The Wrestling-Sports Parallel

More than ever before, wrestling fans are using the internet to find out the latest: hiring or firing, drug test violation or backstage altercation. That’s probably why you’re reading this on Tha O Show right now - you want “insider” information as well as opinions that you wouldn’t have had access to 15 yrs ago. Fans want to know as much as they can, and the internet satisfies that want. However, this desire for more rumors and behind-the-scenes information is not exclusive to wrestling fans - sports fans want the same thing too.

All you have to do is go to ESPN’s website to see what constitutes as “news” - more and more it’s insider information, like contract negotiations and details on coaches’ hirings/firings. These things are becoming more “newsworthy” than what actually takes place on the field or court.

On Monday, February 4th at 9:04 pm., the headlines on espn.com read as follows:

1. Texas Tech’s Knight Resigns
2. View to a thrill: Record 97.5 million watch XLII
3. Victory for Vick: QB can keep millions from bonus
4. Pettitte meets with Congress about Mitchell Report
5. Duke, UNC to square off as coaches’ 2-3
6. Reports: Bedard trade might be closer to reality
7. Brady, Moss among those opting to skip Pro Bowl
8. Tar Heels don’t have good feeling abut Lawson
9. Tigers give rising star Granderson multiyear deal
10. Davenport, Harkleroad help U.S. win Fed Cup Match
11. Rosenhaus: Chad Johnson won’t sit out ‘08 season

Let’s take a closer look at these headlines to uncover some similarities with the headlines you would find on a wrestling gossip site. Firstly, the Super Bowl ratings were analyzed, just like the ratings for Raw, Smackdown, ECW and TNA are analyzed on a weekly basis. Secondly, the Pettitte story sounds an awful lot like Congress breathing down the neck of Vince McMahon for the fed’s drug test failures. Thirdly, Granderson’s contract extension mirrors Carlito’s recent extension, although I’m sure Carlito’s contract falls just a little short of the $30 million + that Granderson’s going to get. Lastly, the Bedard story is the closest one to the stories you’ll find on wrestling gossip sites - “Bedard trade MIGHT be closer to reality”? That’s not news - it’s speculation! Out of all 11 headlines on ESPN, only 2 of them had to do with on-the-court action: the Duke-UNC headline and the Fed Cup headline.

When it comes down to it, the internet provides the same thing for both wrestling and sports fans: unprecedented behind-the-scenes access at the click of a mouse and we get more access at a faster pace than ever before. It’s the old slippery slope theory: once we got a little, we demanded more. How else can you explain Sports Illustrated’s website opening a sub-site called “Truth and Rumors”? How else can you explain all the attention paid to the Johan Santana trade? Avid sports fans would have known about his trade to the Mets nearly a week before it became official. Using a wrestling example, look no further than Chris Harris’ signing with the WWE. Visitors of Tha O Show would have known Harris’ intention of signing with the fed weeks before he actually signed the contract. And Ron Killings and Big Show are set to return to the WWE - we’ve known about this for weeks.

So what are the implications of this unprecedented, knowledgeable fanbase? For one, it makes the athletes more vulnerable to criticism. For example, with contract negotiations being public, athletes are scrutinized more than ever: “A-Rod makes $25 million per year and he hasn’t gotten the Yankees a World Series Championship? What a bum!” And to use a wrestling example, no matter how successful Triple H is, I’m still going to resent him for all the politicking he does backstage. Is it fair? I’m not sure, but that’s the way it is.

The second implication: it forces one to look at athletes in a different way. Athletes like Vince Carter, whose private trade demand became public, will never win back fans in the cities they play for - Carter certainly didn’t in Toronto. He’s been booed every time he’s returned to the ACC with the Nets. From a wrestling standpoint (and I can only speak for myself), I definitely view wrestlers and their matches differently. Instead of cheering for who I want to win based on the character’s moral values (Hogan) or coolest catchphrases (The Rock), I admire those who are good at what they do.

Let’s use an example to help explain my point: Survivor Series ‘94, Bret Hart (with Davey Boy Smith in his corner) vs. Bob Backlund (with Owen Hart in his corner) for the WWF Championship. It was essentially a submission match, with the stipulation being that the corner man had to throw in the towel to stop the match. When Owen convinced his mother, Helen (who was seated at ringside with Stu), to throw in the towel when Backlund had Bret in the crossface chicken-wing submission, I hated him. I thought: how could Owen do this to his brother? And even worse, how could he do this to his mother? But when I watch the match now, I think: Owen is awesome. And so is whoever came up with the idea. It was a classic heel move, and it elicited the proper response from my 8 year-old self. Now, though, I respect Owen for a job well done, and this sort of response was seen at the Royal Rumble as well. The NYC crowd cheered for Edge because they recognized he’s the best heel in the business - they weren’t going to cheer for Rey just because the fed wanted them too.

This leads us to our final question: Is this knowledgeable fanbase a bad thing for sports/wrestling? It hasn’t seemed to faze sports much. Major League Baseball, which is filled with the richest athletes (and therefore, arguably the most susceptible to criticism) just had one of its largest revenue-generating seasons in history. And this past Sunday’s Super Bowl was the most watched ever. But the answer must be “yes” as far as wrestling is concerned. When the business was exposed as “entertainment” and not sport, a certain amount of irreversible damage was done to wrestling - and the internet continues to break kayfabe and “smarten up” fans at a younger age. With more knowledge comes more criticism. But fear not, wrestling fans - wrestling will survive. Kayfabe, too, will survive for however long you can keep the internet away from younger wrestling fans, and a recent personal experience brought this point home for me.

In January, my 10 year-old brother and I were checking out the PWX show in St. Thomas, and of course, we were rockin’ our Cody Deaner t-shirts. Tyson Dux and Deaner, in particular, were doing what they do best, enciting hateful chants and challenges from everyone in the crowd: old drunks, kids, and teenagers alike. At intermission, my little brother and I went over to check out the Street Fighter arcade game (it’s probably been there since 1991), but we had to wait our turn because two other kids, no older than 10 years of age, were already playing. When they were done, one of the boys turned around, saw our shirts, and shot us a look like we’d just farted.

“I can’t believe you guys are wearing those shirts,” he said.

A smile started to show on my face as I anticipated what was coming next. “Why?”

“‘Cuz Cody Deaner sucks.”

Even though I could tell my little brother was ready for a fight, I just had to laugh at the kid who reminded me of the 8 year-old Andrew Gray who hated Owen Hart.

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