#wrestling fans

[supakixbabe]

I wish people respected pro wrestling more than they do. This sport deserves so much more than it gets. I'm sick of hearing "it's fake" because yeah, the matches are predetermined but the emotions are real. The connection is real. The honor is real. The love is real.

It's real!

[bisexual-kane]

So, some insight about why so many older dudes on Reddit and such viscerally hate the Young Bucks is that the Young Bucks make them feel stupid and uncool.

Like, even as late as the 1990s, even when wrestling was the most popular thing during the Monday Night Wars and the Attitude Era, you would still get people who would laugh at you for being a wrestling fan because, dur, don't you know it's FAKE???

So part of the response to that is to insist that you're not a mark, you're a smart fan, someone who is hip to how the business works. Instead of getting caught up in the magic of kayfabe, because you're too smart for that, you analyze matches and assign them star ratings based on performance. You cheer the heel because you get they are putting in the work to add heat to the match. You obsess over TV ratings. You speculate on where storylines should go to build heat. You insist you know better ways to get people over and complain that Vince or Bischoff or Russo is not using someone who is so obviously the next big thing correctly.

It's very much an "I Enjoy the Muppets on a Much Deeper Level Than You" vibe.

But the most important thing of all, though, is that you must always be one step ahead of the wrestlers, bookers, and storytellers. See, you're a smart fan. So you must never, ever, get worked. Because that would be very uncool and lame.

And that's where the Bucks come in.

Maybe it's less obvious now, but after the Bucks left TNA/Impact, part of their brand was to very specifically get heat from all of us dorks on the Internet. These "smart" fans are the ones who are most likely to be going to PWG shows or following NJPW. So how do you get heat in your match? You have to piss off the smart marks.

I think the most obvious example is the Superkick Party. The Bucks start absolutely spamming a move that is usually a protected finisher. They get accused of exposing the business. They are upsetting people who obsess over start ratings and post on Reddit. But they are doing a classic heel move--they are working the audience. And of course, this pisses these people off even more because it reveals that they aren't as "smart" as they think they are. Which just builds into the Bucks' heat even more.

It's why they named their finisher the Meltzer Driver.

It's why they stole the NWO's "Too Sweet" and DX's "suck it."

It's why Matt Jackson kicks out of everyone's finisher like he's John Cena or Roman Reigns despite looking like a doe-eyed pretty girl.

It's why the Bucks became such successful independent wrestlers that they were able to build the second most-successful wrestling company in North America on the back of their YouTube vlog.

But again, the main people they are working are dudes who hate getting worked. And the Bucks are very good at this.

Just, as a personal anecdote, The Bucks are one of my favorite tag teams ever (if not my number one). At their Revolution 2020 match against Hangman and Kenny, I was in the crowd, and I was cheering for the Bucks. But then they grabbed Kenny's arms--Kenny who is supposed to be their best friend, Kenny who they didn't really have an issue with--and they hit him with the Golden Trigger--Kenny's finisher with his soulmate Kota Ibushi. The crowd turned. I turned. I was so infuriated at them, and I realized--they totally got me. For a great moment, I believed wrestling was 100% real, and I hated them so much, and the magic was there, and it was awesome.

Because, actually, it's not more fun to be smarter than the magician. It's not better to be cynical. It's actually pretty cool to not understand how the trick works, to get caught up in the wonder and possibility that just maybe magic can be real.

Wrestling is more fun when you get worked and let yourself enjoy it.

And the Bucks are always working this certain set of fans that are trying aggressively to not enjoy wrestling, not get sucked into it, to show that they are "too cool"--but the Bucks actually reveal that isn't the case. They are marks just like the rest of us. And they hate that.

But, yeah, TL;DR: The Bucks are amazing at specifically working Internet fans for heel hit, but these fans need to prove they are "too smart" for that. But the Bucks are smarter than them, so it makes them feel stupid. Hence all the outrageous hate.

[teamchasezwrites]

I don’t know who needs to hear this but:

WWE Live shows are just fun matches the wrestlers put on. It has no meaning to the stories shown on Raw, Smackdown, and PLEs. No title will change hands in these matches. They make them title matches to appear tougher/more important.

They mean nothing. It’s just fun. Hence when CM Punk came out on the holiday live tour to save Damian in a towel and shower cap.

Faces always win unless a heel is a champ because again titles do not change hands.

Why do faces always win? Because once upon a time that is who you cheered for. You booed the heel and cheered for the champ. It was like rooting for Cruella to win and actually kill the puppies instead of Pongo and Purdy saving them. For the Joker to stand tall over Batman. It’s why Bret Hart was cheered in the early 90s then got booed with the 2nd iteration of the Hart Foundation. It’s why Triple H was booed, then cheered, then booed, then cheered. Same with The Rock. You booed the bad guys when they were heels and cheered when they were faces.

Live shows are just entertainment for the fans. Nothing more. They aren’t serious.

Stop being stupid.

[heishook]

HOOK

AEW’s last Rampage • December 27, 2024

[xomegaman]

Recent photo of Kenny with a fan at Universal Studios

[youllalwayskneel]

i was wondering if people would be interested if i opened a discord for the tumblr girlies (and guys) out there? we could do deep storyline analysis, matches analysis, share creative content like fanfics or fanarts. idk, just an idea i have in mind. tell me i'm not the only one who'd enjoy it.

( also i wanna make aew friends so bad...like pls talk to me.)

[littlemagicalstardust]

Sending a hug to anyone on the timeline who needs one! <3 If anyone needs to hear this right now... I'm proud of you. Whatever you accomplished today was more than enough. Even if all you could manage was getting out of bed. If you need a sign to not do something bad to yourself, let this be it. <3 Tomorrow could be the best day of your life and you deserve to wake up and experience it. You matter and your life matters. Your story isn't meant to be over yet. <3

[slam-and-bam]

I mean….🥴👉👈

[heelswrestling]

JOE HENDRY ❤️

[ethanpageallego]

Ethan Page vs Cedric Alexander

WWE NXT • December 31, 2024

[supakixbabe]

(SOME) wrestling fans continue to move the goalpost until it’s humanly unreachable, but they will only move it for AEW — literally nobody else will have to endure proving time and time again that they belong. In hindsight, a company like AEW who started as a simple t-shirt company but grew into something new — something evolutional, will never be romantic enough for you.

[ladyfallon]

I have been asked so many times about why I am not a big follower of AEW. I have also been told I'm not a true wrestling fan as I am a female (as a 47 year old, I have had this thrown at me since I was 12). As for AEW I don't hate or resent it. I don't hate wrestlers who go there. I have tried so many times to get into it but I just can't. It's one of those things. I don't believe fans should feel obligated to watch one brand but they shouldn't be accused of not being real wrestling fans if they only watch one brand.

This is my experience as a fan. As a kid I grew up going to gyms and bingo halls with my dad watching British wrestling (including the British Bulldog's debut). I then had the joy of WWE (then WWF), WCW, USWA and GLOW on TV. My weekends were awesome. Because WCW was on so late at night we'd sneak snacks into my brother's room in the day then at night my sister and I would quietly creep into my brother's room and the 3 of us would watch it crowded around his mini TV until our dad caught us because my brother laughed so loudly at Paul Heyman's frustration with Bagwell. We found out dad was watching it too so he let us watch it with him on Saturday nights.

As the teen years came on, cousins would watch with us and wrestle with us (some fun times). We started going to events including Summerslam 92. That was crazy for me because I was 3 when my dad took me to my first event and the Bulldog debuted. Now I was watching him main event.

ECW came out and there was more for me as a wrestling fan to get excited about.

As I went to university I made more wrestling based friends and saw more indy stuff which was great after the demise of territorial wrestling in America where the likes of the Von Erichs came through.

That's when I saw the debut of someone my age and the crush hit lol. AJ Styles. He was exciting to watch. I followed his career completely. My attention was then split between WWE and TNA when I left uni and began teacher training. My neighbour was my wrestling viewing buddy and he used to get tired of hearing about TNA as he only liked WWE but then he hated me talking wrestling crushes but that's another story.

I kept up with bits of ROH and NJPW. When AJ left TNA to go independent I was back to watching just WWE while following his career. His last independent match before his WWE Royal Rumble debut was at a spot up the road from where I live (where my dad took me when I was 3). I remember feeling like that little kid again.

Skip forward to a nervous breakdown, I was in a psych ward voluntary to avoid legal committing for 3 months. I was diagnosed with bipolar and bpd. My sister brought me my tablet. They would charge it in the office and then let me have it. It was Wrestlemania weekend and I remember watching it and beginning to feel like I used to and it sparked the road to recovery from a dark spot.

That's when I realised that the WWE had been my biggest source of comfort since childhood.

As I've said before, I can't get into AEW and I've tried. TNA lost its spark (for me personally) when AJ Styles left.

But I am a true fan. I remember moments that I shared with family. When it was the four big events in the wrestling calendar only - the family would watch together eating a buffet and treating it like a party.

As my niece grew up, she found love for the Undertaker not realising his debut as Taker went back to when I was 13.

And now my little person (I'm her guardian), she began to walk because of Big E. She saw him dancing with Kofi and Xavier and began to crawl to the TV, pulled herself up to dance with him. I then kept telling she’d have to walk over to him to dance. Low and behold, she started walking.

Not every memory is happy. Kerry Von Erich's suicide, Sherri, Miss Elizabeth, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, the Benoit Tragedy (some hate me for saying there's more to it than what was shared and if you knew Kevin Sullivan you'd understand why it never made sense) and more recently Bray Wyatt which I had to experience twice because early last year I was admitted to hospital with a DKA was in a coma for a few days with brain swelling and have forgotten so many things since it happened. I'd forgotten he'd died. I told one of my nurses I had 3 weeks to learn to walk again and be home for Wrestlemania and see Bray knock it out of the park. She told me he'd died and I had to go through grief a second time for him. But still wrestling was a catalyst in my recovery.

So no, I don't watch AEW (my brother and nephew always keep me updated on that front) and I only really watch WWE now but it does not mean I am not a true fan. Wrestling still brings me the same joy it did as a kid and I still tell people the same thing then as I do today. Whether you watch one or several organisations, you ARE a fan. Don't feel devalued by someone else's opinion. Wrestling is wrestling, people shouldn't be made to feel inferior by other fans if they don't choose to watch a particular brand. Wrestling fans get looked down upon all the time because people go on about it being fake. We don't need to belittle each other too.

[heishook]

HOOK vs Nick Wayne

AEW’s last Rampage • December 27, 2024

[xomegaman]

Kenny Omega, ‘The Best Bout Machine’ makes his AEW Dynamite Return LIVE THIS WEDNESDAY in Clarksville, TN at F&M Bank Arena at 8pm ET on TBS & MAX!

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

My WRESTLECADE Experience

Hey Everyone ! I went to WRESTLECADE this past weekend. If you don’t know what WRESTLECADE is , it’s a huge three day convention that takes place every year in November during the Thanksgiving weekend. It celebrates everything about professional wrestling. Here is my experience.

I went to WRESTLECADE on Saturday. I was originally supposed to meet Kevin Nash , however , he had to pull of it due to a medical procedure he had done on his back. All I want is for him to get well soon and I also hope that he is okay . The convention center was huge with an upstairs floor and a downstairs floor. I used to be an All Star Cheerleader , so I was used to being in a building like that . Walking in to WRESTLECADE, there was a photo op with a few of the wrestlers who were there such as Timeless Toni Storm, Gail Kim, The Hardys, Ric Flair , Sting , and a few others . It was pretty cool!

My sister was there to meet her favorite AEW wrestler , Darby Allin. My Brother -In -Law was there to meet Kurt Angle , and I was there to meet ‘ The Mouth Of The South ’ Jimmy Hart. They stayed downstairs to meet Darby and Kurt as I had to go upstairs to meet Jimmy . When we made it there , we began to talk to other fans in line . This is something I recommend at a wrestling show and a convention because we are all there for the same thing , our love of wrestling. Most of them were there for Sting and Darby Allin. As we were hanging out and before I went upstairs , the legendary wrestling manager , ‘ The Perfect 10 ’ Baby Doll, walked past us . I’ve met her before and she’s awesome. I also ran into one of my favorite independent wrestlers downstairs too.

The room I had to go in to meet Jimmy Hart was huge. I’ve never seen so many people there. It was very easy for me to find the booth where Jimmy Hart was at. I got to meet @hart-on-my-sleeve and her husband too which was cool! Thank you for inviting me to your booth! I had such a great experience with them and Jimmy as well. Jimmy is such a great person and very cool to meet . Getting to hold his iconic megaphone was such an honor to do so. My Brother - In - Law also met Jimmy and had an awesome experience with him too. He also had a great experience with Kurt Angle. He said Kurt was so cool and loved his shirt. He’s a wrestler too and was inspired by Kurt for his gimmick. After meeting Jimmy, I had to stop by and talk to George South. It’s always a great time seeing him. And yes , I kind of Marked out when Gail Kim , Jordynne Grace , and Speedball Mike Bailey walked past me. I almost cried when Mina Shirakawa waved at me. I love her so much.

Now, don’t laugh at me about this part. As my Brother - In - Law and I were walking , we were thinking of going to meet and talk to Jim Ross. However , I kept looking around and I saw the TNA World Champion, Nic Nemeth. I kept looking at him. My Brother-In-Law kept asking if I wanted to meet him. I’m a little shy. I also have a crush on Nic. I went to meet Nic and I can say that he is so sweet. We talked for a little and he even let me hold his championship when we took our photo. So, thank you Nic. My sister was still in line for Darby Allin and about lost it when ‘ Switchblade ’ Jay White and ‘ Timeless ’ Toni Storm walked past her . She spoke to them and she was ecstatic when they spoke to her . She almost had to play bodyguard for Juice Robinson because she saw him on crutches and people were being rude and wouldn’t get out of his way. She said she related to him because the same thing happened to her when she was crutches trying to walk before after having hip surgery and a few other medical problems. I am proud of her for that .

The coolest thing I got to do at WRESTLECADE was meet the former artist for the WWE , Tom Fleming . You might have seen his work for The Undertaker’s first WWE shirt in 1991 and a few Survivor Series posters. Tom designed the logo and costume for Razor Ramon . He told me a few stories about Razor and Owen Hart. Just hearing those stories made me tear up a little and it helped me learn more about them. Did you know that Razor Ramon was originally going to wear tights and a hat for his character? Tom told me that Scott Hall didn’t like the hat and he was working on his legs , so that’s why he wore trunks . I also got to see the original concepts for Tatanka , The 123 Kid ( X-PAC), and Kane as well. He also said that you might have seen his work on the internet . Thank you to him for taking time and talking to me about his career working for the WWE . I also got to meet the legendary ‘ Russian Nightmare ’ Nikita Koloff and talk to him about the article I wrote about him. Nikita also knows my Dad. Nikita is such a great guy and I thank him for his time too. My sister met up with us after meeting Darby and she said he was very good to her . Yes , she almost cried after meeting him . He took his time with her and talked to her . Thank you , Darby for that.

We all decided to go downstairs to explore and see who was down there. All of us were looking for Joe Hendry . Therefore , we went into one of the many rooms they had open for the Fanfest and the first person we met there was Jerry ‘ The King ’ Lawler. Jerry was very cool . I saw the iconic photo of Lawler and Andy Kaufman on his table and pointed it out . He said it happened in 1982. I told him I wanted to write about it and he gave me that signature Jerry Lawler smile . We also told him how he made our childhoods great . We made our way around and even talked to Hornswoggle. He was awesome and I loved his Taylor Swift inspired shirt he had. My Brother - In - Law had a stare down with Matt Cardona. We also talked to Matt too and told him how much we loved Chelsea. Danhausen waved at us. I had to do the talking when we met Joe Hendry. All I can say is , Joe Hendry is such a sweetheart. Therefore , we went back into the lobby and I ran into Jojo, Bray Wyatt’s widow . She is so sweet and gorgeous in person. I also ran into Ricky ‘ The Dragon ’ Steamboat. He is very nice .

We went back into the room where we met Jimmy Hart. My sister thought it would be funny to embarrass me by telling Ryan Nemeth I thought Nic was hot. Ryan was a sweetheart too, like his brother. We also encountered The Boogeyman. My Brother - In - Law made my sister go up to him and she was scared. She was and still is terrified of him to this day. We also saw James Storm there. My sister kind of freaked out when she saw him. He is her all time favorite TNA Wrestler . Guess who also saw their favorite all time TNA Wrestler and got to talk to him ? Me! I got to talk to Frankie Kazarian. He is so amazing and very nice. Thank you to Ryan, The Boogeyman , and Frankie for being so good to us.

The Supershow was great too. As we were in line waiting , Zilla Fatu came by us and asked us what we were waiting on. He was so nice . Zilla is also a talented wrestler too. I loved the energy of the fans during the show and the card was great too. The matches that stole the show for me were the Nemeth Brothers vs Brad Attitude and Matt Cardona and the Doors , Ladders, and Chairs Match. When Joe Hendry made his entrance , I thought the roof of the place was going to blow off. Getting to see The Great Khali was awesome too. At the end of the Supershow , as we were walking out , we met NXT Superstar, Je’Von Evans. He is such a nice guy! Shout to him for being cool!

The Staff was great! They were good to everyone and the event was very well organized! I’ll definitely go back next year ! This was our first time there !

Who do you meet at WRESTLECADE? Were you a first time visitor to WRESTLECADE like me ? What did you think? Let me know!

Love You All,

- Kay