Colour Commentary: Mission Statement

Let's face it, being a smark means nothing. The term is thrown around far too often to refer fans who enjoy the inside of the pro wrestling product, but it has come with a stigma industry insiders. The smarks I refer to are not a rare breed of person, they're just human, they love to bitch, and bitch they will - hell, I've been guilty of it on more than one occasion. The difference I say between a "smart mark" and a "smark" is that smart marks don't just criticise, they enjoy the product and when they don't, they will happily suggest ways of bettering it. To a degree we're all armchair bookers, creating our own fantasy of what pro wrestling is about but I think along the way, we've forgotten what it's actually about. You see, pro wrestling isn't just about championships, it isn't just about the wrestlers, it isn't even just about the money (after all, what do we, as fans, really care about how many PPV's are sold except as bragging rights for our preferred company). At the end of the day, pro wrestling is about fun, it's about sitting with friends and relatives, it's an industry that thrived on memes before the internet, its catchphrases, flashiness and competition are instant eye-catchers, and the only reason people talk it down is because it's not considered cool right now.

But over the past months I have begun to become more vocal about my love for pro wrestling and it's done some wonders, I've managed to re-initiate or bring people in who were never fans. How did I do it? I just talked about it, I didn't go on the defensive, I didn't talk certain parts down, I just talked about the events themselves and it got people enjoying the discussion enough to tune in. I've never denied my love for this form of entertainment, but I've never been explicit about discussing it either, and I think that's formed a vicious cycle to make the industry a stigma, we're worried about not being considered "cool" by liking wrestling, and as a result no-one talks about it and it remains uncool.

So I ask you, as part of our mission statement as wrestling fans, do something that you would do about any other TV show you watch, go to school, go to work, go to meet someone and just do this one thing for the entertainment you love - talk about it.