The beginning of this month has been historical in a lot of ways.

Starting with Sunday night when we found out Chavo Guerrero was released from his WWE contract citing disapproval with his treatment there. Later we would learn that rumor had it, other superstars were asking the same for themselves. Not a shocker really. I mean, when you think about it, the WWE has been doing this with talent for quite some time.

Proper utilization of skills and talents is key for ANY successful business. Some are meant for the top spot. Some, well they’re meant to be mentors for upcoming superstars. This is the way the business world is and it is the way wrestling was originally designed. Don’t believe me?

Just take your old NWA tapes and watch how Harley Race, Ric Flair, Rick Steamboat, Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson, and even Arn Anderson did things. Watch how they groomed successors for their spots. Watch as the company itself grew to proportions previously UNHEARD of as they were able to grow their own talent.

Imagine, from beginning to end, having a career in the NWA during the 70’s and 80’s. If you had that it factor, you had a chance. Nowadays? Well not so much.

CM Punk, known to many as the Straight Edge Savior, sat down on Monday night, June 27th and began a rant that would grow so huge in notoriety that it would become known only as ‘The Promo.’

What he described for all of us to marvel at was disgust for the status quo that grew so large that he could no longer stand to be a part of it. In fact, he was prepared to go down as the villain in an effort to somehow be remembered as a hero. How do I come to this conclusion? Quite simply it is the message that he provided.

Not the question of shoot or work. C M Punk took the time to show us all that truly, there is a better product out there. It’s represented in many forms, no one promotion is the sole owner of the best total package product. It is many things to many different people. The simple truth of what Punk described was more that WWE only cares currently for making the machine go and not necessarily improving its efficiency or value.

So is the question of shoot or work really important anymore? Some say it is. Those that do, generally speaking, are the ones who don’t have a dog in the fight. We call them SMARKS. They are the ones who read every sheet, spread every rumor, talk with disrespect to each member of their very own Internet community. They are the hardcore fan, the aggravated supporter, and the disheartened consumer. They represent the audience and yet they fight amongst themselves. They would much rather devour each other than to improve the product. How can they improve the product?

Someone I follow on twitter said recently, tell TNA what you want with spending your money. If you support the Destination X pay per view, BUY IT. Show them that this is what you WANT to see. I retweeted it, I commended him for posting it, and I totally 100% agree. While I am NOT known as huge TNA fan, I do respect the love that its fans keep for it. Much like the love that Team Goldie has for WWE’S Goldust, it is rather unwaivering.

As much as I love this business and I promise you that I will do such for the rest of my natural life, I feel the need to identify some things that I would very much like to see change. There are things that I cannot stand what so ever. It’s almost hypocritical but you know what? I don’t care. It’s my time and I will get this off my chest.

1st of all: Where is it written that all fans must either know everything or nothing at all? Apparently the definition of knowledge changed. My interpretation was always that it’s recommended that all people CONTINUE learning their entire lives. This means that a fan should always want to know MORE. It’s human nature. If you are a wrestler currently, and you have a facebook or twitter account, it is up to you how you handle yourself in front of us ‘fans.’ What this means is, if you want to uphold KAYFABE, then you should probably not mingle with us with your personal problems or issues. Why? Because under what I understand kayfabe to be, we’re not supposed to know your real life problems/issues. We’re supposed to only know what YOU do in the RING. This also means you have a responsibility to handle yourself PROFESSIONALLY in public forum as well. Don’t go out getting into trouble and then expect us to not ask questions. You see, its human nature to question things. That’s what we do as a people. So to tell us fans that we are nothing more than marks and we should show respect as you yourself have disrespected the very industry you have sworn to protect is downright ridiculous.

2nd: Exactly when did the definition of wrestling fan become that of a stupid, redneck who’s simple delights are that of what takes place on that magic picture box? Do you even realize how stupid you sound when you tell us we’re not supposed to know what is going on? YOU TOLD US WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE FIRST PLACE! Nothing is more stupid than to insult the education that YOU have provided.

How did you do this? Ask those people who put out the Pro Wrestling Secrets Exposed video. Ask the makers of the Slam U app for iPhone. Ask those who came before you who have sold their souls for a chance to get a shoot video done just so they could purchase some alcohol or drugs. Ask those ungrateful bastards who have abused their gifts and destroyed themselves and allowed us to mourn them.

You see, we mourn right alongside you guys. We always have. In fact, if it weren’t for us, there would be no need for that ring or those who work within it. We are, of course, the fans. The marks. The consumers. What drives your business that you break your bodies to work inside of? We do.

We are the fans who have backed you since your debut. We are the customers who have purchased your tshirts, books, and maybe even wristbands. We are who you are working for. Now, is this to say that ALL wrestling fans should have their asses kissed? No way, not at all. But this is a statement that says there is a HUGE miscommunication going on right now.

We’ve taken our money, our time, and our imaginations and handed them to you in hopes you would provide the entertainment you specialize in. We’ve followed your lead and learned how to identify how you do things. We’ve bought in by asking questions of both you and your promoters. We emulate you, we educate our friends about you. And all we ever ask is for the recognition that without us, your business would cease to exist. It happens with every business. If you alienate your audience and treat them poorly long enough, eventually you lose it. Its like this with every relationship you have. We are just like you except we didn’t put our bodies out there and pay the price as you have. For that, you have our appreciation, respect, and in some cases our love.

3rd: The relationship between fan and wrestler is indeed a shaky one but it’s not beyond repair. With recent rants by C M Punk and our very own Mark James, the time has come to stop fighting and to start working to find a better way. Joey Image, Wicked Nemesis, Mark James, and every guest we’ve had to date has every right to ask respect and fair treatment. Those very same people however, gave it before they got it. It’s the very reason I appreciate them at every turn. By the way Mark, you will be sorely missed. I do, however, understand and appreciate ALL you’ve done for me and the show.

The bottom line here is very simple. It’s done. The whole “don’t question me, I’m a wrestler” thing is all done for me. If you are putting yourself out there for all the world to see, you should EXPECT to be questioned. And this is not for those like I mentioned earlier, Joey, Mark, Wicked, etc. This is for those like Randy Orton, Matt and Jeff Hardy, and even Vince McMahon himself. If you’re going to go out there, talk about a coworker’s private life, taze your girlfriend, or even bury a top-notch talent like C M Punk, you are damn right we’re there to question that. You know why?

It’s our job. Much like the citizens of this awesome country, it is our job to hold you accountable. Accountability works BOTH ways however. When we are out of line, I fully expect to be held accountable and I guess I’d have to own up to my mistakes. It’s what we do as people in general. But this whole idea that because we’re not backstage that we have no idea what’s really going on? Ladies and gentlemen, perception is reality. When you allow yourselves to be perceived as drunken buffoons, you are opening the door for us to attack and hit hard. When you catch us trying to be ‘workers,’ you have every right to correct the act.

That should be where it ends, however. There should be no personal attacks. There should be no threats or disrespect shown for what you or we do. What happened to simply respecting the balance between fan and wrestler? It’s time to bring that back.
We, as fans, ask for the right to enjoy and question the entertainment we paid for. You, are wrestlers, deserve the right to protect the business however you can while still respecting the fact that we serve a purpose inside the business you know and love.

Let’s face it folks, the cat has been out of the bag for some time now. It’s not as if you can simply stuff it back in and say ‘Sorry folks, nothing to see here.’ It just doesn’t work that way. Kayfabe, as it was known in the 80’s and 90’s, is no longer valid as it was back then. Now, this doesn’t mean that it’s dead, but it is totally different now. That being said, it’s time to redefine it.

Kayfabe, should be considered the ability to suspend disbelief and simply enjoy the show. It should be the ‘4th wall’ as C M Punk put it. There should be a respect for each man/woman who puts their bodies on the line for our enjoyment. There should be respect shown from us at all times by not calling the wrestlers/managers by their real names unless we’re told it’s ok. There should be no more attempts to direct a wrestler with what WE think is right. If we’re so right, by the way, why aren’t WE the ones in the ring? Hmmm… food for thought. Wrestlers deserve our appreciation and respect. Fans deserve an opportunity to learn this business without being attacked for not being in the ring themselves. It’s totally normal to be curious and want to know more about what we love. That’s what it should be. Nothing more and nothing less.

4th: I see these extreme groups. You know who I’m talking about. The ones who think their every tweet make them so self-important. FOLLOW ME MR WRESTLER! HEY “BRO,” I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN! How about those who feel that if they tweet a company or wrestler long enough, they’ll get their way? Are you kidding me? You guys are the reason legit fans can’t get any time to talk to the wrestlers. You flood timelines with ridiculous nonsense and claim you’re fans? You’re not fans. You’re not even marks. You’re uneducated buffoons who feel your only place in life is when you’re dealing with your favorite wrestler. It’s not fandom at that point, its obsession! It’s not the job of a wrestler to kiss your behinds and make you feel important. Their jobs lie in that very ring and in the arenas. If they are on twitter, that’s their personal choice. They can ignore who they please and follow or unfollow whomever they see fit.

The only exception to this are the accounts created by the companies they work for. Then, and only then, is it their jobs to interact. If a wrestler breaks the rules that the company sets forth, guess what, they’re GOING TO DISCIPLINE THOSE RESPONSIBLE! It’s called a job folks. When you have a job, you have to follow rules. If you don’t follow them what happens? YOU GET FIRED. Be grateful that Goldust didn’t get canned for his actions. You know, I am a huge fan of Goldust/Dustin Rhodes. I always have been. I will always be such.

The problem related to his online behavior is that he allowed the perception of harassment, which is a federal offense btw, and bullying. THAT IS WRONG. Like it or not, he did this and the WWE forced him to answer for it. Don’t like it? I suggest you do something constructive like accept that there are consequences for our actions and then move on. A letter campaign is great when more than two people write letters. I respect and appreciate the passion that TexasTedy and GoldustGirl on twitter display. I really do. But it’s the ones one Team Goldie that troll other wrestlers and attack other fans that infuriate me. THAT is the sole reason I stop associating with the entire group. Seems so silly right? An online group of fans?

Well that’s what we have to deal with as wrestling fans. We get mixed in with these idiotic doofus’ who can hardly string together a decent sentence. Hell, my cohost Corey can barely type but at least he manages to respect the wishes of the wrestlers he sends his typos to. Nothing is as disappointing as when I see wrestlers lash out at the ENTIRE WRESTLING FANBASE when a chosen few are truly the ones responsible for ruining their online experience. There’s a reason companies like WWE make them so difficult to get in touch with by the way, it’s those fans who can’t seem to get it. The ones who refuse to use common sense. They think they can dissect a match simply by seeing a blown spot. Here’s a concept, GET IN THE RING! Then, AND ONLY THEN, can any of us truly judge.

So from here forward, whether you are a wrestler or a fan, you’re equal in my eyes. I will not say that I will never make the mistake of disrespect because I believe we all make mistakes, but I promise that I will make it my mission for as long as I am alive to push for the growth of this business and the continued growth of the relationship between fan and wrestler. Thank you for your time and have a great night!

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