on.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

oneofakind32

iIdont try to defend it anymore because it just makes the hole deeper.
Let them have there opinions

gimmick

What hole?

Is their enjoyment of a more intellectual nature than theirs?

Is your enjoyment less important because you choose what to watch?

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

Magnolia_Fan

well My dads like that aswell..but my mom gets it...but she is the one that got me into Wrestling in the first Place...I know alot of Irish people dislike America and Americans but do yourselfs a favour and go over there, Wrestling is a national past time!..Wrestlemania Weekend I was talking to people on the streets of New York and in shops etc. My cousin in America is 30 years old and still watches..I'm too old for it at 19??..My cousin payed hundreds of dollars for one of ECW'S actual Belts signed by the man "Tazz", I spent 23 euros on a Mick Foley DVD and I'm a fool!?
The Irish people (some) need to get off their high f'in horses and accept wrestling...How is it Gaelic Football has never been called Fake even though most Quarter and Semi Finals go into replays? only for the G.A.A to sell out Croke Park twice!?

Thats my rant over thanks...

yami308

I'm a 30 year old American (but not Magnolia Fan's cousin) and I've been watching wrestling since I was 8! I can't tell you how many people give me hell because of it (my wife included). I even had a room-mate when I was a teenager who was a wrestler. (Anyone remember Dave Sullivan from WCW?) He taught me all about the business, and even though I'm too small to be an in-ring performer (6', 160 lbs.- about 80 kgs), I tried my hand as a manager/valet. Didn't work out though. But to non fans, they watch their soap operas and wrestling is mine!

Gonzo

Im 30 years of age also and adore wrestling, started watching it at 15 then stoped at 18 coz I was stupid enough to give in to peer pressure to 'stop watching that childish its not real gay naked men crap' from friends and family. Thankfully I saw the light once again 4 years ago and have watched every ppv since then and most editions of raw and smackdown with occasional bursts of ecw, roh, tna and fwa. Went to the WWE Tour Of Defiance last Wednesday night, it was awesome and met The Hurricane in town, wOOt:)

Hanza

My friends tolerate wrestling, if they dont like it... My Dad, as a sports man, respects all sports, and is happy I am doing my hardest to persue a career in Wrestling. My mother acnoliges the fact i am making alot of sacrifices to follow my heart.

If anyone has a gripe with wrestling, they can only express it through power of the keyboard and when it comes face to face, they choak. So it doesnt bother me. I can understand your upset towards wrestling bashers, its not worth worring. Anything you feel this passionate about is worth fighting for.

We have defended ourselves this far, and we seem to be fighting a good fight!

Hanza

Fozzy

I think a lot of the resentment Irish people have for wrestling comes from an American perspective of the sport. I remember a quote I heard once: "In Japan it's a sport, in Mexico it's a pass-time, in Canada it's tradition; in America it's a joke". The view that non-wrestling fans have got on wrestling comes from a lot of crap that they've heard from the tv from American shows which don't tolerate wrestling. Then there's the fact that they probably watched the over-the-top characters and gimmicks in WWF in the early 90's, which I didn't personally enjoy that much. I think that back in those days, if they had of seen Japanese wrestling, which is more technical, they'd appreciate it more for what it is.

I've always compared wrestling to music. I like good music, although there are some genres that I wouldn't be too mad about. Same thing applies to wrestling, I like good matches, but there are some styles and some wrestlers that I don't always enjoy. So to say you don't like wrestling is the equivalent of saying you don't like music to me. If these people actually sat down and understood wrestling for what it is, an art form, I'm sure they'd at least be able to appreciate it more.

One thing people always gripe on is the quality (or lack thereof) of the acting. I don't pay much attention to this, I don't actually watch it for the acting, but it is a necessary part to piece things together. But some of these guys are the best actors I've ever seen. I remember Mick Foley saying in his book about the "This is Your Life" segment with the Rock, the actors they were working with came over and asked what their lines were. These professional actors were astonished when they found out that the wrestlers didn't learn their lines, they just got the main jist of the thing beforehand and worked out their lines as they said them. Foley and The Rock are brilliant at that. That sort of improvisational acting is better than what you'd see in a lot of stuff on tv. As an example, I think that Rock is a much better actor when he's in the ring than when he's in a film. He's a genius at what he does.

I've never understood the "fake" argument. Some of the most successful things in the world are fake.

And as for the "choreographed" argument, I know they don't literally go through every single aspect of the match beforehand, they do talk in the ring. I think it would look too robotic if they just went through the motions for the whole match. But the fact that the matches are planned out in some way means that you should be more or less guaranteed a decent match, which doesn't happen if the sport is "real". Of course, in practice, you still get plenty of bad matches.

It's always the uninformed that criticise us anyway.

Cactus Col

reckon you preaching to the converted here ...

I don't defend it to people, don't try to convince them it's high art or the best thing since sliced bread (it's not either), it's just simple entertainment.

I'm sure there's plenty of people on here who'd criticise people for listening to westlife or for loving sex and the city ... and I bet when they defend them they don't give you any good reasons to listen to westlife or watch sex and the city

Lordz

Haha.

I was iN kerry last weekend.And i was bored,so i ripped out my Mick FOley dvd.I threw it on.My cousin (16) sits there and starts slagging it.She says "Its all fake,and they never hit each other,and use bottles of ketchup to make themselves bleed".I say "No,they have small blades,and cut themselves." she didnt beleive me.It bugged me.

I put on Cactus Jack vs Vader.If u saw this match,its fooking brutal.Vader brakes Cactus' nose,and basically kicks the **** out of Foley.She thought they werent hitting each other.

Muzz

You guys would need to get off your happy horses aswell. You guys know that it is fake. But the arguments against those that slag it off are laughable. Everything you do throughout life, you will come across those that will think its okay or those that will hate it. When you say about eastenders being fake. Some people like it some dont. Its their choice to watch it or not. They dont moan about it like you guys. Like come on here, you live wrestling. You dont just watch it!

I'll probably get flamed to hell on these boards because of what i say because you feel the need to defend wrestling to the core. I come here to read what is happening in the world of wrestling because i have an interest in it, but i know its fake. Yes its entertainment and these guys do take risks. So do stunt people on films. Its all entertainment for our value and you can get carried away watching it but because someone says its fake doesn't reserve the right for you guys to go mental and actually feel the need to defend it with such an iron fist. Its so obvious that you feel so distressed and disgruntle at those that say this about your livelyhood. Take a chill pill. If you enjoy it that is all that matters.

By the way Lordz is that cousin of yours hawt? If so sort her out with a boards account there

Lordz

Originally posted by Muzz

By the way Lordz is that cousin of yours hawt? If so sort her out with a boards account there

Christ man,fair play,resorting to the internet for picking up girls?Well done. :rolleyes:


Anyway.

For the other part of your post...

Guys Like Hanza do live wrestling.I also do.I spend all day wrestling,training,excercising,practising.I then go out at night,and thats when i have a social life.I think the more you put into it,the more you get out.I plan to go train at IWW,and get picked up.I hope to make a living from wrestling,and maybe get as far as the american indies.That is what i wanna do for a living.If you wanna be a photographer,for a while,your life circles around photography.Same with wrestling.I have worked my ass of for 2 years,got on a big excersise workout,got on a proper diet,and lost lots of wieght.All for wrestling.Dont go and call wrestling fake.The only time you can comment on how wrestling is fake is when u wrestle your first match,and absorb the moves.Then go and call it fake if you wish.The only thing fake about wrestling is the outcome of the matches.So shut up.If you were a soccer player,i wouldnt call it easy,until i played a match.Same with wrestling.People looking down there noses at it pisses me off big time,cos they have no clue the sacrifices people make to it.I havent had much quality of life for the past few months,cos i watch what i eat and have to exercise all day.Do i complain?No.I dont.Cos its the sacrifices every guy in the WWE,IWW,NWA Ireland,TNA,ROH,FWA and NJPW have done.They all put a lot of work in,and have accomplished there dream of being a wrestler.They dont all make it big.I know that.Im going to get a college education incase the whole wrestling thing doesnt work out.

So,basically,shut the f*ck up and stop critising wrestling,because thats like insulting peoples lives.I put so much into it,for assholes like you to come and say "Its all fake anyway".

Muzz

Everytime its funny how you manage to find another excuse or argument to present wrestling to everyone. I know of the risks and dedication these guys put in. Practice does make perfect and if you make it big all that practice will have paid off. But my point that you failed to realise was that wrestling for you guys has become an addiction...there could be worse addictions to do. But you dont have to defend it so rigourously. If you enjoy it then do it. We dont need to know about the sacrifices you go throw. That is your own choice. I dont mean to stir it up and that was far from my mind when i first started typing a reply. I wasnt trying to change your way of living but the way some of us see it. If im wrong in your eyes you are entitled to your opinion but so is everyone.

Fozzy

I think another point has to be made here. Wrestlers do go through a lot of pain and sacrifice to achieve their dream. Actors do too, not as much physical pain, but it's still tough, all the rejections from auditions, the bad parts, until everything finally pays off and they land a good role. But nobody criticises actors trying for their dream, people don't remind them it's fake. That's what gets to a lot of people.

Basically, wrestlers get slagged for living their dream, most other people don't.