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"If you only watch WWE, you're not a real wrestling fan."

3326 Views 112 Replies 77 Participants Last post by  jon174
This seems to be a common sentiment amongst the hardcore audience in professional wrestling, that you have to watch all of these different companies to be a true wrestling fan, if you didn't know that Seth Rollins wrestled Joe Blogs in a spit swapping makeout match in a random bingo hall in Cleveland that one time 15 years ago you can't call yourself a wrestling fan. I exaggerate but you get what I mean.

For the most part for the world, WWE is professional wrestling, 99% of people in the world aren't aware that places like AEW, ROH, Impact, NJPW even exist. Are all the people who watch WWE because that's all they know not actually wrestling fans?

Another factor is simply time, most people don't have the time to watch more than a few hours of wrestling a week, and for most people that will be WWE. I'm personally not a fan of the current WWE product, but if I'm watching any show during the week it's probably going to be a WWE show, because they're the most easily digestable to me.

I think the whole gatekeeping nature of wrestling is silly to begin with, if you watch any company, you're a wrestling fan, doesn't matter what it is.

What do we all think?
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Okay, let's see this from another parallel...

Oh you like music? Yeah!

Do you only like pop music? Yeah!

Do you only like R&B? Yeah!

Do you only like Rock? Yeah!

Do you only like rap? Yeah!

Do you only like metal music? Yeah!

Etc.

Is all this stuff music? Yeah!
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I think most people here are not wrestling fans, or rather they watch it and don't enjoy it LOL
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A lot of people are saying that anyone can be a wrestling fan, unfortunately this is factually inaccurate.

The Wrestling Arbitration and Teaching Society has confirmed that in order to be a true fan you must undertake the following commitments.

  • Watch at least 2 wrestling shows per week, from at least 2 promotions
  • Attend at least 10 wrestling shows per year, from at least 3 promotions
  • Own merchandise from at least 5 wrestlers, from at least 4 promotions
  • Have attended at least 1 "Flagship" show such as WrestleMania Night Two or Wrestle Kingdom
  • Have been to the Tokyo Dome at least once
  • Listen to at least 2 wrestling podcasts per week, Jim Cornette doesn't count
People who have achieved all 6 are true fans, people who haven't are "Demifans", "Smart Marks", "Marks", "Jabronie Marks" and "Norms" respectively.
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Found the stinky boi.
don't speak like that about Rex, he's sensitive
Do people actually say this?

I don't think I've ever come across anyone who has said a WWE fan isn't a "real wrestling fan". I do think there's a somewhat belief that a certain bunch of WWE fans can't seem to enjoy anything that isn't WWE though so maybe that's where the misconception stands?

I've seen plenty of wrestling fans, who only tend to watch WWE, say they haven't heard of particular wrestlers or seen a particular match or won't be watching a particular event etc because they're not interested in it because it isn't WWE. It always surprised me and does lead to the question, do you actually like wrestling? Or do you just find it easier watching this particular entertainment show because it's pretty easy to find?

But I guess you get this across all forms of entertainment. I also know people who will only watch Premier League football, probably because of the ease in my country. Therefore won't tend to watch other leagues across Europe.
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At this point, if one or the other statements apply (they don't), I'm more inclined to say that if you watch anything except WWE, you're not a real wrestling fan. This shit in AEW is not wrestling. Whether it's the ridiculousness of Casshole kicking out of multiple Tombstones, and constantly playing with his dick with his hands in his pockets, or Moxley and his pain fetish, rolling around in broken glass, bleeding everywhere like he's begging for a spot on America's Snuffiest Home Videos, or all this high flying trapeze artist bullshit where it's high spot, high spot, high spot, high spot, high spot, no moderation, no pacing, no actual wrestling, just constant gymnastry, just everything everywhere all at once like a bunch of idiots. You can't watch anything but a rare handful of people, Punk, MJF, Joe, Christian, Eddie Kingston, Bryan Danielson (and even he's in this BCC shit) and do anything but laugh at it. It's become a laughing stock for fans that know what this is supposed to look like.
AEW's not even that far out there. I watch stuff that makes AEW look conservative
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I don't know about being a real wrestling fan but I know for sure if you don't take your vitamins and listen to this everyday...

...You can't be a Real American.
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AEW's not even that far out there. I watch stuff that makes AEW look conservative
Oh, there's definitely worse out there. I didn't feel the need to dignify GCW or DDT or any of these other places. AEW is the crux of the issue when it comes to tribalism in fandom, though, it's primarily WWE vs AEW.

AEW is way too far out there for what I want, even if it's not that far compared to a bunch of the really bad Indies. Way too far. This is 99% a dead art, all things considered.
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Get that weak sauce outta here.

Now THIS is a fan

Get this weak sauce out too, now this is a fan.
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You are all a bunch of whiny little bastards.

If you’ve never started a random complaint thread, you’re not a real whiny little bastard.
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I like this logic.

I only spank the monkey to Michelle Thorne and Megan Coxxx. As I don’t spank it to stormy daniels, you can’t call me a “real wanker”
It’s not like saying you’re a wrestling fan is a compliment.
This is of course bullshit, simply because these so called fans wouldn't know pro wrestling existed if it wasn't for WWE.
People who are watching 6+ hours of wrestling a week are either unemployed or losers.
Wait...
RAW 3 hrs
NXT 2 hrs
Smackdown 2 hrs
Dynamite 2 hrs
Rampage 1 hr
= :(
I only drink Dr. Pepper, so I don't drink soda (in b4 jokes about Dr. Pepper not being real soda, coca-cola and Pepsi suck)
It's a dumb take by whoever has that opinion. The kid that only watches WWE in the evenings on Mondays and Fridays is a wrestling fan. The women that watches WWE with their husbands can be a fan of wrestling. A lot of us were kids during the Monday night wars. We were wrestling fans. The people that have a limited amount of time in the evenings and nights to do whatever after work and choose to only watch WWE can be and are wrestling fans.

There is no requirement to watch a bunch of different wrestling outside of WWE in order to be a "true wrestling fan". If anything, I applaud those that only watch WWE because it means that they are using the rest of their free time on other things rather than just wrestling, wrestling and wrestling in front of a TV or computer.
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Well WWE ran a commercial specifically saying that there fans aren't wrestling fans. So..........

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Of course you're a wrestling fan if you only watch WWE. Saying otherwise is just silly.

Shitting on other companies on the internet means you're not a fan, which is profoundly different and irritating. You're free to like/dislike whatever really, but crying all day about WWE/AEW etc isn't fandom at all, it's fucking childish.

Well WWE ran a commercial specifically saying that there fans aren't wrestling fans. So..........

Works in a low-skilled job and said he'd quit because he wants to watch Raw. I know it's probably staged but no wonder we get so many thickos kicking up on here lol.
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My favorite college team is the Buckeyes and I never miss a game, but I watch whoever is playing all day saturday and Friday nights. I will even watch non power 5 teams play like in the MAC, because I love college football. I am a college football fan.

I watch every Browns game, but I don't watch any other professional team. I am a Browns fan, I am not a NFL fan

If you only watch WWE and refuse to watch any other pro wrestling then you are a WWE fan not a professional wrestling fan.

It doesn't matter if you are a just a WWE fan there is nothing wrong with that, you should watch what you like. The only gate keepers I see on here are WWE fans telling everyone else how everything not WWE is garbage.
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Too many people care what other people are watching. Stay in your own lane and we’ll all be happier.

Works in a low-skilled job and said he'd quit because he wants to watch Raw. I know it's probably staged but no wonder we get so many thickos kicking up on here lol.
It’s real. He’s a local news anchor these days.

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