Majik

Cattle Mutilation & Majik makes some good points here.If I were to give my honest thoughts on a wrestling match, which the wrestler would actually listen to, he could a) agree with me and tell me that he's working on improving those specific points, or b) tell me he disagree with them. To me, a good up-and-coming wrestler listens to the fans as well as his fellow wrestlers, because at the end of the day, you're wrestling to please the fans.

And therein lies the comprimise which seems to escape some workers and fans.If a fan comes up to me and makes some good points about my match, I listen and digest, thank them sincerely and hope that they come back to maybe see the improvements.If a fan comes up to me and explains why I should never wrestle again due to the fact that my fujiwara arm bar weight placement was too far below the shoulder blade, I look like I'm listenening, thank them insincerely and hope their Mum walks in on them wanking, and joins in.On the flipside, if a fan came up to me and made some good points and I disregarded them completely, had a pop at them for not being a wrestler, and eventually told them to get stuffed, I'm not going to improve, and I deserve all the flack I get.Now transpose the fan coming up to me at a show to the internet, and the same system works. I personally will never have a pop at anyone unless majorly provoked as I have too much respect for the fans, as I am more than aware that most fans have respect for the workers.I'd never tell Mo Konjic how to defend as I don't play football, but as a fan, I'm entitled to tell him he didn't have the best game in the world and hope he gets back to his usual violent self next game. If I start explaining how the curl on his left isn't up to scratch and if he simply turned his foot in more he would improve, I would expect to wake up in hospital in the year 2007. Same applies.Majik

Thats a good point there CM. I've had some matches which rules all in my opinion but after chatting to fans, they considered them mediocre, and conversely had some matches that I've come backstage and kicked the wall out of frustration that I was so crap, but the fans have absolutely loved it. The trick is to realise that what you consider, as a worker, to be a good match, is not necessarily correct, and thats a hard thing to do.Likewise with any criticism - you have to step back, watch it all again, and maybe admit to yourself. Yep, I was crap. Then work on it. Its the only way to improve in my opinion - hence I tape almost every single match I work.Majik

At the end of the day this is a business and most of these guys see this as a living (even the US guys relating to US Smarts), and most of them are grown men. Now these grown men are having 12-15 year old smartasses ruining their reputations in a public manner, when in all honesty they are trying to earn a living whilst trying to entertain said smartasses.

A cracking post sir. I think you are dead right there, and some of the "backlash" seems to come from frustration.I'll put forward my own experiences here, although I am extremely lucky (or talented ) to have not been unjustly criticised to my knowledge (Bar "he who shall not be mentioned on the UKFF").I wrestle because I love doing it, absolutely nothing to do with money - I want to be out there and doing what I do for the love of it. Why do I love it? Because of the fans. I'm not sucking up in any way, but whether there are 1000 at Bedworth, 150 in Coventry or one man and his dog in Birmingham, if I can entertain the crowd then I am a very happy man. The frustration comes when you spend money, time, energy and your own health to entertain fans that refuse to see anything good in what you do and seem intent on dragging everyone into their opinion. Again, it is a stereotype to say " 12-15 year old smartasses ruining their reputations in a public manner" but it is inherent of a business where that is part of the demographic and as such is to be expected. Like any business, there are ups and downs and sometimes it seems that you get very little out for the enormous amounts you put in, but other times it is the best feeling in the world - thats the way it goes and if I'm brutally honest, if you can't handle that, then take up tiddlywinks or something. but there will still be a Tiddlywink board somewhere saying how much you suck - I'm personally glad the exposure that British wrestling gets. If it was all positive we would never get better at the end fo the day.Terje, I don't think you've so much hit a nerve as hit on a subject that is hard to explain well - I can't count the amount of times I've sat with other workers over a pint or five discussing just this, and by the end of it all, we still hadn't got any further forward really. Most negativity is postive (Good grief, I sound like a Business Studies student...) and discussions such as this can bring to light problems that need to be tackled, and I thnk it is a credit to workers and promoters that they read and digest these opinions - because it's all about the fans at the end of the day and pleasing them is what the game is all about.See - I still haven't explained that very well....but I did manage to somehow get Tiddlywinks involved...Majik

My own personal belief is that there's far too much emphasis on differentiating between internet and non-internet fans. Fans are just that fans - so what if some fans communicate on the net - its no difference from fans discussing their favourite sport between themselves in a pub.

*Applauds* Well said sir. Have been preaching that for some time now.Some fans aren't fans in my opinion - too busy picking holes and justifying their own intelligence with negativity. But 99.9 percent of fans are the absolute business - constructively critical and appreciative.If a fan doesn't like what they see, then they have every right to voice their opinion - its when this opinion is stated as fact that the line is crossed for me.Majik